Review: The Haven, Edinburgh

IF I HAD to choose a last meal before departing to the big restaurant in the sky, a dirty fry-up would certainly be up there.  Not just because I like the taste, but it reminds me of being 10 years old and rising ridiculously early on a Sunday morning to prepare breakfast for my family. A strong coffee alongside is, of course, mandatory. The Haven happens to be five minutes from my flat and is my go-to breakfast joint. I felt it was about time I did the noble thing and wrote something about it.

 A small independent café serving homemade cakes, breakfast, soup, pancakes, and sandwiches, the place is always busy, more often than not with repeat customers. It’s one of the very few cafés I ever purchase coffee in, largely because I got pissed off with so many places doing coffee badly. Here it’s strong and bold, just as I like it. Is there anything worse than crap coffee?

Now, I’ve had many a fry-up in my time.  Some utterly outstanding, some absolutely appalling. There are venues uptown charging upwards of £10 for an all-day breakfast these days, which I find ridiculous. Obviously, it’s not the healthiest of dishes so it really has to be immensely satisfying to justify the calories and extra gym time.

The Haven’s offering comes in at £8.45 which includes a cup of tea or an Americano. It consists of bacon, sausage, black pudding, haggis, free-range fried egg, tomato, mushrooms, beans, tattie scone and toast. The egg was invitingly draped over the centre of the plate and was perfectly runny.  The butcher’s quality black pudding and haggis had a slightly crisp exterior and moist, fluffy interior. The bacon was soft with the sausage meaty and not overly greasy. The tattie scone benefitted from not being fried in tons of oil and the beans provided liquid to dunk into.  Best of all, the mushrooms were pleasantly tender and not rubbery. 

The interior is bright from the large windows at the front with the hipster vibe inside providing a comfortable space to enjoy your food in.  Service is always swift and extremely friendly, from a clearly close-knit team that enjoy a bit of chat together as they go about feeding the punters.

The Haven is definitely worth stopping by if you’re in the Leith/Newhaven area or if you’re looking for a change of scenery. This little caff will fill you right up with excellent grub and great service.  Everyone should have a place like this in their neighbourhood.

Web: havencafe.co.uk/
Instagram: thehavencafe
Phone: (0131) 467 7513

Address: 9 Anchorfield, Edinburgh EH6 4JG

Opening hours: Mon - Fri 08:00 - 17:00, Sat & Sun 09:00 - 17:00