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The old sweetshop front of The Milkman on Cockburn Street, CONFECTIONS cut in the stone above.
Edinburgh

The Milkman

A small coffee shop in an old sweetshop at the foot of Cockburn Street, opened in 2015, with a second shop further up the street.

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Welcome

At the foot of Cockburn Street, where it bends down towards Market Street and Waverley, an old shopfront still carries its old trade lettered across the stone above the windows: Confections, Snacks, Cigarettes.

It was once a sweetshop, and since October 2015 it has been The Milkman, a small coffee shop.

The room is a narrow triangle, with the counter curving away towards the far end, a bench along the window and a few stools at a bar on the wall, and bags of beans, cups and small things from independent makers on the shelves. The coffee is made with real care, and the cake cabinet is kept full of pastries, cinnamon buns and fruit Danishes. In good weather there is a table outside on the pavement.

The Milkman opens every day until five, and it has a second shop further up the street, at number 52.

Round the cornerMimi's BakehouseThe City Art Centre cafe of Mimi's Bakehouse, a family bakery since 2010, known for its cakes and award-winning afternoon tea.1 min by roadSee itMimi's shopfront with award chalkboards for Scottish Bakery and Café of the Year
Before you go

Open every day from morning until five in the afternoon.

Seats are few, and plenty take their coffee out onto the street.

Where
7 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh EH1 1BP, and a second shop at 52 Cockburn Street.

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
7am–5pm
Tuesday
7am–5pm
Wednesday
7am–5pm
Thursday
7am–5pm
Friday
7am–5pm
Saturday
7am–5pm
Sunday
7am–5pm
Where it is

At the foot of Cockburn Street, a few steps from Market Street and Waverley.

Close byCockburn Street.
  1. Gloved hands hang black and white photographic prints on a darkroom lineStillsA centre for photography on Cockburn Street since 1977.Under a mile1 min by road
  2. Marble café table with iced coffee, latte art and a cameraGordon Street CoffeeUnder a mile1 min by road
  3. The Fruitmarket GalleryThe Fruitmarket GalleryA free gallery of contemporary art on Market Street, in an old fruit and vegetable market of 1938 and the warehouse beside it.Under a mile1 min by road
  4. Cockburn StreetCockburn StreetA curving Victorian street of turreted tenements, built in the 1850s.Under a mile2 min by road
  5. Framed pictures line an exposed brick wall beside a yellow-topped bar with beer tapsArcade BarHaggis and more than a hundred whiskies in an old bar on Cockburn Street.Under a mile2 min by road
Directions
Mimi's shopfront with award chalkboards for Scottish Bakery and Café of the YearCafeMimi's BakehouseA step away
Visitor views two gilt-framed portraits of women in a galleryAttractionsCity Art CentreA step away
The blue front of Stills on Cockburn Street.AttractionsStillsautomatA step away
Stone-walled café nook with macramé plant hangers and a window seat overlooking the streetCafeThe MilkmanA step away
CafeBrewhemiaA step away
Sandstone turrets and arched windows rise against an overcast skyAttractionsThe Scotsman StepsA step away
Set table beside a brick fireplace with clock and mirror aboveRestaurantsWhiski Rooms0.2 miles
Turreted stone tenement with crow-stepped gables and a lamppost in Edinburgh's Old TownAttractionsWriters' Museum0.2 miles
Pavement slab inscribed with Robert Garioch's verse "In Embro to the ployAttractionsLady Stair's Close0.2 miles
Stay nearby

Places to stay near the Milkman, and when each is next free.

A man walks past Bucken Booths entrance flanked by black lamp postsOld Town Chambers
  • To stay
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  • Under a mile from the Milkman
Check datesA round table and chairs stand before tall curtained windows looking onto stone buildings, a sofa and mounted television to the right.Moment George IV Bridge
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from the Milkman
Check datesWest End Muse
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from the Milkman
Check datesA turreted sandstone building with conical spires catches the evening light above rooftops, a large pine tree standing beside it.The Scott Hotel
  • A hotel
  • In Edinburgh
  • A mile from the Milkman
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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