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9 FANTASTIC Edinburgh Cafes (That You Can Also Work In)

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There is no shortage of fantastic Edinburgh cafes, but sometimes it’s nice to find coffee shops that you can sit in for several hours with your laptop and really get some work done. I’ve scoured Edinburgh and worked in many a coffee shop to find the best working cafes!

Keep reading to learn more.

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Best Coffee Shops in Edinburgh Table of Contents

Best Edinburgh Cafes Map

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Grow Urban

  • Address: 8B St Vincent St, Edinburgh EH3 6SH, United Kingdom
  • Hours: 10:30 – 5 (M-W); 10:30-5:30 (Th-Sat); 11-5 (Sunday)
  • Best For: A short work session with some of the best coffee and Edinburgh and with the freshest air
  • Address: 92 Grove St, Edinburgh EH3 8AP, United Kingdom
  • Hours: 10:30 – 5 (M-W); 10:30-5:30 (Th-Sat); 11-5 (Sunday)
  • Best For: A short work session with some of the best coffee and Edinburgh and with the freshest air

Easily Edinburgh’s best coffee shop, if you’ve never been to Grow Urban, add it to your to-do list now! Grow Urban is actually a coffee shop and plant shop and has two locations in Edinburgh. It’s a relatively small shop with a few tables scattered among the plants, but it’s relatively quiet and you’ll find people working here throughout the week.

The coffee is from a local roaster and is absolutely delicious. You’ll also want to give the selected of baked goods a try and I highly recommend a slice of the lemon drizzle cake. Plus, you might as well buy a plant or two or three while you’re there.

Read More: 10 INCREDIBLE Plant Shops in Edinburgh

grow urban best plant shops in edinburgh and edinburgh cafe

Black Medicine Co

  • Address: 2 Nicolson St, Edinburgh EH8 9DH, United Kingdom
  • Hours: 8am to 6pm Monday through Friday
  • Best For: A full day work session with large cups of coffee

Located in a student-heavy area of Edinburgh, Black Medicine Co is one of the best coffee shops in Edinburgh to work in if you want to put your head down and get stuff done. It’s a large coffee shop with a smaller ground floor area but quite a large basement area that doesn’t get much light (good if you’re easily distracted!). The tables downstairs are relatively large and are great to spread out and get a few hours of work in. There are also plenty of plugs that make it easy to charge devices.

Black Medicine Co has several vegan sweet and savory options, including a deliciously gooey vegan brownie at the time of visiting. Their coffees are generously sized and they do have a variety of nondairy milk options.

The internet isn’t super speedy, but it’s fine for doing basic tasks.

Internet Speed:

3.72 Mbps download0.77 Mbps upload

Soderberg

There are four different Soderberg locations around Edinburgh. Click here to see all locations and hours. 

  • Best For: A light work session or a coffee date

Soderberg has a few locations around Edinburgh including near the Meadows and in Stockbridge. It’s a lovely place to have a coffee or tea (the chocolate ginger tea they sometimes have is lovely) and during the week it is also a nice place to set up shop and work for an hour or two. The tables aren’t massive and it doesn’t feel as if you could sit there for hours on end, but it’s nice for a change of pace one morning or afternoon.

Coffee Angel

  • Address: 99 Nicolson St, Newington, Edinburgh EH8 9BY, United Kingdom
  • Hours: 10am to 5pm Monday through Friday
  • Best For: A long work session surrounded by other working people
  • Address: 24-27 Brandon Terrace, Edinburgh EH3 5DZ, United Kingdom
  • Hours: 9am to 5pm Monday through Saturday; 10am to 5pm on Sunday
  • Best For: I haven’t personally been to this Coffee Angel branch but it appears to be more of a coffee date or grab and go stop

Coffee Angel is a working cafe at its finest! Grab your laptop, buy a coffee, and choose from one of the many perfectly sized tables for working. The atmosphere of this Edinburgh cafe is ideal for getting work done. While you could come here for a drink and a chat with a friend or a coffee date, you would likely be the odd one out. There are a few Coffee Angels located around Edinburgh with one closer to the Meadows. This one is in a very student-heavy area, hence the working atmosphere.

Union Brew Lab

  • Address: 6-8 S College St, Edinburgh EH8 9AA, United Kingdom
  • Hours: 8am to 6pm Monday through Friday
  • Best For: Two-three hour work session or coffee date

Union Brew is another Edinburgh cafe located near the Royal Mile. It’s tucked away on a small side street and is a unique Edinburgh coffee shop with a variety of different tables, booths, and bar seating options. In Union Brew, you’ll find people working on laptops, reading books, or just having chats. Brew Lab has a rustic feel with distressed wood and exposed brick. The only non-dairy milk option that they had upon my last visit was oat milk but this is made up for by their vegan donut options from Considerit – one of many amazing vegan dessert options in Edinburgh.

