Levels Cafe and Lounge in Edinburgh, City of

Great student study place. Plenty of space and wifi with decent food and drink, all you could ever need as a student really.

Super long queue and service, after order the food using a touch screen still have to wait 45 mins to have our number called. Kitchen people look stress and never smile, look like they don’t enjoy their job. Perhaps need to recruit people who really have passion in making food and efficient?

I really do wish I could give a more positive review as the pastries are tasty and the coffee very good. However, I find it distinctly off-putting that people are allowed to put their feet on the tables (chairs and sofas too)! Staff walk past without even a sideways glance, so I can only imagine that they also have no concept of hygiene. I have never experienced this before in a café, and do wish that the staff would put a stop to the practice.

To be fair it’s well equipped and the layout is good for those who are looking for somewhere quiet to study or do work. The food and drinks options are decent too! However a small baked potato and a small side salad Cost £7.75. Besides being generally expensive for what it is.. it’s ok I guess. I’d encourage people to come in for a tea or coffee and sit for a few hours to work - but do go elsewhere for lunch as there are many better and cheaper alternatives nearby.

This cafe is open to all but, as part of Edinburgh University's estate, it is a popular study space for students and a meeting space for staff. As such you might expect it to be better value than it is. Coffee is a better option to go for than tea, as tea is simply a bag in a mug of hot water. At this price a small teapot is usual. The pastries are a nice treat.

Unfortunately, standards appear to be slipping at the Levels Café. Staff allow people (who often have not even bought any food or drinks) to conduct loud teleconferences or meetings while others are trying to concentrate quietly on their own work. The café is not another University meeting room facility. Also, the coffee can be variable, ranging from excellent to downright slapdash; there is no consistency in quality and certainly no apology when they get it wrong.

This is a great place to eat. We really enjoyed the breakfasts and the vegetarian version was amazing. I had never tried vegetarian haggis before and we all found the portions big. Staff were all very obliging and helpful. Would highly recommend a visit here.

I visited Edinburgh as a short break and I visited Levels daily! The coffee is outstanding, the food is delicious and very generous, the prices are incredibly reasonable and the staff are very lovely, friendly and understanding. On one of my visits I was in a bit of a rush so couldn’t wait for more food to be made (everything’s cooked freshly!!) so I just took what was available. The server discounted the price of my meal and offered me extra of anything I wanted as an apology. The staff go beyond all measures and expectations to ensure you have a fantastic experience. Genuinely loved my time in Levels and I will definitely be back!

As a postgraduate university student, I often visit Levels when looking for a place to study and the occasional lunch. Good Work Space: - Wide selection of seating (e.g. long tables, couches, some work booths) - Free wifi - Decent number of plug sockets Good Lunch: (Here it comes down to expectations). Cafeteria-style buffet with an accompanying salad bar, which is perfect for me when I'm swamped with work and looking for a 'home-style' meal with a wide range of options and serving flexibility, rather than feeling like I'm dining out. There is usually one vegetarian and one non-vegetarian main meal deal of the day, which comes with a side of choice for just under £6. A bit too pricey to make lunch a regular deal for a student (although they do have student discount), but I believe you get value for your money. The serving portions are generous, and you can opt for two half portions of the available sides or salad. As a picky eater this means that when I get lunch there is enough flexibility for me to put together a meal which I am happy to eat and has some vegetables. Oddly enough, I am particularly grateful that at least one of the salad options often comes with a lot of cucumbers, as this is one of the few vegetables I do eat so can easily serve myself a small side of just cucumbers (without trying to deprive everyone who comes after me of cucumbers in their salad). While not refined restaurant style food, it has so far always been tasty and decent quality, with some meals standing out more than others for me, such as the pulled-pork subs, the moussaka, vegetable lasagna, beetroot and quinoa salad, to name a few. Other Pros: - Water is available to serve yourself, - Pastries, cakes, fruit, and other sandwiches available - Staff (particularly the ladies) are always really friendly, - They have board games - Bathrooms are clean - Lovely airy building with plenty of natural light. Cons: - Sometimes a bit busy around lunch time and during university exam periods, but I've always managed to find a seat and have never had to wait very long when getting food.

We had some drinks and played some games when we were here. Great service at the counter, a real studentes place!

Stopped here for a coffee whilst exploring the city. Quiet on a Sunday lunchtime. Great interior. Choice of health, vegan etc options for food and drink. Nice coffee. Choice of seating.

Our daughter went to school in Edinburgh and basically lived at Levels. It is a great place to study or just hang out wi th friends, or read a book, or write your first novel. It is a cafeteria but with an excellent selection of food, so you will not be disappointed. The people behind the counter are cheerful and helpful in describing the food and asking you if you want the extra sauces or condiments. We went here for many breakfasts and a few lunches and liked them all. Levels also will not break the bank

Ate breakfast here twice. Quick service with quite a bit of foods, pastries and coffees to choose from. Nothing special but average items.

The Levels Café has a substantial problem with people putting their feet on tables. Just as a basic example, how can supposedly intelligent students (the cafe's primary customers) not make the link between dog fouling on the pavements, muck getting on their shoes, and transferring to other surfaces?? Feet on tables is not tolerated in other cafes and restaurants, for obvious reasons, and the Levels Café needs to put a stop this unhygienic and disgusting behaviour.

This café and lounge is well situated and designed for academic staff, students and any other categories of persons who are in the area to use a mobile device or get some work done in peace while having some food. There is a generous amount of space and commendably so, a wide range of seating arrangements. There is an excellent range of hot drinks and syrups. I was very happy with the service I received from a new staff member in preparing my choice of hot drink. However, the scone, which I was reassured was fresh in that day, was pretty awful for the cost of over £2. I decided not to finish it and left with a bit too much of the sensation of baking soda in my mouth for my own liking. I would recommend that the scone recipe or supplier is seriously reconsidered.

