Cult Espresso

Cult Espresso embodies upbeat coffee culture in just about every way. The name is playful, the door literally says 'good times', and the staff are the sort who'll happily walk you through the menu and the beans without a trace of pretension. Tucked onto Buccleuch Street, about ten minutes from the Old Town and right in the heart of the university belt, the cafe looks compact from the pavement — then opens out into a long, table-filled room with plenty of space to settle in.

For years Cult built its name on the quality of its drinks and the warmth of its room, pouring other roasters' coffee and doing it brilliantly. In 2020 it took the leap into roasting its own, hand-roasting in small batches on a 6kg Giesen based out in South Queensferry. It's a newer chapter than some of the city's older roasters, but the same care that made the cafe a local favourite carries straight into the beans — and anyone with a passion for coffee will find plenty to love.

What keeps people coming back is the feel of the place: knowledgeable but never preachy, busy but never rushed, equally good for a quick espresso or an afternoon with a laptop. It's one of Edinburgh's most genuinely welcoming specialty bars, and a fixture of the Southside coffee scene.