Urban Angel Cafe

Food is very good here but not that good that you can never seem to get a seat or make a reservation! Service unfortunately is poor. Visited twice and on one occassion we ordered a bottle of wine…the waiter slammed the glasses down so hard that one broke. I didnt notice until I put the broken glass to my lips and almst ended up in A and E. We called the waiter over to advise and he didnt seem at all apologetic, just rushed off with he broken glass full of wine and returned with a new one, empty. So I was out of pocket for the wine itself not the mention the trauma of the incident. Very bad indeed.

Nothing like having your fill of healthy food! This really makes a difference. Nice place. Food is great. The food just hit the spot.

I wanted to like this place more but I think I may have just expected too much. The food is quite good, but unfortunately not prepared that well. The ambience is cute but the service isn't great.

-Chicken BLT - the chicken and bacon were delicious but the flat bread was completely burnt so all I could taste was char. Side salads were yummy though.

I like that they use seasonal and fresh ingredients, but the way it's presented isn't the best. The breakfast items people ordered around me looked tasty though!

the waiter who greeted us looked as if he'd slept in his clothes; the table we were shown to had the remains of the last customers' meal on it; another scruffy waiter wiped it with a dirty-looking cloth; the water brought to the table was warm; the portions (and we asked for the 'large' portion) were pitifully small - I shudder to think how small the small portions were; the chef kept wandering in and out of the kitchen; a waitress scrawled on the blackboard which was directly behind me while I ate; the food wasn't particularly good (some of my beans in my casserole weren't properly cooked) and to add insult to injury we were charged £25 for two meals which some other places I've eaten in would have served as tapas at less than £5 per portion. It's a pity I couldn't give this place zero stars.

A cute little cafe. Every time I have been in here, it has been very busy. Has great tasting food, though rather pricey for what it is. They seem to have the odd (in a good way) collection of drinks for sale. Worth a visit, but only if you aren't in a hurry and have extra money to spare.

What a great coffee shop. After visiting yesterday for the first time, it was a real haven from Edinburgh's miserable weather! I only opted for a coffee but was very pleased with it, the service and particularly the fresh, mordern decor. I must visit the sister cafe now!

great wee place - not so great for taking wee kids as it’s down a few steps, space is a bit tight and toilets are a bit of a faff - we’ve not returned since we had our 3rd bairn - but no doubt we will when they’re a bit older. nice food and friendly staff.

Urban angel popped up in 2004 and has been quite a success with new stores opening around the city. Despite assumptions UA is not a vegetarian establishment and serves a fish, meat and veggie menu.

I have found the food here uninspired and very expensive and the service mediocre (I waited 20 minutes in a deserted store for a sandwich one afternoon).

Treat with caution!

Ess

This one of my favourite places to eat at any time of day. For morning coffee the range of cakes are excellent. At lunchtime and in the evening there is a wide range of choices ranging from “light ” options to more substantial meals. Everything is cooked with high quality ingredient and with a lot of care. The range of deserts is also very well thought out with particular attention, for example to which type of ice cream would be the best match.
The main room is painted white and is very light and airy, the back room is a little more crowded and the toilets are a bit cramped.
But the mood is relaxed and unhurried. I’ve also been here with small children and they have also been treated with a lot of care and charm. Definitely one to try if you’ve never been.

Great halloumi. Also good fizzy pink wine, of a derivation i can’t remember but which nevertheless brought on the celebrating. And they brought me a macchiato which was exquisitely small and served in a glass cup, so as to show off the tiny shot of black and foam. Better than all that, they brought a taster plate of different chocolates and cakes, even though none of us ordered pudding.

I visited Urban Angel for the first time for a dinner with a group of friends. Having passed numerous empty restaurants on the way there I was surprised to see Urban Angel was busy, bordering on full. My first impression is of a lovely little, ethically-minded deli and cafe. It’s in an old-style tenement basement and the decor has been left rather rough and ready, which is in keeping with the sustainable ethos. Water is provided on all tables which is a nice touch, and the food was of good quality, healthy, and mostly from local sources. A great find!

Amazing that no-one has yet reviewed the new branch - the original Urban Angel on Hanover Street (still there & still good) spread their wings a little and took over the old Tapas Tree location on Forth Street. The same recipe of inventive, organic, local fresh food continues. The place has been decorated out to a very high standard and is usually busy. My last visit there for lunch last week was a fine example - beautiful hand-dived scallops to start, vegetarian haggis for main (try it even if not a veggie) and a sublime apple and banana tart with (real) custard to finish - all washed down with the organic Merlot and in good company too. Try it.

I can appreciate the standard of the food that is served at Urban Angel and the quality of the products that they use but something about my experience here left me quite cold. We ate in the room at the back which is a bit of an odd dpace with a few tables crammed in. The toilets weren’t great and were a bit awkward to get to.
The staff were friendly and, although I did enjoy the food I didn’t feel it was really anything to write home about. Which was a shame as I had really wanted to enjoy it.

It’s a really busy and bustling place now - you can’t always get a table there around lunch time. I am surprised they haven’t opened a 2nd yet!

It’s well worth a visit though if you can get a table. You feel like you are eating quite healthily - ingredients are fresh and interesting and I could have chosen so many different things from the menu. It’s not megre healthy food though - it’s rich and tasty and filling. The soup I had was wonderful - sweetpotato, coconut and chilli - yummy.

If you can make it on to desert it’s well worth it. They do lovely home made cakes.

There is a little shop that sells nice food to take home.

No longer a hidden gem, now it’s a well discovered and successful venue.

Urban Angel is a budget vegetarian eatery off Broughton Street in Edinburgh. The decor is clean and fresh, with the best toilet door signs in the city. On my last visit I sampled the halumi and chickpea salad, which was incredibly tasty and very reasonbly priced. It does suffer from a lack of atmosphere at times due to the sparse layout and lack of customers, although on a summers day it is ideal for a Friday lunch.

There is something about dining in a place that makes you feel like you have been invited to the home of the coolest person you have ever met. The interior of Urban Angel is clean and understated funk. An intimate courtyard, an exposed wood stack and wall oven, and beautiful rotating art.
For all this you would expect food of a lesser quality, however for the four years I have been coming here I have yet to be disappointed by a generous serving of hearty organic food, or the attentive funky staff.

If you are young, hip, and enjoy good food, you probably already live at Urban Angel. Even if you are old, cantankerous, and despise trendy eateries, you will be glad you visited UA. The food is that good. Oh! AAND they are fair trade friendly, O do-gooders!

I am a big fan of homemade soups, and UA feeds my need by offering a wide variety of steaming concoctions, changing seasonally with available produce. The corn fritters are also very very good. I am also particularly fond of the tomato and mushroom aloo tikki. Ooh! And the fried halloumi!

For the quality of food on offer and the upscale ambiance, prices are what you'd expect, with starters between 4-8 pounds, and mains from 7-14. My fellow diners complained about the portion sizes for the price, but in the end no one left hungry. As UA is located at the top of Hanover Street, shoppers or afternoon strollers can enjoy a steaming cup of expertly prepared coffee, sit in the sun (when it’s feeling social), watch the world roll by, and eat, eat, eat and be merry. : )

Opened in 2004 this cutsie eatery prides itself on dishing out mainly local, free range and fairly traded produce. A tad on the pricey side but that feeling of solid wellbeing and doing your bit for the local farmer and trader is priceless. Quality food in a quality setting.

passion fruit sorbet... damn yeah!