roseleaf bar cafe

the roseleaf is 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 areservedin 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.

the food is made from scratch.. and you can tell!!

we both had the soup of the day -delicious!

i then had the macaroni cheese, made with smoked cheese - heaven on a plate!!

my sister had the beetroot burger ( even though she's not veggie) - a.. maz..ing!!

we also washed our food down with some fantastic pot-tails!!

cocktailsservedin tea pots.. and you drink them out of mis matched china tea cups!! felt verg "mad hatters"

we loved it!!

can't wait to go again!!

great quirky wee pub restaurant. we went for breakfast, plenty to choose from and food delicious. only downside is the coffee which isservedin old fashioned tea cups which are smaller than modern cups and they charged the same price as other coffee houses. still well worth a visit. however book first .

i've read that this is a local favourite - cullen skink (the name sounds quite funny for one who has never heard of it). it's basically just creamy soup made out of fish and potatoes. i didn't enjoy the fishy taste in the soup actually. mac & bacon (£9.95). this was surprisingly one of the better dishes among all, freshly baked andservedon a mini cast iron skillet.

i finally managed to visit roseleaf last 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 wasservedin the cutest china i've ever seen! roseleaf is 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 the roseleaf bar 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 wasservedin 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!

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

the roseleaf is 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'sservedup 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.

the roseleaf is 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) areservedin 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 and roseleaf certainly 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 &servedwith rashers of crispy smoked streaky bacon with canada’s finest maple syrupservedon the side.  the wonderfully named  leith-al egg: locally snared haggis coated free range egg with a crusty coating &servedwith 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 comesservedin 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

the roseleaf is 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, cocktailsservedin 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. the roseleaf have 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.

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! 

the roseleaf also offer up fantastic cocktails,servedin 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 the roseleaf too.

eclectic retro fun. another of my regular-ish haunts. i love the retro decor: always sparks squeals of "do you remember that when we were kids?". love the cocktailsservedin a teapot with teacups. interesting varied menu but i must admit, i go more for the ambience. if you've got something to display such as photos/paintings, they let you hang on their walls free so always something interesting to look at too. had a great xmas lunch there last year - great fun, great food, great value for money.