Machina Espresso

Fabulous coffee shop in the Tollcross area of Edinburgh! We pretty much popped in here every morning of our stay in the city. The same guy was there every morning and I was super impressed he remembered our order from the day before on the second day we came in! Now that is great service! In addition to really good coffee they have a selection of tasty treats to nibble on such as bagels, cakes etc. They are heavy handed with the cream cheese side that we ordered with the bagels, so we never ran out or had to scrimp on our smearing. Wish we had a shop like this in our hood, it totally rocks!

I love Machina. Particularly love that they allow dogs inside and have wifi. They have basic outdoor seating for those 5 sunny summer days, too. At which point they serve iced coffees, which I quickly became addicted to last spring/​summer. Good neighborhood spot, too. They need to get their electricity outlets updated, however, because there is nowhere to charge your laptop when it gets low so you either have to carry around a battery to charge your devices, or you have to leave. So, that’s not awesome for sitting and working in a café all day, but that’s not always the reason to go here, anyway. I love their coffee and I love their relaxed attitude and the fact that if you are interested in getting educated in the world of coffee, they are fantastic and offer courses. Lots to look at by way of machines & devices for making your coffee at home, too. Clean lay out, lovely cookies. They need a bit more solid lunch options — for when you are actually hungry and not just peckish. Not a lot, because it’s a tiny kitchen and 2 things done REALLY well are better than 8 done poorly, but at the moment they are neither here nor there on the food options. Room for improvement, however, and I know they are great people. Love the spot near the Meadows, I frequently came here before or after taking my dog for a Meadows walk, and I loved meeting friends here. Quiet and lovely. They also feature artwork on the walls that you can buy and it is usually really entertaining. I love that about them, too. Highly highly recommend.

I don’t get a chance to come here often but when I am in the area I definitely make an effort to head here for a coffee. It’s the best in the area.
They often have a choice of espresso which is a nice touch and great if you want to mix it up. Coffee is expertly made and up there with the best in the city.
It’s also a reasonable spot for a bit of lunch. I came in for a Union of Genius soup (a rather lovely Mexican bean) and a long black. It’s not a huge venue but it’s bigger than other coffee places and feels like a place you can sit and linger with a laptop or a book whilst sipping espresso. Nice selection of cakes and pastry.
Special mention to the selection of coffee gear. I don’t know of anywhere else you can buy specialist consumer coffee grinders; they also have a section of colourful cups. Definitely check it out for home baristas.

When you’re newly arrived in Edinburgh (two months counts still, don’t tell me it doesn’t) and haven’t found work yet, things like going out for coffee seem like the only kind of luxury you can afford. The disappointment arrives after the coffee turns out to be… eh…well… that sort of response. If I don’t close my eyes and give out a long contented sigh when the coffee first passes my waiting lips, I won’t subject my mouth to further torment.
Luckily for those of us in the Toll Cross hood, Machina is the kind of coffee you close your eyes to enjoy. It’s pretty obvious when you step in there: the boards showing you the different methods of brewing, the shiny pretty espresso machines for sale, the long time it takes them to make your cappuccino. There aren’t many seats, in fact it’s probably bigger than your living room. Not mine, mine is tiny, which is why I sit in Machina as long as I can milk my hot beverage. But it’s cool people watching for those few who do get to sit because lots of meadows-​meanderers come through for to-​go options, and the long uncomfortable minutes while they wait make them antsy and squirmy (it somehow feels wrong to pull out your phone here, so these people mostly just stand there, reading about espresso machines, trying not to look at anyone else) and it’s pretty funny.
And I’ve seen DOGS inside, which gives them BONUS stars.

As I reach the end of my loyalty card I just realised I haven’t reviewed my favourite coffee shop in town…
Often otherwise fantastic coffee shops fail when it comes to soya milk. From the blatantly burnt to the unappealing curdles left in the base of the cup, I often come out disappointed by a mediocre/​awful cup of overpriced coffee.
Machina Espresso is a small and unassuming little place positioned close to the meadows and the indie shopping/​dining area of Tollcross. There are a few tables to sit and the temperature inside is always pleasant. There is fast wifi.
On offer is a good variety of coffee, from the flat white and cappuccino through to the Chemex. The store also sells various apparatus with which you can make your own coffee at home. For those people who want tea there are some interesting options, including Hazelnut tea. Concentrating on what they do best, they leave baking etc to other professionals. The cakes are taken from Manna bakery and the soup is taken from Union of Genius (though this is starting to annoy me, why can’t all these cafes make their own soup? Why is this brand so ubiquitous?)
The soya cappuccino and espresso here are the coffee world-​equivalent of crack. There is one barrista who has absolutely perfected the use of soya milk in cappuccino and is able to make those pretty coffee art designs without making a mess, as so often happens. The temperature is perfect, the coffee art is beautiful and the taste is other-​worldly. I am not exaggerating. I am having to work night shifts in my final semester of university to pay for this addiction. I have been spoilt for life. No other soya cappuccino will ever taste this good.

