Sunday 1 March 2020

Hideout Cafe - Old Town


5 Upper Bow
Edinburgh
EH1 2JN
»Map«
Open everyday
Espresso
Coffee: Clifton
Also: brunch, sandwiches, soups, baking
Coolness: Retro audio cassettes 'slaying' centre stage decor and soundscape

Review and photo by Charlie Ellis & Eva Vaporidis

Nestled just around the corner from the Castle and the Grassmarket on Upper Bow is this lovely cosy nook that opened in late 2019.

At Hideout Old Town you can enjoy coffee from Bristol speciality coffee roaster Clifton, pulled on a super slick Slayer machine. When we visited, they were using Clifton's seasonal espresso blend EQ V.18 and producing lovely espresso-based coffees.

The Old Town branch of Hideout is an ideal spot in which to dodge the tourist hoardes (at least 5 tour groups passed by during our hour there) whilst also sipping speciality coffee.

The Hideout team have made great use of the small and charming space with a selection of snug corners in which to relax.  In some ways this place lives up even more to the Hideout name than their original cafe in Leith, which is at a fairly busy junction.

We visited on what apparently had been a 'crazy day’ (a combination of wet weather and school holidays) according to Hideout's barista - meaning that by 2.30pm they had pretty much sold out of their nice selection of sandwiches, filled croissants etc; but they did have their tasty soup which was ideal on what was a particularly dreich day in the capital. We also had their fantastic honey cake, which is a bit of a signature dish of the café.  Hideout also serve Teapig teas and a range of sodas.

As with their well-established sister cafe in Leith this place has a distinct vintage feel with a range of intriguing old coffee makers and music coming from cassettes. Anyone who grew up in the 80s or 90s will feel a wave of nostalgia as they browse the wall of tapes.  Lou Reed and Bowie tunes were wafting around the cafe on our visit.

It’s great to be able to find speciality coffee in such a touristy area. Don’t miss it if you find yourself near the Castle.

More: Hideout Old Town Facebook

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