Union of Genius

I got the Caldo Verde because something about the combination of potato, chorizo and kale sounded both healthy and interesting. Let’s face it, kale smells like farts and tastes like broccoli. I was intrigued to see if someone could actually incorporate kale into a tasty meal (outside of the kale crisp, which I like and applaud, but making them still makes your kitchen smell like some large ruminant has suffered gastric distress in there.)
What can I say? Union of Genius are not ill-​named. Their Caldo Verde immediately became my Favourite Soup Ever, even when eaten on the steps of the National Museum of Scotland on a wet September afternoon. Chunky, smoky, meaty, hearty and yet somehow virtuous, it covers all the bases.
I didn’t ask for the bread because I don’t like bread. Who needs bread when you’ll be licking the last drops out of the bowl? This is the stuff. I am very happy that my adopted home town has a place that know how to make soup magic.

I had some takeaway from here. There were 3 lovely soups on offer and I chose the «green» soup. This came with some delicious grainy bread.
I had to take the bus home and was quite surprised to find that my soup was still piping hot by the time I finally got to dig in. Great Eco packaging!
The soup was super flavourful and divine. The kind of soup you eat and feel healthier for eating, and after eating it your belly feels very happily satisfied and warmly full. It’s a win win situation in every way.
It’s always really nice to find a healthy & delicious alternative to the typical takeaway. Highly recommended!

Wonderful place for lunch. Soup and salad with some great bread for £8. Many, if not most, of the soups are vegan or vegetarian.
They also do coffee, which I didn’t have but look d to be good. Free wifi.

A lovely bijoux coffee and soup hub. As soon as you enter the aroma of homely soup hits your senses. There is only one table with a bench seat awash with comfy cushions and modern seats on the other side. There is a small counter with stools and great music playing in the background. Outside on the street there are tables for alfresco dining.
I had a lovely surprise when I had to choose from the artisan choice of which chocolate to have in my mocha coffee. Five to choose from, would it be Madagascan, orange spice, Ethiopian, Tanzanian or white chocolate? I had the chocolate from Madagascar, my mocha coffee was delicious. Lots of tea choice from Scottish breakfast to Bollywood dreams chai.
It was only 9.30 in the morning yet customers were in enjoying the home made soup or ordering taking away in cartons. A great sign the soup must be fab.
Union of Genius mantra seems to be homemade local, sustainable and carbon free soup.
I’m in Edinburgh for a wee break so I will definately be back for their soup as I’ve been craving it ever since my visit. Xoxo

so great! my boyfriend and I popped in for a cold drink and decided to get soup as well. I got the lentil and potato and he got the sweet potato. both were phenomenal. I would not, however, recommend the bread bowl size, as the bread they use is a not great chewy white thing and the amount of soup is probably the same as a medium. I got a small soup and chose the olive bread which comes free. The bread was beautiful and the soup was great.

Amazing soup and great service! I had the chorizo y adobo soup which came with two pieces of bread and definitely filled me up. The lady who helped was incredibly nice and super helpful when I couldn’t make a decision. She let me try the soups I couldn’t decide between and gave me a larger size too!

Had this near University of Edinburgh. They have a very cute mini van. A very good choice for quick meal, especially in winter: because the chilly wind in Edinburgh always calls for a delicious and hot bowl of soup. They also serve fresh baguette.

Cute little Scottish coffee shop with lots of organic snacks on offer. Friendly staff who for in with the hippie style of the café. Great music playing in the background and lots of interesting things to look at. Not a lot of seating so be prepared to order takeout on busy days.

I already knew their soups were crazy good — I’ve had the pleasure of sampling a bunch of them at numerous cafes around edinburgh. (Personal fave? Haggis and lentil — Ooft!) but today i decided to hit up the soup mothership.
They had about 5 different soups today, but I went straight for the salad options. To my surprise, they came with 2 slices of bread of choice. I went for Moroccan cous cous salad with a side of onion loaf, and parked my bum on a cozy window seat.
OH MY GOD. This salad was crazy good. (See picture for visual delights). Perfectly soft butternut squash, sweet raisins, creamy goats cheese and pillows of giant cous cous, Served with simple greens. The bread was another highlight — little pops of sweet onion throughout, and i liberally doused it in the unlimited olive oil provided. Scrumptious!
And all this for £3.90. They aren’t just soup masters, people — they dominate lunch. I wish I lived closer.

