Brew Lab

The peanut butter shortbread is amazing! You have to taste it! The ambiance is cool, it’s a great place to chill, talk, hang around and enjoy the day!

Brew Lab definitely ranks in my top 10 destinations for good coffee in Edinburgh, it may even be in the privileged top 5. The décor is very hipster — you must check out the reclaimed basketball court floor, I want it for my home so bad!
They have always have at least 2 different beans on the go, often more, and cleverly link each bean to the best brew method/​coffee type on the chalk board behind the counter. Many of these beans are also bagged and available to buy.
The café also has a great and typically priced assortment of coffee making paraphernalia and literature.
I went for a controversial flat white made with Ethiopian single origin beans this visit, I am usually a purist. It was divine!
My only disappointments were the close time of 6pm and the fact that they didn’t remind me to get a stamp on my coffee card!

My favourite lattes in the world are served at Brew Lab. They get them right every time. I also like buying beans here for home consumption. I like the atmosphere too, very coffeehouse with wifi and ‘recycled’ but very stylish furniture, comfortable, usually pretty warm. The wifi is turned off during the lunch rush, but I think this makes a lot of sense because it keeps people moving during that time of the day when they have a lot of people coming in and out and eating a sandwich and grabbing a coffee and going. If you’re a student and are relying on the connection to do work through the university, I wouldn’t necessarily call it the most reliable. It gets very loaded and frequently goes down. But if you just need the casual internet connection and need to do reading or light surfing, this is great. Highly recommend it.

So I’ve got to update my review as I feel that 4 stars just isn’t fair. After travelling the country on coffee tours with my barista boyfriend, this place really is one of the best. Yes, it’s full of hipsters, yes it’s got exposed brickwork, yes the coffee techno people in there intimidate me, but the coffee speaks absolute volumes. It really is outstanding, and the people that work there, are actually coffee gods in my eyes.
Please forgive me brew lab, I promise to never say anything even the slightest bit uncomplimentary again, so long as you let me enjoy your coffees over and over and over again.
My excuse is, I think I was just jealous of the obviously much cooler than me crowd.
Friends?!

Sometimes coffee is a necessity and sometimes coffee is a pleasure. Today on my visit to Brew Lab it was both.
Yes, the place looks almost painfully hip, but it sits well. It was packed on a Saturday afternoon, but I placed my order at the counter and took my wooden number to a spare seat, unfortunately not one of the cosy looking ones in the window. My order was brought to me reasonably quickly — a cappuccino and a hefty slice of pistachio and bramble cake.
The cake felt dry as I forked a bit off but I think that was just the pistachios in the mix, it was crumbly and delicious and just what I needed. That cappuccino was perfect — hot, creamy, rich and smooth. Mmmmmm, so good I want another one (if it wouldn’t stop me sleeping).

Ah, Brew Lab. You’ve been the setting for many important times in my life — a successful first date, an outpouring of grief after sitting my final university exams round the corner, sitting down and planning a post-​uni holiday. I used to think your periodic table menu of coffee was the epitome of cool. I think I’ve sat at each of your tables at least once. You’ll always have a special place in my heart. But I’m afraid you’re just not cutting it for me anymore.
Let’s get one thing down for certain — this place does very good coffee. Maybe even the best coffee in Edinburgh (up there with Artisan Roast). And I don’t mind paying for quality coffee. But I do mind paying £4.70 for a tuna baguette that is just a bit meh. No garnish. No crisps. Just a (actually painfully chewy) baguette with some filling.
The tea is cute, what with the wee timer and tray and all that jazz, but again — it’s pricey.
Maybe I’m just too conventional these days, but I just think Brew Lab now loves itself a bit too much. It’s cool, but it knows it. It’s popular, and it knows it. But maybe it needs to keep an eye on its quality and value for money. Or maybe I just no longer have tolerance for places with bare filament lights and no paint on the walls.

I don’t tend to like the extreme hipster decoration in some coffee shops. By this, I mean places clearly making a large effort to look like they’ve made no effort at all. Decoration-​wise, Brew Lab is like this, with plenty of exposed wooden surfaces, and brick walls. However, after hearing many good reviews about the coffee, I finally decided to give it a go.
Indeed, the coffee is good. The choices are simple– the usual espresso, latte, cappuccino etc. Nothing pretentious there. I had a very nice cappuccino whilst Mary had a latte, and we both enjoyed them. We also got a cream cheese brownie to share, though I didn’t enjoy that as much.
There is adequate seating, and we positioned ourselves on a sofa which was very comfortable. Staff members were friendly, and despite bringing me a macchiato first, were very quick to change it to the ordered cappuccino.
So, despite not being a fan of the décor, I can recommend Brew Lab’s coffee. Will be back.

Popular enough to run out of two of its three rolls and its one soup just after the turn of the year, my first visit to Brew Lab was an enjoyable experience.
Good for people watching (both inside & on the street) the atmosphere is far less obnoxious than a scan of the clientele would initially maybe have you expecting although you may have a wait for a seat at peak times. Persevere though if that’s the case — the staff are grand, the coffee’s good (as are the various tray bakes & my baguette hit the spot) and, like a seemingly growing number of places in the city, they stock Fritz Kola.

