The Haven Edinburgh – Delicious cakes

The joy of The Haven café is its friendliness. It’s not in a beautiful part of the city, although nearby Newhaven Harbour is well worth visiting, but its staff are always kindly and welcoming, and the fare is really pretty good.

Serving a range of full breakfasts (Scottish, Vege), my personal favourite savoury dish is scrambled egg with sides like mushrooms and tomatoes, and the sweet offering that I so often go for is their raspberry scone, served with home-made jam and cream. I wash it all down with green tea (made from real leaves), and they know me so well that they start to make it when they see me coming!

I like to meet friends and family for brunch or sit writing away on my laptop if it’s not too busy. There is something about the ambience: the eclectic mix of arm- and dining chairs, the old sewing machines and many-shaped looking glasses, the comfy cushions and vintage crockery, which makes me feel at home. Except that I don’t have to cook my own sweet potato/coconut soup or bake my own Victoria Sponge!

Open Tuesday to Sunday, The Haven attracts local people, and those in-the-know, for both take-away and sitting in. The playlists mean that there’s always jaunty music, frequent laughter from behind the counter lends a relaxed air, the toilets are clean, and in winter it’s warm enough to coorie in (Scots for snuggling) out of the sea wind. What more do you want from a café?