Cowan and Sons in Edinburgh, City of

Badly laid out with an extremely cramped seating arrangement. The food is average and the service is lacking. Considerably better places to eat in Stockbridge.

They’re really nice people, and the pastries and cakes are great (especially the cinnamon buns) but every single time I go in there’s something wrong with the coffee. Hot chocolate with hardly any chocolate in it; ridiculous waits; I get that they’re busy at the weekend and fair play to the lad they’re really nice but 25+ minutes just for a takeaway coffee is nuts. Won’t stop me coming, but I just wish they coffee situation was sorted.

We arrived about 20 minutes before closing but still were able to get some tea and coffee and the best salted caramel brownie I've ever had. The service was very friendly as well, thank you!

Went here yesterday for a takeaway breakfast roll and a coffee. Not a please/thanks/you're welcome/smile from any of the 3 staff members that served me. When I was handed my food I said 'thank you' to which the waitress replied 'yep'. Yep. Actually unbelievable. I was also told to 'speak louder' when ordering, like that was the reason the waitress kept forgetting what I had ordered (all two things). Got the feeling she just couldn't be bothered trying to understand my Irish accent. Second time I have been here and the service has been miserable both times.

Quality food good service, one of the best out of many in stockbridge

I didn't expect anything, but finally it's more than good. I would say 4.4/5.0. The cafe was quite busy but thank God there was a table for two. At least I'll come again for banana bread bowl and some other items we didn't taste. Moreover cappuccino is so soft and nice 👍 meanwhile flat white also very soft, instant to be a bit stronger

The food here was lovely! The staff were helpful. The place was quite busy but I'd say worth visiting.

Loved this place so much! The lunch was also great!

This is a place well worth a visit! Nice and stylish, the staff is super friendly and the food is delicious. We will definitely come again for more.

I had a cappuccino coffee and my friend had a latte coffee. The coffees were well prepared and refreshing. Great service as well.

Awesome place for amazing toasted sandwich and cake and coffee. Staff are the best.

Lovely coffee and food, nice atmosphere, but don't go in with a pram. I've been to this cafe a lot as I used to live locally. In fairness it's a small space, however, I went in as I needed to quickly feed my baby and the place was quiet so I had hoped to order a coffee and cake. I was made to feel so unwelcome and that my pram was such a hassle to the staff that I didn't feel comfortable staying. I think it's the first time I've ever walked out of somewhere. Hopefully this review helps other parents/caregivers and the cafe!

Brilliant mozzarella, tomato & pesto ciabatta for lunch. Excellent service!

Very good neighborhood eatery with a handy take away window

Fairly shoddy experience. Coffees took longer than the food to come out, despite the fact they were serving takeaway away coffees to people who had come after us. Got a bacon sarnie and a pastrami cheese melt. the bacon sarnie was nothing special, but the pastrami sandwich had unmelted cheese and so much cheese it made me sick. Service was very mid

Breakfast bun 10/10, and flat white coffee was delicious! It was the perfect thing when you want something bigger than a pastry but not a full fry up. Will definitely visit again!

I'm an American. I find it interesting that the Scots put an egg on just about every sandwich. Not that I'm complaining, I do like the concept. Now coffee is another matter. A good cup of "Joe" is hard to find in Scotland. But not at Cowan's. I had a delicious iced Latte. I liked the service and the atmosphere.

Great food! Had a chicken sandwich which was delish!! The matcha latte was also perfect and the milk was so creamy and smooth. My friend had a Veggie which she devoured. Service was excellent, super friendly and efficient! The boy with glasses was very cute…

Got salmonella from the Chicken Caesar sandwich, be careful.

The coffee is good, the sandwiches are okay (though generic and overpriced) but the pastries eg the croissants, are far removed from their original state being lumpen and served so cold you feel they are congealed. Forget any hope of buttery flakes. But it’s the service that stands out as poor - lacklustre, indifferent, and sloppy. We were there at a quiet time of the day and wish we’d just left.

Delicious food, heaps of options and waiters are really lovely. Quick service too!

Wonderful food and service! It’s small but accommodating. Don’t want to eat in? Order at the window and take it with you!

