Reviews Union Brew Lab

I have my boyfriend to thank for finding Brew Lab. We met here for lunch and I had such a great experience that I headed back for a second visit. The menu here isn't big, but the food is big in taste. We shared a steak baguette and a bowl of soup; I chose the soup again on my second visit. The food is amazing, I found both soups and the baguette to be filled with flavour. The set up is perfect for dining as a group or by yourself because they have so many types of eating areas; large tables, small tables, benches, comfy seats with a ledge. At this time of year it's a great place to escape the cold weather and warm up with a delicious bowl of soup or a tasty hot chocolate!

Excellent coffee! They really focus on the process of making a proper cup of coffee. However, because they care so much about the coffee itself I wouldn't recommend it if you are on a hurry cause it can be slow (plus it's usually crowded so it's also not that good if you want to work). Anyway, as said before, the coffee is amazing!

Lovely little place where you need to escape and do a few small bits! Coffee, laptop and treat! Great for small one on one meetings! Tucked away in the centre!

I am not a coffee person at all and for one of my first coffees ive ever had this was a super good one. I was there for my brunch so had a croissant and it was very good. Staff are super friendly and there is there is plenty of comfy seating all over the place.

He asked what I normally ordered from coffee places and I cringed and closed one eye (I don't know why I do this) and said a mocha. He didn't look down on me from his great big coffee pedistool but was graceful and recommended a milk blend. I didn't know what this was but said sure it sounded great.

Firstly a great place to grab a coffee. And if you are in at the right time of day to catch the sun on a warmish one, you can sit outside on the bench and people watch whilst enjoying every moment of that cuppa.
Next is layout and interior, which I love love love. Old brick walls and old reclaimed school gym hall floors are lining this glorious coffee hub.
Food isn't bad either. Recently I've a very yummy prosciutto and Emmenthal croissant. Before that I've had countless coffees with the filled baguettes and almond croissants. They do soup and cakes! Get in there and grab a seat as its another favourite with the student crowd.

Brewlab is at present one of my favourite spots to have a coffee in the Old Town. I would go as far as to say it does serve the best coffee I've had in the Old Town (as well as amazing flat whites they do a great selection of single origin bean coffees served black) and I would recommend any one to try it.

The best things about Brewlab; the coffee is amazing, the food very delicious and the venue is pretty funky.  I flit between flat whites and single origin beans, I really love the latter has tasting notes and you know passion goes into making the coffee. The brownies there are also some of the best I have had. Try the cream cheese brownie....you won't regret it. For coffee/food I'd give it 5/5

The interior is also pretty cool. Very industrial feel to it, lots of exposed brickwork, slabs of wood, I like it a lot.

However, a couple of things that prevent me from giving a full 5 star review;

1. Brewlab is great, so it's often mobbed and I often don't get in. Some people tend to set up their computers and spend a lot of time working there which takes up space which is a bit of a shame.

2. Service is a bit clinical. Occasionally there will be a friendly smiley face, but again as it's so busy you don't really get the chance to engage the staff in conversation about the amazing brews they have on offer.

The positives far outweigh the minor negatives for me here and I look forward to many more great coffees to come.

im not a coffee expert as ive only been drinking it the last 6 months but i really lovely the ice cold coffee i got in Brewlab this summer. it was nice and milky like i love and the setting was so relaxed i sat there reading happily for a chunk of time. Ive not yet sampled the food but Im hoping to in the future.

Delicious coffee and a nice pastry made for a great breakfast. We really enjoyed the atmosphere and the free newspapers on offer. The almond croissant was a big hit and my sister said that the hot chocolate was the best she's ever had.

Brew Lab - Great coffee, good food, but trouble is a-brewing…

It’s a horribly wet Wednesday morning. I am en route to a training course, so my normal morning work routine – coffee from my usual supplier, and maybe a pastry – is totally out of the window. I need caffeine before I am imparted with the secrets of writing a killer CV. And I need it NOW!

Fortunately, I’m in the very centre of Edinburgh’s university quarter. This means I have time to swing by the achingly cool speciality coffee shop that is Brew Lab (6-8 College Street, EH8 9AA) to pick up a latte, prior to the commencement of my morning’s instruction. This would be my second visit to Brew Lab this week. Later in the day, a lunchtime meeting there with a colleague will be my third. As you will find, like a decaying radioactive element (well it is called Brew “Lab”), each visit will have diminishing returns.

