Thistle Cafe in Edinburgh, City of

My friends and I stumbled upon this cozy Scottish café and loved every bit of it! The food was fantastic—everything from the hearty soups and Scottish breakfast to the fresh scones felt homemade and packed with local flavor. The staff were super friendly and gave us great recommendations without hovering, which made us feel right at home. Prices were really reasonable for the quality and portion sizes, so it’s a great spot whether you’re a local or just passing through. Perfect for a casual meet-up or a cozy lunch on a chilly day. We’ll definitely be back!

Breakfast was the best. Fast, friendly service. Staff and owner were super nice.

Had a cappuccino here, staff were very friendly and helpful. No network here as the cafe is underground, but staff were happy to give the wifi password to us. Feels like a friendly homely cafe in the middle of a bustling city.

The jacket potato with beens and cheese was great. It was a huge portion, so I couldn’t finish it but it was nice nevertheless. The only thing I would’ve preferred is if it had been fluffed up before the addition of the toppings. My boyfriend had the cheeseburger, which was not the best, it was quite bland and dry. Would not recommend that one. The tables and chairs aren’t the greatest, but the little square we sat was super cute and a nice spot to get out of the busy high street.

Rosé was warm, tasted very cheap, and served in a dirty glass. Staff was rude and one of the guys went out of their way to pick a fight with me about it. I've never been treated quite this way in any restaurant. Burger and panini tasted ok. Toilet beyond nasty. All in all, extremely bad experience.

Great little cafe. Try the Haggis toastie!

Thistle Cafe failed to deliver on multiple fronts. The absence of ambiance, coupled with below-average food quality and inflated prices, made for a thoroughly disappointing dining experience. Hard to recommend Thistle Cafe to anyone seeking a satisfying meal in a welcoming environment.

Poor service , warm drinks and food average . I would avoid unless you was like us and desperate to get out of the rain

Nice place to stop and have something warm…

Believe the rating; the place could have the potential but our experience was disappointing. Coffee tasted liked water, the sandwiches were overpriced for their value. Better not to comment about the toilet.

Don't pay with paywave charged me twice

Popped in for a coffee and had a couple of breakfast rolls (bacon and black pudding). Fresh rolls and good hot fillings. Nice coffee and prices very reasonable. Dog friendly as well 👍

Delicious chocolate cake and good coffee. But there are also hearty ones. Unfortunately, the card reader was broken during our visit. Luckily I had cash with me.

Called in today before visiting the castle. Apparently it used to be part of Edinburgh Castle’s bakery. Very quick and friendly service. Delicious breakfasts and a proper size mug of piping hot tea. Also given a side of haggis to try… delicious! Highly recommend a visit to this cafe!!

Terrible place. Sat at the table for over half an hour and they kept saying 'be with you in a minute' to take an order. Food looked equally as bad as the service. Didn't stay to find out...

Bad service . 1. 4 pax but allocate us to use 1 small table at the corner. 2 of us to squeeze 1 side. 2. Was looking at the menu and the waitress took it away for other table while the rest of the table menu nobody was looking at it. 3. Food served wrongly 4. Food served half way and expected me to take from her

Pricey, food is microwaved, dingy, staff erm... not professional, not even trying. Not worth the money you will leave there.

Poor service from waitress. There was a clean table but she asked me to sit at a dirty one by the entrance and didn’t offer to clear the table. I’m waiting for a few minutes on a table with food on it, while she sits at the clean table with her lunch. I go up to make my order and she says it’s table service. After she’s done with her lunch?

Very discreet, nice food, quite pleasant!

Good quality light lunch in the middle of the Royal Mile. Good portions, hot food and drinks, only let down the lad who was serving was grumpy. Cheer up !

Je ne peux pas juger la nourriture, n'ayant prit qu'un scone, mais le personnel n'était pas aimable et les scones étaient passable. Les toilettes étaient sale et le lieu vétuste

A small cafe underground (no network). We ordered two hot chocolates and a panini. We only got the hot chocolates and once we finished and went to pay they realised they have forgotten the Panini. Strong noose from the refrigerator in the room.

Nice location but the service was sour, food was deep fried low quality junk.

