Metropole Coffee House
British Cafe
from 6 reviews
29-33 Newington Road
Newington
Edinburgh
EH9 1QR
map
Phone: 0131 668 4999 (save)
Price: ££
Takeaway: No
Opening Hours:
Unknown.
Menus:
None.
Tags: metropole cafe licensed sandwich breakfast cakes coffee tea
Details last confirmed by mozza 3 months ago
6 user reviews:
from MartinR on June 8th, 2009 (1 year ago)
The Metropole could be wonderful. Its location in Newington is good, and the premises are interesting and could be quite laid back and cool. Unfortunately, it's not.
Firstly, I do want to point out that half of my negativity towards the place is nothing actually to do with the Metropole, its staff, or its food, but rather the clientelle. And I know there isn't much the managers can do about this, but it really does put me off going again.
On the couple of occasions I have been here in the day or early evening, the main central tables are taken up by large groups of mothers and their unruly, badly behaved children of varying ages. It's virtually impossible for the waiting staff to get past the pushchairs to the other tables, so they just let the empty dishes pile up.
I have absolutely no problem with parents taking their children into cafes and restaurants, but the Metropole seems to attract a certain group of parents who would rather chat amongst themselves and ignore their rioting children as they run around screaming at each other.
My partner and I have seen the detritus left behind once they have gone: spilt drinks, trampled food, colouring books, crayons, cutlery and crockery thrown asunder. I really feel for the waiting staff having to clear up this mess.
This really is a shame, because I really like what the Metropole tries to do. The menu looks good, if a tiny bit overpriced for what it is, but it is such a long, laborious chore to navigate and squash yourself between buggies, avoid treading on babies, buying earplugs, and trying to attract the attention of the poor, beleagured staff in order to place an order.
It could be the perfect place to chill and unwind after work with a glass of red and a book, with some nice ambient music in the background.
As it is, it just makes me thankful for contraception.
Moderation scores: Useful: 3 Agree: 1 Funny: 2
from EmmaR on September 27th, 2009 (11 months ago)
Argh, the Metropole is full of middle class housewives who are lunching together whilst they let their children scream and wail. It's not really the ideal place to have a relaxing coffee and a nice chat.
There is no table service so a bit of a queue can form whilst numerous, complex orders are placed in front of you in the queue and the waiting staff run around fetching it (special requirements for the 'little dahlings' no doubt) . Tables were not cleared and cleaned quickly enough and food was left on the floor from previous customers children. All in all it left me feeling claustrophobic and wishing myself home for some peace. The drinks themselves were below par and I wasn't tempted to try the food by the looks of what my friend had on her plate (a dry bit of cake).
Maybe I'm wrong and it was a one off, but I doubt I'll be back again to find out.
Moderation scores: Useful: 3 Agree: 2 Funny: 1
from duffer on April 23rd, 2008 (2 years ago)
Quite expensive, and the staff can be a hit or a miss - had a terrible experience there recently, there's an air of complacency sometimes as it's always packed with quite rich diners...
Moderation scores: Useful: -1 Agree: 1 Funny: 0
from mozza on May 16th, 2010 (3 months ago)
The food is reasonably priced, and great for a standard weekend (or weekday) lunch. It's not super-imaginative but tasty and well prepared. Coffee and cakes are similarly good.
It is a child friendly place, which clearly annoys some customers (see reviews above).
Moderation scores: Useful: 1 Agree: 0 Funny: 0
from Annie on July 26th, 2010 (1 month ago)
This is one of my favourite cafes in Edinburgh - the atmosphere is super relaxed with bohemian decor, and the staff are ALWAYS lovely! The soups are amazing, as is the fresh scones with clotted cream and jam and tea combo (all for only £3.50!). They have a lovely selection of good loose teas also. Busy over the weekends, but big enough to feel like you could curl up in the corner and read a book for hours - oh and there's free wifi!
Moderation scores: Useful: 2 Agree: 1 Funny: 0
from olly on November 7th, 2007 (2 years ago)
Went for breakfast in here for the first time on Sunday. Nice atmosphere, was fairly busy. Counter service, not great if you're feeling lazy/hungover and need another coffee. The all day breakfast was ok, nothing spectacular, but ok for the price (~£4.50). Also looked to have a good range of pastries and stuff.
Moderation scores: Useful: 1 Agree: 1 Funny: 0