Vegan
Organic
Western
Take-out
Bakery
European
Gluten-free

Cafe serving a selection of starters, burgers, sandwiches, all-day breakfast, soups, and Buddha bowls. Emphasis on cooking from scratch and creating healthy dishes. Est. 2016. Open Mon-Thu 12:00-22:00, Fri-Sun 10:00-22:00. Last orders 9pm. Open hours vary.


Featured Review

Angelina-Sabrina

Points +383

Vegan
26 Mar 2025

Holy Cow? Holy Grail! 🙏

Suuuuuper lecker und total lieber Service 🤩


652 Reviews

First Review by craigmc

angdep

Points +1297

Vegan
14 Jan 2018

Good food, excellent desserts

I love the sandwiches here more than I do the burgers. They are healthier and so tasty! The best are the desserts! They have such great selections, and all so scrumptious.

Pros: organic

Cons: not all healthily prepared

Ale_xandra

Points +210

Vegan
08 Jan 2018

cozy + vegan

What a cute place! Great menu and I love their hours, they are open a bit later than most places that are a similar cafe vibe. The food was great, their buns are really really yummy so I recommend any of their burgers! I loved the tumeric latte although it had big chunks of what I can o it assumed was tumeric root. A bit pricy but great food! Be sure to get dessert! Oh and I love their branding, wonderful.

Pros: quality, good portions , cozy

AsherOscarTurnbull

Points +25

Vegan
30 Dec 2017

Lovely

Visited yesterday morning with my wife on trip up from Newcastle. We are both vegan so looked on Happy Cow to find a vegan place. We were impressed with the freshness of the food, down to the homemade bread. We had two open sandwiches to share and the portions were hearts, we couldn't quite finish! I do think some additional seasonings (perhaps something smokey) on the tempeh would have been an improvements, but it was lovely non the less and I really loved the tofu sandwich. The drinks selection was nice and water was brought to our table straight away when we came in without us having to request it. We were given friendly table service although we would have happily ordered at the counter. Very relaxed atmosphere and nice, bright, clean decor.

Pros: All vegan, Central Location, Friendly staff

Cons: None

Lex28

Points +227

Vegan
11 Dec 2017

Nice but expensive

We had the Cheeseburger and a BLT. The BLT was served on a really small piece of bread which made it very difficult to eat as it all fell apart, but was quite tasty, although a bit expensive for the size. The burger with the bbq sauce and cheese sauce was lovely and the chips were amazing. We had a summer fruits chocolate cake which was nice but a little bit bland.

chico.charlesworth

Points +16

Vegan
24 Nov 2017

Yummy food, lovely staff 🌱

Loved the jackfruit burger & chips! 🍔🍟

blackoutrishi

Points +94

Vegan
23 Nov 2017

A lot better than I thought it would be!

I must admit I wasn't too eager to eat here because I thought the menu wasn't super unique, but when I came here on my last day in Scotland I was impressed how tasty the food was! I only had one of the burgers, but it was honestly one of the best burgers I've ever had in my life. The Australian girl who served me with kind and answered all the questions I had. I would come here again to try the other items on the menu.

Pros: the burgers

Cons: cash only

lmcc

Points +1249

Vegan
21 Nov 2017

Awesome little restaurant

I really enjoyed my meal here. The restaurant/cafe was very cosy and cute. The decor was really nice, and the display of cakes and treats was very tempting and gave me something to look forward to after my delicious main.

The waitress was super friendly and great about recommending which burger I should get - I ended up getting the jackfruit burger. It was really delicious, and it tasted very fresh. I also got a slice of the peanut butter chocolate cheesecake, which was just the right blend of sweetness and chocolate/peanut-butter-y-ness. I would definitely come here again if I'm ever in the area.