In un cortile interno, a breve distanza dal Castello di Edimburgo vi consente di fare una pausa dall'affollamento del "Mile". Mangiato all'esterno. Personale cortese e servizio rapido. Abbiamo consumato una zuppa di pomodoro buona, una patata arrosto con formaggio discreta. Panini e toast ottimi ( con nachos però abbastanza insipidi). Il locale interno molto affollato. Da notare diversi gradini per accedere che lo rendono poco accessibile ai disabili. Prezzo molto buono.

Really really quick service. Ideal for a quick bite to eat at fairly reasonable prices for its location.

We hebben buiten op het terras ontbeten. Het café zit midden in de stad maar toch op een rustige plek. De bediening is snel en vriendelijk. Het ontbijt en koffie zijn oké.

I was very surprised at the quality of food served here. It was so close to the Castle and crowd that could probably get away with selling slop but it was the best Scottish Pie and Haggis I’ve ever had, large serving and quick service. They even carry IRN-BRU to make it authentic 😂 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Liegt direkt im Zentrum der Altstadt. Sehr gut, wenn man draussen sitzen will und es etwas ruhiger haben möchte. Das Essen war ziemlich gut zu einem sehr guten Preis. Service war super!

Pour le prix, le repas est correct mais sans plus.

Best Full Scottish Breakfast we had.

Basic food but quite yummy. We had the ham and cheese panini and haggis and cheese toasty.

Kleines cafe in einer ruhigen Seitengasse. Gutes Essen und vor allem viel im guten Preis Leistungsverhältnis. Könnten den aussenden Sitzbereich ordentlicher machen, dann würden bestimmt mehr Touristen hin gehen

Amazing cozy little cafe. The staff are so nice and ready to help. Service is fast and the food / breakfast was simply delicious. So yummmmy

We arrived in Edinburgh early Monday morning and not many breakfast places were open, but we found this one a little off the Royal Mile and looked to have some breakfast items we were interested in. The café is tucked in a lower level of a building and has a cute entrance, but the inside is not that impressive. We ordered the Scottish breakfast, since we were excited to try some Scottish food. The café wasn't busy so we received our food pretty quickly, but I found it a little cold for how long it took. Overall, it wasn't a bad place for a quick breakfast and the prices weren't too bad and all the staff was nice.

We visited Edinburgh Castle and had an hour before our next tour just a block away, so we popped into Thistle Cafe for a spot of tea and a scone. If you’re not familiar with the labyrinth of “Closes” (also known as alleys and side streets), you may be surprised to slip between two seemingly connected buildings and emerge in a courtyard with outdoor seating! You’ll descend a staircase to the actual Thistle Cafe or to order but it’s quaint and lovely. We ordered tea and scones, all of which perfectly hit the spot. Lovely staff who were friendly and bustling about. There were 3 in my party and we had a table/booth next to the toilets but it wasn’t bothersome or in the walkway. Mostly 2-top tables (not unusual for the area) and a 4-person booth across the way. Several 2- and 4- top tables were upstairs in the courtyard which was shaded by our arrival at 3pm. Would definitely return for their selection of Toasties!!

Stopped here today for a breakfast before heading back home. Myself and my daughter had a great experience, food was fantastic and the staff were all friendly and happy.

The food was delicious, it has a real “home cooked” feel to it. Staff were so welcoming and helpful. After having a hot chocolate in the morning and really enjoying it, we went back for lunch the next day and it didn’t disappoint. Would highly recommend!

Horrible place. Small and person who cooks bacon and beans was very hostile. Waited patiently no one asked or told us to wait a minute. Finally got served after 20 mins. Couple came in served straightaway. When I approached the person who cooks the bacon regarding not been served our tea he lost his rag. Left immediately with him saying ‘sweet’ comment when I canned the order. Unfortunate as I love Edinburgh immensely.

After waiting some time for drinks, the table next to us walked in and received drinks straight away. When we addressed the issue we were told ‘we are busy and enough of the complaining’. Might be worth sending the staff on customer service training!

Very enjoyable breakfast after a pretty horrendous hangover. Served by friendly staff. Limited menu choices but the focus on quality over quantity is obviously present.

