Red Kite Cafe

7-8 Cadzow Pl EH7 5SN »Map«

Open every day Espresso Coffee: Artisan Roast Also: Meals, cakes

Coolness: Brunches fit for your favourite current or previous monarch!

---

Red Kite Cafe (3♥) is a big open cafe on busy Cadzow Place, otherwise known as London Road, near Abbeyhill.

They're serving up Artisan Roast espresso-based coffees, in tune with their ethos of using great quality ingredients. You'll pick up all your coffee favourites plus hot chocolate and a range of Anteaques teas.

Red Kite is definitely a foodie haven. They take sourcing seriously, prioritising and naming the local producers who supply their ingredients. Brunch is a major highlight with plenty to choose from. They may include home made granola with yoghurt and compote, big breakfasts (for meat-lovers and vegetarians), shakshuka (eggs baked in tomato and peppers with lime yoghurt) and sausage rolls with onion marmalade.

There are also hearty lunches, soups, salads, tortillas, and the front counter is covered with an array of sweet sticky cakes and pastries.

There's plenty of tables and chairs and attentive friendly table service. The atmosphere is relaxed and everyone is made to feel welcome - with high chairs for little people and a bench with stools across the wide glass frontage if you're in the mood for watching the world go by.

More: facebook.com/redkiteedinburgh/

Soderberg Broughton

45 Broughton St EH1 3JU »Map«

Open every day Espresso Coffee: Johan & Nyström Also: Bakery items and meals

Coolness: Swedish-inspired breads and sweet buns

---

Soderberg Broughton Street (3♥) is a bakery cafe that occupies an attractively New Town-ish curved stone building on the corner with Forth Street.

A number of Soderbergs have cropped up in different parts of Edinburgh, all offering the same high quality goods and clean line decor.

They use Swedish roaster Johan & Nyström's coffee and do a good job with it. They've chosen a blend with a big bold flavour profile that will satisfy traditionalists but has enough complexity to keep third-wavers interested.

As well as a selection of gelato and a couple of changing soup options, you'll find buns, bread, pastries and sandwiches with a big focus on high quality ingredients. Their cardamom and cinnamon buns are a bit of a signature bake - dense, moist and flavoursome. The glass counter is topped with jars of different biscuits and they sell their crispbread and jams as well. (We're fans of the biscuit in this cake-obsessed world.)

While Soderberg is a wheat lovers haven, there are usually couple of gluten-free sweet baked options for those so inclined.

More: facebook.com/soderbergedinburgh

Pumpkin Brown

16 Grassmarket EH1 2JU »Map«

Open every day Espresso Coffee: Machina Also: Salads, cakes

Coolness: A vegan safe house in the burger-loving Old Town

---

Pumpkin Brown (3♥) is in the Grassmarket - one of the Old Town's most tourist-frequented sites. And rightly so given the large open space has been operating as a market place since the 1400s and the historic surrounds, overshadowed by Edinburgh Castle, are pretty eye-popping.

Pumpkin Brown uses local roaster Machina and has specifically chosen a zingy, punchy coffee profile to ensure it works with all of their range of non-milks  - oat, soya and coconut - as well as black of course. Lovers of cow milk should expect something quite different from their usual latte or flat white. That said, the coffee's fruitiness still comes through.

Food is a major part of their vibe - offering a complete contrast to their fish & chip, burgers and pizza-touting neighbours (not that there's anything wrong with that). Everything on the menu is gluten free, dairy free and free from refined sugars.

Sourcing from a load of local suppliers, you'll find creative boxed up salads, each with a mix of vegan, gluten-free ingredients such as quinoa, rice, lentils, jerk jackfruit, fruity salsas and slaws to name but a few - as well as soup, quiche and a hot dish of the day on rice. The breakfast menu has multi-grain porridge with a bunch of toppings from compotes, to nut butter, maple syrup to pumpkin seeds, acai bowls, granola, chia pots and bircher.

Cakes are all raw - made from mixed seeds, nuts, oats and cashew cream - as well as the essential ingredients to make them look and taste like millionaire's shortbread, chocolate & orange cheesecake, apple crumble slice, lime & matcha slice etc. The cold drinks selection is also wide and varied including kombucha teas and other sparkling soft drinks. Check out Pumpkin Brown's instagram feed and you'll see how much of a whole food treat you're in for.

