roseleaf bar cafe

theroseleafis a quaint little pub hidden away a bit on an unassuming street in leith. the bar itself has a warm feel, which lends itself to the small venue. a group of us were trying out the mad hatter’s tea party. this consists of an afternoon tea and your choice of hat from those adorning the walls of the bar. cocktails (or pot-tails as they are known here, as they are served in teapots with mismatching cups and saucers), are an additional cost, which is good for those who perhaps do not want to drink or are driving. also, it does not automatically include tea me

there was a good array of drinks on offer and the cocktails all looked great. the teas arrived on traditional type cake stands. the two bottom layers were filled with savoury treats and the top layer consisted of two types of sweet delights. what hit me immediately was this was a much more modern afternoon tea as there was not a sandwich in sight and i think it was better for it. firstly i tucked into some devilled eggs. they were really good, having a bit of a kick but were not overpowering. there was a salmon and prawn mixture sat on a seeded type crispbread/cracker concoction. the crispbreads looked homemade and were full of texture.  other savoury items included a mushroom and tomato concoction atop some type of bread square, croquettes, a type of hummous on a thin cracker and some cheese and fruit jelly on top of more of the crispbreads. moving onto the cakes, there was a polenta cake and a brownie. the polenta cake was incredibly moist and fresh. the brownie was also moist and had a generous portion of nuts in it. there was also a vegan and a vegetarian in the group. the vegetarian received a mixture of foods on a plate, which she had mixed feelings over. the vegan actually got to choose from a special vegan menu, which had about five options on it, which was pretty impressive. unfortunately she originally did not get what she ordered due to a mix up in the kitchen but this was resolved swiftly.

all through the meal the staff were incredibly helpful and friendly.

coming from the states, service culture in europe can seem... not great.

that being said,roseleafoffered the best service in all of scotland. our waiter was amazingly friendly, attentive and informative.

the atmosphere was dominated by relaxed locals and a homey ambiance in the leith district of edinburgh.

the food looked great, but we were just popping through for beverages and sweets. the drinks were sublime, and the dessert was too.

we would go back in a heartbeat. 5 stars!

we came for a late lunch and had been looking forward to it after reading the reviews. we were seated however next to a party of 12 when there were plenty of other tables for two. the service was very good and attentive but theroseleafwas let down by the food. my wife had the macaroni which was inedible as were the fries and it was clear this had been sitting under a lamp for far too long. the waiter should not have even taken it from the pass. the cullen skink was ok but the bread was not that fresh. as it was getting a bit rowdy we did not want to make a scene so we left as soon as we finished our drinks. the cocktail list is limited and the wine for the quality ie blended grapes was overpriced so we probably would not return. i believe this was probably a one off in terms of the food but there are far better places to go in the area.

brunchalicious! theroseleaf has to be one of the best brunch spots in edinburgh
quirky and cute, with lots going on, it's no surprise it's best to book in advance. do yourself a favour and try the veggie haggis benedict, it's amazing!

i finally managed to visitroseleaflast night and i absolutely loved the place! i heard so many great things about it and i had very high expectations. they didn't let me down! i had st. clements lemonade which was lovely! i was pleasantly surprised with how much choice of non-alcoholic drinks they had on their drinks menu. a lot of homemade lemonades which made me very happy since i wasn't drinking that night. i then couldn't decide about the food. so i went for the fish soup - chunky cullen skink which was absolutely amazing! very filling though and it also came with two pieces of fresh bread. i loved this dish and would happily have it again. it's perfect for cold days coming up in edinburgh! then i went for the venison tartare which was a special of the day. i really enjoyed the meat which was accompanied by crispy bread and salad. overall i paid around £12 for both of these dishes which was an amazing value for money! we also had an espresso after the dinner and i can confirm their coffee is good as well! plus it was served in the cutest china i've ever seen!roseleafis quirky and buzzing bar cafe with amazing atmosphere, friendly service and the best food! it's worth to travel down to leith just to visit them :)

seemingly unique or quirky ideas are actually quite commonplace these days. that's not a bad thing. all it does is make one even more discerning and expect more than just gimmickry. we booked at theroseleafbar expecting decent food, good cocktails and some of that quirkiness that everyone's been talking about. the exterior of the bar is quite unassuming and as you enter in, the giveaway that it's not a regular pub is the collection kitsch objects and hats on walls.

the service was friendly and we were looked after right from the start. the menu generated a lot of interest within our little group- i liked what they'd done with nat geo mags and i really liked the choice. i've had cocktails in china cups before but it still seemed like a fun thing to do. even water was served in a china jar. the cocktails were very tasty. we tried a few but rhubarb & custard was out absolute favourite. our brunch portions were fairly large and tasty. the desserts and cheese board were lively too. we were asked if we wanted hats and we said 'yes please'. getting tipsy at midday wearing silly hats definitely sounded like my idea of fun. i couldn't fault the place at all and we had a fantastic time. i'd definitely recommend it!

one of my food challenges is to find the best french toast in edinburgh. so the hunt is on.a friend of mine said that the roseleaf did great french toast and they so do!the best part of this french toast (ok there are more than one) – the super crispy bacon of which you get loads, the way the toast goes from crisp on the outside to slightly gooey then soft moist bread in the middle; it’s not saturated all the way through with oil or egg and the best part, the glug jug of syrup! are you honestly leaving that on my table so that i can pour as much syrup over my french toast as i want???!?!? yum. heaven.so for now theroseleafin leith have stolen my french toast crown from mimi’s bakehouse with treacle coming in a close third and i think i have had enough french toast breakfasts for a while, but the search does continue.

