Sick and tired of bland coffee chains? This place is the antidote. That’s if you can get a seat. Ever since free wi-fi was introduced the place has got much busier and tables get clogged up with laptops. They still sell one of the best cups of coffee in town though.

To avoid confusion, JK Rowling didn’t write Harry Potter here. It was upstairs in what used to be Nicholsons (now a chinese buffet I think). Think they need to put an addendum on the plaque that says “Street level is ground floor in the uk, first is upstairs” at least then I’ll not appear in as many peoples holiday snaps while supping my hot cup of java by the window,

The setting is so unique, a sort of driftwood theme with its quirky au natural carved chairs and tables. The pastries and cakes are great, as are the sandwiches.

I love this place and have been going here for many years. I’ve since discovered J K Rowling had been in the restaurant upstairs (what was then the Nicholson Restaurant) all those years ago penning her £millions, while I was sitting downstairs lazily sipping coffee!

Nice cafe to stop for breakfast. They do lovely toasted bagels. It is open at 8am unlike some cafes nearby which dont open till 10am. Nice atmosphere although the music played can be a bit loud first thing in the morning. I have asked staff twice to turn music down and they were extremely accommodating.

this coffee house has pleasant surroundings but the service is TERRIBLE! They appear not to have enough staff to cope with a busy sunday morning clientele, there appeared to be no-one taking orders at tables, the queue at the bar was about 10 mins. Once you get to the front of the queue and order, the waitresses do not appear familiar with what they are serving and one of them was downright rude, slamming down smoothies and then flouncing off in a huff because we asked her to confirm what flavour the drinks were! shocking, really ruined my sunday brunch.

This is a fantastic, busy little coffee house with cosy, ethnic decoration. Every day the bagels and sandwiches are freshly made, with different fillings, and theres a huge array of different teas. The staff are friendly but usually run off their feet as this place is usually packed out. It's recently extended it's opening hours to 8pm on weeknights, so it's worth popping in after uni to take advantage of the free wifi.

Black Medicine Coffee Company is the place to go if you care about aesthetics as well as food. At first glance, you don't even notice that the chairs and tables are individualized- knotty bits of wood that are non-uniform. This is a place that actually has a few nooks! Which is especially important to those of us who enjoy having a good bite to eat or a coffee on our own. There are tables with seating, and then also a bar like area where you can sip your latte whilst watching the world go by. The food is moderately priced and is on the whole, well prepared, of good quality and is fusion inspired. The coffees are spectacular with the mocha latte being in the running, in my estimation, as one of the city's best. The little things in places like this make the difference, and I particularly like that the thoughtful management thought to put coat hooks along the underside of the high bar area. This sounds minor but it means a great deal when you have a sopping wet raincoat and no where to put it. Free wifi is also key- its a great place to catch up on your emails or to put in a lazy afternoon of work. It does get rather busy at lunchtime- as it is right near the some faculties of the University of Edinburgh- and because of its reputation. If you look outside, on the wall, there is a plaque recognizing that JK Rowling wrote some of Harry Potter in this very establishment. Think of that while you sip your coffee and tap away at your keys. Its not hard to be inspired here.

If you like the chair you sit in whilst you sip your coffee and peruse the paper to be a bit different, the Black Medicine Cafe is the place for you. Individually carved wooden chairs with interesting designs - arty as well as ergonomic - make for a little unusual, but warm, interior. In the middle of studenty Marchmont, the cafe is very relaxed serving a good spread of coffees, teas, smoothies, cakes, paninis, etc. Free WiFi also makes it worth a visit with your laptop at lunchtime to catch up on emails and, if you're like me, job-hunting...