My partner and I have been here between 8 to 10 times and always bring our guests here. We absolutely love their marshmallows and the meaty. The place is always busy, so expect a bit of a wait. However, the chap with the world War II haircut and mustache hates his job and doesn't measure up to any of the other staff we've met. Unfortunate.

First time in this establishment, first impressions of the place was fantastic but had a horrible experience when my partner found a long blonde hair in her breakfast roll, staff where polite and apologetic and they made a fresh one. With a mistake as bad as this I would have expected them to give us a discount for the inconvenience however we still got charged for the full price so we will not be going back

Heerlijke take away gehaald. Een locale dame tipte ons op het cinnamon bread als de beste van Europa. De carrot cake en het broodje dat we namen was ook heerlijk!

Great wee place and the food was amazing

Food decent but service slow and odd table layout mean inefficient use of seating = queues

Best coffee place in Stockbridge. Always busy so don't be disappointed if seating unavailable. Great selection of food as well as drinks and cafe also has a contemporary art vibe with prints available at affordable prices. Staff super friendly and helpful. Well worth a visit.

Excellent breakfast and coffee. Really recommend the meaty!

We went for lunch and it was busy. Only 2 booths remained which hold six people each. There were two people in each booth but we weren’t allowed to join them. The boy explained they ‘cant’ mix parties so we left. What a strange position to adopt? You are denying customers from dining, and shooting yourselves in the foot by refusing custom? There was space for four customers. Ive never heard of an eatery not allowed customers to share a booth.

Nicely decorated, a bit crammed (Sunday ca. 11AM). Dishes good (but look more interesting on the menu than what you eat). Slightly pricey.

Ordered the Brie, Apple chutney, pecan and rocket sandwich. Hands down the best sandwich I’ve ever eaten in my life…and I’ve tried a lot of sandwiches!!

Great vibe, Hannah made me an incredible coffee Her knowledge and understanding of the blend and her customer service was excellent, definitely made the vist worthwhile and would definitely recommend.

Ok coffee. chocolate Cake was a bit dried out

Such a lovely spot. Amazing coffee, delicious pastries, sausage roll and cinnamon roll and the service from Trixie was wonderful, she was very friendly and made sure we were well looked after. Would definitely recommend and definitely come back.

The coffee, tea, toast and gluten free brownie were all delicious but be warned they don’t take cash, so we didn’t return. Shame :(

Had been recommended here by a few friends so stopped in for lunch. There is a great selection of food on the menu. It was very cold inside which meant the plates / bowls / mugs were cold which meant the food became cold a few minutes after serving. I had the festive sandwich which was sandwich turkey meat and had too much processed cranberry sauce. The chipolatas were nice. Coffee was tasty but went cold very quickly. Staff were basic but we had to ask to order, for the bill etc. And no one checked how it was.

Great selection of cakes etc.I had raspberry cheesecake brownie with a cappuccino it was delicious.Cant wait to go back there again.

5 of us had lunch here on a weekend afternoon, chosen as 1 is gluten intolerant and this cafe had GF options. We were all very happy with the food, I've still been thinking about the melty cheese and chilli jam toastie with soup since having had it, it was delicious and at such a great price. Nice atmosphere and art inside, servers seemed busy but nothing to complain about. Would surely visit again when going back to Scotland.

فعلياً هذا من الذ البرنش التي تم تجربتها خلال زيارتي في أدنبرة .. مكان جميل وملموم بديكور بسيط ومريح للعين .. منيو صغير ومختصر .. أكل لذيذ . طلباتي : - بيض أفوكادو مع الحلوم ٩/١٠ . - كيك الموز مع الفول السوداني والتوت ٨/١٠ . يستحق التجربة والتكرار وفعلاً مكان جميل .

Very nice local cafe to have brunch or lunch, when i go to the botanic garden i normally stop there to have a coffee, the salami and cheese sandwich is also one of my favorites. I really recomend it! Is a bit pricey but worth it. Always is better stay local than a franchise. Some vegan options are available!