While this shop looks small from the outside, there's a fair amount of space inside with high benches and stools for dining in. All the food is packaged and ready to go, however, so you can take-away and sit out in the Grassmarket and soak up the atmos.

More: facebook.com/pg/pumpkinbrownedinburgh

Tasty Buns Bakery

67 Bread St EH3 9AH »Map«

Open Monday-Saturday Espresso Coffee: Mr Eion Also: Cakes

Coolness: Deceptively large and charming - complete with interior street light

---

Tasty Buns Bakery (3♥) is a cafe that serves home-baked cakes, muffins and traybakes on aptly name Bread Street, near the Old Town.

Owner Louise opened the cafe recently and is continuing to develop her menu, with independent coffee a key ingredient.

Edinburgh's Mr Eion provides a bespoke Brazilian Sumatran blend and the resulting coffee packs a traditional and flavoursome punch. A good match for the sweet baked items available.

The shopfront is narrow but the cafe itself is deep and surprisingly spacious. There are plenty of chairs and tables inviting you stay a while and the decor is one of stripped back opulence, enhanced by the high ornate ceiling and rich colour scheme. The old-fashioned street lamp in amongst the timber furniture adds to the charm.

Tasty Buns is definitely a nice hide-away in an up-and-coming area that's gradually edging away from it's bottom-of-the-barrel strip-joint history. Albeit the name of this establishment may tip it's hat in that general direction!

More: facebook.com/TastyBunsBakeryEdinburgh

Cult of Coffee

28 Esslemont Ave  AB25 1SN Aberdeen »Map«

Open every day Espresso, filter Coffee: Artisan Roast Also: Cake, beans

Coolness: The quirky decor is a shrine to cultishness

---

The Cult of Coffee (3♥) serves Artisan Roast coffee and delicious slices of cake.

Positioning specialty coffee at the centre of its being, Cult of Coffee offer Janzoon for espresso-based coffees and two, seasonal single origins for filter brews - as well as tea and hot chocolate. Locals can also pick up bags of said beans to take home - a beautiful thing for those in the area where specialty coffee shops are relatively rare.

Situated on the corner of Esslemont Avenue and Leadside Road in the Rosemount area of Aberdeen, shop owners have reconfigured the Freemason's square and compass symbol into their logo and broadened out their cultishness by including other eye-catching symbols on the tiles that line their servery.

Big windows let in lots of light, while comfy booths line the right wall – perfect for whiling away an afternoon playing one of the many board games laid out for customers. The cult theme is softened by warm wooden floor boards and tables and balanced with a sense of humour - such as offering a table on which customers are encouraged, nay beseeched, to draw.

By way of a whole different type of cult, the bathrooms are decorated with Beano, Dandy and the Broons comics – which might spark a nostalgia trip for a certain vintage of visitor.

For those with a sweet tooth, they have a large, ever changing assortment of cake, as well as house-baked scones. The cakes are truly fantastic and pair well with the coffee.

Cult of Coffee is one to keep an all-seeing eye on - as it were!

Review led by coffee pal Fionn Pooler of thepourover.co.uk

More: facebook.com/thecultofcoffee

Chapter One

Cnr Dalry Rd & Orwell Pl EH11 2DR »Map«

Open every day Espresso Coffee: Dear Green & Matthew Algie Also: Meals and cake 10% off for take away in your Frank Green cup

Coolness: Good coffee meets no attitude

---

Chapter One Coffee Shop (3♥) is a welcoming, low key cafe in Dalry Road, on the corner with Orwell Place.

It's fair to say that you're never very far from a square meal in this part of Dalry Road, with a wide range of restaurants and cuisines on offer. But until now specialty coffee hasn't been among the area's strong points. Chapter One is definitely looking to change that.

They do a very nice coffee and you can choose from Scottish roasters Matthew Algie and Dear Green. We've experienced velvety, structured milk and well-extracted espresso. This is early days for Chapter One and the area, in terms of specialty coffee, so we can expect to see some evolution in their offering.

On the food front you can have soups, filled rolls and good range of bakery items including croissants, brownies and cakes. If you're a fan of breakfast rolls, you'll also find happiness with choices of bacon, sausage and egg. Porridge and granola are also available.

In keeping with the coffee quality, you can also enjoy Eteaket teas and Chocolate Tree hot chocolate.

All in all, well worth a visit and we hope locals will continue to support Chapter One. We'll certainly back because we think they'll go from strength to strength.

