Leo’s Beanery

Really cute little place tucked away from the street. Staff is super friendly and helpful. I got the salmon bagel with some crisps and small side salad. The bagel itself was just okay, but the combination of the bagel, salmon, rocket, etc was delicious! Wish there had been some more cream cheese though. The crisps were kind of greasy but good! And lastly the salad though very small, was really nice due to the wonderful balsamic/​oil dressing. Loved that! The cakes looked amazing as well.

Lovely little place, very close to Stockbridge and the city centre alike. Based in a traditional Edinburgh basement, this café offers great coffees and a smile every time I’m in there.
Even though it’s usually busy, there’s plenty of seating, so I’ve never had a problem finding somewhere to sit and read my book, and as it was an actual sunny day today, I even sat outside on the farrow and ball coloured Parisian balcony seating.
I’ve never eaten here, but the food also looks great, and from the many stickers in the window (good food, local food guide, etc) it looks like it’d be a great place to grab some lunch. They also do a selection of homemade cakes that, so far I’ve managed to resist, but can’t make any promises how long I’ll be able to keep that up, as they look delicious!!!

I have ventured back a few times for food now and it does not disappoint. I always seem to go when it is packed, but am beginning to think it is always the case. The soups and salads are always lovely, and each day they have a featured soup, salad or quiche, each as its own item. They also have a delicious veggie burger, which isn’t my normal lunch option, but it was so tasty. The cakes and treats are amazing, especially since they serve the best brownie in the world, which just happens to be gluten free. I’m not, but rejoice those with dietary requirements. The coffee is always delicious and it is a good stop for lunch, especially as it sits below Tribe Yoga and is a 5 minute walk from New Town.

First of all, I am EXTREMELY biased as my sister-​in-​law is the manager here and has worked here for years. Therefore, not only am I biased, but I also get the family treatment.
That said Leo’s has perhaps the best coffee that I have ever tasted. Good coffee can be hard to come by, but Leo’s hits the spot. It’s not too bitter, yet not too sweet with just the right amount of milk. The food is also AMAZING! I’ve had the Egg Benedict here, which I think I may have eaten in about two minutes flat. All of their pastries and cakes are home made, which few cafes can claim!
I was going to write about how amazing the service is, which it is, but realized that it was a bit of a brag due to the family connection so I’ll tone it down a bit. The service is AMAZING! The staff are friendly and make an effort to recognize regular customers. Both the owners and staff really put their heart-​and-​soul into making Leo’s one of the best coffee shops in Edinburgh, if not the whole UK.

So, I come here every Sunday after my yoga class so there’s no way I can award Leo’s anything under 5 stars.
I always order the same thing — I LOVE their gluten free granola and the latte’s are good. This is my go-​to brunch place post yoga and sets me up for the day.
Service has always been friendly and I’ve never been rushed as I munch away whilst making my way through the Sunday supplements. It has a lovely chilled and relaxed vibe and although can be very busy, I usually manage to get in for my granola. Us gluten free peeps are well served with rolls, bread and bagels available and there’s gluten free cake options too. I have had a bacon bagel before, well that was the first visit when I made the mistake of not realising the portions are big and being hungry, I thought I’d order granola, bacon bagel and latte. Huge portion of granola that was taken home for brekkie the following day. Take away is available too.
So, popular but well worth a visit with good quality food and coffee

sometimes you hit a point after being dragged round to numerous different shops looking for a style of jacket that may or may not exist that you just need a coffee and a seat. thankfully my boyfriend agreed as he had given up hope of finding a new coat and we instead went to Leo’s Beanery for a late afternoon coffee.
the place is small with some tables in the front and i think one in the back room but i could be confusing this place with another one… the wait staff are friendly and even though you order at the counter they bring your food and drinks over to the table for you. there were a lot of lovely looking cake offerings so i was lured in by what they claimed were award winning brownies to go with my flat white.
the coffee arrived and was a good standard, definitely of the superior coffee offerings in edinburgh. however the brownie also arrived and although my standards were set high by their award winning claims, i have to say it was probably the best brownie i have ever eaten possibly in my life (please don’t tell my mom as her brownies will always clearly be the best!). but seriously though, i just need to go on about this brownie for a bit. it was deeply chocolatey without being bitter, it wasn’t overly sweet, and the texture was that perfect gooey-​ness that you hope for in a brownie. it was indulgent without feeling overly heavy and the only improvement i can think of is to add some ice cream to make it a brownie sundae. seriously amazing brownie… like seriously. i actually wonder if i could just buy a whole tray and take it home with me!
so come here for good coffee but stay for the amazing brownie (although there are other sweet options including a very tasty pavlova that i got a bite of but why would you bother when the brownie is just so amazing…)

If it wasn’t for Unilocal,I wouldn’t have known about Leo’s. If you’re not familiar with the area, then you’d be forgiven for just driving past and having know idea it was there. And there are so many cafes and restaurants nearby— many of them being so-​so— that it would be easy to overlook the place. But if you have, then you’re totally missing out.
The cakes here are heavenly. The carrot cake was one of the best I’d had in a while. I recently stopped here for lunch with a friend and had the half sandwich and soup. The tomato and red pepper soup was tasty, and my cajun chicken sandwich with cheese was worth a trip back for lunch.
This is definitely one of your best bets in new town for a reliably excellent lunch. And if you happen to luck out like we did, then I’d recommend sitting outside on a sunny day (of which you’re no shortage of in Edinburgh).