I love this little & cute place! They serve a range of artisan bread and have a wide range of coffee and tea there. Last time when I went there, I saw they have three kinds of croissant and quite a lot cookies with different flavors. It’s a nice place to start your day with: you can either have your breakfast there, or read the newspaper the café provides (including Scotsman and financial times). You can also meet people — who share the same habit with you there.

Looking over the past reviews I had high hopes for my first visit to this little caffeine fix location. It was not planned, having arranged last minute to meet a friend who was holed up there studying.
I have been past here a number of times with a few to stop in and always found it too busy to be inviting however this time was about half full and was hopeful of a good experience.
First impressions, the expected hipster, half plastered/​half exposed brick walls, coffee paraphernalia needing a degree to operate correctly and the general 20−30s laptop absorbed clientèle were all there. Atmosphere gave the impression that this was a serious place for serious people who go there to work and not be overly social, which I’m cool with.
So far so good, no real issues, then I came to order. A disorganised queue with no one sure which end of the counter to stand, who was waiting and who was ordering, and staff that didn’t seem all that bothered if you were there or not, serving whoever they felt regardless of who got their first.
On ordering, felt like I was ordering from a machine, no smile, no real welcoming chat, no question as to which beans I would like (couple of options on display) to be used in my coffee, just order, take money, send on way, next!
I guess the lass who brought the order to the table was new as seemed to get lost between the counter and the table, seemed to feel awkward carrying more than 2 cups and what she brought was not as had hoped from a place that advertises courses in making coffee and charges 15−20% more than a lot of the coffee shops in town! Weak, watery brew, thin cappuccino foam head. Sadly I don’t have much more to say about the experience.
Maybe I was unlucky, maybe I had a first day barista, I don’t know, I do know however that I shall not be giving it a second chance anytime soon :-/

Love this coffee shop! It’s super cozy and they have good coffee. Was just there yesterday and so want to go back already. If I lived in Edinburgh, this will be the place I’d go regularly to let them take my money.
COFFEE/​FOOD– various types of coffee drinks and coffee for purchase. Ordered a flat white with soymilk and it was delicious, wished it was bigger! Plenty of baked goods, sandwiches, and a couple soups on the menu. Since I was freezing cold from getting blown like crazy at the castle, I opted for the curry lentil soup which came with two slices of olive bread and butter. It was very very tasty, with some spice which was perfect to warm me up. The olive bread is very good as well, pieces of juicy green olives in the bread! I wish I could stuff more food into me then I would have gotten a brownie (read that it’s marvelous).
AMBIANCE/​DECOR– filled with people when I went at 3pm ish. Luckily there were a few counter seats available so I chose one that looked through to the cashier/​coffee making lab. It was the perfect location to people watch. Pretty much non-​stop traffic the entire 1.5 hrs I was there. Most people were there to eat/​have coffee, hangout, or work/​read. Some outlets available. There are interesting frames and artwork on the walls and a little shelf by the cashier that sells coffee and coffee related goods. I love the wooden counters and walls. The place feels very cozy.
STAFF/​SERVICE– great! The guy who took my order was courteous and answered my question and instructed me how the café works. You order, then they give you a wooden rectangular stick that you prop up at where you sit so that a waitstaff could bring you what you ordered. Then you leave your dishes and cups there when you leave.
FYI if you use credit card, you have to pay a small fee for the charge. So use cash whenever you can!

On a mission to check out the specialty coffee scene in Edinburgh, I stumbled into Brew Lab and was welcomed with warm smiles and cozy couches.
I love that Brew Lab has a variety of lunch offerings such as salads, soups, sandwiches to go with their delicious coffee. I asked to sample their Nitro Cold Brew, but the roast was too light for me to enjoy; so I order a cold brew with their Chicken Salad. The salad was packed with all kinds of deliciousness – chicken, green beans, mixed greens, nuts, and seeds – and it came with a portion of olive and rosemary bread. It was amazing!
One of the things I loved about this place was the décor. Their comfy couches are accompanied by tables repurposed from espresso machine crates! I thought it was a lovely touch amongst the brick walls and visible copper piping. I must say it was very aesthetically pleasing.
I’ll definitely be back for one of their pour-​overs! Keeping it classy, Brew Lab!

Met a friend here for coffee and a small lunch. Cool place, lots of little table and nooks to sit and study or chat in. Had a deliciously smooth soya latte, lovely strong but not bitter coffee. I was temped by the treats and got the almond and plum cake, very moist, flavourful. For lunch I had a cinnamon butternut squash and large grain vegan salad, it was yummy and cheap but small… I was glad I had cake too =)
I like that they had vegan options for the cake and food, since a few of my friends are vegan and its always nice to find good places to cater to them!

Very busy/​studenty, modern style coffee place. Decent coffee. Large space, with lots of nooks and crannies where more than likely there will be someone working on a Macbook.
Also has nice big windows from which you can watch the world go by from.
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Not a bad brew at all. I’ve been meaning to come here for some time but since its in the other side of town I waited until the opportunity came along. And then it did.
Not to feed into the stereotype that Melburnians are coffee snobs (but we totally are), this coffee is exactly what I would expect to get from a coffee shop in the northern suburbs back home, and that’s probablyy biggest coffee compliment I’ll give in Edinburgh.

