Bains Retro Sweets in Edinburgh, City of

All the classic sweets and Scottish fudge and tablet.

The best service ever, such a kind and attentive owner who even offered to email me his tablet recipe (which you absolutely HAVE to try when you visit by the way!!). He’s had this spot for the last decade and you can see why its still thriving in this economy, amazing sweet selection old and new, homemade classics and even better service. An absolute must visit and if you’re too far then his website ships across the UK!

If you want special sweets, this is the place to go. The lad is also very nice. Found berry icebreakers here for a reasonable price after going to two stores on Princes Street who were asking nearly double the price.

If you wish to buy traditional Scottish sweets, John’s shop is a must-visit. He will kindly and patiently explain each product to you and offer you samples of his sweets.

The products are really very good, especially the tablets! And the people who work there are very kind and smiling.

Great sweets and staff plus Great shop

I hardly ever feel compelled to leave reviews, but I simply have to say that I had the most wonderful time at this shop! Best tablets I've ever had, and the owner, John, is the kindest person; he'll help you find the right sweets and you won't forget the experience. 100% worth a visit! I will definitely be coming back as it was one of the highlights of my trip through Edinburgh ♡

This store should be considered a "must" in the city. The owner, a charming man who welcomed us very kindly and explained to us about the craftsmanship of the products, which are made by him and his wife, and at a very affordable price, unlike the typical souvenir shops in the area. A perfect place to buy souvenirs and have a small tasting of typical Scottish sweets.

I was served by John the owner what a real gentleman. He helped me buy lots of goodies to bring back to Australia . Gave me samples to taste and a bit of history out the business . Fantastic experience all round

Lovely little shop, really helpful and informative staff member served us. Gave us a free sample of Scottish tablet

Very nice sweet shop, perfect for old and new sweets. Customer service was very friendly. It has large variety and the Iron Brw sweets I bought were lovely. Must visit for Edinburgh.

The owners are really friendly and sweet. Liked their hospitality. One of the best scottish tablet tasted at good price.

Lovely shop with so many options and really good service definitely worth a stop when in the area.

Lovely service, lovely ice-cream

This shop looks unassuming from the outside but don’t be deterred. One of the only places I could find proper tablet in Edinburgh after a hefty search, and for a very reasonable price. The owner is so lovely, and their homemade tablet is delicious!

Just a touch on the pricey side but definitely worth it for their tablet!

Real Willy Wonka. Fantastic selection of Licorice. Home made Tablet. ....yum.

Placed order on Sunday night doorbell went on Monday night and it was the gentleman with my order ,noticed my address was on his way home so personally delivered my order ,excellent service, Excellent products ,would use this company again xx

I honestly don't know how anyone can report on the shopkeeps attitude... HE WAS LOVELY. On entry he offered us homemade Tablet and Macaroon to try. Told us in this shop we'd never go hungry 😅 We ended up buying Oddfellows, Irn Bru Cubes and tablet. We then went away and ended up coming back to buy dairy free and regular fudge as gifts for family. 10/10 best fudge I've had!

Amazing little candy shop. The owner might be the Scottish Willie Wonka. So welcoming and helpful.

Absolutely loved my visit to Bains, not your usual retro sweet shop. John, the owner, is super friendly and walked me through some gifts options to take home. He was also very kind to let me try a few samples including a sour ploom, which was an experience in itself. Highly recommend visiting here and chatting to John when in the city. I'll be back next time 😁 Thanks John

Wonderful shop filled to the brim with tasty candy. Also lots of handmade butterscotches with loads of different flavors. After months being back home I am still enjoying bits and pieces of the whiskey/ coffee& cream flavoured butterscotch.

Wow, what an awesome sweet shop, they don't do it like this down South. SugarMan on Tour

A good place to find retro sweets. They have pretty much everything in there. The shop keeper was a bit grumpy upon my visit and made me feel a bit awkward.

Fantastic customer service and very good candy!

Nice little sweet shop. Got some mint choco and shortbread biscuits as gifts.

Homemade tablet and super nice owner.

Lovely wee sweet/candy shop with a nice choice and very lovely owners. We were given free samples of homemade tablets and macarons that were delicious. 10/10 would go again.

It's a great place for all your old fashioned sweet staff are very helpful and friendly good value for money I would recommend it

Best Sweet shop in Scotland! Lovely retro sweets, better selection than I can find in most places and the sweetest owners! Loved my time in the shop and will have to visit next time I'm in Edinburgh.

