LOWDOWN

Excellent service and products. I ordered a plain latte and the espresso was so delicious! The floral notes really came through and the flavor was very unique. The pastry was also quite good. I highly recommend LOWDOWN to any coffee connoisseur travelling through Edinburgh.

It was pouring rain and my wife and I were looking for a cafe to warm up and enjoy some coffee. We’re huge coffee fans and seek out the best 3rd wave spots wherever we go. The coffee scene in Edinburgh has some great cafes. Fortitude being one. But LOWDOWN is special. It’s tiny and was full save for one table, so we were super stoked to get seated right away. The service and hospitality up front was very warm and kind. The menu was explained to us and we selected two pour over coffees. They came very quickly delivered in Kinto carafes with beautiful mugs for drinking. We didn’t order food, but it looked lovely. The coffee is simply amazing. You can tell when a shop knows the beans, knows how to dial in the grind and timing for perfect extraction. This is one of those special places for coffee fans, baristas and those interested in exploring how delicious a black coffee can taste. I have no doubt that they pull great shots and make great milk based drinks too, but if you’re at all interested, try a pour over here. Thanks for the hospitality Paul! Can’t wait to visit again on our next trip to Edinburgh.

Loved this place. Serving specialty coffee with some amazing latte art. The cinnamon bun is delicious and the mortadella & burrata toast is sooo good. The atmosphere is great too, all the staff are cool and attentive and polite.

Had an incredibly fruity flat white (though will not be available for long as the coffee changes round about every other week - which is sad as you can’t experience the same great coffee again but super interesting to come more frequently cause you will likely experience a new coffee!). Also, employees super helpful and they sure know their stuff!

LOWDOWN has been my favorite cafe while on a trip to Edinburgh. The place has a casual confidence that made me feel at ease. The cafe has a very open layout. There is little separation between the seating and staff area. You can see everything. They have nothing to hide. Excellent food and coffee plain and simple. For food there is a selection of pastries and sandwiches. The sandwiches have a great variety of ingredients. This is not a simple ham and cheeses sandwich. There was interesting flavor and texture the whole way through. The food being prepared in the open shows everything that goes into it and the care taken. For coffee I spoke with Chun who gave me a detailed run down of the coffees available. I went with a coffee flight consisting of filter, espresso, and espresso with milk. Chun gave spot tasting notes without hesitation. The staff is clearly knowledgeable and care about coffee. (filter coffee shown in image for details). Coffee flight cost ~ £11 (varies based on coffees available at the time. If you enjoy coffee, if it is a passion, hobby, or something you want to learn about I highly reccomend LOWDOWN.

This coffee shop definitely stands out as being a highlight of visiting Edinburgh and that is saying something. The staff were so lovely and the vegan carrot cake to die for. Most certainly the best cup of coffee I have tasted for a while. I am so happy that we stumbled upon it as we navigated the city. I will be visiting again when we are next in the city 😍

Cozy and nice place to take a coffee, a tea or eat something, the menu is short but everything was delicious. Highly recommended!

The cakes at this cafe were delicious and moist, and the coffee was great—something we kept thinking about after we left. The service was friendly, and the interior was clean and well-organized, there were also tables to sit outside. A great place to stop by!

LMGOSH the banana cake is amazing!!! Please try the banana cake. It is different from what you normally get at Starbucks or any other cafes.

Stopped by in the afternoon for a cup of coffee while I was in town. There were no seats available so I ordered a cappuccino to drink while I walked around. It was good! Hard to tell how it compares to other places since it came in a paper cup rather than a ceramic mug. But the staff were friendly and it seemed like a very popular spot.

Lovely little--only six or seven tables indoors & four or five outdoors--cafe in New Town. The maple granola with apricot compote, Greek yogurt & lemon verbena and Earl Grey were a great way to start the day. The atmosphere is clean & contemporary--verging on Scandinavian--& both bustling & serene.

Four out of seven on the Disloyal 7 Challenge. We were running out of time in Edinburgh, and the coffee shops left on our list closed up really early in the evenings. But, we were determined to get all those stamps (and the satisfaction of having accomplished something that was specific to Edinburgh), so this was the first of two coffee shops visited in the space of an hour. Crazy? Yes, indeed. I really liked the feel of this shop. It's open, clean and bright. It's about on par, size-wise, as some of the other shops we visited, but it wasn't as busy. There were two guys working the counter when we arrived, and they had several tables open, which we took advantage of. We ordered our drinks and sat down to wait. They came out quickly, and they were delicious. The guy who brought our coffee to the table was very friendly, checking to make sure that we were set, that we had everything we needed, and that we knew they had fresh-baked pastries at the counter. I was interested in the pastries but knew that we had one more coffee shop to visit before really starting our day, so I had to abstain. The coffee was delicious - well brewed and served piping hot. I could see making this place into a normal haunt, if we were in the area more often.

Excellent coffee and really tasty avocado toast. The cafe is really cute and the staff are super nice.

Best coffee shop in Edinburgh, and probably best few in the world. What does it take to make a good coffee shop? Quick and friendly service, good coffee and tea, fresh delicious hot sandwich (good sourdough, perfectly toasted, good ratio of protein, vegetable and sauce), handmade fresh pastry and cake! This place had it all! Plus beautiful modern interior, designer furniture, and arts works. Must order: chicken sandwich ( those garlic mayo), *Peanut butter banana cake* ( the pb butter cream is next level) and rose tea if they some.