Let’s begin here for a wee pop up restaurant by the lovely Danielle for International Restaurant Day. We didn’t have any soup by Union of Genius but what we did have was a choice of two risottos: Duck Ragu or Butternut — my choice was the duck ragu and it was postively yummy. Followed by a omg scrumptious dessert by Meena — an indian twist of eton mess. Immense of flavours and delicious on every spoonful!

It has realllllyyyy good soup at an affordable price! The chorizo Stromboli was also great!

LOVE Union of Genius. They’re ALL about the soup and have six different ones every day — as well as various breads, brownies, salads, porridge, coffee. All packed into a tiny wee place. The soup is delicious, it really is — and they always welcome you with a smile and helpful advice, should you need it. They’re even dog friendly. Hurrah! It’s tiny and busy, though, so watch your timings. Takeaway is a great option, as you can take your own soup pot and coffee mug, or use their ‘green Veg ware’. You can find Union’s fabulous soups in various other places around town (it gets taken there in a Dutch-​style carrier bike — brilliant) too.
All in all, an Edinburgh staple, a fab wee business and highly recommended.

Ok, yes. And I mean about their whole philosophy. Biking soup around town. Local, sustainable food. ‘Gifting’ a coffee so someone in need can come in and claim it. Donating soup every month to the homeless.
Lucky homeless.
Their soup is freggin amazing. I had a seasonal (top three on the list), which means they’re around for about a week. Some spicy chorizo and spinach concoction that made my mouth and tummy so completely happy. They serve it with fresh bread, like poppy seed, but I had gluten free sliced bread– it was cool this was an option.
Most people take away because there are like 6 seats. They have some kind of reward program for bringing back your to-​go container. But I ferreted my way into a corner spot, next to some lovely French visitors, and sipped down my soup. Mmm. It was pricy, 3.50, especially when I had a nice to-​go soup the other day for 1.50. But, quality, flavor, philosophy– these are worth it. And those philosophy majors need to get paid, too, right?

i’ve long been told of the goodness of soups from Union of Genius. sadly though i’d never had a chance to visit this soup café as i don’t work in town so couldn’t go for a lunch break and don’t live particually close by so not great for a weekend soup take away either. but luckily, i was working at the Blood Donor Centre up the road and made it a point to get my lunch from Union of Genius.
the shop itself is small, with space for abotu 6 or so people to eat in around a very large wooden table. however i was taking away, so it wasn’t a problem. there were five soup options and all sounded incredibly appealing but i was persuaded by the counter lady to have the roasted cauliflower with almond flakes. i got a side of the olive bread and was on my way with soup and bread placed in a convenient carrier bag for me to bring back to the office.
the soup was lovely, seriously lovely and a massive portion! it was warming and soooo incredibly tasted i wished i had opted for the large instead of the regular. the roasted cauliflower added a really nice taste that was balanced well with the almonds and i think there was cumin seeds for a bit of earthiness. my olive bread was similarly tasty and good for dunking in the soup. it was with great sadness that i finished my last spoonful and used the last of my bread to mop up any soup left on the container. it’s unlikely i’ll have a repeat visit to Union of Genius soon, but i would highly recommend this place for soupy goodness!

This was my first time getting soup here. It always closes too early for me to make it! (needs to stay open till 5pm in my opinion) But to be fair when I got there only 20 min to close time (4pm) Almost all there soups were gone and there were just a few chucks of bread left. So not much for selection when you come just before closing. But I had heard such good things about them and have wanted to try them for a while so I went for it. Got a tomato lentil soup that was so delicious! and had some nice brown bread for dipping! Perfect early 1^st dinner before I headed to the train. Really want to try and get there earlier in the day so I can try some other types of soups!

I can’t believe I’ve been going here since it opened & haven’t posted a review before now.
Ah-​mah-​zing soup. Fresh & full of flavour. More expensive than most of the other lunch places nearby but it merits every penny & the soup comes with delicious locally baked bread which you don’t get elsewhere.
There’s a good selection which caters for everyone. They always have dairy free, gluten free & veggie options. They have lovely cakes & make great coffee too.
It’s always busy. Seating is limited & if you are late (after half 1) they may have sold out of a few of the soup choices. They are that popular.