After making a simple mistake in the cafe area of simply eating an apple I brought from home. I was shocked to be approached by a patronising staff member who was impolite in informing me that I was not allowed to eat food from home and must leave and sit in another area of the buildings across the road. This is an area for relaxing and socialising but I can clearly see now that the staff do not see it as this maybe a more friendly approach to customers is needed.

Popped in around 10am, only asked for a full Scottish breakfast with fried egg but was told they only offer scrambled. Never heard of a cafe refusing to make a fried egg before! Found a nice cafe 100m away that was more than happy to oblige.

As regular visitors to the Edinburgh festival, we found this place last year. We went quite a few times and again this year and the manager remembered us. There is a good selection and we usually went for a late lunch/snack. Nice hot lunches although we usually stuck to the salad bar or soup. Nice selection of cakes and biscuits etc. We didn't think it was particularly expensive compared to a lot of places in Edinburgh which is getting horrifically expensive. The staff are always nice and the actual place is spacious and all different types of seating - some long tables, some smaller or you can be more cosy in a sofa.

I could not believe that I was charged £2.80 for a breakfast roll with 2 sausages to take away, and they obviously had been sitting on the warmer for quite a while, because they were dry inside instead of being soft and succulent. I have had coffee here a few times before and found this to be fine and priced competitively.

So convenient for uni, city and Royal park. Great selection for breakfast including juice, hot drinks, pastries, cereal, yogurts and cooked items. Helpful staff, options for seating, games to play if no studying to do, excellent toilets.

Levels is mainly a student cafe, being attached to the Edinburgh Uni student accommodation, however the prices don't match this. The coffee is OK and the food is fine. Good for spending a couple of hours studying.

I come here so often as I am a student at Edinburgh University. The food is really nice (Scotch Broth and wedges in particular...not necessarily at the same time). However, it is sadly overpriced and I find the management a little unfriendly in general. The one thing I love about this place though, is Tracey. She always has a smile on her face, ready for a wee chat. It's so nice to have a friendly face to break up the monotony of essay writing. She's a credit to you and I know I'm not the only one that thinks that.

Student cafe with nice atmosphere. Very pleasant and helpful staff. Nice, clean toilets. The downside is that it is very overpriced for a student cafe. The food is pretty average. I've eaten here a few times and the foot is often overlooked, tasteless and cold. It's very much a bottom end end cafeteria experience. Can't understand why it's so expensive for an ordinary cafe

this cafe is a good place to study or relax, but there are a lot of things to be improved:

This is one of my favourite cafe/restaurants in Edinburgh. It has lots of space and light, great food/drink and the WiFi is awesome! Staff are friendly and helpful too :-)

At 6pm on a weekday the cafe staff seemed surprised that people might want to eat hot food (or indeed any food at all). We were told hot food would take 30 minutes and all that was left was the en of the salads. Food a is expensive for what one gets and the place does not really know what it is for yet.

It is a great cafe! I attended a college event there and it was so clean, well decorated and the food was amazing! The staff is also really friendly!

The staff here is truly fantastic and very welcoming. This, along with the great coffee, and modern, yet cozy building makes Levels a worthwhile stop.

Came across this whilst at the Fringe festival. Whilst many other places were packed out this cafe was not. It is a light airy space of calm with plenty of seats. It offers a modest range of foods and drinks both hot and cold. I had the soup which was delicious. I will return and hope not everyone has discovered this oasis of calm.

Atmosphere is great for sitting down to get some work done. Plenty of seating space. Just keep in mind that wifi isn't available unless you have access to Eduroam.

The food isn't particularly great, but the interior design in this place is definitely a highlight. Levels Cafe is extremely comfy and welcoming. Great for working, studying, reading and having a chat...

I go here every so often as it is close to uni and offers a good study space. opening hours and great and a nice chilled vibe with lots of tables and plugs! Usually only get a cup of tea or snack but decided to get lunch one day. For being a 'student' cafe it is ridiculously expensive and poor quality! Paid over £5 for a chewy egg sandwich! Won't be buying food here again"

This cafe would be perfect for studying, it's light and airy. It also catered for our six year old, thank you. Great staff

Made several visits to this establishment recently due to working locally. Food is expensive and poor quality. Soup was watered down. Also had a burger and chips which was bland, tasteless and unenjoyable. Starbucks prices with school dinner quality.

This is a great all round cafe for sitting in or takeaway. It is managed by Edinburgh University so it caters for a student population but it's very comfortable and nice to visit even if you are a few years past your student days. They serve a wide variety of hot & cold food, including breakfast items as well as a large choice of hot & cold beverages. I particularly like the variety of seating available and the spacious interior. If there is any down side, it is the price of the food. Some items seem a bit pricy for the portion size compared to what you get at other nearby cafés. But other places near here also tend to be small and cramped. So overall a great place to sit and relax over a coffee or a meal. Bring your book or your laptop and hang out as if you were young again. Recommended!

This is a lovely spacious café which lunch and breakfast menus. it's also got a license so sells wine and beer. It's part of Edinburgh University but open to the general public and located in a really convenient position near Holyrood.. The décor is attractive and when I've visited, there's been a choice of cosy arm chairs, tables and chairs. It's the sort of place you can spend ages over a coffee. The food is good quality - I had soup of the day with artisan bread and baked potato. I just find it so refreshing as its atmosphere and décor are unique - not the standard chain that could be any city. It's not open on Sundays.