Cairngorm Coffee

Cairngorm Coffee began with a dream Robbie Lambie carried down from the Scottish Highlands back in 2013: to open a coffee shop in Scotland's capital that he'd actually want to drink in. He made it real, and more than a decade later, if you ask anyone in Edinburgh to name a coffee shop they recommend, Cairngorm is almost always on the list. The operation now runs two cafes in the New Town, the newer of which occupies a handsome former bank building on Frederick Street.

Cairngorm roasts its own coffee and pairs it with some of the sharpest branding in the city — colourful, custom-designed bags that carry a brief description of what you're about to drink and clear recycling guidance for when the beans are gone. The team operates at the cutting edge of how a small roaster markets itself, but the substance backs up the style. They've leaned into blends with their Guilty Pleasures release — a deliberate argument that a well-built blend can stand alongside any single-origin — and run dual-process packs that let drinkers taste the same coffee finished two different ways.

The rooms are warm, busy and unpretentious, the kind of New Town spots that work equally well for a quick flat white or a slow morning. Whether you're after an espresso or a bag for home, Cairngorm is one of the names that defines what Edinburgh coffee tastes like now.