Pros: Friendly staff, Delicious food, Great dessert choices

FairyTati

Points +135

Vegan
20 Nov 2017

Cozy place with delicious food

This place offers a very nice atmosphere and delicious vegan food!!!Really tasty hamburgers, soups and wonderful dessert options. If you are in Edinburgh, do not miss it!

unmond

Points +769

Vegan
14 Nov 2017

Lovely little gem

We came here on a chilly Saturday night in autumn and instantly felt at home in this warm and cosy café. It was not very busy and the relaxing atmosphere made our stay all the more enjoyable.
For our meal, we shared two sandwiches (Smoked Tofu and the CBLT), which looked and tasted fantastic. After that, we could not NOT choose a slice of cake from their vast selection - and I'm so glad we did! I believe we had a Black Forest Berry Sponge Cake, and it was amazing!
Should you ever find yourself in the centre of Edinburgh, I'd highly recommend you pay this place a visit. It's not very far from Waverley station, which makes it the ideal spot to spend the time waiting for your train.

danielaj

Points +904

Vegan
26 Oct 2017

wonderful!

Beautiful decor, cosy space with decent amount of seating. Food is wonderful! Burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads to pick from at a reasonable price (big bowl of soup and bread for £4.50!) coffees, tumeric lattes, hot chocs, teas and cakes. ALL VEGAN! Great place yum food! Free wifi. Only accepts cash though although there is a cash machine nearby

Layra

Points +720

Vegan
24 Oct 2017

Delicious vegan burgers

Holy Cow is a very cute place close to Edinburgh Bus Station. There is a good choice of vegan burgers, sandwiches, salads, soups and sweets. I tried the thai burger and it was super delicious and filling! I would highly recommend stopping by for lunch ;) Staff was extremely friendly as well.

Huxley

Points +41

Vegan
22 Oct 2017

The most helpful staff!!

We visited this place a little while ago with my baby (in her pram), not realising it was downstairs and the waitress carried the pram all the way upstairs for me after our meal,
Unfortunately my meal was way too oily and there not very enjoyable but the service deserves more than 5 stars in itself. It may have been an off day or perhaps just my meal so because of the service I will go back and try it out again.



Updated from previous review on 2017-10-22

Pros: Most helpful staff

Cons: Food was too oily on this occasion

AmyW

Points +21

Vegetarian
22 Oct 2017

Best vegan burgers

Innovative burger options and delicious soup too.
Relaxed and friendly environment.

Christi

Points +174

Vegan
18 Oct 2017

Delicious vegan food!

This is a great vegan cafe/restaurant. Paulina was very friendly and informative. I got the Portobello mushroom burger, which was really tasty, chips and an amazing peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake.
I have no idea how it was vegan but apparently it was! I would definitely go back next time I’m in town.

RedAmaranth

Points +292

Vegan
25 Sep 2017

Chips to die for

Airy and bright little spot down some steps behind the bus station.
Short but effective menu - no fake meat, which is great, but they have vegan cheese if that's your bag.
I was going to have a salad but got swayed by the promise of the hand-cut chunky chips with the burgers, which sealed the deal.
Lovely smoothie and staff too.

Pros: Very cute inside. , Interesting flavour combos. , No fake meat.

Cons: Wee bit pricey. , Cash only.

TudaG

Points +53

Vegan
19 Sep 2017

great food

Stopped in for lunch after arriving in Edinburgh. This place is very charming and cute while offering top notch vegan sandwiches, burgers, and coffee.

Kira.

Points +43

Vegan
14 Sep 2017

The banoffee pie is YUM!

I went to Edinburgh for a 3 day trip back in July and went here once for lunch and one for dinner.

At the time their sign wasn't up and the restaurant is in the bellow street level (Down the stairs) section of the building, so we didn't notice it at first.

The place is super clean and the staff our polite and welcoming. The main things are burgers, sandwiches and salads with some spring roll wraps aswell. My family opted for burgers both times we went.

First time, my mum and I had the portobello mushroom burger, which was super juicy, and my dad (Both my mum and dad are omni) who is super into meat, had the tofu burger, which I didn't expect him to like, but he wolfed it down and was super happy with it. The chips you get are really good and crispy and they have organic ketchup which I love.

The second time, both my parents had the portobello and I had the falafel burger. The burger tasted good, but was way to dense and a bit on the dry side for me. Just TOO much falafel.

We didn't get to try most of the cakes but they looked fantastic. I had a slice of banoffee pie and it was AMAZING, I missed banoffee pie. It tasted just like it's non-vegan counterpart.

