Zebra Coffee Company — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

As a weary but spirited tourist hailing from the noble North of England, I recently found myself in the fair city of Edinburgh, in pursuit of culture, castles, and—most pressingly—a decent bit of breakfast. Imagine my unbridled delight upon stumbling into this absolute gem of a café, nestled inconspicuously amongst the historic stonework and cobbled charm of the city.

The moment I stepped over the threshold, I was greeted with the sort of warmth typically reserved for long-lost relatives or returning war heroes. The staff, a merry band of hospitality champions, welcomed not just myself but my scruffy four-legged companion with such genuine affection, I half-expected them to roll out a tartan carpet. My dog, who’s usually as mistrustful as a pensioner with a phishing email, was instantly won over—largely, I suspect, due to the free sausages proffered by one particularly attentive member of staff. Honestly, the look on his face (the dog’s, not the staff member’s) was one of spiritual awakening. He now refuses to eat unless it’s handed to him by someone with an Edinburgh accent.

Now let’s talk about the food. Dear reader, brace yourself.

I ordered what can only be described as a majestic medley of Scottish breakfast glory: a morning roll so packed with culinary wizardry I half-expected it to come with subtitles. Inside this warm, soft bap of brilliance lay the following: haggis (peppery, rich, and possibly blessed by the Highland gods themselves), a veggie sausage (no mere meatless imposter—this was the Tom Hardy of plant-based fare), a tattie scone (golden, soft, and blessedly carb-heavy), and a fried egg, its yolk a jubilant sunbeam of joy.

And just when I thought things couldn’t get more decadent, I followed this up with a Biscoff Stuffed Cookie. This was no ordinary baked good—it was a saucy, caramel-laced indulgence that whispered sweet nothings to my taste buds and left me wondering if I’d just eaten a biscuit or experienced a minor religious epiphany. Washed down with a classic can of Coke (no pretentious artisanal sodas here—just the fizzy black nectar of the gods), I left the café spiritually fulfilled and physically sluggish in the best possible way.

Now, here’s the kicker: the chef—yes, the chef—is French trained. Not just anywhere in France, mind you. Marseille. Which, as everyone knows, is where all proper flavour sorcerers earn their stripes. You could taste the precision, the flair, the je ne sais quoi in every element of that roll. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he came out in a toque and offered to flambé something just for show.

In summary: if you’re in Edinburgh and you don’t visit this café, you’ve made a grave error in judgement and should reconsider your entire approach to travel, breakfast, and joy itself.

Five stars, two thumbs up, and a standing ovation from both me and my dog (who is now campaigning to move...

Unhygienic to say the least !

It's right bang in the annoying soulless and overpriced tourist part of the city so you can get a sense of the shorthand - all fur and no nickers. Went in and ordered one of the brownies posh spoke server acted like he had no concept of how to to serve food first of all his jumper sleeve made full contact with the brownie ,I got it changed but should not have been put in the position as a customer of having to raise the point, then when I asked for a fork he picked it up by the head with his bare hands -yuck ! Don't people in the service industry get trained anymore on the basics of how to handle and serve food to members of the public as pose to how you would go about it in student digs or something. I did not mention the point about the fork but just ate the food with my hands cause at least I know where my hands have been unlike what the server might have been up to with his. The brownie was hard and stale the only good thing was the soft interior and sauce , tasted like it had been on display for a few days , about on the same level as a church fete school jumble sale where you would get it for less. If I had a coffee it would have come to £4.50 Ambiance was terrible full of the modern inconsiderate tourist and elite , if you like listening to Carlos play a you tube video or something via his phone as background noise this is the place for you if your looking for quality and substance avoid the cafe's around what used to be a great atmospheric part of the city and now is just rich euro kid touristville in...

the young woman at the counter was quite rude, she clearly did not want to be there and was as welcoming as an iron wrench to the face. a real shame as the reviews and pictures gave us a different idea of what to expect, but i imagine those coffees were made by another person.

speaking of coffee, the venue was empty when we arrived so when we ordered we didn't expect to wait long, but it took around 10 minutes as the woman was too busy chatting to her colleague and messing about. When our coffess came out they came out 5 minutes apart, cold and unappealing, and somehow mine tasted like burnt milk despite being lukewarm so props to her for for either leaving burnt old milk in the frother or not bothering to clean it at all.

we tried to thank her for our drinks when she brought them, but were promotly ignored, she didn't even acknowledge our existence ot look at us but went straight back to gossiping to her collesgue (this other girl was bo problem all btw).

she seemed so uninterested and unapproachable we didn't even bother complaining in person, but we do unfortunately feel obliged to...