Restaurants, Cafés within 5 miles of Edinburgh

Some restaurants are all about the expectation game. Launched in London over 40 years ago, the Hard Rock has since exported its rather cookie cutter approach all over the world, but should you go in expecting generous portions of decent, if rather…

If it’s a hangover breakfast, pre-lecture fuel-up or lunch-hour pitstop that’s required, Black Cherry in the Grassmarket is there to satisfy. A tiny but cheery café serving breakfast rolls, sandwiches, wraps and bagels, coffee and cakes to students…

After a recent refurb, the focus at the Wellington Café is even more firmly on the best coffee they can coax from a bean. Panini and bacon rolls have gone; the food now consists simply of excellent daily delivered brownies, sizeable scones and tray…

This homely little Marchmont café is easy to wander past, but after you’ve stopped once, you won’t walk by again. Jane Kermack is a cheery, engaging host, ensuring everyone, from students to grannies, feels at ease. The generous full Scottish breakfast…

If you don't already have @papiicoffee on your Twitter feed, at least tuck the name and location of Papii away for future use. It's the kind of smartly run, upbeat, friendly wee place you'll be glad you remembered next time you're after a handy coffee…

Drop down from the shoe-beaten pavement of Hanover Street into the comfortable ease of Urban Angel. The sunlight-brightened front room makes it easy to forget you’re in basement premises, while the quiet backyard courtyard, off the cosy rear dining…

Part of the now-international Hotel Chocolat empire, this chocolate shop has a small café at the back, billed as a coffee v chocolate bar, for hot drinks and snacks.

You can now pop in for the same Café Truva Mediterranean menu at three branches across Edinburgh. Leith, Lady Lawson Street and Canongate are all serving Turkish plates, a wide range of cakes and your usual café panini list against a varyingly elaborate…

In the 18 years since Glass & Thompson opened, it has adapted to keep pace with Edinburgh’s evolving café landscape. The latest change is a slimmed-down menu, although it still includes perennial favourites of regulars and those taking time out from…

Opened in 2008 to address the apparent absence of a good cuppa in the city, Eteaket has carved itself a niche in the market. An impressive tea menu includes the exotic Pu-erh Mini Tuo Cha – favoured by celebrities – and Jasmine Chun Hao, alongside more…

The town centre has an odd dearth of good independent cafés, so recently opened Frederick’s is a very welcome addition. Although it might take a while properly to find its feet, it’s already a great perch from which to enjoy the New Town views and have…

With cafés sprouting up around the New Town, survival depends on being different, and this establishment with its French-themed décor is working hard on that. An extensive range of teas and coffees is the domain of John Thomson, while his wife Gail…

The characteristic Black Medicine carved natural wood chairs and tables may not invite the possibility of slouching around for hours, but nevertheless bring an individuality and quirkiness that chain coffee shops often lack. Lunch is the standard…

Sandro Del Greco, the owner of Castello Coffee, does not take lightly the task of satisfying his customers. It required in-depth research and much tasting to uncover the high quality Allpress Espresso beans he uses in his machines. Consequently, this…

Social Bite is more than a sandwich shop: it's a 'social business' - a company that devotes 100% of profits to solving problems across the world. So whether you grab breakfast on your way to work, choose one of three daily soups, a sarnie or a coffee…

Very few places attract queues, and those that do are usually trading on being the hot new cocktail spot in town. A weekend brunch at modest, unpretentious Toast, on the other hand, really is worth the wait. A haphazard parade of paintings jostle for…