Connect Café

Good ingredients and friendly staff bring a steady flow of returning locals to this Comely Bank corner café / gift shop.

The 2017 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

A reputation for home-baking and a wholesome community ethos bring in a steady flow of returning locals to this corner café and gift shop. Wooden tables and warm red walls make for a relaxed homely interior and a seat beside the expansive windows is a perfect opportunity for people watching in this sedate quarter of town, just away from the busy Stockbridge thoroughfare. A simple menu of sandwiches and soup uses bread from Au Gourmand and locally sourced chutneys and jams. Try the Mull Cheddar toastie with leeks, onion and garlic. Pudding provides a dilemma for the sweet-toothed with the likes of a densely rich beetroot and chocolate cake or an airy Victoria sponge. Though it may not be culinary genius, the combination of well-prepared, thoughtfully sourced ingredients and genuinely friendly staff make this a neighbourhood favourite.

• High point: Great value lunch served by friendly staff
• Low point: Child friendly but no high chair
• Notable dish: Chocolate and beetroot cake