Southern Cross Cafe

63A Cockburn St EH1 1BS »Map«

Open every day Espresso Coffee: Artisan Roast Also: Full meals, alcohol Free wifi

Coolness: Very friendly, wide selection of food in a vibrant neighbourhood

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Southern Cross Cafe  (3♥) is on the corner of Fleshmarket Close and Cockburn Street (pronounced 'Co-burn' which non-UK folk may not know! ).

Central to Edinburgh's Old Town is the Royal Mile that runs down the spine of the rock formation and connects the Edinburgh Castle at the top and Holyrood Palace at the bottom. Continuing the analogy, the ribs that come off the spine are a mix of alleys (called mostly Closes and Wynds), streets and bridges. These bridges sometimes don't feel like bridges until you look around and realise you can see streets running under you. Because of this, it can feel like the Old Town exists on two levels. Cockburn is one of the streets that connects these two levels as it winds down the hill toward Waverley train station from the Royal Mile. It's also jam-packed with interesting shops, pubs and restaurants.

Southern Cross Cafe fits in perfectly with its vibrant and varied neighbours and has tables and chairs outside so you can watch the world go by.

They have an extensive menu including breakfast until 3.30pm, sandwiches, wraps, soups, salads, burgers, pasta, ciabattas and more. They're rightly proud of the wide selection of home-make cakes on display in their window. They are also licensed and sell Scottish beers, including Schiehallion on draught, along with wines and spirits.

They use Artisan Roast Janzsoon blend coffee and do a good job with it. Southern Cross extract a hefty flavoured double-shot and combine it with good milk texture leaving you a happy customer.

More: facebook.com/pages/Southern-Cross-Cafe/