Best Non-Touristy Cafes For Brunch Near Edinburgh

Edinburgh has plenty of great breakfast and brunch cafes in the city center. However, several of the best establishments are on the outskirts of the city, places that use locally sourced products, change their menus regularly, and are well connected to public transportation. Here’s my list of the best brunch cafes near Edinburgh where the locals love to eat.

What I Consider a Great Cafe for Brunch Near Edinburgh

For me, the best cafes in Edinburgh (and anywhere for that matter) have a good balance of high-quality food, reasonable prices, a comfortable ambiance, and friendly staff. I also like to find places that are not part of big chains. I find that smaller, independent establishments are more likely to source high-quality supplies locally. If the restaurant regularly changes its menu based on what’s available locally, that’s a very good sign.

As someone with a lot of remote work (writing, content creation, etc.), I tend to look for cafes where I can set up the laptop for an hour or two. That means I need facilities such as high-speed Wi-Fi (if I’m not using a data plan), outlets (I often bring a backup power bank), comfortable seats, and tables that aren’t tiny. I also feel uncomfortable working in a cafe where every table is full, even though I always get drinks and usually have a full meal while I work.

The Kitchen at the Restoration Yard – Dalkeith

Probably my favorite brunch cafe near Edinburgh is The Kitchen at the Restoration Yard in the Dalkeith Country Park. The Restoration Yard is the stables of the 18th-century Dalkeith Palace. In 2016, the stables were renovated and modernized. The Restoration Yard now includes a shop with local products, a cafe, and a restaurant for breakfast, brunch, and lunch.

The Kitchen at the Restoration Yard checks every box of what makes a brunch cafe perfect. The ambiance is beautiful, the staff is incredibly friendly, and the food is delicious. The menu changes regularly, and while I’ve been sad to see some dishes go (like the truffle mushroom French toast), the new dishes are equally excellent (like the new eggs Benedict served on croissants).

Perhaps the best dish I’ve had there was a unique presentation of a Cullen skink, my favorite dish in Scotland. It’s still on the menu, but they used to serve it with braised leeks, a fondant potato topped with a cheese scone, and a creamy sauce poured over the ingredients by the waiter at the table. I know that was a lot of additional work, which is why it came off the menu, and it’s now just served as the traditional soup dish.

One great feature about The Kitchen is that their prices are reasonable and don’t increase each year. In fact, some prices dropped over the year I’ve been going regularly.

The 3 bus will take you from the city center to Dalkeith, and then it’s a short walk to the Restoration Yard. If you have a car, you can park at the Dalkeith Country Park for £3.

Onno Cafe – Penicuik

Onno is the newest cafe on this list, only opening on May 30, 2026. Marco and Baran are the owners, and they do an incredible job sourcing local produce, roasting their own Guatemalan coffee (at U-Roast in Glasgow), and creating some truly unique and delicious dishes.

Within a week of them opening, I’d already visited twice. The first time, I had the smoked salmon and poached egg “slab”, and Vanesa had the Burrata Roast Tomato Slab. We were both blown away by the quality. On our second visit, we both had the full Scottish breakfast, although Vanesa had the veggie version. Again, everything was wonderful. The black pudding from Failte Butchers was some of the best we’ve ever had.

On my third visit, I tried the peanut butter smash burger and popcorn milkshake. I know they’re not traditional dishes, but they sounded so creative. Peanut butter on the burger was a bit heavy, but the flavor was really nice. However, I’d say the brunch dishes are where they really excel.

Onno is located on the southern end of Penicuik, only about 15 minutes south of Edinburgh by car. Residential streets nearby offer plenty of parking. If you prefer public transportation, you can take the 37, 47, 101, or X62 bus from the city center of Edinburgh. It’s a bit further than the other locations on this list, but absolutely worth the drive or ride.

The Paper Mill – Lasswade

The Paper Mill is an independent restaurant in the Village of Lasswade, just outside the city limits of Edinburgh to the south. As you can imagine, the building was a former paper mill on the Esk River. The restaurant opened in 2012 and has since served delicious meals made with locally sourced ingredients in a cozy, rustic atmosphere.