Have had many nice brunches here. The butties are great- the cinnamon bun was nice too. Definitely a top place in Stockbridge

Friendly staff but way way to busy as they have squashed far too many tables into the floor space - young server forgot about me. Oat latte was very good, ham and cheese croissant was very fresh and tasty but - heated ? was not even warm - a real shame. Would give it another try sometime though

Take the classic butty and the meaty. Some of the best food I've ever eaten, which was completely unexpected. The atmosphere is very relaxed and the service was quick and welcoming, but even though it sounds exaggerated the food was incredible. Totally satisfied!

The food was good but the staff was very uninterested and bored. Leaning against the counter looking at their phone, standing there with their head on their hands looking bored. While we finished our food for 20 minutes, nobody came to our table to pick it up or ask us if we wanted anything else. I think its a missed opportunity and a waste of a good vibe when the staff is chilling with eachother and their phones instead of creating a good atmosphere.

Fab food and lovely vibe the Chorizo sandwich was amazing.

We wondered why this restaurant was half empty when other venues were full. It didn’t take long to understand why. We needed a table for 7, which appeared to be an issue. A sullen faced server cleared a table for us and we ordered. Service was slow and most of the servers looked miserable. I ordered an almond croissant, others in the party ordered a brownie and carrot cake as well as coffees. I don’t know when my pastry was baked but I guarantee it wasn’t today. It was cold, tough and chewy, everything a croissant should not be. When it came to the bill, I asked for one but all I got was an amount. When I asked to see the bill, I was told it was on the server’ s tablet and that they do not give out bills. I am in favour of saving the planet but as a customer, I also believe I should know what I paying for as mistakes are of then made. I am in no hurry to get back. Neither are my friends. A couple in the next table, ordered some food. When they chased their order they discovered that it had been lost. They walked out. Nobody said “thank you” or “goodbye” when we left. It is called the hospitality industry, isn’t it?

Lovely wee cafe with really quality sandwiches and light food, the server think possibly owner or manager was super friendly and was very hospitable to us bringing in a dog. Really enjoyed our meal and would 100% go back.

Strongly recommend 👌, tasty coffee

Grossartig. Sehr lekker. Ist seinen ehr hohen Preis auch wert

A very clean and calm Cafe with good and handcrafted Coffee and food. A definite advise for a delicious breakfast far away from these annoying fastfood coffeeshops and a good Start into the Day.

The management has changed the seating arrangements, and certainly not for the best. It looks like a cheap diner 😬

Lovely quaint café with a takeaway hatch being a nice touch. Cinnamon buns were not long on the plate! Coffee was good and the service was friendly and fast. Maybe one table too many cramped inside, but didn't take away from the experience

Best coffee I’ve had in Edinburgh so far! Nice interior too and atmosphere .

My daughter and I really enjoyed our lunch. Fantastic food, wonderful atmosphere and friendly service. I'll definitely be making a return visit.

We had an excellent lunch at this charming cafe - I loved everything about it: the decor is beautiful, the food was delicious and the service was friendly and prompt.

Such a good menu & tasty food. Shame about the consistently bad service each time I’ve been. Rushed out and given a bill I didn’t ask for after being sat for 30 mins (20 mins waiting for my order)

Good coffee and pastries. Service is pretty bad. You have to ask for things multiple times, was five times from three different service before we got water and it was after everything else was finished. Disinterested attitude from servers which is a shame as the atmosphere and food we had was good.

The food is just amazing. Service was fast even though they were busy. Definitely recommend to anyone in the area.

Good food and pleasant coffee but the decaf was £4 and tasted burnt. Apparently this is just the beans, but feels like a rip off charging 50p extra for decaf that isn’t good quality.

I've been charged more than what exposed on the panel, when I've asked why, the waitress reply: "the exposed prices might be outdated". Very expensive coffee.

We had a lovely sandwich, luscious brownie, and nice, large Americano. The service was tops, really friendly and helpful with great sightseeing tips from Anya.

