The Nook (previously OQO)

Head down to Leith Walk and duck into Haddington Place—you'll find yourself in a café that doesn't shout about itself but absolutely should. The Nook (formerly OQO) has that rare quality of feeling genuinely local; the sort of place where regulars prop themselves on mismatched chairs with their laptops and actual humans just pop in for a proper coffee. It's refreshingly unpretentious, with the kind of stripped-back aesthetic that works because it's honest, not because someone's trying to make it look effortless. The brunch menu is straightforward but executed well, and the espresso machine actually gets a workout here.