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Bake a generous sized spud...but TOO MUCH PLASTIC

3 Posted on 12 / 05 / 2013

I have been to the Baked Potato Shop many a time and the size of the portions and the taste of the food never seizes to amaze me. You will probably be satisfied with a small. A very good selection of fillings and most of these are vegan. The staff seem friendly and helpful most of the time. The seating area is fairly small but it can be quite cosy and often times I have found myself easily speaking to random people and learning a lot about local or international communities. The only thing that really bugs me is that there is TOO MUCH PLASTIC. This really frustrates me and makes me somewhat reluctant to eat there for two reasons: not only is it a) an unnecessary use of resources but b) the plastic cutlery provided is in any case absolutely useless for eating a baked potato, snapping all the time. I'm really not quite sure why they don't have proper cutlery - maybe bring your own!
Updated from previous review on Thursday December 05, 2013

Pros: Generous sized portions, Good selection of vegan options, Friendly environment
Cons: TOO MUCH PLASTIC, PLASTIC CUTLERY PROVIDED IS USELESS, SORT IT OUT

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Perfect for a quick bite

4 Posted on 11 / 21 / 2013

I went there several times because it is very well located and offers a lot of vegan choices, even for desserts. I tried their haggis, different filled hot potatoes and several cakes. Portions are very generous, food is spicy and tasty, even if sometimes heavy. Cakes are really yummy. Prices are low which makes the food good for value.

The place itself is relatively small. You rarely can have a seat there because it is often crowded, which makes it difficult to take time to choose among the numerous items offered. Because of the generous portions and that food is not served in solid plates but in paper plates, it is recommended to find a calm place to eat, and to have a seat and a table.

Pros: vegan choices including desserts, tasty food, affordable, big portions, good location
Cons: sometimes crowded, only to take away

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Good selection, not mind-blowing

3 Posted on 10 / 19 / 2013

Went here while holidaying in Edinburgh: the choice was really varied, and price good. Downside is very limited seating and no toilets, but good for a take-away. I also really enjoyed the very yummy cakes they had! Not the most mind blowing potatoes I've had, but it was good for a cheap and varied option.

I think the customer service needed improving, though - the music was a tad loud, and we could barely hear the person serving. A lady asked for it to be turned down, to which they said no. Sorry, but it was difficult to hear, and the customer is always right. Leave your loud music at home, please!

Pros: Variety, Fully Vegetarian, Great cake
Cons: Loud Music, Little Seating, No toilets if sitting in

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Cool idea, great food

3 Posted on 09 / 30 / 2013

The idea for this place is really great. Get a huge baked potato with about 8 million options of combinations to put on it.

I had the vegan chili and curry corn on mine, and it was delicious, plus EXTREMELY filling. Great deal for your money.

They also have other stuff like salads, soups, samosas, desserts (about half of them are vegan). All in all, I was really pleased.

Pros: All-veg, Friendly, Lots of food for cheap

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Went there based on good reviews - very pleased

4 Posted on 08 / 13 / 2013

Dead easy to find, went in at lunch time during the Fringe Festival so the queue was out of the door. No problem, the two people were working efficiently and I only had a short wait. Had a medium potato with the chilli filling. No medium pots so she gave me two small ones. Very tasty and I was well pleased. Will definitely go again next time I am there.
Note that these are REAL baked potatoes so you will not be able to cut the skins with the flimsy plastic cutlery :-)
Updated from previous review on Tuesday August 13, 2013

Pros: Efficient service, Plenty of choice, Fair prices
Cons: Minimal facilities for eating in.

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Excellent!

5 Posted on 06 / 07 / 2013

I tried the Baked Potato Shop on my last visit to the city and I was ver happy with it :)
They have so many choices, vegan as well as vegetarian, that it is hard to think of whick one you would like to have. I had been warned before to take just a small potato, because the medium one is enough for two meals, and the person was right! Even with my "small" potato, I had more than enough and I ate it for Lunch and as an after-lunch snack.
I had Mexican Salad filling, which was delicous but very spicy! So if the guy selling these things tells you that something is spicy, better believe it ;)
The prices were ok, the staff was friendly...what does a veggie in Edinburgh need more?

Pros: Choices andprices, Friendly Staff, Location
Cons: you cant eat baked potato every day

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Great for veggies and vegans alike

5 Posted on 04 / 28 / 2013

I have been here many times over the years and, although it can be busy, it is always worth the wait. I love love love the baked potato with veggie haggis. They also have an option for vegan spread instead of butter which is great. There is a good selection of tinned juice such as elderflower juice. etc. Although the seating is minimal, I enjoy sitting on the steps over the road just eating my food and watching people go about their business. The portions are huge so make sure you are hungry!

