Elephants & Bagels

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

A stone's throw from Edinburgh Uni, Elephants & Bagels is popular with students seeking brain food, comfort and access to free WiFi. Customer-created felt tip and crayon elephant drawings bedeck the walls, while a tower of carved wooden elephants stands sentinel in the corner as the daily stampede of regulars comes and goes. An impressive New York-style variety of flavours, from poppy seed and onion to cinnamon and raisin, is displayed behind the counter where orders are taken with a smile. Sourced from the Leeds Jewish company, Bagel Nash, the bagels are preservative-free and low in salt and sugar. Tastily filled with, perhaps, smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers and lemon juice, or pesto chicken and salad, they're a meal in themselves. The staff compete to create the bagel of the week, often inspired by customer requests for own-design filling combinations. The recycled and biodegradable plates may not score style points, but it's a planet-friendly touch that saves on dishwasher energy. Slackers can study the papers (if not the homework) over a strong coffee and millionaire shortbread, while those too busy to stop can take away a cookie and coffee for next to nothing.

• High point: Who can resist an elephant… or a bagel?
• Low point: Food lacks the home-made touch