City Café

(5)

City Café

19 Blair Street

Edinburgh, EH1 1QR

Box office: 0131 220 0125

Phone: 0131 220 0125

Email:

Website: www.thecitycafe.co.uk

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Food served: Mon–Sun 10am–10pm
Bar open: Mon–Sun 9am–1am. Extended in Festival
Number of wines sold by the glass: 8
Private dining: Up to 150 covers
Also offers: Vegetarian options (at least ¼ main courses), Gluten-free options, Children's portions, Children's high chairs, Wheelchair access, Outdoor tables, Live music, Free wi-fi
Music on stereo: Day: 50s soul. Night: mix of dance, indie, hip hop and electronica
Opening times: Mon–Sun 11am–1am
Capacity: 80
Largest group: 150 at City Café 2 downstairs
Open since: 1985

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Average price:
£6 (set lunch)
£12 (evening meal)
House wine: £15.50 red; £14.50 white per bottle

The 2012 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the current (2012) edition.

Pull up your pop socks and pick a song for the juke box: the City Café is your Grease-shaped American diner. Its red banquettes are just right for a short lie down after eating more than your fill of the great BBQ sharing platter, with sticky pork ribs, juicy prawns and delicious mini Borders beef burgers. Once you’ve recovered, the menu is long and slightly bewilderingly international, with Moroccan tagine sitting next to chilli con carne and a fully loaded hot dog, and curries next to crepes. The all-day breakfast is perhaps the most interesting page, the softly poached eggs Benedict arriving with good bacon. The Café is famous for its tall milkshakes in every flavour from fresh fruit to Ferrero Rocher (with alcoholic options for the grown-ups) and for its dedicated service to the curing of hangovers, even serving a special effervescent drink composed of every known vitamin.

High point: With a pool table in the back, this a viable all-day hangout
Low point: Vitamin drinks aside, this ain't health food

Barcrawls: The prudent student, Edinburgh

Bar crawls: Edinburgh - The Prudent Student

A cheap and cheerful crawl from Marchmont to Grassmarket

18 Nov 2011

I have a confession to make. I’ve never really been much of a bar crawl sort of gal. The idea of systematic drinking (vb. to lash, I suppose) with a bunch of overgrown rugby boys, with their girlfriend’s underwear on as outer wear, has never really…

Events at City Café (19 Blair Street, Edinburgh)

3 events at this location.

Sorted by event / date & time.

Comedy Variety Show
Location	Date	Tickets
	Weekly new material night, hosted by Keara Patricia Murphy, where anything goes (as long as it's funny). Eight acts perform each time, a mix of fresh faces starting out and established pros road testing new jokes. View full details
City Café	21 May–30 Jul Mon 8–10.30pm	0131 220 0125 £3 (£2 £1 if booked in advance through www.lastminute.com)

The Dead Poets Slam
Location	Date	Tickets
	Local performance poets morph into their literary heroes as they honour and remix classic poetry for a slam audience. The competition's open to everyone, with prizes to be won and props, costumes and theatrics encouraged. Email inkyfingersedinburgh@gmail.com to take part and claim your poetry alter ego in advance. View full details
City Café	20 Jun 8pm	0131 220 0125 £5 (£4)

Inner Rhythm
Location	Date	Tickets
	James Clark, Deetek and Scott Murray alongside some quality local DJ talent play out funky dubstep, house, tech-house and techno. View full details
City Café	1 Jun–14 Dec Fri 8pm–1am	Free

Reviews of City Café (19 Blair Street, Edinburgh)

5. The City Cafe – 31 March 2011, 3:42pmCity CaféReport

Glad you loved the shiny booths!

Thought we had better let you know we have skinny fries back! If your in for food just let us know you'd like them!

Much love x

4. Morna – 11 February 2011, 1:05pmCity CaféReport

I was in this week for food & had been a little wary (as I loved the old city cafe!) but I was pleasantly surprised.

The food was tasty - I had a burger which was hearty & good, and we all liked how the chips came in metal buckets that were heated, so they stayed warm throughout the meal.

I do miss the skinny fries (bring them back!), but it was nice and I'd go back. I also liked the glittery booths.

3. Stephen in Dalry, Edinburgh – 10 December 2010, 7:07pmCity CaféReport: Sadly, the City Cafe has changed for the worse. The old ambience which everyone loved has gone and in its place visitors will find an over-lit diner, no pool table, garish tables and decor, a huge plasma TV, juke box (oh well, Lynda will be happy) bar staff in cheesy themed costumes and - according to the American I was drinking with - inauthentic food. The 'children's menu' with colouring-in games suggest a radical change of policy and clientele. We arrived hoping for the traditional camp and glam Xmas tree, low-lighting, beloved zinc tables, and pool table and left very depressed at the loss of this once-great spot. Poor bar staff.

2. Lynda, Edinburgh – 16 September 2009, 5:09pmCity CaféReport

Been to the City Cafe for lunch countless times and honestly never had a bad meal there.

It is a really cool bar with a great vibe, only thing missing is a juke box.

1. Juliet – 23 January 2009, 3:50pmCity CaféReport

I went to the City Cafe today for lunch & it was lovely! There was a small group of us so we grabbed a booth & I had the chicken fajitas - I can highly recommend them!

Lovely, good quality pub food. Mmmm.

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