The Best Coffee in Leith: Top Picks from a Local

We love coffee. And we love Leith! So we put two together and made this guide to the best coffee in Leith. We hope you like it.

If you’ve spent any time on this blog, you’ll know that a lot of my travels involve coffee. From trying the famous egg-white-topped coffee in Vietnam, to tasting different roasts across Honduras and El Salvador, coffee is a huge part of my everyday life. I hate going out for a coffee in town and finding it sub-par. Life is simply too short to drink bad coffee. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to the best coffee in Leith, Edinburgh.

All the cafes recommended in this guide are suitable for vegetarians. They all stock plant-based milk alternatives, and most have vegan and gluten-free options on the food menu too. I’ve linked to each café in Leith in the heading, so you can check out their menus before you go.

So without further chitchat, here’s our guide to the best coffee in Leith

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The Williams and Johnson Coffee Company: is this the best coffee in Leith?

Williams & Johnson Coffee Company

Without mucking around, Williams & Johnson is quite possibly the best coffee in Leith. They roast their own beans in-house every Monday and Tuesday and you can smell the coffee aroma down the street! The coffee itself is smooth, fresh, and strong. It pairs especially well with milk (or plant-based alternatives). They also serve some amazing sweet and savoury baked goods.

This hidden café next to the Edinburgh Tool Library and Saturday Farmer’s Market is the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle. Tucked away in the corner of Custom Lane’s art gallery space, the café itself is modern, minimal, and calm. You can also sit outside by the harbour on a nice day.

The Wee Coffee Box (left) and Hingabootery (right), both within the Leith Links Park

The Wee Coffee Box

If you’ve been to any of Edinburgh’s weekend markets, you’ll know Tipico, famous for their Italian delicacies. The wonderful duo behind Tipico have now brought their tiny slice of Italy to the middle of Leith Links Park (and conveniently, right to the bottom of my street)

The Wee Coffee Box is truly tiny, housed in an original 1933-built police telephone box (yes, just like in Doctor Who). Their Italian-style coffee is short, strong, and smooth. It’s definitely a rival for the best coffee in Leith. And their homemade Italian treats are amazing – we love their authentic pistachio cannoli. In the summer, the box offers fresh ice cream and iced drinks. And of course, you can buy the delicious Tipico caramelised nuts year-round.

The Wee Coffee Box is takeout only, so don’t forget your reusable cup to help reduce waste. If you’d like to sit down with your coffee, there are lots of benches in the park. The box is highly rated by dog walkers, with free treats for our four-legged friends.

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Hingabootery

Recently re-opened, Leith’s favourite café on the croft is back with a new roof and a modern indoor café space to go with it.

The Hingabootery Café is at the heart of Leith’s community space. Run by local grassroots movement, Earth in Common, the Hingabootery has delicious coffee and a simple all-vegetarian food menu. In spring and summer, local farmers and creatives meet here to sell their fruit, veg, and handicrafts. Walking down to buy fresh raspberries and grabbing a coffee here is one of my favourite ways to spend a lazy Sunday morning.

With a local farm shop opening soon, there’s no better time to visit! If it’s a nice day, you could even sit outside.

The Old Spence Café

The area around Constitution Street is home to so many cute cafés and The Old Spence is one of them! Cosy atmosphere, great coffee, and a welcoming place for remote working. What more could you want?

They also offer great and reasonably-priced food options. Food is always as unique as it is delicious as classic dishes are served with simple, but effective twists. The Old Spence, which used to be named The Hideout, was one of the first cafés we visited when we moved to the area, and we hope that you love it as much as we do.

The Rocksalt Café located in one of Consitution Street’s historic buildings

The Rock Salt Cafe

In an economy that’s tough for small businesses, this long-standing café on Leith’s Constitution Street continues to thrive. And we think that says a lot!

Rock Salt Cafe serves great coffee, coupled with a delicious and inclusive brunch menu. They use fresh, local, and high-quality ingredients. And they’re sure to have something for your dietary requirements. Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or something else, the menu will likely have an option for you. Rock Salt is located right on the tram line, get off at Constitution Street.

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Nobles

An elegant Victorian cafe-bar with stained glass windows and quirky docks-themed decor, Nobles doesn’t disappoint. Their coffee is delicious and strong, I had one of the best mochas of my life here.

Nobles also has an excellent brunch menu on the weekend with traditional breakfasts, and a variety of eggs, pancakes, and waffles. Most of their breakfasts can be made vegan, substituting eggs with scrambled tofu. Mimosa and Bloody Mary brunch cocktails are encouraged. However, Nobles doesn’t open until 10 am (weekends) or 11:30 am (weekdays) so may be better suited for a late brunch rather than an early morning coffee

The Boxwood Tam Bakery: perfect for coffee and a pastry

Boxwood Tam Bakery

Follow the tram line, and you’ll soon stumble across Boxwood Tam Bakery. Consistently rated 5*, the bakery pairs strong coffee-to-go with top-notch pastries. We’re big fans of their almond croissant and pain au chocolat. The pastries and cakes (which aren’t too sweet), are made fresh daily with high-quality ingredients.

Oh, and the owner is always cheerful and happy to chat. Really, what more could you want? If you’re looking for the best pastries in Leith, definitely make a stop here.

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Toast Leith

Leith’s first wine café, Toast is a casual but busy modern café right at Leith’s famous docks. Their snug, ‘scandinavian-inspired’ setting is perfect for coffee and brunch. Toast serves a basic brunch on weekdays. But on weekends, they really up their game! Where most cafés close between 16:00 and 17:00, toast is open late. We think it’s the perfect place to grab a coffee in Leith (or something stronger) in an evening.

Toast Leith: a café by day and wine bar by night

We hope that this guide helps you find the best coffee in Leith! We’d love to hear from you – let us know if this guide was helpful in the comments.

We’re so lucky to call Scotland home, and we’re working on a series of guides to help you make the most of your trip to our beautiful country. If you’re heading to explore the rest of Scotland, you might find the following guides inspirational. Use them to help you plan your trip:

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