This is the best coffee I have found in Edinburgh. It’s clear that the staff really cares about the quality of the coffee as well as the tiny subtleties involved in making perfect espresso. There’s free wifi, and reasonably priced soup as well.

Fantastic. They are passionate about coffee and it shows. They source some of the best beans in the city.
Their excitement for the coffees they find comes through in each chemex. It takes a while to brew the way they do but it’s worth it. I had an Ethiopian Konga that tasted of blueberries and I kept coming back for more.
If you are looking to buy beans they have a great selection and are able to help you pick some great coffee.

This is one of the nicest coffees I’ve had yet in Edinburgh. The service was a wee bit slow, but that was only because the barista clearly took her coffee making very seriously and was putting love into each cup of steaming java.
Machina Espresso seems like somewhere that you could always rely on receiving really good quality coffee from. One of my non-​coffee loving friends even exclaimed in delight, ‘oooh this is what coffee is MEANT to taste like!’, after sampling the goods. I’m only sad that I don’t live any closer — I could definitely fancy becoming a regular here!

Machina Espresso has absolutely delicious coffee! When I was headed to the Meadows Festival and the rain moved in temporarily, we made a beeline here to take shelter — it was a great excuse to try their coffee! They not only have high quality hot coffee but also iced coffee that is really spot on.
The space is small and we got one of the last tables. It’s cosy but it’s a cute place with a great selection of coffee-​making kit and gadgetry if you’re further inspired to see if you can beat their coffee-​making skills at home. The selection of baked goods looked tasty, too.
Machina Espresso lived up to and surpassed my high expectations!

A hot new coffee place in town, and one that isn’t overly hipster either (that is neither a good or a bad thing, it’s a statement. Take it as you will. I like hipster, but then I also like a good coffee and a good chocolate slice and to eat it in a regular café. So it’s all good.)
These guys are weighing in on the great coffee scene in Edinburgh. They have beans from Steampunk, which is what initially piqued my interest and drew me in. They have two different espresso beans on, and also a decaf which was produced the «good» way (without chemicals) with the Swiss water thingie.
I actually went for decaf when I was in there, as I really didn’t need any more caffeine that day. Flat white. Really nice crème on top, and the decaf was really good given it was decaf (just like a weaker regular coffee, not «brown milk» as some decafs can be).
They have a nice range of cakes, hand-​picked from other bakers and cafés across town. The gluten free white-​chocolate caramel slice I had (with coconut in the base) was from Casa Angelina and made up for in sugar what my coffee lacked in caffeine (buzzing!) Two soups on as well, although I think that was the only savoury food.
It’s a wee place, but it does good coffee and has the right equipment you’d need to brew at home too, including some sexy looking hand grinders.
It’d be a perfect place to go to catch up with a friend, for a chilled read of a paper and a good coffee and cake.
Oh and they don’t have customer toilets, but they allowed me to use the staff one no bother!

Small but perfectly formed and a great addition to Tollcross with options to sit in and take-​away.
Fab coffee (latte was £2.30) and a whole host of sweet delights to tempt too. Staff on today weren’t sure what was GF but my coffee was so good, I stayed for two.
If you fancy a savoury option, there’s soup (vegan option).
Great place to come for all your coffee kit — from filters, cups and saucers to high spec machines, its all here.
Well worth a visit and I’m sure I’ll return.

I’ve mainly had takeaway coffee from this little diamond of a café and I must admit that it’s pretty solid. Their flat white is very well made and the cakes etc are nicely complimentary and well priced.
There are lots of nice coffee things to look at while you wait for a takeaway coffee or alternately chat to the lovely staff members about the weather or coffee or something!
Great for a last minute birthday aeropress or some sort of super expensive pouring kettle if that’s what you’re after.
Great location and nice feel to it.

Fantastic coffee, I would hazard to say best coffee in the Tollcross area in fact. With a selection of beans from local (ish) roasters Steampunk, there really is something for everyone. In case you’re feeling peckish, there’s a selection of pastries on offer, of which I can vouch that the almond croissant is amazing!
Not only do they have great coffee & pastries, they also sell all the coffee kit you need to make a great cuppa joe at home. They also run brew method classes which would make a great gift for the coffee aficionado in your life!
The walls are often adorned with art from local artists which is a great showcase of local talent.
It was super quiet the day I went in so there wasn’t much of an atmosphere or vibe. Although with seating for about 10 and no soft furnishings to absorb any noise, I can imagine it could get quite loud when they’re busy.

They’ve got great hand pulled espresso, and the chemex is great for sitting in. A nice selection of beans from local roaster Steampunk, and more coffee paraphernalia than you could fit into one flat.

One of the newest additions to the Tollcross scene, Machina is only small by its size. Fabulous coffee, good cakes, great service!
And you can buy all your coffee geek gadgets as well.

Fresh as a daisy, as it’s just opened!
The coffee is stunning, they use a small range of roasters including dear green and steam punk.
On the topic of coffee, I’ve had 2 flat whites here all ready and both went with no sugar! That is something for me not to have ANY sugar in my coffees.
It’s just got a nice balance about it. Not too much, not to bare.