The 18 best breakfast and brunch spots in Edinburgh

If you’re feeling a little worse for wear, head here for a moreish health kick. Urban Angel’s smoothies blend mango and coconut water with nutrient-loaded things like spinach, spirulina and kale (there’s also a raw chocolate version, made with almond milk, cacao, banana and vanilla). The virtue continues in the superfood salads, all-day brunch menu and more. If any of this sounds like joyless, penitent eating, you’d be dead wrong – the flavours are straight from heaven.

Brunch enthusiasts, hangover-sufferers and families alike flock in their masses to Loudons every weekend. Its simple, relaxed interior can lend itself to any sort of occasion, whether business breakfast, quiet solo brunch or chatty mums’ meet-up. This place is famed for its eggs benedict, pancakes and other breakfast staples. Whether you’re at the Fountainbridge or New Waverley location, expect to battle a queue of Loudons loyalists for a seat, but do wait it out – any Edinburgher will tell you it’s worth it. 

This stylish modern restaurant on the corner of Bruntsfield is open all day, every day – but it’s a particularly reliable spot to satisfy those brunch cravings. From classic shakshuka to sticky rhubarb and custard French toast and smoked haddock kedgeree, the choice here is super tempting – and we’d argue it’s much more exciting than your average breakfast joint. The coffee is top-tier, too (go for their Biscoff latte if you’re feeling sweet). 

Freshly-pressed juices, fruit-packed smoothie bowls, full-on fry-ups and (obvs) avocado toast: Hula Café certainly knows how to pack a punch. With two venues in Edinburgh city centre, this juice bar and café prides itself on championing fresh, healthy eating. They’re also plastic-free and have plenty of vegan options on offer, so it will pretty much please everyone. 

A firm favourite with the students that live in Morningside, Salt is located opposite the Church Hill Theatre. This spot is all about brunch, with seasonal ingredients and locally sourced produce used across the menu. Head chef Steve makes all of the bacon, sausages and gin-cured salmon from scratch, while head baker Liv is in charge of all cakes, jams and compotes. The hearty Butcher’s Breakfast (or veggie Greengrocer’s Breakfast) comes highly recommended if you’re looking for something delicious and filling.

Just two minutes from the bustling Royal Mile, Edinburgh Larder is hidden down a side street. But those in the know are always richly rewarded. This café sells seasonal, locally sourced and tasty food, with its breakfast menu available until 3pm and featuring all the classics like eggs benedict, porridge and hash browns. If you’re in a bit later, try the Taste of Scotland Plate, which comes with Belhaven cold smoked salmon and hot smoked salmon, smoked trout pâté, granary bread, Clava organic brie, salad and loads more.

This café-bar may look like a pub – because it once was – but it had a serious facelift for its 2007 launch and has menus that would put many Edinburgh restaurants to shame. As you sit among the old wooden fixtures and fittings, enhanced with the odd ornamental eccentricity, you can browse the all-day brunch selection (daily from 10am), including choices like poached eggs on toast with wild mushrooms fried in butter and rosemary, decent porridge, eggs benedict and big fried breakfasts.

As a boutique hotel in the middle of buzzy Stockbridge, The Raeburn is well known in the area for its excellent bar and restaurant offering, but it’s not too shabby for the morning after, either. Soak up your hangover with a proper Scottish fry-up (complete with haggis and black pudding), or enjoy a lighter start to the day with a choice of toppings on some freshly made buttermilk pancakes. Delish. 

If pancakes are your kind of thing, the Treehouse Café in Tollcross could become your favourite spot. This cosy café just by the King’s Theatre and the Meadows is known for its fluffy pancakes, which come in a variety of flavours and with a range of toppings from blueberry to caramel, all served with fruit or ice cream, if you fancy it. If you’re after something different, their menu also includes other breakfast staples like scrambled eggs and bagels, as well as toasted sandwiches and plenty of sweet treats.

This no-frills greasy spoon is an Edinburgh institution, cherished above all for its hangover-diminishing breakfasts. Don’t expect smoked salmon or smoothie bowls here: Snax Café is the definition of no nonsense. Portions are served in big, bigger and biggest (the latter suitable only for the super-hungry). 

If you’re not already taken in by Seven’s bright pink interior and stunning leafy design, the food will no doubt win you over. This cosy Tollcross café is perfect for a casual breakfast date, a full post-night out fry-up or an afternoon pick-me-up with a pal. Whatever you choose to go in for, you won’t be disappointed.

Housed in what was once an optometrist, this stylish coffee shop has kept much of the vintage decor of its former premises. Today, it’s a delightful place to go for an array of hot drinks and an ample brunch menu, with options including smoked salmon rosti with poached eggs, shakshuka with feta and sourdough, and eggs benedict with sriracha hollandaise. If you’re after a smaller bite, there are also options like toast with marmalade, granola and sweet scones.

This sweet-toothed sit-in café on the Shore lends itself to long breakfasts and informal parent-toddler clubs (a point worth bearing in mind if you’re feeling tender). Besides the variety of sweet things on offer, its savoury options are impressive, with a giant vegetarian breakfast of leek and cheese sausages with eggs, tomatoes and all the trimmings, thick slabs of French toast with bacon and maple syrup, or soft baguettes with black pudding, sausages or bacon.

If there’s one thing the well-to-do area of Stockbridge isn’t short of, it’s decent spots for nosh. Opened in 2012, The Pantry has now found its place among the pack. At the weekend, it’s regularly packed out with folks sampling the brunch menu, which includes treats such as wild East Lothian mushrooms, pancetta and poached egg on toast and a breakfast burrito.

You may not immediately think of Dishoom for breakfast but this London success story offers a delicious and hearty start to the day. The Kejriwal (two fried eggs on chilli cheese toast) is a favourite among Dishoom’s clientele, but the bacon naan roll or vegan sausage naan roll come highly recommended too. For something larger and more substantial, the Big Bombay will keep you going throughout the day. This dish (which also has a vegan version) includes akuri, char-striped smoked streaky bacon, Shropshire pork sausages, masala beans, grilled field mushrooms, grilled tomato and buttered, homemade buns.

The decor at this seafood restaurant by the Water of Leith involves lots of wood and has a maritime theme, but if you rock up between 10am and noon on Saturday or Sunday, you’ll find a breakfast menu with a certain touch of class. Think whisky-smoked salmon with scrambled eggs, Stornoway black pudding with herb rosti and a poached egg, or a glass of champagne to start the day.

With its baby pink exterior, Em’s Kitchen stands out among the small shops on the cobbled St Mary’s Street, just off the Royal Mile. Its delicate, flowery design isn’t what makes it special though; the varied, substantial and well-priced breakfast and brunch options are what people flock here for. The Scottish, American or veggie breakfasts all come highly recommended, but you can also go for menu staples like the fluffy pancakes, French toast or smashed avocado and poached eggs.

Although known for being a popular wine café in the Shore neighbourhood, Toast is also a great spot for early-risers and afternoon brunch dates. Order a cold-pressed juice to start with something simple like homemade granola, porridge or scrambled egg on marmite toast. The menu also has options like croque madame, huevos rancheros, served alone or with chorizo, and interesting combinations like smoked haddock and pak choi sourdough.