The Blue Bear

Wonderful. Lovely atmosphere, friendly and efficient staff, the biggest range of breakfasts I’ve seen anywhere (they even have an Eggs menu), perfectly cooked food and decent prices. Would recommend this as the best place to get brunch in Edinburgh.
I don’t want this place to get much more popular though, otherwise I’ll not get a seat — so keep it on the DL! About 75% of the tables were already reserved when we showed up just past 9am on Sunday.

Relaxed and warm atmosphere, great selection of brunch favourites and friendly staff. I’m super fussy when it comes to French toast aka eggy bread and tend not to order it to avoid disappointment but I thought it’d be a good test of The Blue Bear’s chops. I’m giving them four stars cuz it just wasn’t eggy enough for me but it was pretty darn good. They didn’t hesitate to bring me extra maple syrup when asked and the bacon was of excellent quality. I also ended up polishing off the haggis that was left on my bf’s plate. He didn’t think the coffee was great either which also contributed to the four as opposed to a five. I’d definitely come back if I was ever back in Edinburgh.

The Blue Bear has all the makings of a five star brunch spot, believe me. And I’m literally pushing for that fifth star. I’ve absolutely no doubt that after a visit or two more, I’ll be throwing that fifth star at you, Blue Bear.
I had the baked eggs with spicy chorizo, tomato and spinach. It was a bowl full of the stuff; warming and comforting and flavourful; just what you need on a cold winter’s morning. And with bread for dipping, this was my kind of brunch. I do wish the egg yolk was the glorious, oozing kind. I think that would make this awesome eggs dish completely out of this world. I was excited to dip my bread into a runny, warm yolk but, alas: there was no yolk for dipping. — The eggs were a little too far into their oven journey for that. Still, a solid brunch, no doubt about it. I’ve never seen baked eggs on a menu before so I commend The Blue Bear for keeping things interesting.
I really loved the energy of Blue Bear this Saturday morning, and the fact that staff were still so warm and attentive despite being packed out. The variety on the menu was great, with waffles, french toast and the classics: porridge, granola and toast. Blue Bear know how to do brunch, for sure. — That’s why I recommend you book a table.
I’m looking forward to visiting again and (fingers crossed) living out my yolk-​bursting dreams.

The Blue Bear is obviously a bit of an Edinburgh legend. We’d heard of it LONG before moving to the city and had stopped in a few times. Our most recent visits were for brunch. After having tried multiple brunches around the city, Blue Bear is easily still one of my favs.
My go-​to for breakfast and brunch is the scrambled eggs with salmon on toast. Every bit of it is good. They use Scottish smoked salmon that brings just the right amount of saltiness to the eggs. The bread is freshly baked and thick cut, with real butter; perfect to be topped with salmon and eggs. I do wish, however, that they had better tea… this is a personal preference, I know, but a lot of cafes around town are using Eteaket, Suki or even Pekoe. I would love to have a pot of one of these to go along with their incredible brunch.
They have a decent choice of cakes. But if you simply want a change of scenery afterwards, then you’re a short walk to Cuckoo or Earthy.

I can’t believe it’s been over a year since I fell in love with Rebecca…
So how has The Blue Bear held up in the 13 months since this first review? Well that heart that I gushed so much about? It wasn’t a one off story. I have a lot of favourites in Edinburgh, but The Blue Bear remains high on the list.
The interesting thing is, the food isn’t life changing. Now now, don’t get me wrong — it’s good, it’s REALLY good — but in a year that involved Michelin starred dinners and crazy culinary innovation, how has this humble little brunch spot stayed at the top? Because alongside their solid brunch mix, their encouragement for day drinking (yay brunch cocktails!) and their ever present cute as heck pooch manning the front door — this place remains the definition of Service Ninja. I honestly don’t think you can find two nicer, funny folks than Ben & Jemma. Their love for the place and their wickedly great sense of humour is apparent in everything they do and there’s something so lovely about walking through the door of a place and being met with an ALWAYS enthusiastic welcome.
Just over a year ago, The Blue Bear was one of the first brunch places I tried in the city and 13 months later, it still strongly holds my top spot.