We tried to get some food and coffees to take away from here at the weekend. They have a little takeaway hatch outside which we were stood at but no one arrived so we went inside to ask but were sent to wait outside again, still no one arrived even though they now knew we waiting. We eventually gave up and went elsewhere as did 5 others who were waiting behind us and a couple who were there before us. The food looked really good, but extremely rude service.

A really cute spot for a coffee and cake. Very chilled vibes, love catching up with someone here. They’ve got an unreal selection of cakes, carrot cake is so good. Been here a fair amount of times and will be back soon again.

I am not sure how this poped up in our to-visit list for brunch but I am sure that we were happy that happened. We decided to visit around noon for brunch while in aread and we were amazed! The food is very very tasty and you can easily spot that they use freash and good quality ingredients. The only comment/suggestion is that they may need to slightly expand the menu. After couple of times it may start to be repetitive if you don't want to expand on the cakes. Eitherway, a must visit place, looking forward for the next time!

Very cozy café but the cakes tasted extremely sweet and artificial, and the matcha latte was basically a glass of milk with only little matcha on top for decoration. No wifi.

Came here after an awful experience at The Pastry Section. The staff here were lovely and attentive, the service was quick and the pastries and coffee were amazing. We had an almond croissant, a regular croissant, an oat flat white and a mocha. I also got one of their tote bags and it’s such good quality, will definitely be back

A lovely independent cafe which my daughter asked me to write a review about. She is intolerant to egg and rarely gets much choice regarding "sweet treats". No such problems here: a choice of 3 vegan cakes! We both chose the carrot cake which was delicious and very generously proportioned. Will definitely go back for more tea/organic drinks/cakes.

Really good brownie! However, the redhead waitress had an attitude. If you can get anyone else, it’ll be a pleasant experience!

Cute atmosphere with delicious treats. A simple menu to choose from, and everything we had was delicious.

Splendid brunch, effective rustic design (by splinter design I think) fantastic takeaway user experience. Food is always authentic and fresh. Ultimate Stockbridge coffee stop. 🤌🏼

Lovely little cafe with the most beautiful and delicious food! Every item we were served was unexpectedly delicious and artfully presented. Did not expect it from a small local cafe. A hidden gem in Stockbridge!

I used to be a regular here but standards have really slipped in recent months. The waitress could see we were waiting to be served and there was no acknowledgment. The place wasn’t particularly busy either so no excuse for this. Sadly, the quality of service and also food has really gone down. What a shame as it used to be such a lovely place to go and get great food and friendly service.

The cafe has changed dramatically, it's lost its unique atmosphere, gone are tables where 1-4 people can sit comfortably for a coffee & catch up. The new layout is cramming people in, it's uncomfortable, sharing tables will be the norm for people from now on. I even commented to the staff about the seat we were given, the benches are fixed & don't move, hardly any room to breathe. Staff were having to reach over people to serve. Staff were friendly & apologetic, coffee was good. But it's not comfortable. So disappointed it's had its very character ripped away.

I go here at least once a week. Yesterday there was a 4 seater table left which I was grudgingly given. When the menu was delivered I was told I would be moved if a two seater table became free! Very hostile unfriendly and with an eye to profits rather than customer care.

After a rainy mooch around Stockbridge, Cowans provided just what we needed in terms of a light lunch - in fact, we didn’t have room for cake so will have to return! Thanks for a fab veggie breakfast bun (avo, salsa, halloumi and fried egg) and a super cheese toastie (cheddar, sourdough - thick, chill jam).

This place serves good food and good coffee. Staff however make one feel like you are a hindrance. Brusque service Rarely opens on time and is frustrating to wait outside for 10 minutes while the staff get ready to open. Quality of food is why I return hoping for better service.

A wonderful cafe in Stockbridge. The location is cosy and comfortable even for bigger groups (we were four). The staff is welcoming, kind and helpful, as well as clearly knowledgeable about dietary restrictions and allergies; one of us is celiac and the gluten free options are many and just as good as the normal ones. As far as food and drinks are related, the menu offers many options for all different tastes. Will be coming back whenever possibile!

Had a lovely cup of tea, millionaire shortbread, croissant with cheddar and tomato and chili jam plus a raspberry lemonade. The help were a tad arrogant but the food and atmosphere were otherwise terrific. I would likely return.

