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Edinburgh

Beatnik

A laptop-free specialty coffee shop in Tollcross, opened in 2022, pouring a house espresso and guest beans from roasters across Europe.

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Welcome

It is easy to miss: a black doorway in a weathered sandstone building, a big window with a neon squiggle and a black awning, and a small illustrated sign of a reclining figure in sunglasses and a hat, cup in hand.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

Inside, the room is high-ceilinged, calm and spare. A green banquette runs along one wall beneath arched lamps, black metal stools stand at small round tables, and a looping neon light hangs above the counter, where the menu is written up in a few words. A red espresso machine does the work. Coffee comes on a steel tray with a glass of water, and there are pastries on the side. Sit for a while and talk, or take a cup across to the Meadows.

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Before you go

Coffee to drink in or take to the Meadows, with a handful of pastries and cakes.

There is no food menu, and no laptops.

Where
Brougham Street, Tollcross, a few minutes from the Meadows.

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
8am–4pm
Tuesday
8am–4pm
Wednesday
8am–4pm
Thursday
8am–4pm
Friday
8am–4pm
Saturday
9am–5pm
Sunday
9am–5pm

Eaten here? Tell others what to order and when to go, and the best go on this page with your name.

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Did you know

Beatnik's black doorway and illustrated sign sit beside a large window in a weathered sandstone building, a black awning shading the glass.
Did you know

A couple's shop.

Beatnik was founded in 2022 by a husband and wife, Sarfraz and Jemma, who turned a shared dream into a coffee shop.

Beatnik's illustrated sign shows a reclining cartoon figure in sunglasses and a hat holding a cup, mounted above a shopfront with tenement rooftops behind.
Did you know

In Machina's old home.

It opened in November 2022 in the Brougham Street premises where Machina Espresso, one of the city's pioneering coffee shops, had been for several years.

A minimalist dining nook in Edinburgh has a green banquette, a small round table and an alcove shelf stocked with bottled drinks.
Did you know

No laptops, ever.

Beatnik is laptop-free at every hour, not just at busy times: the idea is to bring back the social side of the coffee house.

Pastries including a cinnamon swirl, an egg tart, a filled bun and a pasty sit on a tray printed with Beatnik's repeated logo.
Did you know

No food menu.

There is no food menu at all: just coffee, with a handful of pastries and cakes.

A coffee counter has 'Batch', 'Flat White' and 'Hand' listed with prices on the wall above a red espresso machine and grinders.
Did you know

A guest in the grinder.

Alongside the house espresso there is always a guest bean, from roasters around Europe who like to experiment.

A looping neon light installation above a coffee counter in Edinburgh, a menu board listing batch, flat white and hand-brew prices.
What is on

What is new across Edinburgh, day by day.

New places, news and stories, as we find them.

What is on in Edinburgh
01 / 06
Where it is

On Brougham Street in Tollcross, near the Meadows.

Close byThe places nearest Beatnik, around Tollcross.
  1. King's TheatreKing's TheatreA theatre that has welcomed performers since 1906.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. YamatoYamatoJapanese food with a modern take on sushi rolls.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. Wooden tables and benches beneath a blue artwork on a stone wallHarajuku KitchenJapanese family recipes and fresh Asian ingredients.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. Armchair BooksArmchair BooksA family-run secondhand bookshop on the West Port.Under a mile 2 min by road
  5. TimberyardTimberyardModern dining in a 19th-century warehouse on Lady Lawson Street.Under a mile 2 min by road
  6. Edinburgh PrintmakersEdinburgh PrintmakersBritain's first open-access print studio, in an old rubber works.Under a mile 2 min by road
Directions
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The navy front of Greek Artisan Pastries on Bread Street, under a striped awning, with yellow cafe tables and chairs outside on the pavement.CafeGreek Artisan Pastries0.2 miles
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Recommend to a friend

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Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in EdinburghAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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