The toilets are clean and I would definitely go back.

Pros: Good range of food, Cakes looked amazing, Polite and welcoming staff

Cons: Closes early so keep an eye on time

Iamreb

Points +53

Vegan
30 Aug 2017

Great burgers

We orderd "fresh" apple and orange juice but it was just regular juice from a bottle lol, little bit strange. Menu isn't that large unfortunately, and there aren't healthy options except for the salads...

But the cheesecake was 10/10!!! The peanutbutter brownie was also to die for, but a little bit dry for me. I love it that the cakes weren't that sweet, just sweet enough!

Pros: Delicious burgers, Delicious cakes, Friendly staff

Cons: Little menu options, especially the drinks

trisarahtops18

Points +101

Vegan
30 Aug 2017

Best vegan cakes I've had!

We've been to Holy Cow a few times now, and we've always left the restaurant feeling incredibly full, and incredibly happy. The food is all fresh and made on-site, even the bread, and everything is delicious. The portions are massive- definitely go along with an empty stomach! The cakes are particularly amazing- they usually have a vegan cheesecake available, and it's the best cake I've ever had. It's a great little spot, and the staff are absolutely lovely. Definitely worth a visit if you're in Edinburgh!

Pros: Excellent food, Lovely staff, Generous portions

ChipOwain

Points +46

Vegan
26 Aug 2017

Possibly the best vegan café in Scotland.

Definitely pricier than other cafés, but the food is restaurant-quality in quality and portion size, generous. Would highly recommend the super juicy portobello mushroom burger. If you're going to buy a vegan cake from any venue, make it this place. Best vegan cakes (I've tasted) in Scotland - but again, the quality is reflected in the price.

Pros: Taste, Portion Size, Quiet

Cons: Can't think of any. , For the quality, any cheaper would be unfair

KarenClement

Points +271

Vegan
25 Aug 2017

great burgers

I really enjoyed my food, the burger was great! Would eat here again. I didn't enjoy the cake too much as it was a little oily but this didn't stop me finishing it!

LauraAngelaBrennan

Points +22

Vegan
21 Aug 2017

great vegan food and atmosphere

I really enjoyed my meal at Holy Cow, I had the Jackfruit burger and my partner had the Thai carrot and we both enjoyed our meal! The chips were delicious as was the garlic mayo! The soup and bread starter was also great!

The cakes looked so good so we got them to take away and eat at home!

Would also recommend getting a smoothie, I had the yellow one and it was delicious!

MarinaNobre

Points +22

Vegan
13 Aug 2017

The Best Vegan Burger

Best vegan burger I've ever had. Generous with the portions and fillings. Garlic mayo was delicious. Great quality ingredients. Atmosphere cosy and cute. Service was fast and friendly.

rasmoos

Points +24

Vegan
11 Aug 2017

Cozy place & warm staff

Frequented Holy Cow multiple times during my stay in Edinburgh. It is hands down one of the best all-vegan places I have visited in Scotland. Everything on the menu is good, be it food, cakes or smoothies. The portions are good.

The place is situated in a cozy room below street level. The staff are very kind, friendly and I was always met with a warm smile.

One last thing: get a smoothie!

Pros: Excellent food, Friendly staff, Good value

Cons: Small place, Stairs down

Jonandmarkuk

Points +227

Vegan
05 Aug 2017

very nice food

Great food tucked away near the bus station.
Portions were very generous.
A word of warning, the kitchen closes for hot food about an hour before the closing time.

Pros: everything is vegan

Cons: cash only

hippoportamus

Points +25

Vegan
04 Aug 2017

Fresh and very tasty

We we're very happy with our meals and drinks, they were fresh, colourful and very tasty. The service was friendly and helpful. We walked away fully satisfied, will defiantly come back.

Pros: Can eat anything on the menu, Prices are good, Relaxing atmosphere

Cons: No alcohol licence

Robona

Points +56

Vegan
27 Jul 2017

hidden gem!

An out of the way and hard to spot hidden gem! Lovely selection of burgers. Masses of cakes to choose from and all 100% vegan. Worth checking out.

Pros: great menu options

Cons: a bit chilly due to open door




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