The restaurant has three indoor seating areas, although the elevated area in the back is often reserved for private events. My favorite seats are at the small tables beside the windows overlooking the terrace. In the warmer months, the terrace overlooking the river has open seating.

Normally, I end up getting the full Scottish breakfast. It’s very reasonably priced, especially for the quality. However, if you want the most complete Scottish breakfast in Edinburgh, I always recommend Teuchter’s Landing in Leith. Otherwise, the Eggs Benedict is quite nice, or sometimes I wait for lunch and have a sandwich or a bowl of Cullen Skink.

They have a large, free car park, or you can take the 31 bus from the city center.

Craigies Farming Deli and Cafe – Craigiehall

It’s impossible to name what the best afternoon tea is around Edinburgh. Many luxury hotels have opulent afternoon teas, although I think they are overpriced. If I had to choose the best-value afternoon tea, I would say either Mimi’s Bakehouse in the city center or Craigies Farm Deli and Cafe near the airport. Considering many of the products come from their own farm, you can’t get fresher than Craigies.

While everything I’ve had off the menu has been excellent, I particularly recommend anything made with their fresh sourdough and locally-sourced, free-range eggs. I’m particularly fond of the Eggs Royal, made with fresh Scottish salmon – some of the best quality salmon in the world.

Craigies is also where Vanesa and I go in the summer to pick fresh berries and other fruit. You can also pick up all kinds of local produce, pastries, cheese, meats, and anything else you need fresh from the farm shop. In the autumn, depending on the harvest, you can pick pumpkins. Recently, Craigies has hosted a full series of Halloween events, including a haunted greenhouse, a hay bale maze, and more.

You can take the 43 bus to get to the farm, although you’ll have to walk about 15-20 minutes after you get off the bus to get to the farm. Alternatively, the farm has a large parking area.

The Beach House – Portobello

If you want a cafe with some of the best views in Edinburgh, head to the Beach House Cafe in Portobello. Since 2012, this cafe on the Portobello Promenade has served delicious meals, homemade baked goods, and excellent third-wave coffee. It’s also the closest to the city center among the establishments on this list.

The Beach House regularly changes its menu based on what’s in season and uses locally sourced, high-quality ingredients. Whether waffles, Eggs Benedict, Eggs Royal, shakshuka, or a full Scottish breakfast (when it’s on the menu), I’ve never had a bad meal there. My only complaint is that they only had a vegetarian full Scottish breakfast on my last visit, which isn’t a proper Scottish breakfast.

The Beach House can get very busy, so I recommend visiting on a weekday, off-season, or between meal times. On sunny days, the terrace seats along the promenade often fill up first. The prices are perhaps a bit on the expensive side, but still surprisingly reasonable, especially for such a fantastic location.

Special Mention: Patina Bakery – Edinburgh Park

This last one isn’t a brunch spot so much as an incredible bakery. You won’t find a full Scottish breakfast, or any egg dishes for that matter. On the other hand, the sandwiches and pastries they offer are plenty big enough for a full meal. The sandwiches are made with their homemade focaccia and local, fresh ingredients. The pastries are works of art, and massive. My first pastry there was a lemon curd and crystallized ginger Danish (incredibly delicious!), and I went with the ham and cheese croissant on the second visit.

Patina is located in Edinburgh Park on the west side of town. Half of the office buildings have been empty since the pandemic. However, the other businesses don’t have many nearby places to eat besides Patina, so the cafe can get very busy around lunch, and items sell out fast. I think the sweet spot is around 11 a.m., when plenty of items are available, but the lunch break hasn’t started yet.

The easiest way to get to Patina is on the tram. If you have a car, the nearby parking structure offers free parking for the first hour, and then it’s just £2 for the next two hours.

Further Reading

This is part of my series of the best restaurants and meals in Edinburgh. Check out my other articles in the series:

For more information about Edinburgh and Scotland, make sure to check out the rest of my Scotland articles.