Pros: Large portions, Vegan options
Cons: Only one table, Can be waiting (but worth the wait)

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Top Drawer

5 Posted on 10 / 19 / 2012

i dont usually write reviews so if i go through the pain of registering and writing then the place has to be worth the effort. This is a small shop tucked away on the corner while coming down from the Castle. We were famished and i went in to check if anything vegetarian was available for me and the misus. To our delight the entire shop had various scottish and other veggie delights. Veggie Haggis samosa remains my top favorite and i will recommend this place to any person looking for healthy quality veggie food near the Castle area. simple Top Drawer.

Pros: top menu, great taste, nice corner shop
Cons: limited seating, snacky menu

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brilliant spuds

5 Posted on 08 / 25 / 2012

Amazing value, huge tatties with vegan fillings and toppings that are well worth every penny. Very little salt, which is healthy but some like to put salt on a tattie.
Superb tasting food.

Pros: food, prices, staff
Cons: tiny, one table only

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Awful Service

2 Posted on 08 / 16 / 2012

After reading good reviews on happycow I went along. The service was awful. It was busy when I entered with one girl working when a man entered claiming he did not work there before staggering behind the counter and making himself dinner, acting like a clown to a busy shop for 10 minutes before going downstairs. The girl slipped and burnt her arm on the oven before becoming the clown's sidekick further slowing down service. The customers behind me left in anger and after a few more minutes so did I.

I'm disappointed because the food looked great. Shame about the staff. I have never written a negative comment about a vegan restaurant before but feel the service here needs to be rectified.

Pros: Food
Cons: Service

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Good for a quick bite

3 Posted on 08 / 03 / 2012

It's great to have a place like this for a quick bite: many vegan choices, big portions, cheap. However, I found the taste rather mediocre (seriously lacking salt).

Pros: cheap, big portions, vegan options
Cons: food lacks salt, only one table

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Tiffin!

4 Posted on 07 / 07 / 2012

Pretty much every time I pass this place I am unable to resist getting some of the vegan tiffin. Love it.

Pros: Tiffin!
Cons: Can be busy.

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Brilliant potatoes and delicious vegan cakes.

5 Posted on 05 / 22 / 2012

The food here is great, masses of choice for vegans (the place is totally vegetarian) including vegan margarine for the potatoes and lots of wonderfully delicious vegan cakes. I had the veggie haggis on my potato and it was great. It's really a takeaway so don't expect to sit down (just a couple of tables inside which are often full) but there's lots of places to sit down outside and as there are lots of hotels nearby, including the one we were staying in, it's quite easy to take your food back to your room too. Gets very busy but service is fast and prices are very cheap.

Pros: Lots of vegan choice, Vegan cakes
Cons: Only a few seats

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Great little potato shop !

5 Posted on 05 / 13 / 2012

Great vegan potato shop. Huge portions, we had the medium spud with veg haggis and it was more than enough. Everyone loved this place, only downside is there's very little seating but if the weathers nice you can sit on the ledge outside. If you're a tourist, like us, the location is great being just off the royal mile and 5min from the castle. Will def go back again if in Edinburgh again.

Pros: lots of vegan options, huge portions at cheap priced, vegan cakes !
Cons: few seats.

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great tatties

4 Posted on 10 / 30 / 2011

very impressed with the baked tatties here, not only huge, but mighty tasty as well. Good selection of toppings, does exactly as it says on the tin. The only downside is only having one table, which can be shared. plenty on public benches near by, so don't let ti put you off.
Great healthy options, veggie haggis topping is great

Pros: great value, huge tatties!!!!, tasty tasty tasty!!
Cons: lack of seating.

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BIggest baked potatoes in the world!!!

4 Posted on 10 / 24 / 2011

This is a staple stop every time we go to Edinburgh. Their portion sizes are enormous and there is such a big choice. I particularly like half humous and half veggie haggis. The veg chilli is also really nice. There is a big salad bar to choose from, soups and locally made cakes (many vegan options). You won't have room for cake though, huuuuuuuge baked tatties!

Pros: huge portions, good range of toppings, homemade cake
Cons: very small sitting in area

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If it ain't broke - don't fix it!

5 Posted on 08 / 06 / 2011

This USED to be run by David Bann many years ago, before he moved on to his excellent restaurant operation. It continued to offer excellent value food and now...well, my long-time favourite cheap fast food for veggie/vegan food has recently changed hands, let's hope that they don't spoil a winning formula and introduce non-veg! This place does such great business, often advertised by the presence of a queue outside. Veggie haggis samosa along with a multitude of mostly cold fillings but with some hot ones - such as veggie haggis. Some good filled roll options and some nice cake slices top off one of the best option for fast food in a city which is not cheap to eat out in. Alternative option if you find this closed is the Mosque Kitchen - 5 minutes walk up the Bridges. In general 3.00 to 5.00 pounds for a filling meal. Music is eclectic at times but then it must be a hot place to work in during the Summer when they are working flat-out and need some inspiration to cope with the masses!

