I went on a quest to find the best brunch spots in Edi in one day
I did the hard work, so you don’t have to
Brunch isn’t just reserved for the perma-tanned blondies of Made in Chelsea; Edi spoils us with a plethora of unique restaurants and cafes supplying us with all the avocado on toast, pancakes and matcha lattes we could ever need.
So, I took one for the team and went on a brunch sampling tour – I managed to fit trips to the best eateries in Edinburgh into one day. RIP my waistband.
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Smoke Stack, New Town
If you live in the depths of Newington, Marchmont or God-forbid ol’ Brunty, you’re probably unfamiliar with one of New Town’s little gems. For me, however, Smoke Stack is conveniently located on my morning walk to uni.
While the cafe does have a somewhat limited brunch menu, what it lacks in variety it makes up for in flavour. Obviously, as the clean-eating queen I am, I went for the bacon and maple syrup waffle, while my hot date went for the smoked salmon and scrambled egg waffle.
Nigella eat yo’ heart out
The spot also offers a perfect range of smoothies that will cure even the worst of hangovers.
56 North, Newington
56 North isn’t what you might consider a typical brunch spot, but I was surprised to I discover that everyone’s favourite gin bar serves a wide variety of poached eggs. Not only is it right next to George Square, it isn’t too pricey either.
Another bonus is that the aesthetics aren’t exclusive to the soft furnishings. The food was artistically arranged in a mouthwatering array that Mary Berry would be proud of.
A heavenly triage of spinach, bread and poached eggs
My brunch of two poached eggs on farmhouse toast, spinach, avo and chilli came to £7; not bad compared to other bouji brunch spots like Urban Angel, where you can easily drop £15 on the same meal.
56 North offers fine dining on a student budget and is near enough to George Square to nip into when the nibbles strike between your 9 and 11 am lectures.
Coro the Chocolate Cafe, New Town
When Coro says it’s a chocolate cafe, it means it’s a chocolate cafe. Located between Princes and George Street, all the food involved chocolate, it smelled of warm, fresh chocolate, even some of the furnishings were chocolate. I could almost hear my dentist tutting at me.
Looking at Coro’s menu, I was at first a smidge perturbed by the fact they’d not come up with some way of incorporating avocado into a chocolate-based menu – look it up, it’s a thing. After all, if you have brunch without avo, did you really have brunch?
But as you can tell, my disappointment didn’t stick around for long. I’d go so far as to say, even as a regular visitor of The Waffle House in St Albans (if you know, you know), that this was perhaps the best waffle I’ve ever tasted. Just take a minute to appreciate the beauty, folks. Just look at it.
If like me, chocolate is your MVP, Coro’s is the perfect place to quell the brunch-time cravings. After all, I needed something sweet after my poached eggs at 56 North and it turns out that a brunch without avocado can actually still bang. Who’da thought it?
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Grams, Haymarket
Grams is an undiscovered gem for the typical Edinburgh Uni student, however it’s perfectly situated for those at Heriot Watt. Let’s just say it’s far enough away that my tummy had time to be rumbling again. After a few tram stops I arrived, and it’s safe to say that first impressions didn’t disappoint.
The eatery boasted one of the most expansive healthy brunch menus in Edi and proudly advertised the use of protein in its delicacies such as the pancakes and smoothie bowls.
So beautiful it nearly brought tears to my eyes
Obviously, being the basic gal that I am, I had to go for yet another helping of poached eggs and avocado on toast. I decided to curve the options of smoked salmon and bacon as well as the additional helpings of beetroot, tahini, feta and crushed chillies – my belt was beginning to strain and I wasn’t sure I had room for unnecessary additions.
Someone get me a loyalty card! Grams is an undiscovered treasure that is definitely worth the shlep across town – the food was beyond delish and the vibes of the café were fantastic. I’d happily move in and set up home there.
Snax Cafe, Newington
By the time I made it to Snax I was, let’s just say, looking more pregnant than Kylie Jenner. Four brunches down and my waistband was really feeling the pressure. However, duty called and such a Newington staple couldn’t go unreviewed, and after the sparse Scandi interior of Grams, it was a change to step into a more traditional British caff.
Yet to my dismay, I discovered that not even the promise of being featured in this Pulitzer-worthy piece of journalism would convince the staff at Snax to let me try their brekkie so late in the day. It turns out that closing early really does mean closing early.
…that being said, it was a pretty darn good traybake.