Uplands Roast — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

Went to grab a quick coffee with my friend after a studious all-nighter. We were probably their first customers, and expected friendly service.

Not only the beverages are insanely overpriced, but anyone with un-compromised taste buds could tell you they were sup-bar to say the least, even for Edinburgh standards.

When cheekily asking for a small marshmallow after having paid the extortionate fees, the ‘lady’ grumpily complied, but not without bitterly making the belittling jab ‘you should have told me before so we could have charged you’.

Besides the blatant outrageousness of charging for a singular marshmallow probably costing less than a pence, anybody in customer service understands that treating a customer with respect and positivity is of utmost importance if you want a loyal and joyful customer base.

I had already been to uplands roast a few times, dragged there by my friends. Although every single time I made the self reflection not to return due to the extortionate prices and terrible coffee, a pleasant interaction and a complementary marshmallow would have made my day, and I would have likely returned often due to the charming interaction. However, i will now be sure to never return and disincentivise my friends from going, I would much rather go to the little shack in front of the library where the owner is invariably friendly, accommodating, and charitable.

My productive day has been stained by this experience. To the owner, I would suggest a more stringent screening process of the employees as well as considering training on how to interact with customers. I would also consider in investing in a high-caliber coffee machine and instructing the patently lazy staff to regularly clean the machines in order to produce potable coffee.

This experience inspired me to write my very first negative review as a level 3 local guide. I will now permanently take mine and my friends and friends’ friends (crazy how powerful network dynamics are) business someplace else, and regularly wish for the downfall of the overpriced, inconsiderate, and frankly second-rate coffee shop called ‘Uplands...

Hot Chocolate - definitely not the best hot chocolate in Edinburgh, though the toppings are a really nice touch especially in Autumn/ for vibes. It is very very sweet due to the toppings so even as someone with a super sweet tooth I couldn’t completely finish the drink. If you’re more interested in a good drink, you’re better off going somewhere else.

Value - Now at £4.80 in October it is slightly pricier than places nearby averaging £3.80-£5 for a good hot chocolate. Overall I do feel the price is pretty good for what you get in the drink. As a visitor, I wouldn’t be interested in getting again in a short amount of time but would probably grab another if I was local.

Queue - I waited approx 25 minutes at 5pm. Locals seemed very irritated by the queue often pushing through it to get past, whilst understandable as I bet it is frustrating often, with the stand becoming very popular I do think a better queuing system is needed.

Service - Unfortunately not great though considering the staff were probably super busy all day with only 3-4 of them working but in a very tight space. Staff were constantly working making multiple drinks at once and the staff member at the till was also working the dj table? Because of this music being very loud and staff seeming to be frustrated, the service was not great and felt very much ‘get in, get out’ vibe, no hello just what do you want etc..

Recommend - if getting the hot chocolate, grab a lid otherwise it is difficult to take with you as the marshmallows obviously melt together. Be prepared to queue and for locals to push past. Know what you’re ordering to make that process easier and don’t expect 10/10...

In Edinburgh yesterday with the family and myself and my teenager fancied a hot chocolate. The meadows is always a frequant point of our travels in Edinburgh and see the wee coffee shack on our travels. So we finally decided to give it a visit.

The shack is great to look at, wee bit hippyish, with music playing. They have a kind of DJ set up with record decks and the girls behind the counter were deep in discussion about the song, The Waterboys - Whole of the Moon. Their opinions on the lyrics and the meaning behind it. It went over my head but I generally just like the song :D. Anyways they also have bike tools and very limited stock in bike parts which I find amazing but great idea as the meadows is great for cyclists.

Anyways back to the hot chocolate, it was to die for, amazing. I asked for their best one which I can't mind the name and they said they only had milk chocolate, so maybe they use something else for the top tier one but this was fantastic. Best in Scotland maybe? I even tried the seemly best in Scotland while doing the NC500, and it tasted subpar and compared to this? Chocolate water. This top tier hot chocolate had cream, marshmallows, and toasted marshmallow and a wee chocolate straw. Every slip was heavenly.

They also offer different drinks of course, the more fancier coffees with different milks, but I'll stick to the hot chocolate.

Give it a shot and...