Cafeography
Edinburgh · Southside & Newington

Cafés in Southside & Newington

University cafés round George Square and Bristo Square, Söderberg at Quartermile, Cult Coffee Roasters on Buccleuch Street and coffee on the Meadows.

Photo: Valentine Kulikov, Pexels License

The Southside begins at the Old Town's southern edge, around Nicolson Street and the University of Edinburgh's central campus, and runs south into the Victorian streets of Newington. George Square, laid out in 1766 by the builder James Brown, is now ringed by the university's main library, Appleton Tower and 40 George Square.1 Teviot Row House on Bristo Square, opened in 1889, is described as the oldest purpose-built student union in the world.2

Term time sets the rhythm here. Campus cafés keep office hours, while the streets around them hold the specialty bars: Cult Coffee Roasters on Buccleuch Street, Black Medicine on Nicolson Street and Origin on South College Street, next to Old College.3 Filament, one of Edinburgh's first specialty cafés, had its original shop in the Southside.4

Local tip: On a dry day, take a coffee from Uplands Roast on North Meadow Walk along Middle Meadow Walk, the tree-lined path across the Meadows where the Royal Company of Archers traditionally practiced.7

At a glance

89Cafés listed
36With opening hours
07:30Earliest opening
22:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Cult Coffee Roasters, from 07:30 (Daily 07:30–18:30).
  • Closes latest: Library Café, until 22:00 (Mon–Thu 08:30–22:00 · Fri 08:30–18:00 · Sat–Sun 10:00–18:00).
  • Most listed streets: Nicolson Street (7), Buccleuch Street (5), South Clerk Street (5).
  • Most common features: vegetarian options (19%), wheelchair access (15%), card payment (13%).

Victor Hugo Deli

  • 26,27 Melville Terrace
  • Mon–Fri 08:00–20:00 · Sat 09:00–18:00 · Sun 10:00–17:00
  • +44 131 667 1827
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KB Café

  • 40 West Mains Road
  • Mon–Thu 08:30–22:00 · Fri 08:30–18:00 · Sat 10:00–18:00 · Sun 12:00–18:00
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The Bethany Shop

  • 1-3 Summerhall Place
  • Mon–Sat 10:00–17:00
  • Partial wheelchair access
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Coffee chains in Southside & Newington

George Square, Bristo Square and the campus cafés

The Library Café at 30 George Square opens at 08:30 and stays open until 22:00 from Monday to Thursday. 40 George Square Café and Brewbox Coffee share the square, and the Gallery Café and Baristo face Bristo Square. Several campus cafés close at weekends, among them 40 George Square Café, the Exchange Café on Buccleuch Place and Brücks on Crichton Street.

In August the square changes use. Its lecture theatres become Fringe venues run by Assembly, the gardens fill with bars, food stalls and Underbelly's purple cow, and Teviot Row House turns into a Gilded Balloon venue with eight performance spaces.12

Quartermile and the Meadows

Quartermile is the redevelopment of the old Royal Infirmary site, master-planned by Foster + Partners, and it looks straight onto the Meadows.5 Söderberg, the Swedish bakery-café group that began in Edinburgh in 2007, has a café at 27 Simpson Loan, open from 07:30 on weekdays and until 19:00 every day.6

The Meadows were once the Burgh Loch. In 1722 Sir Thomas Hope ordered the marsh drained and laid out as a park with a perimeter path, hedges and lime-tree avenues.7 Uplands Roast Coffee on North Meadow Walk is open daily 08:00–20:00, and the Pavilion Cafe stands on Melville Drive at the park's southern edge.

Nicolson Street, Buccleuch Street and Summerhall

Cult Coffee Roasters at 104 Buccleuch Street occupies a converted alleyway and serves coffee from its own roastery and guest roasters; The Skinny singles out its miso baked beans on sourdough.8 It opens daily 07:30–18:30. Press Coffee is at No. 30, Black Medicine Coffee Co at 2 Nicolson Street opens at 08:00 and closes at 19:00, and Kilimanjaro at 104 Nicolson Street stays open until 20:00 every day.

Origin, at 6–8 South College Street, took over from Brew Lab. SPLINTR designed both: Brew Lab in a darker, industrial style and Origin in a softer one with wider appeal.3 Further east, Summerhall, the former Royal (Dick) Veterinary School, became an arts center after the McDowell family bought it in 2011; MF Coffee Shop is at 1 Summerhall.9

Newington and the King’s Buildings

Clerk Street and South Clerk Street carry Newington's everyday cafés and bubble-tea counters, from Love, Peace and Coffee at 59 Clerk Street, open daily 09:00–18:00, to Pudding's at 98 South Clerk Street. Peregrine at 207 Pleasance opens from Wednesday to Sunday, and Minto Cafe at 5 Salisbury Place from 08:00 on weekdays.

Summerhall's future is in flux: in October 2026 its prospective buyer, AMA, announced plans to demolish part of the site for commercial, hospitality and residential use.9 Out on the university's King's Buildings campus, KB Café on West Mains Road stays open until 22:00 from Monday to Thursday.

Sources

  1. George Square, Edinburgh, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Teviot Row House, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Vibes, tribes and Broughton Street brew, Broughton Spurtle (Charlie Ellis, March 26, 2025), accessed October 2026
  4. Capital Coffee: Mr Eion Trinity, The Edinburgh Reporter (Charlie Ellis, November 1, 2023), accessed October 2026
  5. Quartermile, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  6. Edinburgh's Söderberg bakery group to make London debut, Restaurant Online (January 14, 2019), accessed October 2026
  7. The Meadows, Edinburgh, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  8. The Skinny Guide to Edinburgh's Coffee Shops, The Skinny (Jamie Dunn, July 16, 2026), accessed October 2026
  9. Summerhall, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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In Southside & Newington, also browse: Specialty coffee Outdoor seating Wi-Fi Bakery cafés Vegan & vegetarian Brunch

FAQ

Southside & Newington cafés: questions

Where can you study late with a coffee near the University of Edinburgh?

The Library Café at 30 George Square opens at 08:30 and stays open until 22:00 from Monday to Thursday. On the King's Buildings campus, KB Café on West Mains Road keeps the same late hours. Off campus, Kilimanjaro at 104 Nicolson Street is open until 20:00 every day.

Which specialty cafés are in Edinburgh's Southside?

Cult Coffee Roasters at 104 Buccleuch Street sits in a converted alleyway and serves its own roasts and guests, daily 07:30–18:30. Origin at 6–8 South College Street, beside Old College, replaced Brew Lab. Black Medicine Coffee Co is at 2 Nicolson Street, open until 19:00 from Monday to Saturday.

Is there a café on Edinburgh's Meadows?

Uplands Roast Coffee on North Meadow Walk is open daily 08:00–20:00, and the Pavilion Cafe is on Melville Drive at the southern edge of the park. At Quartermile, the old Royal Infirmary site overlooking the Meadows, Söderberg at 27 Simpson Loan opens at 07:30 on weekdays.

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