can't believe we're only getting around to writing about the roseleaf. it's our go to place for brunch and also dinner.

theroseleafis a place full of character and for the outside it doesn't look all that special but once you're inside its a great place. hats on the walls, cocktails in teapots and board games for rainy days.

we usually go for the full breakfast when in for brunch. it's served up on a skillet and my most favourite thing is how crispy the bacon. it might not be to everyone's taste tho. the full breakfast is a great size and sure to keep you full until evening.

the dinner menu is also great. we've tried the burgers and you'd be hard pushed to find as good anywhere else.

top tip of you're planning on eating here is to book ahead. you'd be surprised how busy it can get during the week and at brunch time.

theroseleafis an excellent little bar cafe situated in the heart of leith. it’s been around since 2007 after popping up where the old black swan pub used to be on sandport place. the interiors pretty quirky with hats of various shapes and sizes on the walls, retro teapots that the cocktails (or pot-tails as they are known in these parts) are served in and menus made out of old national geographic magazines. it all works well and along with great food and friendly staff makes for an excellent place enjoy a bite to eat, a drink or both. i’ve been in quite a few times now for lunch and have always been impressed so a couple of weeks back we decided to head down for some sunday brunch. to me there are few things finer in life than a good sunday brunch androseleafcertainly didn’t disappoint. there’s an excellent selection on offer from their brunch menu such as french toast: chunky slices of homemade bread soaked in seasoned eggy batter, pan fried in butter & served with rashers of crispy smoked streaky bacon with canada’s finest maple syrup served on the side.  the wonderfully named  leith-al egg: locally snared haggis coated free range egg with a crusty coating & served with a fruity broon sauce, baked beanz & double dipped chips  and a host of other unique and tasty sounding dishes. on this particular visit for both of us there was only one unanimous choice.. the big yin: proper packed full ‘o’ pork sausages, stornoway black pudding, slow roasted tomato, crispy smoked streaky bacon, beanz, flat cap mushroom & our own tattie scone with a happy egg cracked in the skillet & homemade buttered toast.  the dish comes served in the skillet which is a nice touch. all the food was excellent, the stornoway black pudding was fantastic and the homemade tattie scone was great. the crispy bacon is certainly that, very crispy. miss edinburger is a huge fan of very crispy bacon so that went down a treat with her. i prefer mine much less well done to be honest but still really enj

a local friend took me to theroseleafunder the promise i would love it and she was spot on. this odd little pub is very pretty but also serves amazing food, as i soon discovered since we went there for dinner. in a group of 5, we all loved our dishes. the royale burgers were perfect, especially the one with haggis. and the venison was incredibly tasty. as for desserts, those were so so good that i would definitely go back for more. if you are around, try their awesome sticky toffee pudding or their brownie. 
i have been recommended to try their afternoon tea... guess i'll have to go back!

june 2015 update: i have just been back for afternoon tea and it was amazing. one of the very best (and more original) in town. also, the fact you can wear their quirky hats is also pretty cool

theroseleafis a quirky little bar set of the shore area of leith. it has cute decore imho and it's a relaxed atmosphere. the main thing i tend to go for is their pot-tails, cocktails served in teapot & teacups. although this isn't a strange, new thing these days when it first opened a few years ago it was the first place i had seen doing it. theroseleafhave a decent selection of food, which being honest, i am yet to try and i will update if i do but i've heard very good things, especially about their full scottish breakfast. there are also a good selection of beers and ales, as well as hosting mad hatters tea parties with an assortment of hats & finger foods available. the venue is quite small so if you're going for food i'd recommend pre booking.

theroseleafis a beautiful little pub with fabulous food, cocktails and lovely friendly staff.  the first time we went we popped in for brunch and we keep coming back again and again.  i would really recommend it: the food is great, the staff really kind and knowledgeable about the menu and the atmosphere very cute with old typewriters, hats on the wall (that you can wear if you so wish) books everywhere and menus presented in copies of the national geographic.  if you do want to pop in at the weekend i would recommend booking as they are always busy, but it is a very cosy, cute pub with great food and drink so it is worth getting a table and making that plan.

if somebody asks for a recommendation in leith i always start with the roseleaf, it's a regular haunt of ours and we'll often be found munching on the royale with cheese. it's certainly one of the tastiest burgers in edinburgh and the gherkin that sits on the top is out of this world (i didn't even like them until i tried the roseleaf's).

it's not all about the burger though, the menu has a whole host of other favourites, the french toast and bloody mary are sure-fire hangover cures! 

theroseleafalso offer up fantastic cocktails, served in teapots (pot-tails!), it's the most sophisticated way to enjoy cocktails in leith. 

but what if somebody asks us for a recommendation in edinburgh? we usually advise which bus will get them to leith so that they can enjoy theroseleaftoo.

i'll definitely be visitingroseleafagain. i think i'll try out brunch on a sunday next time. the bar was very busy with groups on the saturday evening and i feel that service suffered somewhat due to this. i can seeroseleafbeing the perfect spot for a few drinks before heading out into town.

theroseleafwas a grand wee place, serving high quality dishes. i’d happily come back