Holidays in Scotland

Old Town Cafes

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The Bookstop Café, 4 Teviot Pl, Tel: 2255298. Small and friendly bookshop and café where you can relax with a book and a good cup of coffee. And if you buy a book you get the coffee free! Popular with students and nurses from the local hospital. Also filled rolls made to order. Open Mon-Sat 1000-1930, Sun 1130-1930. Café Couronne, Royal Museum of Scotland, 2 Chambers St, Tel: 2474111. Elegant pâtisserie in the museum foyer serving good coffee and great cakes and pastries. No smoking. Open Mon-Sat 1000-1600, Sun 1200-1600. At the back of the museum, next to the Lumière cinema, is Petite Couronne, a self-service café-bar offering good value snacks. No smoking. Open Mon-Thu 1000-1630, Fri/Sat 1000-1630, 1700-2030, Sun 1200-1630, 1700-2030.

Café Hub, Castle Hill, Tel: 4732015. Coffee drinking doesn't get any more stylishly laid-back than this. The food on offer is tasty, inventive and available all day and evening, and there's seating outside on the terrace in summer. The Hub plays host to the Festival Club, as well as housing the ticket centre for the International Festival (see page ).No smoking. Open daily 0930-2300.

Café Lucia, Festival Theatre, 13-29 Nicolson St, Tel: 6621112. Light, airy and contemporary café with a relaxed feel. Usual array of light snacks on offer. No smoking. Open from 1000 till half an hour after the show (from 1600 on Sun).

City Art Centre Café, 1 Market St, Tel: 2203359. Good coffee and cakes and an affordable selection of main dishes in a spacious environment with helpful staff. No smoking. Open Mon-Sat 0830-1700, Sun (only during exhibitions) 1100-1700.

Clarinda's Tearoom, 69 Canongate, Tel: 5571888. Cosy, traditional tearoom serving home-baked scones, shortbread and lots of waist-enhancing cakes. Good stopping-off point on the way to Holyrood Palace. No smoking. Open Mon-Sat 0900-1645, Sun 1000-1645. Common Grounds, 2-3 North Bank St, The Mound, Tel: 2261416. American-style café with a vast range of coffees and teas. A nice place to relax and take a break from shopping or sightseeing. Cakes, sandwiches and a vegetarian-friendly menu. Smoking only downstairs, where you can hear live music most nights.

Elephant House, 21 George IV Bridge, Tel: 2205355. Very studenty – a great place to linger over coffee and bagels or one of many cheap snacks and main courses. Mellow vibe and lots of elephants (on the walls, not at the tables). Café bar by evening with live music. Open Mon-Fri 0800-2300, Sat/Sun 1000-2300.

Elephants & Bagels, 37 Marshal St, Tel: 6684404. Continuing the elephant theme, and lots more bagels from the same stable. Good coffee too. Open Mon-Fri 0800-1800, Sat/Sun 1000-1700.

Favorit, 19-20 Teviot Place, Tel: 2206880. Café/bar/deli with an Italian-American look. A cool place to stop for a quick coffee and sandwich at any time of the day or night. Open daily 0830-0300. Also at 30-32 Leven St. Fruitmarket Café, Fruitmarket Gallery, 45 Market St, Tel: 2261843. One of the coolest cafés in town with windows large enough to guarantee being seen. A great place for a quick, cheap and tasty lunch, or just for coffee and chat. No smoking. Open Mon-Sat 1100-1700, Sun 1200-1700.

The Lower Aisle, St Giles Cathedral, High St (entrance via Parliament Square), Tel: 2255147. This self-service café underneath the cathedral is popular with the legal profession. Good for a cheap light lunch. Open Mon-Fri 0930-1630, Sun 0900-1400.

Patisserie Florentin, 8 St Giles St, Tel: 2256267. Large and lively place to stop for a coffee, a filled croissant and a generous slice of Edinburgh life. Open Sun-Fri 0700-2100, Sat 0700-2200.

Always Sunday 170 High Street, Tel: 6220667. Always Sunday is a contemporary cafe with a variety of good food and nice ambiance. So its an ideal place in the area to enjoy a scrumptous lunch, afternoon snack and even a Sunday breakfast. The cafe give value for money. Open- Mon-Fri 0800-1800, Sat-Sun 0900-1800. Web-http://www.alwayssunday.co.uk

Beanscene 67 Holyrood Road, Tel: 5576549 This is a simple cafe with a Scottish taste, it serve great variety foods and also has few other outlets in other areas in Edinburgh. Open Mon-Sat 0800-2200, Sun 1000-2200. Web-http://www.beanscene.co.uk

Cafe DeLos Royal Museum of Scotland, Chamber Street, Tel:274114 This is one of the most oldest and impressive cafe to enjoy a hot cup of coffee and taste some fresh made cakes. Its other specialities includes different sandwiches, soups and other snacks. Open-daily 1000-1630. Web-http://www.nms.ac.uk/royal

Caffe Lucano 37-39 George IV Bridge, Tel:2256690 This Italian cafe has a relaxed and impressive ambiance with scrumptious breakfast and other snacks to relish. If you visit here don't miss to taste the delicious cakes, smokes salmon on toast, steak and many more delicacies. It is also good for a refreshing house wine. Open- Mon-Sat 1000-2200, Sun 1000-2000. Web-http://www.caffelucano.co.uk

Clarinda's 69 Canongate, Tel:5571888. The traditional tea room here is a major attraction which attracts many to come here. Along with your pot of tea, do savour chocolate crispy, sherry trifle and many other varieties of cakes and biscuits. It also offers breakfasts, sandwiches, lunches and other snacks. Open- Mon-Sat 0900-1630, Sun 1000-1630.

Honey Pot 46 George IV Bridge, Tel:2263269 Starting off with breakfast and get on with sandwitches and light meals. In the evenings one can enjoy delicious cuisines like lasagne, stroganoff and paella. Open-daily 0930-2230. Web-http://www.honeypotexperience.co.uk

Lot This cafe is unique than other profit making bistro, Lot is a great place to sip in some hot coffee, and also enjoy some gigs upstairs. One can enjoy a full evening meal from the diverse menu here. So start off with haggis, neeps and tatties followed by a lot more cuisines. Open Mon-Sat 1100-2130, Sun Noon-1800.

Plaisir du Chocolat 251-253 Cancongate, Tel:5569524 The place has a lot to offer to all gourmets, do taste a steaming cup of hot chocolate deliciously served with a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg or even chilli. Other than this you can order for teas, light bistro meals, cakes, truffles and gateaux. Open-daily 1000-1800.