The Pantry, Stockbridge

The Pantry earns second place on the strength of its cooking. This daily brunch and lunch café at 1 North West Circus Place sits in one of Edinburgh's prettiest districts, and its plates — eggs benedict, gooseberry-fool French toast and Belgian waffles — carry a strong reputation, particularly for the poached eggs, and it is consistently named among Edinburgh's best breakfasts in city guides. The catch, and the reason it sits behind Loudons, is access: it is walk-in only with no reservations, running a first-come queue with a virtual/notify system, though waits rarely stretch beyond 15–20 minutes. Choose it over Loudons when you're in or near Stockbridge, don't mind a short queue, and want a quieter, kitchen-led café feel rather than a bigger, busier operation — you gain charm and cooking, you give up the certainty of a booked table.