Southern Cross Cafe

Featured reviews

• G

  Google user

  ·1 month ago

  “Good place for your coffee and slices of different home made cakes. The size and the quality of the cappuccino is good, the size of the slice of cake is on the thinny side. Nice interiour.”

• G

  Google user

  ·1 month ago

  “Coffees and smoked salmon toastie were good; plain scone so-so. A nice place in the city centre for a chilled afternoon chatting with friends especially on the quieter upper floor.”

• G

  Google user

  ·2 months ago

  “Fantastic little restaurant. Staff are friendly and helpful. Food was delicious and came quite fast. Breakfast was lovely (had the full Scottish) so I went back for lunch (beef burger) I was travelling solo. Would absolutely go again.”

• G

  Google user

  ·3 months ago

  “Great little café to grab a filling breakfast with a drink. The cappuccino is amazing, mine was smooth and creamy. My friend's coffee was also well brewed, without any bitter notes. We took cakes, rolls and pancakes. All were absolutely delicious, though the lemon cake was a bit too sugary for our taste. I recommend the coffee and peanut cake. If you spend a night at the Edinburgh Backpackers Hostel right next door, you'll get a 15% discount for the duration of your stay (and the morning you checkout as well).”

• G

  Google user

  ·3 months ago

  “We stopped during lunch and this place was packed! We only had to wait a couple minutes for a table to be cleaned off. There is seating upstairs as well. We got the bbq- amazing! We also got dessert- chocolate cake and the blackforest cake. Everything was so good! Desserts are in the window and that is what pulled me in to begin with!”

• G

  Google user

  ·4 months ago

  “Had a great visit to Southern Cross Café in Edinburgh. The staff were excellent — genuinely friendly, attentive and made the whole place feel welcoming. The food was really impressive, fresh and full of flavour, with plenty of choice for a relaxed breakfast or lunch. The café itself has a cosy, comfortable feel and is a lovely spot to take a break in the city centre. Definitely worth a visit.”

• G

  Google user

  ·4 months ago

  “What a lovely place. Quite a good selection of dishes and drinks. Lovely selection of cakes. Great seating areas inside and out. Bit pricey but when your foods cooked properly and nice and hot then you don’t mind paying it. Very friendly staff too. The only thing I would say that could be improved was the ladies toilet needs updating. Flushers were missing and there was mold on the corners of the floor.”

• G

  Google user

  ·5 months ago

  “If you're Asian, don't let this place ruin your Edinburgh experience. Stay away! <Discriminated against and lied to – Deceptive business practices> ​I am a Korean living in London and visited this cafe during my trip to Edinburgh. While Edinburgh is a stunning city, this cafe left me with a bitter memory of racial profiling and blatant dishonesty. ​1. Forced Isolation & After-the-fact Excuses: As soon as I entered, I was immediately directed to the 1st floor (upstairs) without any explanation. There was no mention of the ground floor being full at that time. I spent my entire meal alone upstairs, the only customer on that floor. When I later complained about the bill and the seating, the person who appeared to be the manager suddenly claimed, "The ground floor was full, that's why we sent you up." This felt like a poor, made-up excuse to justify isolating the only Asian customer in the shop. ​2. Blatant Lies about the Bill (Service Charge): My bill was £17.15 (Eggs Royale £12.95 + Cappuccino £4.20). The receipt clearly states: "Optional 7.5% Service charge has been included." When I asked to opt out of this optional charge, the manager lied to my face, saying they had already excluded it and that £17.15 was just the menu price. ​Let's look at the facts: The menu price is £12.95 for Eggs Royale and £4.20 for a Cappuccino. That total is exactly £17.15. If the service charge was "included" as printed on the receipt, the total should have decreased when I asked to remove it. If they truly didn't charge it, the receipt shouldn't have that printed on it. They are effectively forcing customers to pay a service charge while lying that they aren't. ​This is a dishonest and discriminatory establishment. They clearly thought they could deceive an Asian tourist with poor excuses and inconsistent math. I highly recommend avoiding this place if you want to be treated with honesty and respect.”

• G

  Google user

  ·6 months ago

  “Amazing staff, sweet and patient! We got coffee and breakfast which was tasty but the staff made it even better. I am quite picky about my coffee and I am used to getting a cappucino in a smaller cup than they serve. I asked if they could change it and the man who took my request was so sweet about it! 10/10 would recommend :)”

• G

  Google user

  ·7 months ago

  “We visited this café twice during our stay in Edinburgh, once for a full Scottish breakfast and pancakes, and another time for tea and scones. Both visits were fantastic. The full Scottish breakfast was hearty and delicious and the blueberry pancakes were perfectly done. The scones were a real highlight. It’s one of the few cafés in Edinburgh that serves them with clotted cream, many places only offer butter. We really loved the relaxed atmosphere and the quality of the food. They also have a great selection of cakes and other sweet treats. We would happily come back again.”