Visited here a couple of days ago.. myself and partner both ordered jacket potatoe cheese and beans.. we were both violently sick after.. not surprising the state of the place. There’s no basic hygiene’, staff weren’t wearing hair nets they were sitting on kitchen benches when we walked in with food all up their clothes the staff were unfriendly. food splattered up walls and mirrors just wasn’t a nice experience at all. And define would not recommend other customers were also complaining on another table and staff just didn’t seem bothered. Like they didn’t want to be there and didn’t want the custom.. very over priced for the experience we received…

Very nice place staff Very friendly

Had some delicious waffles out in the courtyard (you can also sit inside tho), the service was great! Felt nice to enjoy the fresh air in a calm setting, away from the crowded royal mile :) toilet availabe btw

Pathetic customer service, they don't treat you like one of their own, they treat you as per your color, they would take your order in the last and then if you ask them how much time it would take to get order ready because you need to head somewhere else , they would get offended.They talked badly and cancelled our order on spot, they just tore our order into pieces infront of our eyes. SO DISRESPECTFUL. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND NOT TO GO HERE!!!!!!

Overpriced, “food lacked taste” is an overstatement, and it absolutely took ages to get some attention from the staff. Could’ve voiced our concerns but nobody’s got time for that. Not even the staff.

We only called in for coffee- and it was vile. I had a latte and my husband had a flat white and at £3 and £3.50 respectively, not cheap! The coffee was bitter but tasteless at the same time. The young guys serving were actually very pleasant but we won’t be going back.

Good location and friendly staff. Quality of food and cleanliness was poor

Nice Scottish cafe, right on Royal Mile.

My food was very tasty. They accommodated my dietary restrictions painlessly and my food was ready quickly. I would go back again 👍🏻

Petite halte pour manger sur le pouce. Et bien c'était bon, et tenue par trois belles filles sympathiques et souriantes.

Great little place just off the royal mile to grab some good food. I had the Scotch Pie with Haggis and Beans. It was delicious. The staff was friendly and quick. Food cooked fresh as it's ordered. Prices are decent for the location. Definitely step away from the crowded street and try this place.

Good food, fair price. I had a broccoli and almond soup which was strange but very tasty and satisfying. Also had waffles and bacon, the waffles were crispy and sweet. Wife had a hamburger and fries, nothing of note. Nice cosy place to escape the hustle and bustle of the royal mile.

Absolute Enttäuschung und dabei habe ich nicht viel erwartet. Der Cappuccino war fast nur Milch. Der Burger war winzig, das Fleisch darauf noch kleiner und total trocken gegrillt. Die Nachos waren auch nicht mehr knusprig. Definitiv nicht zu empfehlen!

Der Cappuccino war fast nur Milch. Der Burger war winzig und totgegrillt. Absolut nicht zu empfehlen.

Terrible food. Would give 0 stars if I could. I think people must stop here because it’s by castle.

We are glad we found this quaint cafe tucked away on busy street in Old Town, but with a very nice outdoor setting. The staff were very friendly and timely. The food was just right with generous portions.

El sitio es bonito y escondido, pero la cerveza algo cara y caliente. No es de lo mejor de la zona. Demasiado lleno de gente.

Small cafe and a great find. Staff were so friendly and welcoming. We had Scottish breakfast and it was delicious. Good size breakfast at a very reasonable price. 😊😊😊

Seats are generally available. Peaceful place to sit down and rest.

Service agréable et nourriture très bonne ! Prend son temps pour expliquer aux étrangers merci au serveur

Busy cafe. Good portions well presented.

Funcionários simpáticos, faltou apenas qualidade, o hambúrguer não estava bem feito, a cerveja estava quente e meu suco laranja veio quente e infelizmente não tinha gelo para me oferecer, fiquei chateado

While food was ok if pricey one member of staff was extremely rude. As is sensible I raised a problem and was called stupid. Only go if you are into being insulted.

Was very expensive and not nearly worth the $. The juice was warm, the food was cold. The eggs were dry. The staff were friendly.

We found this lovely little cafe tucked in a super quiet street and thought of having food in here. We arrived at tha cafe at about 11:45 and ordered one veggie breakfast and one cheese nachos. We were waiting for our order and then realised people who had ordered breakfast after us were served before us and when we asked the person who took the order re how long is it going to take, he said about 15 mins and you can cancel if we didn’t want to wait. We realised it was already 25 mins since we had ordered and if we go somewhere else we might not get it before our castle entry anyway so we decided to wait. After 15 mins I saw they were serving other people and now I had to ask again how long is it going to take, he said again 5 mins but I will start cooking now so if want to cancel you can. They didn’t even apologise for the delay. We bloody waited at the restaurant for 40 mins and didn’t even get the food. The worst part was their unapologetic behaviour as if they didn’t care. Also I still don’t understand why they didn’t serve us breakfast when they were serving with others the same food and they had come after us. A part of me think it was a racist behaviour but I don’t want to believe that. Shame I thought the place was lovely but the service is pathetic.