Quality! I’d never had cold brew before but it seems to be all people are talking about these days, so I stopped in.
It’s a very cool spot, with that feeling that maybe they tried a bit too hard (the whole space inside looks like it’s falling down, with holes in walls instead of windows), but it works for the feeling of the chic coffeehouse they’re creating.
We tried the cold brew which came in fantastic small glass bottles, and was tasty. I think I prefer hot coffee still, but it was sweeter and richer than your normal cup, so I see what people are trying.
We also did their sweets, and holy hell, the chocolate, coconut and cherry brownie. Easily one of the best desserts in the city.
I’ll be back next trip for sure!

Although my last stop at Brew Lab resulted in me and my friend leaving (due to the fact that there was nowhere to sit inside), I have frequented this spot before and I have nothing but nice things to say about it.
Their flat white is the real deal. Bottom line.
They have an awesome method for preparing the coffee (hence, LAB in the name) and it is freaking awesome and different. Love goes into your brew and that Guatemalan bean will have you going crazy. It does for me.
In terms of food, they have a very fresh and tasty (not to mention interesting), menu of items to choose from. Honestly, who else in Edinburgh is doing avocado and pico de gallo on bread? In terms of soups, they also have some awesome choices.
Let’s put it this way, when I couldn’t get a seat in Brew Lab and had to head elsewhere for my fix (that was reasonably close by), I knew I would get worse coffee and service than at Brew Lab. I only speak the facts folks.
Brew Lab is on the «upper» end of coffee joints in this old and charming town.

When Brew Lab popped up on my «to review» feed, I was actually quite surprised that I hadn’t reviewed them yet, because walking into this place is as close to being home (Vancouver, Canada) as one can possibly find in Edinburgh (this is a compliment — Vancouverites know their sh*t when it comes to coffee). But though I hail from the city that near invented the plaid shirt and pour over trend — i’m actually not much of a coffee connoisseur myself and in fact, have been slowly converting to caffeine free over the last year or so. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a flat white from time to time, but I definitely don’t go out of my way to seek out a good cup.
Which is how I know that this place is still pretty dang great.
Why? Because a place that makes great coffee is great… for those people who appreciate a great cup of coffee. For folks like myself, that don’t really fuss over the particulars, a café can’t just stand on the quality of their brew. They have to have good customer service or atmosphere to make it into the plus column — preferably both. Brew Lab secures this and adds free wifi to the mix, so yes: i’m a fan.
The staff here have always been pleasant. The interior is beautiful, with lots of wood, spaces to chat and corners to hide away and get some work done. They have a decent wifi signal, and though they are usually packed to the rafters, the turn over seems to be quite quick, so if you hover, you generally don’t have to wait long for a seat to pop up.
Plus, as Shae M’s review tipped me off to: they have cold brew on tap! Now, I may not know my coffee, but I know I ADORE good cold brew, so this was an added bonus.
All in all, I can’t tell you the ins and outs of their brew, I won’t wax poetic about their flat whites and I don’t wear a «coffee expert» badge… but what I can tell you is this place is the perfect spot to pull up a chair, have a chat and sip something nice. And really… what more do you want?

Coffee = good.
Place = overtly pretentious.
Staff = pretentious.
Café = too busy, making it feel cramped and rushed.
I wish I could like this place, but I just don’t. I feel uncomfortable, and like I should know every variety of coffee ever in order to order here.
Every time I end up going across to black medicine.

Ya le había echado el ojo antes del viaje. Sabía que sí o sí teníamos que tomarnos u café en este sitio. Lo que no sabía es que la expectativas iban a ser superadísimas.
El local es genial, tiene ese rollo industrial, limpio, milimetrado en cada uno de sus detalles. Tiene unas mesas y unos sillones preciosos que te hacen querer tomarte multitud de cafés durante horas.
Fuimos ya con la maleta porque nos volvíamos esa tarde así que desayunamos allí. Pedimos un par de cafés que estabas buenísimos, la soja sabía a gloria :) Luego pedimos unas tostadas con mermelada y el pan estaba genial, delicioso. Nos hizo mucha gracia ver en la vitrina de los dulces un Pepito así que también lo pedimos.
El precio estaba bastante bien. Unas 10 libras creo que fueron en total. Es perfecto para desayunar, media mañana o el fin de semana para leer un poco el periódico, el libro o charlar. Me quedaría allí eternamente!

How has my opinion changed so much over the last two years?
–They turn off their wifi at lunch time.
–The soya cappuccino here is one of the most expensive in the city at £3.30!
–They often curdle the soya milk.
–The cakes are from lovecrumbs (overly sweet) and the soup is from, yes you guess it, Union of Genius. Yawn.
–It gets really crowded and noisy.
The interior design is still cool. This is no longer on my radar however as a place to study. I will go somewhere where the coffee is better and cheaper.