Sala Cafe Bar

Now ‘Nom De Plume’ as ‘Sala Café Bar’ is now CLOSED!!!

I used to work round the corner from Sala and I’d see it as a place to ‘treat’ myself for lunch. Not because the prices were up on other cafes in the area, but mostly because the excellent food from the tapas menu was something to savour, not over-​indulge! One of my faves is their gambas, coated in crumbly batter — not at all oily. I’ve got to get back there sometime!
Great, comfortable interiors with really friendly staff and walls of excellent art/​photography exhibited and for sale. The gay-​friendly aspect of it isn’t worth mentioning because in my mind that can pigeonhole a place, and this place is unassuming and welcoming — the impression you get is more about the quality of the Spanish food.

I like this place in the morning especially — they do a great breakfast/​brunch, and you can choose if you want the meat version or the veggie version. You get the same amount of food either way.
They also do incredible vegetarian dishes of various types. The place is good for meeting up with a bunch of friends before going shopping, as the shops of Princes Street are just a quick walk up the hill away.
It is of course a lesbian/​bi café run by women mostly for women, although men are very welcome! It has a cosy and friendly vibe and is a good place to spend an afternoon with a good book and a drink if that’s what you fancy.
Also a good place to sit writing — in a notebook or with your laptop. I imagine some good poetry could be written about the views you get out of the windows.