Aqui comi o melhor shortcake de caramelo de sempre. Que coisa deliciosa! O espaço é simples mas a pastelaria e o café são muito bons e merecem visita.

Tucked at the foot of Candlemaker Row is a lovely little airy atrium cafe that forms part of the Grassmarket Community Project. Officially opened in April 2013, the aim of the place is to support people through transitions in their lives and to re-connect disengaged people. Part of this involves a volunteer-run kitchen, supported by a range of local producers, which provides the food for the cafe.

Although today was mainly rainy, I picked a time between showers. There was no prospect of sitting outside on their bench seating, though, as it was a touch chilly.

Their daily changing menu was marked up on the chalkboard. I opted for their soup of the day, which was split pea and roasted onion. I added a slice of their courgette and tomato frittata. The friendly waiter took my order and was soon bringing my first course to the table.

The soup proved to be very good indeed with sweetness from the onions neatly complementing the hearty split pea texture. The accompanying fresh pumpkin seed bread had a lovely cakey crumb to it. I was impressed.

The frittata was equally tasty with lovely fresh flavours and really accurate seasoning. The simple side salad was very nicely dressed and had good crunch.

So overall, I was delighted to finally discover the Grassmarket Community Cafe. It served me two very good dishes that really hit the spot. I’d be happy to recommend a visit at your earliest convenient opportunity. I think it will do cracking business during the summer as it’s a sunny little place with abundant outdoor seating, so I look forward to popping in again soon.

Scores
Blythe scores Grassmarket Community Cafe
4/5 for food
3.5/5 for presentation
4/5 for setting
4/5 for service
giving an overall 15.5/20

I ate: split pea and onion soup; courgette frittata

I drank: espresso, water

I wore: pink shirt

Total bill: £9.45

The cafe is fantastic! We went twice for lunch on our trip to Edinburgh. Very affordable, great food, & fair portions for the prices. I highly recommend the granola bowl! Thank you for what you do for your community.