Cafeography
Edinburgh · New Town

Cafés in New Town

George Street espresso, Artisan Roast's first shop on Broughton Street, Elm Row, Dundas Street and the St James Quarter.

Photo: Zezen Zaenal Mutaqin, Pexels License

The New Town follows the plan of James Craig, who won the competition of January 1766 at the age of 26 with a grid along a ridge: George Street as the spine between St Andrew Square and Charlotte Square, Princes Street and Queen Street on either side, and Rose and Thistle Streets between them.1 A second New Town spread north toward the Water of Leith from 1800, with Dundas Street continuing Hanover Street downhill, and Broughton Street was mostly built by 1809.1

The grid makes for coffee on foot. George Street has the bars for office workers and shoppers, Rose Street and Thistle Street smaller rooms in between, and the east end, from the St James Quarter to Broughton Street and Elm Row, the neighborhood cafés. Artisan Roast's first shop, opened on Broughton Street in 2007, is still trading.2

Local tip: For coffee before 08:00, Lowdown on George Street opens at 07:30 on weekdays and 08:30 at weekends, and kul on Elm Row opens at 07:30 every day.

At a glance

87Cafés listed
29With opening hours
07:30Earliest opening
00:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Blackwood Café & Bar, from 07:30 (Mon Closed · Tue–Sat 07:30–14:00 · Sun Closed).
  • Closes latest: Mera Lãhorë, until 00:00 (Mon–Sat 12:00–00:00 · Sun 13:00–00:00).
  • Most listed streets: Elm Row (6), George Street (5), Rose Street (5).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (18%), wheelchair access (10%), indoor seating (10%).

Guajira By Mamá Tingó

  • 33 Elm Row
  • Mon Closed · Tue–Sun 11:00–21:00
  • Indoor seating
  • Card payment
  • Partial wheelchair access
  • Toilets
  • Smoke-free indoors
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Açai Bros Health Bar

  • 10 Rodney Street
  • Wed–Sat 09:00–16:00 · Sun 10:00–15:00
  • Partial wheelchair access
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Rainbow Bubble Tea

  • Waverley Bridge
  • Mon–Fri 11:00–19:00 · Sat–Sun 10:00–19:00
  • Bubble tea
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Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Edinburgh.

Coffee chains in New Town

Chain

Blank Street

George Street, Thistle Street and Queen Street

Lowdown Coffee at 40 George Street brews beans from the Swedish roaster Koppi and pours tea from Postcard Teas; it opens at 07:30 on weekdays.3 Burr & Co serves a George Street blend of beans roasted weekly and is open daily until 19:00, and Wellington Coffee at No. 33a is a small room with a short list of bakes.3

One street north, The Cobbled Roastery is at 48 Thistle Street. On Queen Street, the Bastard Barista is down in a basement behind a door heavy enough to make you wonder if it is open; its board lists a house espresso, a guest and a decaf, plus V60 and AeroPress, with Cult's beans in the V60.4

Broughton Street, Union Street and Elm Row

The original Artisan Roast at 57 Broughton Street keeps a dark, cluttered room that the Spurtle's coffee columnist compared to a slightly scruffy old-fashioned pub.2 It opens at 08:00 on weekdays and closes at 18:30. Stòr Coffee at No. 29 and Coffee Cabinet at No. 49 are on the same slope, and round the corner Santu has opened its large roastery at 23 Union Street to customers, with a few seats.5

Elm Row, the upper east side of Leith Walk, has bronze pigeon sculptures by Shona Kinloch on the pavement.6 At 15 Elm Row, kul opens daily at 07:30, Oh Deer at No. 73 at 07:30 on weekdays, and Kuna Café and Bakery is at No. 1.

St James Quarter, Calton Hill and Queen Street galleries

The St James Quarter opened on 24 June 2021 on the site of the St James Centre, which closed in 2016.7 On Little King Street, inside the development, are a branch of Artisan Roast and Coffee Saints, which opens at 08:30 from Monday to Saturday; Cairngorm Coffee has a further branch at Bonnie & Wild in the same quarter.3

Café Portrait, in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery at 1 Queen Street, bakes from scratch under gothic, church-like features and has a smaller room called the Snug.3 On top of Calton Hill, the Collective Kiosk at 38 Calton Hill opens from Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00–16:30.

Dundas Street and the second New Town

Dundas Street drops through the second New Town toward Canonmills. Fika at No. 41 opens daily 09:00–17:00, Cafen Speciality Brew Bar is at No. 44 and Cuckoos Bakery at No. 150. Cafēn was named in 2025, with Beatnik, as one of the highly rated newcomers taking attention from older specialty bars.8 Leo's Beanery is in a basement on Howe Street, a short walk away.3

Sources

  1. New Town, Edinburgh, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Vibes, tribes and Broughton Street brew, Broughton Spurtle (Charlie Ellis, March 26, 2025), accessed October 2026
  3. Cafés and coffee shops, Forever Edinburgh, accessed October 2026
  4. Capital Coffee: Bastard Barista, The Edinburgh Reporter (Charlie Ellis, January 2025), accessed October 2026
  5. Capital Coffee: Mr Eion’s evolution, The Edinburgh Reporter (Charlie Ellis, October 2025), accessed October 2026
  6. Leith Walk, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  7. St James Quarter, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  8. Capital Coffee: Cairngorm Coffee, The Edinburgh Reporter (Charlie Ellis, February 2025), accessed October 2026
Keep exploring

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Southside & Newington

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In New Town, also browse: Specialty coffee Outdoor seating Wi-Fi Bakery cafés Vegan & vegetarian Brunch

FAQ

New Town cafés: questions

Where did specialty coffee start in Edinburgh's New Town?

Artisan Roast opened its first shop at 57 Broughton Street in 2007 and still trades there, from 08:00 on weekdays to 18:30. Its dark, cluttered room has been compared to a slightly scruffy old-fashioned pub. The company now runs four shops, including one on Little King Street in the St James Quarter.

Which cafés on George Street in Edinburgh open early?

Lowdown Coffee at 40 George Street opens at 07:30 on weekdays and 08:30 at weekends, with beans from the Swedish roaster Koppi. Burr & Co, which serves its own George Street blend roasted weekly, opens daily from 08:00 and stays open until 19:00.

Where can you get coffee in Edinburgh's St James Quarter?

The St James Quarter, opened on 24 June 2021, has Artisan Roast and Coffee Saints on Little King Street; Coffee Saints opens at 08:30 from Monday to Saturday. Cairngorm Coffee has a branch at Bonnie & Wild in the same development.

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