Obviously this place is very popular, and for good reason.
As someone who spends a lot of time in Portugal, I give their Caldo Verde soup a big thumbs up. Their products are obviously made with care and they have some really interesting soup choices on offer. As someone with a dairy allergy it is really nice to be able to have various Vegan options and not have to worry about milk products.
Though the space is small it is a nice atmosphere and the staff is very friendly. Cant wait to go back and try their whole variety of soups, amazing artisan breads and coffees. This place deserves your business.

Admittedly this is a very small place, with very little sitting room, but it serves fantastic soup, locally produced and gluten free bread and cakes (including a few which are vegan), all in a rustic setting. It is located near the grassmarket and the university of Edinburgh too, which is a plus. It could do with offering a student discount though!
It’s a good sign when business’s keep it simple. Ben’s cookies was a national success thanks to their dedication to good cookies, brew lab concentrates on coffee and buys most of its food from other local experts (including salad and soup from union of genius), anteaques specialises in amazing tea and scones. There is no need to overcomplicate things in a city where there is so much choice… Union of genius offers great porridge in the morning, and soup from lunch time onwards.
There are usually several options for the soup, and whilst it is quite pricey at about £3 in comparison to some of the other local student places nearby, the soup variety and ingredients are superb. There are always vegan and gluten free options, and you can usually choose between a quite light soup, or a more hearty one. I went for a lentil, pepper and harissa soup, which was thick, warming, spicy, and definitely what I was after on a cold winters day.
I’d like to go back to try the vegan cakes and some more soup…

I can’t believe I haven’t updated my review of Union of Genius sooner. I reviewed it after my first visit, and loved it. But having been back several times since I can confirm it’s the soupiest of soupy places in Edinburgh. Meaning the soup here is where it’s at.
Every day there are 4 or so different types of home-​made soup, with really imaginative and creative flavours. I think my favourite most unusual flavour was cauliflour with something and flaked almonds. Their caldo verde is a big hit, with kale and chorizo. And I’ve had a brilliant chicken satay with lots of freshly roasted, shredded chicken and peanuts.
They also post their soups daily on Facebook on Twitter so its great to know, to plan ahead.
And they have both regular and gluten free bread to go with the soup. Hurrah! And the gluten free bread is delicious. So my soupy experience isn’t hampered at all.
I think it’s around £3 for a small soup, which is reasonable considering just how delicious the soups are. They’ve also got gluten free cakes, and looking around I can see lots and lots of locally sourced products: Artisan Roast coffee, Coco and The Chocolate Tree hot chocolates (three Edinburgh businesses), Eat Natural bars, Nakd bars. They also have made a big effort to have eco-​friendly takeaway soup pots and spoons.
Basically, this is the best soup I’ve had in Edinburgh for lunch. I take my hat off to Union. And with winter coming up I reckon it’s going to be pretty popular.
A wee note: they have very limited indoor seating so don’t plan to eat in here, unless it’s by chance. Takeaway is your best option.

I loved this little place. It was on my to-​do list for awhile and a day of working at Edinburgh Uni meant I was in the right location to finally pay it a visit.
It is small and I would guess at lunchtime, being able to get a seat or not (and the weather) would determine if you would eat here. The rain was bouncing off the streets but given that it was around 3.20pm when I was having a very late lunch, then I got the large window seat.
Great choice of soups and perfect for veggies and gluten free peeps. Being GF, I thought I wouldn’t be able to get bread but they toasted some GF bread for me so I wouldn’t miss out (I LOVE it when places do this!). I opted for the mushroom soup — I know, I know, Unilocalers are not a fan of the humble mushroom, but as this is typically a soup which is (commercially) full of evil wheat flour, then it was great for it to be an option. It was lovely mushroomy soup and some little bits of mushrooms, all lovely with hints of pepper and garlic, not overly creamy but just really good soup.
I was about £3.60, I think for soup and bread. I loved my pot (I went for a little one but still a decent sized portion) and when I’m working in the area again, I’m sure I’ll be here for more soup. The choice is so good and lots of great combinations so I’m sure my biggest problem will be, what to choose next?