I can not believe I haven’t re-​reviewed this place since I had lunch here two years ago! CRAZY! We’ve had brunch here a few times and I must say the Brunch is a MUST! It’s amazing! Its offered all day… I think! I LOVE their eggs royal, such a delicious and generous helping of hollandaise sauce and delicious smoked salmon. Their scramble eggs with salmon and thick granary bread is so delicious! Really love this place .(lunch food is good but breakfast is best!)

Such is this café’s reputation that prior booking is the norm for Sunday breakfast or brunch. This morning was my first visit and the BF raved about the Eggs Rebecca. For myself, still feeling a little fragile the morning after the morning after, and two large weekend dinners, small, simplicity and tasty was what I craved. The lovely staff were 100% relaxed about this (I felt a little guilty not to be trying the waffles, granola or veggie cooked breakfast all of which sounded great). My granary toasted bagel with thick, yummy cream cheese and a side of dressed salad and potatoey crisps was made and presented with as much care as the Eggs Rebecca, and it hit the spot! Will definitely go back and make sure I work up an appetite first.

Good food, black pudding is my son and husband favorite. Haggis is very real and taste. Portobello mushroom, sausage yum yum, the best is scramble egg, soft and juice. The way they made the toast is fantastic. lovely environment, kids friendly. Also has kid meals. Surely come back again before we leave

Great café/​bistro — best brunch in Edinburgh, lovely quirky place with nice chilled staff. Great value. Can see why it’s award winning.

This a nice place and very VERY popular with the locals. It’s not massive inside so at busy brunchy times you really want to book otherwise you’ll be one of the fools stood at the window drooling over the French toast with bacon ;)
I had my daughter with me who was in a little mood shall we say so I can’t give this place a thorough review but from what I had experienced this is a lovely place. They have high chairs but not massive swathes of space to put them which can be a little stressy if it’s super busy like the day I went in.
Breakfast/​brunch seems to be their specialty. The menu has plenty of choice so you definitely shouldn’t have a problem choosing something you like.
The French toast and bacon with maple I ordered was nice but I’m unable to give it 5 out of 5 because I was eating it cold out of a box in the car (cute lil daughter couldn’t get through the whole brunch affair).
Everyone else (locals) at my table loved the food they were served so that’s why I’m giving it a four. It’s definitely worth squeezing your butt into a seat here.

It seems like unfortunately the Blue Bear isn’t as amazing as it once was, but it is still fun to visit. It’s always extremely busy so is recommended to book ahead. On this visit the service was extremely slow for coffees and the actual breakfasts took ages. Unfortunately the cinnamon swirl was dry for Tanja R and Anita A, the black pudding was also a bit dry for Mason R, and the waffle batter was sickly sweet for me — topped with maple syrup it was just way too sweet. It’s still fun to visit the Blue Bear but it seems that it’s not as great as it once was.

Fabulous breakfast!!! Portions were just right and delicious to boot.
We’ll be back again and again!

This adorable spot, central to nearly everything in Edinburgh, is a gem. Tasteful décor. Good ambiance, plenty of energy, but not obnoxious. Friendly waitstaff. Good music.
The owner (we think) is an Aussie dude. He made sure I didn’t get glutened (I’m a celiac, so that would have ruined my trip).
The coffee is top notch. The food is completely delicious. Perfectly salted.

I came here for the first time yesterday and I am writing this review as I currently eat food here again today. It is very good. Today I ordered the chili nachos. As a guy born and raised in Southern California I can honestly say that these nachos are giving some south of the boarder cuisine a run for its money.

Amazing place for a brunch. Be there early on sunday if you want a place.
The food is really good and the quantity large! A nice experience.

