Philpotts

Every day, I see dozons of comrades from the Daily Grind returning to their desks, armed with bags decorated with the Philpotts logo, so thought, I should check this place out. Not sure I should have bothered, really. Between the lengthy menu not matching what was *actually* available, some of the dishes looking way past their best, it really didn’t appeal. I did eventually try a sandwich, and it was as forgettable as I hoped it wouldn’t be. does it do sandwiches? Yes. Does it do them (and salads, and soups) well? Jury’s out.

This is one if my regular ‘go to’ places to pick up a quick lunch. I really like this place for lunchtime takeaway salads mainly although they are pretty expensive at £4.30 for a small salad box! Eek! However they are very, very tasty and satisfying and you can choose from a base of pasta, couscous or leaves (or even a mix of both!). Although the salad options are already written up on the board (the ‘signature’ is my fave) they are happy to remove and replace anything you don’t like. No problem!
They also do a roast of the day which you can get served with some scrummy roast potatoes. Not for anyone with a light appetite though. They usually have 3 soups on offer (again expensive and there are MUCH cheaper places nearby that also do nice soups)
The service is speedy and friendly. It gets 3 stars from me for the quality of food on offer. If it wasn’t so pricey it would have got more.

Cheese & pickle
Avocado & bacon
Humous & red pepper
Brie & cranberry
Tuna & sweetcorn
Egg & bacon
Turkey & stuffing
Chicken, bacon & avocado
Feta, rocket & beetroot
Thai chicken, pepper & spinach
An old fashioned deli and café, Philpotts specialises in fillings sandwiches, baguettes, wraps, salad boxes and soups. Whilst everything is made fresh by suited and booted staff, I have to admit I prefer Pret or Thyme. The tucker usually has more flavour and the atmosphere in both shops is more relaxed.

I thought Philpotts was a sophisticated deli/​café looking at it from the outside, but I was sorely disappointed when I ventured inside and realised it is a sandwich shop, and a pretty poor one at that. Situated in the busy and bustling Lothian Road in Edinburgh, Philpotts is just a short walk from the city centre and so it ought to be one of the hot spots for buying meals and snacks, but unfortunately it is not.
They have a deli counter which houses the usual suspects for sandwich fillings — salad, meats and cheeses etc. However, there is nothing that special about their menu or their sandwiches which would make you want to go back. I ordered a BLT sandwich, which was tasty, although the bread was nothing special, and to be honest, I felt as though I could have made the same thing myself at home for a cheaper price.
The staff were friendly, although I am with the other Unilocalers in wondering why they are all dressed in a shirt and tie. Hot drinks, roasts and salads are also available here and there is a seating area inside. Philpotts is a fairly average sandwich shop, but there is nothing about it which would make me want to go back.

I have walked past this place a hundred times and it has never really taken my fancy, but while subjected to a mild hangover yesterday courtesy of Brew Dog the previous evening, I was intrigued by the sign outside that stated they were doing a hot roll and coffee for £2, which seemed very cheap for somewhere that I had always assumed was a bit upmarket and pretentious.
So, deciding that you cant really go wrong for £2, I had a look and inside and it turned out this is essentially a breakfast roll /​sandwich shop type affair, but with a strong desire to look more upmarket. The problem is that it’s not really all that upmarket, its your standard standard breakfast rolls, sandwiches, salads etc but being served by people in uniforms and calling you «sir» which just seems a bit forced and unnatural for this type of place.
Now I have to say, the roll was great, the coffee was really great and therefore it offered great value. I had a look around the sandwiches and salad and they are looked good too, with lunch offers around £3.50 again it offered excellent value. I just think they have got the image wrong, mainly as the image is what has put me off ever going in before now. I get that with so many shops doing this type of thing around, its hard to stand out from the crowd so they want to do something a bit different, but I think they may actually be putting people off by making it look like something it isn’t.
I think if they toned it down a bit, concentrated on doing food for the masses at the incredibly good prices they offer, they would likely appeal to more people.