Cafes in Edinburgh

[Jigglypuff87]

This is a bit of a strange one but I'd really appreciate any help. My parents are going to edinburgh next month and would find cafe/pub recommendations really helpful. Unfortunately dad is very unwell at the moment and is restricted in what he can eat due to his medical condition. One thing he is okay with his jacket potatoes. Does anyone know of any cafes/pubs around central edingburgh that have them on the menu? I just want to save them some time having to go around every place trying to find something he can actually eat. Any help is much appreciated.

West end - fox and co https://foxcaterers.uk/?fbclid=IwAR0E4w7-aogz6IzI-kIfCLoOTYiQFbV47J5-CDVoJzytds-U5DzFL8Jo9rA

The baked potato shop on Cockburn street and tempting tattie on Jeffrey street near Waverley station are both excellent ☺️

Check if the elephant house has reopened ( where U.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter)….,used to do lovely breakfasts

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the Baked Potato Shop shut down last year.

Elephant house on Victoria street has them. It’s very Harry Potter themed but nice if pricey. Lovely staff.

Baked potato shop closed down and tempting tattie is great but not so, if you want to sit in, only a handful of high stools at a tall table against the wall. Not sure it would suit someone with health difficulties

The Elephant House is still closed after the fire I think.

I can't think of anywhere, sorry, they aren't as commonplace as they once were. I'm sure you'd find them in cafes in the the more outlying areas of Edinburgh but the menus tend towards the trendy in the centre
The café at the Portrait Gallery might be worth a shot though, it always used to have lots of wholesome salady things.
Cafes based in churches might also have the kind of menus with baked potatoes on them. I can't remember the name of the church right at the end of Princes st gardens but it has a cafe.

The botanical gardens cafe usually has baked potatoes.

Not really a recommendation as such but if you want more central to my last suggestion, there are two weatherspoons on george st and I think there is one in the omni centre opposite john lewis too. Weatherspoons do baked potatoes.

The one in Victoria is open, I was in last week.

Is the one in Victoria Street still trading off JK Rowling? It didn't even exist when she wrote HP, that branch only opened in 2023!

You could also try the Edinburgh Live Facebook page?

@Jigglypuff87 could this work, it's on the Mound, so central?

makarsmash.com/

Cafe on The Mound Facebook

Victor Hugo, the one near the meadows.

I just walked past Social Bite on Rose St advertising baked potatoes in their window and thought of this thread!

I'm glad some posters have found some as I checked my earlier suggestions menus online and they were lacking in potatoes.

Not jackets, but mash?
they do plain mash with butter then you pick something to go with.
https://makarsmash.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/menu_makars_mound.pdf

This might be useful?
https://restaurantguru.com/jacket-potatoes-Edinburgh-m6635

JK Rowling also barely even visited the actual Elephant House when she was writing HP - she mainly wrote it in what was Nicholson’s cafe over on South Clerk Street but that became something else a long time ago. I’ve got fond memories of going to Nicholson’s as a student - the service was appalling but they did a great hot chocolate and let you sit there for hours studying!

@Bellebelleagain oh such fond memories of Nicolsons! My pals all worked in the Festival theatre so we used to go there all the time - they never charged for all of our drinks either, they usually missed at least one round off.