I was visiting Lowdown because I wanted a coffee (and cake) and somewhere to work for an hour or so. Sadly my plans were scuppered by the fact that this place was totally full and there wasn't a spare seat in sight - so I grabbed a coffee to go, instead. If you're not sure where to head, follow the map on Yelp and look for the sandwich board outside. It's downstairs and the space is pretty small - there isn't a tonne of seating so you'll be lucky to get a seat (maybe 15-20 seats inside, I think)! The staff were super friendly and I ordered my Americano to go (£2.40). I also had a peek at the menu which sounds really good - granola and yoghurt, bagels, soups, salads, sandwiches and cakes galore (I've added a pic of the full menu on offer the day I visited). They also sell Jarritos which is a bit unusual! My coffee didn't take long (they apologised for the wait but I reckon it was only 3 minutes anyway) and off I went. I am a pretty new coffee drinker and really enjoyed this one, even without sugar. So that's a win for me. I'll definitely be back here and it's well worth a visit in an area rammed with chain coffee shops.

The place is not offering WIFI, and not computer friendly. Coffee and pastry were good, the staff was not as friendly as you would like them to be. I guess they were ok.

Ohh a new coffee place in Edinburgh! With the likes of Wellington's and Urban Angel nearby, these guys have some close competition. I was taken here by my partner last week with the excitement of a new space, however it does not look like your regular coffee shop- on the basement level, from the outside it looks like the kitchen area of a small business and I had to question whether this really is a new coffee joint or whether we were about to get in trouble for trespassing. So don't panic, it's a real business. The layout is... interesting. It looks like an Ikea kitchen. Or some kind of super futuristic sterile lab with a coffee machine inside. The coffee is good here, this little engine that can will rival the big trains once it picks up speed. The lattes and cappuccinos were served in the same cup which is a no-no for me, but was strong, full bodied and hot. There are also specialty chocolates, whole beans and baked good for sale. Would reccommend giving it a crack!

I am always excited to try out new coffee shops. Lowdown has opened up on George Street and with Wellington, Cairngorm, Burr & Co all nearby this is little area is a bit of coffee hot-spot in town. It's down some stairs and might not be obvious unless you are looking out for it. The glass door leads to a room which is pretty minimalist; a few tables and wooden chairs in a bright space. It feels to me like being in a museum or gallery; it's less cosy and hipster and a bit more sophisticated and refined but perhaps lacking a bit of character. It still has quite an independent feel about it however and I feel confident that the owners and baristas care about their coffee and the beans they use. I had a flat white which was pretty good. I believe it was Workshop coffee in the hopper, which is one of my favourites. I will definitely come back to try out some filter coffee, have one of their nice looking pastries and buy some beans for home. Seems they have got off to a solid start and I think this could be a good space particularly as some of smaller coffee places in town get super busy. I look forward to coming back.

Spent a looooovely afternoon here on an indulgent search for more of Edinburgh's high spec coffee. Enjoyed a yummy latte in the outside seating area, and didn't plan on ordering food at all, but the freekeh, feta, apricot and almond salad massively grabbed my attention - had to try - and was super glad I did, it was delicious! Looking forward to next coffee stop, and most probably more lunch menu sampling!

Best coffee I've had in town, have been back twice just to buy beans! Highly recommend.

Best long black I've had in Edinburgh so far! It also paired very well with a peanut butter and chocolate filled doughnut. I like the layout of Lowdown, and it was nice to sit outside even if it was on the basement level. Definitely a great spot to pop in for coffee and a treat if you're shopping around new town. Service was quick and friendly, and the baristas were knowledgable. I wish I remembered more about the type of bean/roast I had (because I enjoyed it so much)... I think it was from Brazil. But even without remembering the origin of the coffee, it was a great experience!

One of edinburgh's best and we like it's a bit incognito for the regular george street cattle. Cakes can be pricey but there's a bit more going on with them.

Very good coffee in a small below-ground space tucked away on George Street. Please be warned though that if you are looking for a cafe with WiFi this is not the spot for you (no WiFi).

Delicious coffee! The wifi works and is fast and free, and they have usable outlets and indoor and outdoor tables. Staff was friendly too.

A strong part of Edinburgh's growing genuine high-end coffee market. We have had some small indy coffee shops for a while in Edinburgh but there are some coming on the scene with an even clearer focus on quality and the art of coffee. Lowdown is one. It is worth trying to taste the actual coffee. Bizarre as it sounds I find my palate has acclimatised to lesser quality coffee so when i find somewhere good it can take a moment to readjust. I have had the single shot espresso, long black and flat white, and all are quite excellent. I can't recall the coffee used, which limits the value of this review but the quality seems exceptional. The pastries are of top quality, and I have found the service equally top notch.

This place was a great getaway from the fringe festival crowds. Super chill, super profesh and def specialty coffee and tea. Loved it so much I am writing this review whilst sitting in the cafe still... So I kind of feel like a secret ninja. Go there. It's worth it.