More: ChapterOne.Coffee

Foodstory

13 Thistle St AB10 1XZ Aberdeen »Map«

Monday-Saturday Espresso, v60, chemex Coffee: Steampunk & Dear Green Also: Meals, beans, coffee kit

Coolness: Loads of choices of tasty vegetarian food

---

Foodstory (3♥) is big cafe in the city centre of Aberdeen that majors on whole and healthy food - particularly vegetarian options.

Sourcing ingredients that are sustainable and generally good for the planet are at the heart of Foodstory's approach. They've chosen to stock and therefore support Scottish specialty coffee roasters Steampunk (North Berwick) and Dear Green (Glasgow) who source their beans along similar lines. You'll enjoy a good espresso-based coffee as well as v60 and chemex brews.

Foodstory is definitely doing their bit to push forward the awareness and understanding of specialty coffee in Aberdeen - and they're a relatively lone voice. They sell beans to take home, including guest beans from other roasters and have a stock of home brew equipment including aeropresses, drippers, chemexes, hand grinders, filters, scales and kettles among other things. Local specialty coffee lovers must be thrilled to now have Foodstory!

Food is, as you'd expect, their main gig. They've structured their menu to include a list of standard dishes such as hot pot, salad bowl, chilli and sharing platter and then vary many of their ingredients based on seasonality. Their blackboard outlines the day's choices, which are many and varied, and include lots of vegetarian options.

To order, customers queue at their counter where you can peruse some of your options before paying and taking a table. The staff are happy to chat you through the ingredients in each dish and maintain an atmosphere of gentle and friendly community-mindedness. As a result the customers who like to eat at Foodstory are as varied as their ingredients - a live and let live feel.

The cafe itself is spacious, with loads of wooden tables and chairs of different shapes and styles. The main servery is built using chunky slabs of undressed timber akin to railway sleepers and one of the walls is lined with similarly rustic timber palings. Charcoal floor tiles and lots of small pendant lights add to the earthy, warm feel.

More: facebook.com/TheFoodstoryCafe

Honeycomb & Co

1 Merchiston Pl EH10 4NP »Map«

Open: Every day Espresso Coffee: Artisan Roast Also: Meals, cakes

Coolness: Streamlined, day-time opulence - for decor & menu alike

---

Honeycomb & Co. (3♥) is a cafe style restaurant (modern eatery) in bustling Bruntsfield on the corner of Merchiston Place and Montpelier Park.

They're friendly, service-oriented and use local roaster Artisan Roast, offering well-made espresso-based coffees.

You can eat and drink inside, or out the front on the spacious pavement area flanked by potted greenery. The decor and design is smart, warm and shiny. With honey as their theme, they've incorporated gold into their ochre soft furnishings, brass counter edges and feature wall, and the large windows, linear styling and plenty of height and white keep it chirpy.

The food is wholesome, varied and tasty - in a sort of Scottish-produce-meets-Ottolenghi way. The breakfast options should satisfy most with baked items (including their signature honey bun), porridge, fried breakfast, shashuka and avocado on toast among others. And the snacks and lunches tempt you with tasty, sharing and individual plates of fusion flavoured and inventive, chunky veggies, salads, grains and meat choices. From za'atar, to vinaigrette, skewered chicken to rainbow trout.

And then there's the cake display - which is equally eye popping

All up Honeycomb & Co. is a winner!

More: facebook.com/honeycombandcocafe

Bearded Baker

46 Rodney St EH7 4DX »Map«

Open every day Espresso Coffee: Williams & Johnson Also: Meals, beans, local food products Dog-friendly

Coolness: The hint is in the title - bagel & doughnut happyland

---

The Bearded Baker (3♥) is a small and stylish bakery coffee shop on the North side of Edinburgh - heading toward Cannon Mills and Inverleith.

To complement their locally famous bakery items, owners Rowan and Julia have chosen Edinburgh coffee roaster Williams & Johnson. You can expect their juicy, high altitude coffee profile, changing regularly as they source coffees from around the world.

The shop is light-filled and elegantly styled in a way that feels effortless, but is actually hard to achieve, making the most of their small space. You can sit down to a couple of light wooden tables with wooden chairs and stools - or the high bench across the front window facing the street.

Alongside good coffee, bagels (boiled then baked) and filled doughnuts are their main gig. Rowan and his crew often bake batches multiple times a day to satisfy hungry customers, so you can be sure they're super fresh. 