Read More: 6 Cosiest Coffee Shops in Edinburgh

Internet Speed:

17.0 Mbps download5.16 Mbps upload

Kilimanjaro Coffee

  • Address: 104 Nicolson St, Newington, Edinburgh EH8 9EJ, United Kingdom
  • Hours: 7:30am to 8:00pm Monday through Friday; 8am to 8pm Saturday and Sunday
  • Best For: Coffee date or several hours of work (provided you have can use your hotspot for internet)

If you’re looking for great cafes in Edinburgh, Kilimanjaro Coffee has you covered. They have plenty of booths to work in although when I visited wifi wasn’t available so you do need to hotspot from your phone. I recommend Voxi as your UK phone provider for fairly affordable and reliable service. Kilimanjaro Coffee is also located in a student-heavy area so you’ll find that the cozy booths fill quickly. If you’re not looking for a coffee shop to work in, you can also choose a seat towards the front of the coffee shop or still grab a booth for a more intimate conversation.

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The Milkman

  • Address: 7 Cockburn St, Edinburgh EH1 1BP, United Kingdom
  • Hours: 8am to 5pm Monday through Saturday; 9am to 5pm on Sunday
  • Best For: Grab and go coffee or coffee date
  • Address: 52 Cockburn St, Edinburgh EH1 1PB, United Kingdom
  • Hours: 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday; 9am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday
  • Best For: Grab and go coffee or coffee date

Located on the popular and photogenic Cockburn Street (pronounced Coburn – I too was disappointed when I learned this, the Milkman has two locations. These cafes are the epitome of cute however during weekends you’ll struggle to find a table or to focus on work amid the hustle and bustle of people going in and out. During the week, the Milkman coffee shop at the top of Cockburn Street, closer to the Royal Milk, has more seating options and a great window to people-watch.

the-milkman-edinburgh-coffee-shop

More Things To Do in Edinburgh

Levels Cafe and Lounge

  • Address: 9C Holyrood Rd, Edinburgh EH8 8FQ, United Kingdom
  • Hours: 8am to 6pm Monday through Friday; 8am to 5pm Saturday; Closed Sunday
  • Best For: Students looking for a cafe to sit and study for the day with cheap coffee

Edinburgh University Students – I have the perfect cafe for you (I spent a lot of my time as a uni student here!). This Edinburgh cafe is specifically for university students and is run by the uni. It’s the perfect place to go with all of your assignments and sit for the day, sipping coffee and even grabbing food as needed. This cafe is large and has tables, couches, comfy chairs, and booths. There’s a seating option for everyone. Please do note that even though this is a university-run cafe, you do need to buy something to sit in (despite the tuition fees you pay!). They do charge extra for non-dairy milk which is disappointing but there are plenty of vegan food options.

To access the internet you’ll need a student or uni staff login.

Internet Speed:

13.0 Mbps download0.17 Mbps upload

Nott

  • Address: 13 Crighton Pl, Edinburgh EH7 4NY, United Kingdom
  • Hours: 9am to 10pm Sunday through Thursday; 9am to 12am Friday and Saturday
  • Best For: Coffee dates (or wine dates!) or working for an hour or two with fantastic coffee, food, or even a glass of wine

Nott is one of Edinburgh’s cutest cafes and on the weekends and evenings, it also doubles as a wine bar. During the day, however, you’ll find it a great place to grab your computer, order a delicious Turkish coffee, and perhaps even a vegan grazing board as you get some work done. Treat yourself to Turkish delight (they have plenty of vegan options) when you finish a task!

Between the super fast wifi and the staff constantly bringing fresh water, Nott is easily one of my favorite Edinburgh cafes to work in.

Internet Speed:

36.7 Mbps download12.1 Mbps upload
nott edinburgh cafe and wine bar decorated in green and orange

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9 FANTASTIC Edinburgh Cafes (That You Can Also Work In)

2 responses to “9 FANTASTIC Edinburgh Cafes (That You Can Also Work In)”

  1. Megan

    Marvyn Cafe is also an excellent choice to work from! They’re open until 9 PM in case you need to do work a bit later. Also, they do serve alcohol. Perfect for when it’s time to cut caffeine.

    Reply
    1. Alysa

      Love this! Thank you so much for sharing Megan. I’ll have to check it out! 🙂

      Reply

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