Great little spot for breakfast off the royal mile, simple breakfast. Great Hot Chocolate, and a cute atmosphere. You feel like you've stepped into a cozy place for locals and then you can pop back to the historic mile. Indoor and outdoor seating, so you can enjoy the rare clear mornings in Scotland.

2 visits in two days as we were staying locally. A friend found a curly hair (yes, that type of hair) in his breakfast. Chalked it up as a one off and came back the next day as it was right near our accommodation. My plate this time had a very similar looking hair on it. Other than that food was very average and service pretty poor with a lot of sarcasm from the young lad waiting when taking the order.

Accueil sympathique. Un peu cher, mais on y trouve des encas typiquement locaux accompagnés ou non d'irn bru. Il ne faut pas s'attendre à de la grande cuisine, mais cela permet de changer des éternels "burgers frites". Moins cher que dans les pubs de grassmarket.

This is a lovely wee cafe friendly staff I can highly recommend a breakfast here

Had to wait for a while as only small but was well worth the wait. Lovely food and friendly staff. All cooked to order. Was happy to swap choice on full English

Excellent service and food. Well recommended.

Lovely little cafe and even nicer staff/owners. Had a couple breakfasts here and it was very pleasant. No frills but good food and a warm atmosphere.

Absolutely lovely little cafe hidden down a close/alleyway.

Few days ago, I visited this cafe. In many years, although I recognized this, I didn’t have a chance to visit there. All staffs were very friendly. Cafe and tea and scone were good. I love this kinds of wee cafe. Looking forward to visiting again. Thank you!

Very little place, kind of hard to find. The service was very quick. We had our food about five minutes after we ordered. I’m not an expert in Scottish food, but both my wife and I thought it was great. We ordered the Scottish breakfast and the English breakfast.

Average at best. I could have done better myself. My toastie was cheese and bacon of which I couldn’t find the cheese and bacon was wafer thin ham. No choice on bread, very much greesy spoon cafe I’m afraid.

Nice little cafe to get you motivated for a busy day in Edinburgh. 2nd visit was a bust even after speaking with staff for service. Clearly not interested in hospitality. Time to retire me thinks. Shame it could be amazing.

Küçük bir cafe ama kahvaltı lezzetliydi.

Loved this quaint little café. I had the full Scottish breakfast for £11.00 and it was delicious but basic. Some of the items are overpriced, for example £3.00 for an extra rasher of bacon. The toilet is unisex and there is no lock on the door so you need to ask a friend to keep watch!

Food wasn’t great, nice courtyard though

Cute little place. Food was ok but the service was way too slow, if it’s busy don’t bother waiting as you will spend more than an hour waiting around as there’s only 1 cook on 1 grill top…

AVOID this disgusting place at all cost unless you like being ripped off, We chose this place off the beaten track,looked quaint and thought we would use a small local business very often these offer fabulous results. Sadly on this occasion that was not to be. Theonce white tables had not seen a cloth or cleaning fluidin avery long time, the menu's greasy and sticky,we were served by a very pleasant young girl,sadly at 10.30 in the morning we would rather not have seen what she had,had for breakfast,her shorts were club wear not work wear...sorry just not professional.on closer inspection the staffing appeared to be led by a female style Fagan with a young mixed bag of motly youths,all on phones couldnt be less interested. the food arrived quickly and very hot,2mugs of tea with such cheap teabags that to get any flavour the tea was then stewed and vile,a can of Coke £3.00 from a multipack which cost £3.00 in the supermarket for6! large glass of apple juice fromacheap carton, food 4 paninis, well I say Panini,what was ordered and what arrived, 4 small baguettes toasted,2 slices of wafer thin ham and almost non existant cheese,half a bag of stale mixed flavour crisps,in a basket that looked beyond grubby, no napkin. No Covid rules adhered too save for a bottle of hand gel. So 4 mini baguettes 2 stewed teas, 2 overpriced soft drinks,and stalecrisps,over £40.00!!!!!!!!! We knew the prices where high but expected more food and high quality which is usual in Scotland Totally spoilt our Edinburgh trip, this 'business'is nothing more than a con and is a total embarrassment to Edinburgh and the Scots. We ordered ate and left in just under 14minutes,Do your selves a favour run away from this place and fast

5 starts based on value. If you're looking for expensive upmarket eggs hollandaise or smashed avo, this probably isn't it. But great value breakfast, honest and simple menu. reasonably priced.