Pros: good value, NO Meat!, Consistent
Cons: occasional queuing

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Best baked potatoes on the planet.

5 Posted on 11 / 22 / 2010

What can I add to all these glowing reviews of this fabulous place?

Nothing really, except that I'm a bit of a connoisseur of baked potatoes..... and these are the best I've ever had - anywhere in the world.

Great steaming tatties and inventive, tasty fillings...... I'm salivating just thinking about it!

And if you are lucky enough to get a seat - even better. I always pull the old "ooh, me poor old backs really playing up" number. Which comes in handy too when there's amplifiers and drumkits to be shifted.

Just don't tell the rest of the band will you!

Pros: Delicious, Great value, Filling

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Yummy vegan desserts!

4 Posted on 10 / 24 / 2010

I stopped in here at least once per day to sample their vegan desserts. They were so good! And you can get all of the baked potato toppings as a salad instead of on a potato. Really good food.

Pros: Friendly staff, Excellent food, Great vegan desserts
Cons: Not much space to sit down

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Essential Budget Eating

4 Posted on 07 / 06 / 2010

Superb place with a few low key seats if you want to 'dine in' sitting at the window. Cracking location, massive vegan choice, loads of imaginative fillings too numerous to mention much more creative than the standard cheese savoury, egg mayo and baked beans fayre offered by most baked potato places. They also sell sos-mix rolls and vegan pasties. Great for a budget feed when you arrive in the city or just before travelling back. For what this place represents, I give it 4 cows. Every city should have one.

Pros: location, fillings, prices

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A MUST!!!!!!

5 Posted on 02 / 14 / 2010

I lived in Edinburgh for a year and can't count the number of baked potatoes that I enjoyed from this cozy little potato shop!!! There is very limited seating but it's still worth a visit ~ just take your food outside and find yourself a great spot to sit and observe the happenings of the High Street. This shop also sells rolls including my favourite that had vegan coleslaw and spicy bean pate on it!!! Very sensible prices and a very friendly staff - ENJOY!

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Cheap and cheerful

4 Posted on 01 / 12 / 2010

Fantastic range of fillings, vegan and vegetarian fillings kept seperate, and great value for money. The staff are always really friendly and play good music.

The place is really small so it's best to take away, although many times I've sat with complete strangers at the little table in there and eaten away quite happily. They also have a soup of the day (sometimes vegan), filled rolls,samosas and vegan cakes. Always fresh, tasty, cheap and cheerful. Great stuff!

Pros: Good vegan selection, Tasty!, Really cheap
Cons: A bit small

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Huge lines, but worth it! Try the Haggis

4 Posted on 08 / 14 / 2009

Let me tell you this isn't an easy place for a quick bite. There can be long lines, slow service, and no where to eat your potato, but its WORTH IT! Now one of my potatoes was undercooked, but I ordered a large which = 2, and after the first one I was stuffed anyways. I got mine with Vegan Haggis & beans and it was amazing. There is enough of that Haggis stuff for two people so just one person get it. They place is really the "baked" people making baked potato shop, which accounts for the chaos! Its a fun stop and a must do while in Edinburgh!

Pros: vegan haggis
Cons: slow!, no where to eat

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Good tasty hearty meals on the cheap.

5 Posted on 07 / 03 / 2009

I visit Edinburgh quite often and religiously visit the Baked Potato Shop. I've huddled up in the corner on a freezing December evening with a massive jacket potato and generous helping of vegan chilli that set me back less than £4, stopped by for a takeaway cup of tea with soya milk (for 65p, cheapest I've found!) when I've had a few minutes to spare before my train, and nipped in to grab a vegan haggis samosa for the stroll up the royal mile.. and in again for a piece of vegan carrot cake on the way back down ;)

A really good choice of fillings, plenty for vegans. You can also get a pitta with any of the fillings, or a salad tray. Sandwiches and various flapjacks, cakes and snacks are available and inexpensive.

Best not to rely on getting a seat inside, as there is only one table with a bench either side. It is a takeaway so can't complain.

One thing irritates me: Unless my memory fails me, they sell coca cola.

Pros: Cheap and substantial, Lots of variety
Cons: Coca Cola

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Friendly and outgoing service & large range.