Located in a two conjoined, traditional former shops, Brew Lab serves a fantastic range of artisan coffees. And I really emphasise that they are fantastic. The bar brews two rotating single origin coffees every day, as well as its own custom espresso blend. As you enter the venue the “business” area has an intentional scientific influence. There is a coffee menu on the wall behind the baristas that resembles the periodic table. As well as a very high-end espresso machine – located on a facsimile of a lab bench – punters have options to have their java delivered by intriguing methods of distillation. It gave me flashbacks to biochemistry 101. Beyond the ordering section, the seating area takes distressed to the extreme. There is stripped back chic and then there is “are the builders still here?” chic. Not unpleasant, though.

My first visit to Brew Lab on Monday this week was great. A beautiful flat white accompanied great banter with a food-writing colleague. The coffee was some of the best I have tasted. This morning, I was in a rush for a takeaway. No real queue at the “lab”, just a chap in front buying a dozen pastries. But whilst waiting to be served, witnessing an ongoing chat between baristas about how sweet the coffee is, before my order is taken, is not a great start. Neither is being informed that the coffee is “so sweet, it doesn’t need sugar”. That’s my choice. I do not wish to enter a debate about it. It did have a natural sweetness, but after a couple of sips - once I left the shop - it became apparent that a wee pinch of sugar was needed to meet my personal taste.

Back at lunchtime, I grabbed a very good baguette and some water prior to meeting a colleague for a catch-up coffee. The sandwich combined really fresh bread, lovely Emmental, and tasty salt beef. I needed to scoff, swig and check emails. I asked about the WiFi password – but the WiFi wasn’t on. As the venue’s website indicates, “From Monday 16 September, to ensure that everyone that wants to have lunch at Brew Lab can do so, our wifi will turn off automatically from 11:45-14:00 Mon-Fri during term-time”. How would I know this before dining – I had no internet connection?! Plus the walls are so thick, mobile connections are very patchy. “It’s to ensure we converse over lunch” is what the students on the table next to me assumed. No, it’s a cynical attempt to maximise covers at the expense of customer satisfaction, I might wager. This really must be the only coffee shop in Edinburgh not to offer WiFi to its customers at peak times. And what really gets my goat is that it isn't made absolutely obvious that there is no lunchtime WiFi, prior to punters purchasing coffee or food. A sign, making this glaringly obvious, is badly needed...

See full review at: http://www.scrumptiousscran.com/2013/09/review-brew-lab-great-coffee-good-food.html

Great lunch with, as expected, excellent Cortado before heading downstairs for a Latte Art training session with Fraser, that was brilliant. Learning to texture milk consistently along with the basics of making a heart and tulip, with plenty of tips and explanations of what goes wrong and why. Great venue for food, coffee and brilliant lessons to boot 🥾

Great artisan coffee place near U. of Edinburgh Appleton Tower. Tried their decaf Rwanda bean in macchiato. Nice balance of citrus acidic and body. My hubby had their Burundi bean 🫘 in cappuccino. It was very nice as well! We eventually bought a bag of decaf bean and the barista was helpful in providing tips on the bean grinding. Definitely a coffee place to recommend.

First place we try for breakfast in #Edinburgh. Have to say they know their coffee. Food was very good and fresh. Ordered chilli feta avo toast.

Got given a voucher for the Introduction to Specialty coffee course and it was great fun! The trainer was really knowledgeable and covered a lot of really interesting topics. It was nice to get the experience of different brewing methods and to learn more about tasting coffee, origins, etc. We got some free coffee to take home as well which was much appreciated. Will definitely be popping back in at some point to sit down for a coffee.

The coffee is really nice and it is usually my choice when I’m tired of looking for a new coffee shop I’ve never tried before. Before, I usually sit in, but it’s always noisy and full of people. This time I chose to take away and it’s much better 😂

Excellently executed “third wave” coffee shop. Well-chosen beans for their various drinks, and well pulled espresso shots, by conventional dogma. Had a straight espresso from their Yirgacheffe light roast washed Ethiopian beans which tasted well rested, muted fruity acidity, good body, well balanced with dark toffee. Not as floral and sweet as could be if pulled on a lever machine at home with fresher beans, but well dialed in compared to most cafes. Atmosphere is cozy yet energetic. A great place to meet up with a friend.

Amazing experience. Beautiful stylish interior with places for both larger parties or if you are on your own and want to just read a book. Very nice and friendly staff. Great specialty coffee. Especially the pour over V60 filter from anaerobic zambia was amazing. Would come back and would recommend! 10/10!