A traditional sweet shop owned by a trew Scotsman who is passionate about sweets. Say no more. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🍭🍬

This is the best candy shop in Scotland! The owner is amazing and you can tell he loves what be does! If you have a chance come and see him and buy some candy!

Chance upon Bains and was blown away by the experience we had. Shop owner first let us try tablets made by his wife, and macarons bites by one of his friend, Anna. Next he gave us (my boys and husband) a challenge, MEGA SOUR candy and told us to eat it when he record us. It’s such lovely touch that make us want to come back again! Thank you for this experience! In here, find so many candy!!

Went in for tablet... Will be back for more tablet! Owner was incredibly friendly and helpful. I'd recommend anyone to visit for Sweets

Lovely shop with friendly staff. We where given delicious free samples and found millions after a 3 week search. Anna’s homemade macaroon was to die for. Recommend picking up one of these treasures.

The owner is so lovely! I came in to get a birthday present for a family friend, and the owner made up a sweets jar for him, filled to the brim with sweets! He even made a label for the jar, and it turned out so cute! My family friend loved it!

Like going back in time to my local childhood shop. Really nice owner who let us try a few different homemade sweets. Will definitely go back when I visit Edinburgh again.

Loved it, was looking for some snacks to bring back home as a gift with my girlfriend In the meanwhile the lovely and charming owner of the store offered us different snacks to try them. As well as showing us his website where we get our orders shipped worldwide. He told us stories about himself (traveling etc) Really loved that experience!!

The candy selection is mind blowing and the owners were some of the nicest people I met while in Scotland!

Lovely local sweet shop with homemade tablet. John was very friendly and taught us lots about homemade tablet (that was delicious)

old fashioned style sweet shop reminds me of the good old days

The homemade bar it's gorgeous!

Wonderful shop and charming owner.

Went in and john gave myself and my girlfriend a free sample of homemade tablet, and it was delicious! Would highly recommend a visit!

Well worth a visit if like me you are of an age to remember buying a quarter or 2 ozs of loose sweets in a paper bag. Soor plooms, pinapple chunks, Berwick cockles, toffee doddles to name but a few. Also have things like sherbert fountains, sugar mice and toffee in trays with the wee hammer. The home made tablet is to die for and the welcome that John gives you is second to none. He went out of his way to make me up a jar of sweets then personalised it with the persons name. Well worth a visit and will definately be back.

My niece and I love visiting Bains sweet shop for obvious reasons, its so colourful and inviting from the outside and the inside, its like stepping into Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. The owner John is such a lovely man, he is so charismatic, passionate and takes the time to chat and pass on his knowledge of making Tablet. He even went the extra mile and sent me the recipe which is amazing! I plan to make it with my niece and hope it turns out half as good as Bains tablet. The kids love it, I love it and I will be stocking up on treats for xmas and if you can't get to the shop you can order online and buy some of those old favourites from your childhood, Bains literally has all sweets and treats imaginable!

Es el sueño de todo niño trabajar en una tienda de dulces. ¿Cómo no disfrutar de estar rodeado de colores, sabores y conocer gente nueva todos los días? Por lo tanto, estaba bastante optimista al entrar en esta tienda lista para tener una charla encantadora y animada con la persona que trabajaba detrás del mostrador, así como para comprar algunos dulces novedosos para enviar a mi amigo en Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, cuando entré, fui atacado por una ráfaga de aire frío proveniente de la señora detrás del mostrador. No sonrió ni una sola vez durante nuestra tienda. Siempre me gusta iniciar una conversación, así que mencioné que estaba buscando algunos dulces para publicar y ella solo me dio una mirada que decía que estaba perdiendo el tiempo y negó con la cabeza con sarcasmo. Salí de la tienda con las manos vacías ya que era demasiado incómodo quedarme y mi amigo conversó inmediatamente después sobre lo decepcionados que estábamos los dos. En general, te recomiendo mirar por la ventana antes de entrar a la tienda para ver quién está trabajando. Si ves a una mujer miserable sentada en su silla mirando su teléfono detrás del mostrador, no te molestes en entrar. Tu día alegre lo hará se vuelve gris en un instante.

Lovely little sweet shop. So much selection to choose from. Owner very nice and helpful. Very reasonably priced. Would definitely recommend a visit.