Two of us stopped for lunch at 2PM on a weekday; waited in line out side for 10 minutes. Once seated, we found the ordering and the food to be quite satisfactory. What was a bit of a bother was the noise; quite difficult to...

We lived in Stockbridge 6 years ago and knew this cafe in its earlier incarnation. The menu is very limited and service is slow. The breakfast burger I had was nice, well cooked but dainty. Soup was good as was the carrot cake. Coffee is...

Shocking service for a minor bite pm. “We shut at 5 and if you are lucky you can have whatever is in the window warmed up. No care from staff who couldn’t wait to get out of there. I am local and will never be...

A nice little cafe , with a great breakfast. The cafe has a great atmosphere and the staff friendly and engaging. Would definitely recommend! We arrived for opening, and it was soon quite busy so arrive early to avoid dissapointment.

Lovely little place to have a very good coffee in Stockbridge. The sweeties are simply amazing... I ate a raspberry brownie, the best ever... we also enjoyed a good tomato, mozzarella and pesto sandwich and a salted croissant. Happy to know about this place to...

First visit on Monday morning with some friends, food was very tasty (sour dough toast and bacon for me) and lattes were great too. Service was very friendly, young man even gave us a little history about the building, will be back for sure

Characterful cafe, original decor with true cafe culture appeal. Friendly staff. Lovely fresh croissant and good coffee.

This was our first visit to this cafe, We we're not disappointed either, Very tasty coffee & food to match, The service was impeccable, We have no hesitation in recommending Cowan & Sons. We will definitely be back, Word of warning, and Don't leave it...

Had coffee and cake to warm up on a chilly weekday afternoon. The chocolate caramel shortbread was one of the best we’ve ever had (and we’ve had a lot!) and the tea and coffee were both great too.

Always good coffee and pastries / cafe style menu. A busy little place in the heart of Stockbridge. A few goodies available to buy as well so might be interesting for xmas.

I’m confused by some of the bad reviews because I’ve been here twice now and everything I’ve had is delicious! Yes the wait time can be a little long for a brunch/cafe place but that is likely because it’s always really busy. I had ‘The...

This is my new favourite place to eat in Edinburgh. I had the veggie breakfast bun and it was the best breakfast I’ve had in ages. The coffee was delicious and the cakes & sandwiches looked very appetising. All the staff were friendly and accommodating...

Although limited, items on the menu are pretty good. Cheese toastie always a go to and staff are very friendly. Great place!

Popped in here late morning for a snack. Not that many tables. We had a bacon butty and the meaty bun. Both were pretty good. Also had a cinnamon bun. Staff friendly. Would recommend

Went here to get a bacon roll to take away. Service outside only for take aways. Was going to charge me £4.00 which for a bacon roll is quite dear. Then they said it was card only. I decided not too bother in a point...

Lovely and very tasty cheese and chill toasty . Nice atmosphere with attentive staff Good menu choices and value for money. Will be back when next in town.

Small café in the heart of Stockbridge decorated with local artist’s work and green tile. Dog friendly and a few booth seats, as well as normal tables and bar seats along the window. One of the few places in Edinburgh that I’ve seen do a...

Fantastic food, great service, considering we ordered 6 hot drinks and 6 breakfast buns for takeaway we didn’t wait long at all. Hot chocolates were incredible, great quality, and delicious marshmallows. Breakfast buns were incredible, and we were awkward and altered our orders and they...

We had breakfast here on day one of our 2 day stay in Stockbridge, and it was so good we went back on day 2. We had the granola and fruit bowl, the banana bread bowl and the veggi brioche bun, and coffees. Food was...

We stumbled upon Cowan & Sons by chance and it ended up being the best breakfast we had the entire week in Edinburgh. The brownie was the best brownie I have ever had and the The Meaty was honestly unreal. Definitely recommend!

Very friendly, relaxed vibe I think because we missed the lunchtime busyness. Banana bread was warm and perfect with delicious fruit and peanut butter and compote. Like the best pbj sandwich ever. Plan to go again.