I like this little café, as it’s the perfect place to stop before the long hike up the hill from Stockbridge (… 5 minutes uphill IS long).
It’s tucked on the lower level, so you can’t really see it from the street and even if you happen to be passing by, it’s pretty unassuming. Which works wonders for me, as it means this place is rarely chockablock full of the touristy crowd and has more of a laid back, local vibe — even during the festival.
The coffee is good. I’ve said it before, but i’m not a big coffee gal. All I know is that I like the coffee here but I can’t elaborate on why. I also really appreciate that they stock coconut water as 1. I often need to drown out a little of the caffeine buzz before walking to my next meeting and 2. it’s front and centre, so it guilts me into staying hydrated. If I could make every spot in town tweak their shop fronts to keep me more healthy? Well… let’s just say, this is one of the rare times when a guilt trip is wonderful.

Went for Sunday brunch after seeing it positively reviewed on Unilocal.The place has a great buzz and always seems busy. The brunch menu is fairly similar to what you would expect, with a few more unique items. The cheese scones looked excellent and the bagel with avocado, mozzarella and pesto definitely was!
I like the range of teas on the menu, which is always a favourite in the morning. The orange blossom oolong was nice, certainly a change from the more regular builders variety.
Great looking cake cabinet, although we managed to resist, so will have to visit again before I can can review those!

I have had probably 20 – 30 flat whites from Leo’s in the last few months. Not because the service is top notch and not because it’s incredibly convenient … because the coffee is absolutely incredible! Plus did I mention the service is pretty amazing too?
The owners and staff have such an incredible passion for coffee and the beans that they buy and how they brew the coffee.
If you like your coffee (and gluten free cakes!) then pop in and have a flat white. Just amazing!

Very friendly staff checking to make sure we were well taken care of. Never felt rushed or forced out even though we accidentally stayed past closing time.
The food was unique and delicious and freshly made. They also offered us a great deal of the left over baking from the day because everything is made fresh daily!

A quaint little bottom level café, Leo’s Beanery knows how to make a good coffee. Service was friendly and the place has a nice atmosphere.
Can’t say too much about the food, though there didn’t appear to be a great selection of baked goods (but who knows? The select few could be delicious!)

Fantastic coffee, great food and very friendly staff. The eggs Benedict and Royale are are win.

Great coffee.
Nice tucked-​in patio perfect on a warm sunny day.
Delicious brownies.

Great food, really fresh and well made– even 6yr old Mod, Alfie agreed; as you can see from his almost finished cheese scone. Pot of tea was really good too and nice touch with the bottled water brought to the table. Only complaint was that it was quite highly priced but really nice scran and good service to boot.

This cosy basement level coffee shop delights me every time.
With perfect coffee, moist, tasty carrot cake and various seating to suit lone rangers like myself, couples, business groups or friends catching up and more. I love sitting outside for breakfast or by the window to work.
Friendly staff & a lovely atmosphere to boot. Winning.

Very nice, cozy place (inluding their own sort of library with books). Went here for breakfast and it was excellent. Eggs benedict and a mocha. Unfortunely my follow-​up scone order went missing, but they made up for it in pure friendliness.
No time for cake, but they sure looked good!

Flat white and rocky road … Just what I need on a day like today! Coffee & cake will wash the blues away! Love the place, atmosphere and the cakes& coffee

Just one question before I start this review… WHY HAVEN’T I BEEN HERE BEFORE???
This morning I had my first experience here. I had heard that a free French conversation class would be taking place at 10am, so decided to come along. Howe street is far from the hustle and bustle of the touristy centre, yet in a beautiful residential area near Stockbridge.
At basement level, one would expect darkness, gloom and damp. Instead be ready for: the smell of coffee, the comforts of home, a quite spacious zone which somehow also manages to be cosy.
Prepare yourselves for the smell of freshly roasted coffee beans, good food, and a glass display cabinet full of delicious looking cakes, half of which just happened to be gluten free! I had already had breakfast, though wished I hadn’t. The passion cake in particular looked amazing: coconut, banana and pineapple cake with spices, topped with a cream cheese frosting. Instead I ‘settled’ for a soya cappuccino. It was a damn good cappuccino. You order at the front, and the food/​drinks are brought to your table by friendly, non-​intrusive staff.
The French class was tucked away in the back room, which was large and reserved just for us. The teacher was really patient and helpful, and only two other students turned up. With the small class size, we got a class tailored to our levels and personalities.
I will definitely be coming back next week for the French class and for coffee and cake. The breakfasts look good too-​gluten free bread is also available!

Had a big lunch and delicious fresh baked scone with friend. Leo’s is really the best underground restaurant or café in my mind. The quiche of the day, which i had is for vegetarian and it was just so excellent. My friend had burger with crispy potato and both of our dish were served with vegetable salad. The fruit scone was nice too.
The most special things there was the hot chocolate. The hot chocolate was served with a cup of hot milk and a block of dark chocolate with spoon. So it make sure you are having the real hot chocolate now, not just the powder hot chocolate. That was so lovely!
The inside decoration, i think it is kind of vintage style. the black and white photo on the wall, the old book shelf, the special clock on the wall, they all looks so «Leo’s Beanery». Everything was great, must visit again some point.