The best Scottish tablet in Edinburgh! We came here especially for the tablet and can assure you that it didn’t let us down, just gorgeous and affordable. The staff were very friendly and kind, can’t recommend enough

The gentleman in there was friendly, lots of sweets that you don’t see anymore, all flavours and in the large old fashioned jars, worth a visit if you have a sweet tooth

Visité esta tienda con mi hija cuando en Edimburgo, en octubre, qué pequeña tienda fantástica, devolver al barrio de los niños, podría pasar horas allí. El dueño era tan encantador que querías hablar con él todo el día. Y en cuanto a su tableta Fudge hecha en casa, estaba deliciosa. Todos deberían visitarlo.

Bain’s Retro Sweet Shop en Edimburgo es realmente mi favorito, y para alguien con el apodo de "Willie Wonka", ¡eso realmente dice mucho! Me encanta esta maravillosa tienda y lo único más dulce que los dulces en sí es el dueño John. Él es verdaderamente único en su clase!Literalmente me detuve en la tienda todos los días durante los 5 días que estuve en Edimburgo y la mayoría de los días más de una vez. A veces pasaba solo para saludar a John porque a él le encanta hablar de dulces y a mí me encantaba escuchar. Él está muy bien informado y siempre es generoso con la entrega de muestras de cosas para probar y las recomendaciones de algunos de sus favoritos personales. Un verdadero caballero.Visité la tienda en mayo de 2019, y recientemente lo llamé y le envié un correo electrónico para enviarme algunos de sus increíbles "dulces caseros" para mí en los Estados Unidos. Actualmente, John está investigando el método más rentable para el envío porque voy a ordenar entre 10 y 20 kilos del dulce de vainilla más increíble que he probado en mi vida. ! Acabo de terminar mi última pieza de este dulce de azúcar y han pasado casi 4 meses desde que lo traje de Edimburgo y todavía estaba tan suave y cremoso como el día que lo compré.Lo único que lamento es que la tienda está a un viaje en avión, ojalá estuviera justo al lado de donde vivo. Esta tienda es una parada obligada para cualquiera que visite Edimburgo porque es verdaderamente única.

Great sweet shop, would definitely return for the customer service alone. The owner (I assume) was very accomodating and openly encouraged free samples. Amazing experience.

El propietario está claramente muy orgulloso de su espléndida tienda de dulces retro y estaba ansioso por compartir su entusiasmo con nosotros, ofreciéndonos un correo electrónico con la receta de su tableta escocesa, desafiando a nuestras hijas a probar un dulce muy agrio e invitando a una foto con un enorme piruleta. La tienda es pequeña pero llena de dulces pasados.

All kind of candy, fudge, ice cream, etc.. We had cup with scoop of toffee and scoop of irn bru with chocolate stick. Delicious and verybbfriendly.

Nos lanzamos a Bains mientras caminábamos por Grassmarket. Tuvimos la suerte de pasar cuando John (el propietario) estaba allí, y fue fantástico. Pudimos probar un par de golosinas, incluida su tableta casera. John fue amable y amistoso y la tienda tenía una excelente selección de dulces y golosinas. Fue un gran lugar.

Lovely sweet shop with too much choice decisions decisions. Great staff always a smile and very helpful. Thank you for sourcing my pregnant daughters favourite sweet, when unavailable in all shops i had tried.One happy lady.

we loved the premium tablet flavour, so special! John was incredibly friendly and the place is too cute. I'd love to go back and have more sweets!!!!

Fantastic selection of sweets, Fudge and Tablet, owner is very friendly and happy to answer any questions

Excellent customer service . The young lady who served me was very helpful. I wanted sweets to send to Cornwall . Great selection of sweets tablet and fudge 👍

Había leído que Bain's es el mejor lugar para comprar una buena tableta escocesa, así que me detuve en mi última noche en Edimburgo. Probé su tableta casera, y estaba deliciosa, terminé comprando tres bolsas, que espero sea suficiente para compartir con los compañeros de trabajo (debería ser, a menos que una de las bolsas "desaparezca misteriosamente" mientras esté a mi cargo).

Huge range of sweets bringing back memories of childhood. The assistant (owner?) was really helpful and offered great suggestions for presents to bring home. Friendly atmosphere.