Being a bakery, you can load up your shopping bags or sit in and enjoy your bagels with avocado, bacon or smoked salmon. They also do a cracking sour dough bread and offer gluten-free alternatives. Big fluffy doughnuts are filled with a jam and cream option on any given day - changing flavours to keep things both interesting and mouthwatering.

The menu also includes a regularly changing vegan and gluten free soup, salad and cake every day, alongside a range of other cakes for the diary and wheat oriented.

The Bearded Baker is a pedigreed supplier of bagels and doughnuts to some of our other favourite Edinburgh high quality coffee shops including Filament, Fortitude, Williams & Johnson at Custom Lane and Lowdown among many others. 

At their shop they also use and sell the produce of other local, independent artisans such as Dollop & Scoff (jams & chutneys), Blondilox (porridge blend bags), Pekoe Tea, Coco hot chocolates and Harry's treats (dog treats).

They're open seven days - generally early until 5pm on week days and 9am-4pm on weekends. Definitely one to put on your regular visit list.

More: facebook.com/bakerbearded 

Hideout Cafe - Leith

40 Queen Charlotte St EH6 6AX »Map«

Open every day Espresso Coffee: Clifton Coffee Dog-friendly Also: Meals, cakes Free wifi

Coolness: Two walls of lovely arched windows let in loads of light

---

The Hideout Cafe (3♥) feels nice as soon as you walk in. The staff are very friendly and the locals are clearly very fond of their cafe.

They do a nice coffee using Bristol’s Clifton Coffee - possibly the only Edinburgh shop regularly using the highly regarded Clifton.

On the corner with Constitution Street, both exterior walls are made up of delicate arched windows that run nearly floor to ceiling. The furnishing is warm and simple using bentwood chairs and round wooden tables.

There's plenty of choice on the menu for breakfast and lunch including pastries, porridge, bacon & eggs, soup, panini, wraps and sandwiches. A selection of cakes is always available and they offer kid-friendly sizes on items including soup, scrambled eggs and a babyccino or hot chocolate, both with marshmallows.

More: thehideoutcafe.co.uk

Glad Cafe

1006a Pollockshaws Rd G41 2HG »Map«

Open every day Espresso Coffee: Dear Green Also: Meals, cakes, breads, alcohol

Coolness: Everything about Glad is pretty cool, not least their unrelenting passion for supporting local artists and their community

---

Glad Cafe (3♥) is located in Glasgow's Southside opposite Queen's Park and has a deceptively small frontage given the size and scope of what goes on here - a big-hearted, inclusive and active venue for local artists as well as those from further afield.

Starting with the cafe component of this community enterprise, visitors enter via a hallway in to a large cafe space that unfolds to the right. Step up to the large bench at the back wall to place your order (although they also do table service), peruse the cakes on display and check out any menu specials.

Glad's baristas do a good job with local Glasgow roaster Dear Green's beans - in tune with their local sourcing ethos. It's great to see a high standard of coffee here given they have their hands full with a wide variety of priorities.

The folks at McCune Smith (who also have their own cafe in Duke Street) run the kitchen at Glad, providing wholesome, tasty food made from local and sustainable ingredients. The menu spans breakfast, lunch and dinner and goes out of it's way to provide tempting offers for everyone including vegans, meat-lovers, gluten-free folks and kids, among others.

The Glad Cafe is also an award winning venue that hosts musicians - indie, electronic, experimental, world and traditional - as well as film, drama, storytelling and philosophical talks. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter to see what's upcoming. But it doesn't stop there, Glad also produces their own six-monthly magazine (the Glad Rag), runs the Glad Community Choir and their own thrift shop (Glad Rags - which takes up the majority of the shop frontage that faces the street) and the Glad Foundation which provides free and affordable music lessons to local people.

And on top of all that, they still have the energy to source quality coffee and train their friendly and welcoming people to do a good job with it. Respect!

More: facebook.com/thegladcafe

Zest & Co

22 Canning St EH3 8EG Edinburgh »Map«

Mon-Fri - 7.30am-3pm Espresso Coffee: Artisan Roast Also: Meals, cakes, snacks

Coolness: A tucked away, friendly food gem

---

Zest & Co (3♥) is a busy coffee shop, filled with appreciative locals and workers from the surrounding offices in Edinburgh's West End.

