Fair Trade Coffee Shop

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

With its leather chairs, simple coffee tables, bookshelf of battered paperbacks and poster-covered walls, this Leith Walk café is the epitome of shabby chic. But there's nothing shabby about the food or service. All-day cooked breakfasts are popular and include the standard fry-up, but the pancake selection simply cannot be ignored, whether it's the classic maple syrup-smeared stack or a more exotic chocolate chip and caramel syrup option. For lunch there are toasted bagels and filled rolls – for just £2, diners can choose from fillings of Thai chilli chicken, creamy French brie and cranberry, or Polish sausage. It's a casual little eatery, where exchange students snack while catching up on their emails on their laptops (the Wi-Fi is free), an elderly academic marks some essays while enjoying a breakfast roll, and a small girl builds a train track on the floor. There is something calming about the Fair Trade Coffee Shop, a place where people can pop in or out, stay a while to read or chat, or simply pick up a great cup of coffee for a bargain £1.

• High point: Bargain prices for good food
• Low point: So small there's no guarantee of a seat

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