5 Posted on 04 / 12 / 2009

This small but popular shop is located so centrally at the top of Cockburn street it's well worth the visit. It gets quite busy during the lunch period - around midday - and there can be a lengthy queue stretching across the threshold. However the service is quite brisk and the baked potato portions are seriously over-generous. During my last visit up to the Scottish capital I kept solely to the medium-sized versions - they were that large !
There's more to this place though; they've also got an interesting and deliciously sweet range of vegan cakes and other items, eg.flapjacks, which are suitable for straightforward vegetarians. My own favourite was the lemon cake. This was vegan, and there are more than enough options for multiple trips from strict vegetarians.
My own strategy for enjoying the region of Lothian and nearby was to get my cake/tummy supplies for the day here. If there's one thing you might want to consider it's the dearth of seating, but this isn't unreasonable in such a tiny shop. And besides it's just as simple to find a place outside, somewhere around the Royal Mile. There are some benches in Hunter Square, above Blair Street, but in my experience they're occasionally frequented by some shifty looking folk. This place is ideal for getting breakfast, lunch, and some snacks; it's not a restaurant, so probably wouldn't do for supper.

Pros: Vegan-friendly., Very Helpful service., Inexpensive/Good value.
Cons: Limited seating.

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Perfect!

5 Posted on 03 / 18 / 2009

This place is really good, there are many delicious vegan plates ^^
love it

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A filling meal

3 Posted on 08 / 13 / 2008

This was the first place I ate during my week in Edinburgh, and at first, I was quite pleased with my meal of a baked potato with vegan haggis for 3.50 pounds. It is a little bothersome that they don't have tables, but they are very close to a central square off of the Royal Mile (just across from Starbucks) where you can sit and dine (and sometimes catch a street performance).

The menu clearly indicates which offerings are vegan. In addition to filled potatoes, they also have some Indian treats like samosas.

For someone trying to dine inexpensively, I have found that a shop just a few buildings down Cockburn St called Mama Says has the same desserts and samosas, plus vegan pasties, for much cheaper.

3.50 pounds is one of the best deals you can find for a full meal in the city, and most would tell you that it's inexpensive, but the Engine Shed Cafe, the Forest Cafe, and the pasties in some of the shops have this place outdone.

There is usually a huge line spilling out of the storefront, but service is quite quick. It's just that popular.

They only accept payment in cash.

Pros: large portions, location, decent prices
Cons: limited menu (almost just potatoes), no seating, cash only

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Vegan Haggis!

4 Posted on 07 / 25 / 2008

Oh man, this place was so great. I couldn't even finish my baked potato topped with sunflower spread and vegan haggis. But it was so incredible! I went back the next day and couldn't resist getting the haggis again in a pita. I wish I could have eaten here more while I was there!

Pros: great value, huge tatties

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Not just baked potatoes...

4 Posted on 05 / 23 / 2008

Not being a fan of baked potatoes, I have avoided this wee place until recently. However, following a friend's praise for it, I had to investigate.

Today I had a vegan haggis samosa and a slice of mandarin and chocolate chip cake. On a previous visit, I have had mango and kiwi fruit cake and the haggis samosa. The samosa was tasty and spicy. The cakes were gorgeous.

And while I was waiting for my cake to be sliced, today, I had time to look at what else they have - a wide range of vegan and veggie salads which can go on top of a baked tattie or you can have them without the tattie, on their own.

Plenty of choice and vegan baking - what more could I ask for?

Pros: choice, friendly staff
Cons: too small

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Much-loved

5 Posted on 05 / 21 / 2008

This place might be small but it's big on value for money. And it still rates as one of my favourite cafes in the UK. No prizes for guessing what they specialise in, but a visit to the Baked Potato Shop always leaves my large appetite feeling satisfied - and my wallet relatively unscathed. For £3.50 you can have your fill of baked potato with a variety of tempting hot and cold fillings. You can also have pittas or trays of salad.
You can "eat in" - though there's only one table - but the cafe is in a fantastic location with loads of places to eat nearby.

Pros: great value, good grub, super location
Cons: very limited seating

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great for lunch and dinner

5 Posted on 03 / 20 / 2008

I went here a few times when I was in Edinburgh in January 2008. The location is amazing - right off the Royal Mile. The shop owner was EXTREMELY friendly. I had the vegan haggis (!!) stuffed potato. It was huge and delicious. They even have some great vegan desserts. There is only one booth but they can make your food to-go.

Pros: inexpensive, nice selection, friendly staff
Cons: limited seating

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Woo! Big Potatoes

4 Posted on 05 / 01 / 2007

I only wish this existed where I live. I don't to eat nearly as much potato as I would like. Lots of variety and nice staff! LOVED IT!

Pros: Good variety, Good Price, Nice friendly staff

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The Baked Potato Shop, Edinburgh

4 Posted on 10 / 08 / 2006

For me who uses the main train station in edinburgh a lot the location of this place is great. To get there you have to go up the steps out of the station and it feels a bit like a hike that a mountain goat woulo love. In reallity though it's only a few minutes walk. Vegans are well catered for. The baked tatties are enormous and could fill anyone. Top value for money

Pros: Location, Very vegan friendly, Great value
Cons: None