Sandwiched (pun intended) in the narrow streets between Shandwick Place and the Western Approach Road, Zest & Co offers well made Artisan Roast espresso-based coffees and cold brew in Summer for iced coffees. On the tea front, you can enjoy local speciality merchants Shibui and Coco hot chocolate.

Their menu is creative, wholesome and ever-changing, with the majority of their tasty options made on site. Breakfast includes toast, morning rolls, porridge, yoghurt & granola and french toast with maple syrup.

Their lunch menu changes every day across two soups (home-made and generally gluten-free and vegan), two salads, two sandwiches, a wrap, three panini, a filo pie and a hot dish.

A flavour-packed menu keeps people coming back. To give you a idea of the food... salads of broccoli, chilli & peanut, paprika & honey roast chickpea and cajun halloumi & avocado - and sandwiches and panini such as walnut chicken salad & rocket and chorizo, monterey jack & caramelised onion. And their filo pie is jam-packed with goodies such as spinach, chicken & sun-blushed tomato. Cakes and traybakes are also mainly home-made.

These folk are serious about their food, and you'll not be short of choices.

While loads of customers drop in for take away, Zest & Co has tables and chairs for around 20 people - some on street level and the rest upstairs - and has wifi if you've got time to stop and have more than one coffee!

This is friendly spot and definitely worth dropping into when you're in Edinburgh's West End on week days.

More: facebook.com/zestandco/

St Mocha Coffee Shop

Balmaha G63 0JQ »Map«

Open every day Espresso Coffee: Charlie Mills Also: Cakes, snacks, coffee beans

Coolness: Tasty coffee right by beautiful Loch Lomond

---

St Mocha Coffee Shop (3♥) is a cosy spot, a stone's throw from where the Inchailloch Ferry wharf departs on Loch Lomond. It offers a rare moment of well-prepared speciality coffee in the area as well as along the West Highland Way.

The espresso-based coffee on offer is from Charlie Mills - a small batch, independent roastery based in Glasgow. When we visited we were treated to Charlie's Seasonal Tip Top Espresso blend - 50% Brazil, 25% Colombia and 25% El Salvador - balancing depth very nicely with some citrus juiciness.

The barista and support crew keep a steady eye on churning out good quality coffee despite the constant stream of walkers and other visitors eagerly awaiting drinks to take-away or sit in. Food is kept simple, focusing on ice cream, cakes and sticky sweet things such as tiffin and salted caramel & popcorn slice.

The decor is down-to-earth and relaxed - primarily stone with comfortably utilitarian furnishings and some tartan softness to warm the place up. There's a couch inside as well as tables and chairs, and outdoor seating in the front patio area.

St Mocha is attached to a grocery shop and part of the Oak Tree Inn - which is a pub with food as well as rooms. And it's conveniently located across the road from the Conic Hill National Park Visitor Centre and car park, so you can ask for advice about walks in the area including the said hill.

This is a top notch spot to visit enabling you to combine nice coffee with some spectacular scenery and walking.

More: theoaktreeinn.co.uk/food-drink/st-mocha-coffee

Bungo Barista

717 Pollokshaws Rd G41 2AA »Map«

Open every day Espresso Coffee: Dear Green Also: Meals, cake, breads

Coolness: Whole vegetarian friendly food abounds

---

Bungo Barista (3♥) takes its name from its location in Glasgow's south side Strathbungo.

Featuring local roaster Dear Green, Bungo takes care with their coffee and serves a nice cup. Flat whites, lattes, macchiato and iced coffee are all on offer with a smile.

The owners are fans of the area and have dedicated their big breakfasts to local landmarks. Alongside eggs, the 'Pollokshaws Road' for example includes smoked salmon, avocado, spinach and cream cheese. There are also plenty of smaller options from granola to toast with nutella to sausage rolls.

Lovers of vegan, vegetarian and gluten free food will find happiness here with a genuine range to choose from. Tempeh rashers, quinoa burgers, chick pea koftas and sweet potato pakoras to name a few. And the baking is top notch with cakes, muffins, tray bakes and more.

Owners have thoroughly gone after a rustic decor, creating a warm and cosy feel that matches the friendly service. The timber flooring, tables and wall linings combined with vintage bold type faces deliver rustic plus!