We found most places were really busy the day we visited at lunch time and here was the same. A small family outfit tucked away in a pleasant quiet courtyard. Yes the prices are a bit high but step back onto the main street and pay much more. Haggis and Beans with a jacket was great, my daughter had the toasty and being a straight forward simple toasty suited her perfect.

My son visited here 5 years ago and he recommended we try here on our visit. We went and it was still owned by the same people. We ordered the Nachos Haggis Cheese and Beans. This was a great lunch really enjoyed it. I would only say they need to do away with the basket and paper they served it on as the food stuck to it, a nice while oval plate/dish would have been better. Had a pint of apple juice as well. It was a lovely little place and would definitely go again if visiting Edinburgh. The staff were friendly and the service was great. Glad I supported a small family business.

This cafe is placed in a nice location, decorated well and so has huge opportunity to become a gem of a place. Unfortunately the price of the does not reflect the quality of food. A glass of apple juice from a carton cost 3 pounds, The chicken burger resembled a birds eyes quarter pounder. The toasties were made from shop bought bread with very simple ingredients. I have no problems paying if there is good quality food and drinks available. I hope the owners take this review as something to reflect on to make this a fab place. I am all for supporting a family business.

Coffee was nice however tin drinks very overpriced, especially when they were taken from a multi pack & not supposed to be sold separately£3 for an iron bru is extortionate

A hidden gem of a place, tucked away at the top of the Royal Mile. Extremely welcoming and excellent service. We enjoyed some delicious toasties and paninis as we ate outside in a secluded courtyard. Well worth a stop for breakfast, brunch or lunch 🤗

Burnt food even though we waited for 30 mins. service was slow and the prices were expensive

Needed a quick pit stop for a bite to eat and a drink before heading to the Airport. Ordered the chocolate fudge cake and bottled water. Presentation was nice, but the cake was nothing special (tasted cheap and no doubt was) £5 each for the cake but more shocking was £2.50 for a small bottle of cheap water!! I should have walked away when I saw the lad behind the counter putting frozen chips into the fryer with no gloves on and then checking his mobile phone with the same hand.......No aprons, gloves or masks to be seen, glad I only had cake 😳

Lovely little tucked away Cafe! Hope the guy who lost his suitcase got sorted? 22/6/2021

Staff was very friendly and handsome. Food was good, had the scotch pie and a latte. I would eat here again. Price is good fairly cheap

Excellent breakfast and coffee, friendly staff, worth a visit 🙂👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

The staff were super friendly and lovely, the food arrived quickly and was really good and the location is in a beautiful courtyard, great prices as well, the perfect place for lunch!

We stopped here for breakfast - we both had the waffles which were good quality and not too expensive, I would agree with some of the other reivews that some of the menu items were a little on the expensive side (£10 for a full english / scottish seems a bit high) but we were generally happy. Service was good and staff were attentive.

Nice little cafe tucked away down an alley off the royal mile.

We had a pitstop here for some lunch and the food is really overpriced for what you get. The breakfast rolls seemed to be the cheapest and lowest quality meat you'd find in Asda. The chips were disgustingly oily and had specks of black debris on them. They seem to have no COVID measures in place, and we did not witness them clean any of the tables with disinfectant. The toilet was also really unhygenic, there was just an open bin of used sanitary towels, no loo roll. Would not recommend, tourist trap.

Accueil inexistant : nous sommes entrés dans le petit restaurant et nous nous sommes installés et avons pris les menus nous même. Alors que nous allions nous lever pour aller au bar deux personnes viennent alors prendre nos commandes.. Elles étaient sur leur téléphones et nous les avions prises pour des clients.Nourriture vraiment mauvaise tout est surgelé et de basse qualité.La gérante éternue et se mouche et ne se lave même pas les mains avant de servir les plats...Bref n'y allez pas.

Extremely overpriced for extremely mediocre food. Two toasties, a tea and a cappuccino (lukewarm and slopped into the saucer) =£18. Definitely would not recommend eating here !

It was ok but for this price you can get better food and service in nicer environment in the same area.