The Bothy

Thanks to Shirley, the proprietor, The Bothy is a great deal. Breakfast plus advice plus lots of insights into Scottish culture. Not bad for the price of a yogurt and a cup of coffee.
We stayed nearby in Grassmarket. Rather than the 10 GBP the hotel wanted per person for «full Scottish breakfast,» we walked into the Bothy.
The food — pastries, yogurt, cereal, sandwiches — and the coffee were pretty good and the prices were pretty standard.
It is Shirley who’s the attraction. She knew all of the regular customers and quickly got to know us tourists. Where are you going today? Do you like dogs? (She has two Great Danes and raises money for an animal shelter.) Along with the food comes instructions on what various Scottish words mean and how they should be properly pronounced. («Dour» is pronounced «dure,» not «dower.»)
Open a little window into Scotland along with your breakfast. Start the day at The Bothy.

Joining the Grassmarkets collection of delis and café is The Bothy (not to be confused with Glasgow’s more famous restaurant of the same name).
The Bothy (which for the sake of tourists, is a shelter found in remote rural parts available of Scotland for all to use, especially walkers or those working on the land) is a deli/​café offering, like other cafes nearby, a fantastic view of the castle. Although be warned there isn’t a great deal of seating available so you might have to appreciate it from the comfort of your own feet. They offer coffee provided by Edinburgh’s own Artisan Roast, as well as a host of other quality hot drinks including specialist teas.
But to be honest at the end of the day The Bothy is really a gloried snack joint, and you’ll probably be in for one of their paninis or baguettes on offer (all priced around the £2 mark). Unfortunately for vegetarians they mostly offer cheese, cheese and more cheese although there are low (or lower) fat options like mozzarella, which make for a slight improvement. For those seeking something other than savoury, pancakes, baking and ice cream are also available. The Bothy also makes a daily special of something a rather (today, at the time of writing, they offer Egusi– curry with chicken, ground melon seeds and spinach.)
I quite like The Bothy. I get the impression it’s trying to be something quite smart and fancy when its actually just quite a good sandwich place. But that’s fine, because it is better than most.