Cucina L C

I ordered one of the special sandwiches, but as was late on a Friday. They had no rolls or sandwich bread left so I ended up with a soft ciabatta… And it was dynamite!
Sesame chicken with leaves and Mayo. They have a nice selection of fillings and salads. Certainly worth a trip if your in the Haymarket area of Edinburgh.

If you’re lacking inspiration on what to have for lunch, walk into Cucina and look up at their board! Just about every sandwich /​panini /​baguette combination is covered off and a few more I’d hazard to guess… the 10 or so different ones I’ve had over time have been yum-​ola, no complaints from me. They also serve Illy coffee prepared better than most and offer a quaint area to sit in should you not be rushing to get back to work and/​or make the train.

La Cucina is brilliant. I’m literally lost for words when trying to describe some of their food — it’s too good to reduce with cliché; the appropriate superlatives escape me.
Let’s just say that I am perfectly capable of making poached eggs on toast and yet there is just something about how LC does it that makes me a true devotee.
Although, that’s not what got me hooked. THAT pleasure went to their Thai chicken salad box. It’s food that’s got flavour — real flavour, not added in by salt, sauces or cheese! And don’t get me started on their delicious potato salad…
Basically, you walk in and are met with an array of fresh, colourful, wonderful food, which distracts you from the chalk-​filled blackboard menu walls — there are over 50 choices of filling, neatly organised into ‘brief affairs’, ‘happy marriages’ and so on.
My current addiction is their vanilla lattes (I’m not sure what they’re doing differently but it’s a.may.zing!), and it’s very hard to resist their home-​made cakes, muffins, brownies and other treats.
It’s a homely little place that feels lived in but also has a café feel. Regulars can often be overheard chatting with the girls who run it and cookbooks fill the wee stand by the couches in the window section.
The only thing that even remotely detracts from it is that the service is sometimes a little slow; but this is mostly due to how busy it can be and that a lot of things are cooked fresh on the premises.
It’s a wee haven and now I’ve got a hankering for poached eggs on that wonderful thick-​cut home-​made wholemeal toast…

What a cute little button of a coffee shop this is. And oh my, what a very extensive list of salads and sandwiches they have chalked up on the walls.
Just a stone’s throw from Haymarket, it’s worth the extra 3 minute walk if you’re in need of a coffee or lunch and the generic ‘starbucks’ outside the station seems a little, well, generic. Just look for the Illy sign jutting out the wall!
They have a huge plethora of savoury salads and sandwiches on offer, and I’m pretty sure they could make things to order too. It’s all based on fresh deli style food (meats, cheese, fish, pickles, pates, mmm) and they’ve got a few home-​made cakes too. I loves me some home baked cakes.
In fact, I had the chocolate tart. Well, what I thought was a chocolate tart until I bit into it and realised that beneath the layer of chocolate was some caramel. It was like millionaire shortbread in tart form. Needless to say I was in a sugar-​induced heaven for 5 minutes.
The coffee was well-​made too, and they have syrups for all your caramel latte fans (like me!)
This is a lovely wee café, fresh and delicious food, and friendly staff. Definitely worth the extra few minutes walk to get here (and in the opposite direction to town.)

I am in total agreement with Marj when she says that this street is full of sandwich bars, some of which seem to be there to fill a wee space. They are pretty much all the same, but this wee diamond stands well and truly out from the rough.
This little café is ideal for a wee bite to eat before venturing up to the more expensive parts of the City, or even for a nice, healthy and reasonably priced lunch before going to the rather below par cafes of Edinburgh Zoo. As soon as I clocked the illy sign outside I was there!
The selection of lunch fare is pretty impressive. I love the way they have grouped them, into categories such as ‘brief affair’ and ‘happy marriage’, I am not entirely sure what that’s about but its a cute touch to match the cutesy surroundings all the same. The butterfly wallpaper is soooo adorable!
The board behind the counter is literally crammed with fillings, perhaps too many, because my eyes literally went square trying to read them! I opted for a roast chicken with tomato and pepper chutney wrap, which was mouth wateringly delicious. Of course I had an illy white coffee which, as usual, was fabulous.
The prices are fare for what you get and the selection is superb. Probably one of my new favourite little places to eat, I would even go out of my way to come here again, even if I was up in the City Centre!

Set in a street full of sandwich bars, Cucina beats the crap out of the competition for bringing its own brand of class to Haymarket.
While the marjoity of sandwich bars in the area are functional takeaway establishments, Cucina caters for people who want to make a pit stop to rest their wearies. It is airy and spacious, especially considering the size of business space it’s working in. There are some wooden tables dotted around so you can kick back rather than feeling hustled out the door.
Cucina offers the standard sandwich shop menu of panini’s and sandwiches, but leans towards continental, mediterranean fillings such as a selection of cheeses and roasted veg. There are a few options for main courses and a great selection of salads if you fancy being healthy!
With the pretty butterflies dotted over the cream wallpaper and the chilled-​out ambient atmosphere, Cucina is a very appealing option if you fancy a nice place to sit in, with a healthy, varied (but affordable) menu.