Cafe Vivo — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

If you have an allergy I wouldn't recommend eating/drinking here under any circumstances. We came for a quick drink before we headed up to the castle. We asked for a hot chocolate with oat milk for my sister as due to a medical condition she can't have dairy milk. We did not double check if the milk was oat when the drinks arrived as we assumed when we only ordered one hot chocolate it would be oat milk. About 20 minutes after we had left my sister had waves of severe intense tummy cramps which she only gets after drinking dairy milk. She spent the next hour and a half or so in pain caused by drinking the dairy milk. For my sister this instant isn't fatal but extremely painful and uncomfortable but if it was a severe allergy the outcome could have been a lot worse. If you had an allergy or any dietary restrictions I would highly recommend that you go elsewhere as this place does acknowledge your request for dairy...

The food was expensive for what it was and felt like it had been bought at a supermarket and then just thrown in the oven.

I had haggis pie and mash potato. The haggis was the worst I've had and again tasted like it had been bought at a cheap supermarket, while the mash potato had the consistency of play dough. You could literally roll it into a ball in your hand and play with it. The pastry tasted cheap and was rubbery with a round piece of haggis inside, nothing else. No gravy or sauce.

The other meals, such as the fish and chips, was breaded fish that I dont think even captain birds eye would have approved of.

Would not...

A lovely little find on a bright buy chilly Edinburgh afternoon. Small but well spaced out, with comfortable seating and a cozy ambience. The large Brazilian Cafetiere coffee was good and ample for 2 to share, although could have been a tad stronger brewed. And the cakes were tasty, moist, delicious, and generously portioned. Locale itself is child friendly, which is always a bonus for me, and located directly across from the historic Canongate Kirk, so offers attractive views. Overall we had an idyllic afternoon coffee & cake break here, with friendly service and decent prices for the Royal Mile....