Nos hemos detenido aquí en nuestros dos viajes a Edimburgo y realmente nos encantan los productos que se venden aquí. Hay una gran variedad de dulces tradicionales e inusuales. El propietario es muy amable y entusiasta con los productos y es un placer hablar con ellos. Si estás buscando probar el helado Irn Bru o un granizado, ¡no busques más! Compramos algunos dulces tradicionales cada vez para llevar a casa a amigos y todos en casa los ama.

Sweet Shop with a variety of delicious candy. Some are sold in packages while there is a full-service counter for other items to purchase candy by the 1/4 lb or larger quantity. Cola-Bottles, Gummy Bears, Watermelon and oh so many wonderful choices.

this fudge has a texture of mintcake but is sooooooooooo jummy we just had to buy more, even got the recipie to make our own.... loved every minute in that shop thanks

All your retro sweet tooth needs are met here. The man who served us was really warm & friendly. Great value, great ice cream, great service!

John Bain es un hombre encantador que tiene un montón de tiempo para todo el mundo que adorna su puerta dulzura.

La tienda de dulces tiene una enorme selección de dulces lo antiguo y lo nuevo. La tienda vende algunos de los mejores tablet tengo en mucho tiempo. El personal era extremadamente amable y la tienda tenía un gran ambiente y la guinda del pastel fue que todas estas dulces increíble son extremadamente razonables. Recomiendo esta tienda a nadie.

Mi amigo y yo estábamos en un tour de Escocia a mediados de junio y pasamos 3 noches en el Grassmarket antes de dirigirse a las Tierras Altas. Esta tienda estaba justo al lado de nuestro hotel. Nos reunimos con Juan, que nos dijo todo acerca de los diferentes dulces escocés que tenía y nos llevan en la dirección correcta en lo que sería bueno para llevar a casa a nuestros maridos e hijos. Los caramelos fue un éxito tan enorme que en mi casa un pedido la semana pasada para tener mas envió a nosotros aquí en los estados unidos y llego hoy!!! Nuestros favoritos son el Rock y el Irn Edimburgo Bru Humbugs... mmm! Muchas Gracias John por toda su ayuda!

It was a great experience. The shop owner took his time and described all the different candies. Brought some of the traditional candies back to the USA for my husband.

Our first full day in Scotland, and we headed to Edinburgh Castle. In the market square below the castle entrance we found this tiny candy store. The owner (?), a friendly, older Scottish man, talked to my 13 year old daughter, who asked a lot of questions about the candy choices. He bragged about his recipe for Scottish tablet, and he had free samples of on the counter. My daughter tried three different homemade tablets from three different places, and she agree, his was the best. My 11 year old stepson also bought some Scottish fudge. It was a great experience for the kids!

Definitely call in, if you're in the Grassmarket - you'll spend all your time going oohh and ahh at all the old favourites, and the owner is a gem as well.

Trevlig liten butik med massa godis, ägaren själv är väldigt trevlig och pratar gärna om alla olika godissorter dom har, väldigt kul å höra om olika minnen han har till dom olika godissorterna. Väl värt en titt om ni är i krokarna. /Adde

Popped in as organising little sweet bags for a hen do. The girl could not have been more helpful, telling me to buy tubes of sweets as opposed to individual ones as would be cheaper. I told her i was going to have to buy little sweet bags from internet but she kindly said " i can give you some" i then reasoned then i could buy some from her! Spent £28.00 and got so many sweets and a variety of selection for all ages. Will definitely return!

Had a delicious late lunch of tomato soup and croque Madame . The soup was very good but I could have done with a bit more . The croque madam was perfect . However the flan we shared was old and stale . Shame, wish I would have chosen a different patisseries:(

Visited this sweet shop next to our hotel last month. Such a nice gentleman who owns the shop. The confection the Scotch call "tablet" is superb here. Great variety of sweets. Recommend a stop here if you are anywhere in the vicinity. And I'll bet you won't leave without finding some irresistible treat in this great little store.

This is a great wee shop with friendly owners selling premium sweets and traditional gifts like Edinburgh Rock. Top quality source for the famous Scottish 'tablet' confectionery. Great selection and good prices.

Myself and family was just visiting Edinburgh last week and stopped by this lovely little sweet shop on the grass market near the castle had loads of great sweets

Just try to leave this little gem without a pocket full of surpises! Full of classic / retro sweets and memorabilia.