Written in partnership with our coffee buddy Leanne Graham
- Instagram @glw.coffee.snob & peaceandjam1

More: facebook.com/BungoBarista

Edinburgh Larder Cafe

15 Blackfriars St EH1 1NB »Map«

Open: Every day Espresso Coffee: Williams and Johnson Also: Scottish produce, meals, alcohol

Coolness: Scottish foodie heaven in the picturesque Old Town

---

Edinburgh Larder (3♥) is in the Old Town and is a haven for lovers of some of the best produce Scotland has to offer. They proudly state their ingredients and foods are "local, organic or both".

This isn't a food blog but we have to say the meals here are lovely. They have a wide range including small and large breakfasts, locally produced cheeses, meats and smoked fish, soups, sandwiches, quiches, tarts, cakes and a wide array of deli choices. Their menu is friendly to meat-lovers and vegans alike and provides choices for gluten intolerant folk. They also have wines and beers - happy days.

And...yes, there's more, they also have lovely local goodies like honey, flavoured oils and teas sourced from Eteaket among many other tasty treats to take home.

So, the coffee? Good. They make a good coffee with William and Johnson beans, in keeping with their ethic of using local providers.

This is a haven in the tourist-heavy and amazingly picturesque Old Town and well worth a visit.

More: edinburghlarder.co.uk

Grams

16 Haymarket Terrace EH12 5JZ Edinburgh »Map«

Everyday Espresso Coffee: Williams & Johnson Also: Healthy fast food & cakes

Coolness: Top notch healthy food & raw, vegan, gluten-free cakes that are often gluten-free amazing (try the snickers bar!)

---

Grams (3♥) is a breakfast and lunch cafe very near Edinburgh's Haymarket station that does excellent coffee.

Grams serves Edinburgh's Williams and Johnson's single origin, seasonally changing coffee and do a fine espresso-based brew. Relative new-comers Williams and Johnson are based in the Biscuit Factory in Leith and draw on previous experience including working at Melbourne's Market Lane coffee roaster.

Apart from lovely coffee, Grams' big differentiator is their affordable, health-conscious food. Owner Lewis creates his menu based on whole ingredients and avoiding sugar and processed food. That is, he starts with raw ingredients and processes them as little as possible so all the nutritional value (and flavour) is retained.

While everyone will find very tasty food at Grams, people chasing specific dietary needs will find more joy at Grams than most other cafes. Vegans, vegetarians, gluten-free folk and avoiders of sugar and dairy will have their needs met - including almond and coconut milk coffees.

The menu includes bacon rolls, poached eggs & avocado, smoothie bowls, super salads (such as chicken aioli, chipotle salmon, sweet potato and vegan 'pulled pork'), baked sweet potatoes, soups and sandwiches.

The cakes menu deserves it's own mention as they're works of art. Without the use of sugar, dairy or cooking, you can choose from slices of cheescake, a raw 'snickers bar' and a host of other delights that taste great but are still good for you (in moderation of course!). Grams also provides their cakes to other cafes and can often be seen at farmers markets including the Stockbridge market on Sundays.

You can eat in at a mix of tables, chairs and stools or take-away for work, uni, picnic etc. For those who live or work nearby - Grams is an absolute break-through from a coffee point of view, and they open early!

More: facebook.com/gramsedinburgh

Riverhill Coffee Bar

24 Gordon St G1 3PU Glasgow »Map«

Open every day Espresso, aeropress, clever dripper Coffee: Dear Green Also: Meals, cake, beans

Coolness: Fantastic array of mouth-watering cakes

---

Riverhill Coffee Bar (3♥) is located in Glasgow's city centre and shopping district and offers high quality food, primarily to take away.

They use Glasgow roaster Dear Green and offer good espresso, aeropress and clever dripper with beans chosen accordingly.

The venue is small - narrow with the servery running most of its length. But the owners pack a lot into that small space and the service is very friendly and efficient.

The first thing you'll see when you enter the shop is a beautiful display of cakes of many types. It is really very hard to resist a little something to have with your coffee! Examples include dark chocolate and beetroot cake, caramelised banana and strawberry jam frangipane slice and pistachio, orange blossom and dark chocolate financier - among many others, piled up on a long wooden board looking like a veritable cake-u-copia.

The food is inventive, locally sourced and very much the focus of Riverhill who also have a restaurant around the corner that faces on to West Nile Street (offering the full suite of options for breakfast, lunch, dinner).

If you're lucky you can perch on one of the few stools available but the vast majority of customers grab their coffee and a sandwich, salad or soup (or cake!) and take it with them to devour elsewhere.

More: Riverhill Coffee Bar facebook