Well, shoot. I think the Blue Bear is some mighty fine food, folks. Mighty fine indeed!
I was playing permanent-​tourist-​turned-​hostess to my two American friends over for a visit when we decided to take the plunge and scope out the Blue Bear. We were meandering our way down to the Botanics, and considering just how crazy close the B.B. is to the East entrance of the gardens, well. Why not? Now that I’ve discovered this little gem, I think I’d be hard-​pressed not to tip-​toe on in when I’m snooping about the gardens in the future – or as a go-​to for a FANTASTIC breakfast meal when any future friends are in town — -or really for any damn excuse one could come up with to pop in!
Our service was laid-​back but prompt. By no means did we feel rushed or overlooked during our stay at the Bear. Our server was helpful and joked at the sheer volume of food we ordered: what can we say? Some stereotypes are just true (Americans freaking LOVE to eat). Coffees and cocktails were delicious. No worries folks – no one at the B.B. will judge you for ordering a wee cocktail at half past noon! Not only that, but the whole place has a very relaxed, cozy feel to it. It’s not overdone, not too fancy, but not shabby either. And there’s lovely art of Edinburgh for sale on the walls. (One day, maybe I can justify such a piece for myself!)
But obviously the clencher of the B.B. is undoubtedly the food. And what a meal (and then some) it was! Between the croque monsieurs, the Bear breakfast, the banana-​and-​honey french toast, the ham-​and-​cheese croissant, and a sharing platter of Camembert, we were stuffed to the rafters by the end of the meal. All the better to explore the gardens with, m’dear! Seriously. What a meal.
All in all, one of my new favorite joints in Edinburgh. So pleased to have an establishment like this in Edinburgh!

I came here with my friend after visiting the Royal Botanic Garden. I ordered an omelette with everything but meat I think, and it was really good! There was too much cheese, but other than that I have no complaints. It was pretty flavorful, and I enjoyed the salad it came with. My friend ordered a plate with a lot of meat products, which included haggis. We’ve heard that Edinburgh «specialty» food is haggis, and since neither of us has ever had it, we wanted to try it. I don’t like it, and I don’t think I would ever order it. Anyway, the service was really good and attentive, and I’d definitely recommend coming here if you’re around!

My first eggs benedict and experience at dinning at the café. It was amazing and delightful place to eat for brunch.

This is a great place for brunch and exactly what I’ve been searching for since moving to Edinburgh. The staff are super friendly and attentive, while the ambience is vibrant but very casual, comfortable and relaxed.
More importantly the brunch is great. We have been twice now and on both occasions I had the Eggs Benedict, while the other half had the vegetarian omelette. On both occasions, the food was excellent. The coffee was also good, but is probably the one area for improvement if your a bit of a coffee critic. But overall this is a great place for brunch and we will definitely be back!

An einem verregneten Vormittag im Blue Bear sitzen und brunchen — perfekter Start in den Tag. Die Portionen sind üppig, nett angerichtet und sehr lecker. Der Service ist äußerst gut gelaunt und zuvorkommend. Hier fühlt man sich wohl. Klare Empfehlung.

The Blue Bear es un bar-​cafetería situado muy cerca del jardín botánico de Edimburgo.
El lugar aparentemente es pequeño, pero una vez dentro no te da esa sensación.
Fuimos expresamente a este establecimiento para certificar las reseñas que vimos en Unilocal.
Tienen una amplia variedad de desayunos, pero por supuesto, el mejor es el desayuno escocés completo que contiene todo lo que esperas de un autentico manjar británico (si existe, ya que la cocina británica…).
El plato lleva haggis, black pudding, bacon, beans, huevo preparado al gusto, tomates asados, champiñón gigante, potato scones y una rebanada de pan de pueblo.
Por una libra más puedes incluir la bebida (café o té y zumo).
Además de desayunos, tienes variedad en sopas, sandwiches, ensaladas, etc…
Ofertas muy buenas que en relación calidad-​precio son muy recomendables.
Por ejemplo: Pack de medio sandwich y media ración de sopa cuesta por alrededor de 5 libras.
Teniendo en cuenta que está todo preparado al momento y el personal es muy amable, rápido y atento, vale la pena pasarse por allí, sea para desayunar, comer o tomar el té por la tarde.

Best brunch in Edina!
A supporter of the Arts…
Don’t miss the ‘Big Bear’!