Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
Take-out
British
Scottish

Vegan- and allergy diet friendly (peanut, wheat, flour, etc). Minutes walk south uphill into the Old Town from main train station (Waverley Station). Location - top end of Cockburn Street - near Royal Mile. Reported closed April 2023.


Venue map for The Baked Potato Shop
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124 Reviews

First Review by Stevie

MuK-UK

Points +262

Vegan
07 Jul 2012

Tiffin!

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.

Caryne

Points +301

Vegan
22 May 2012

Brilliant potatoes and delicious vegan cakes.

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

beenie

Points +131

Vegan
14 May 2012

Great little potato shop !

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.

alimac

Points +265

Vegan
24 Oct 2011

BIggest baked potatoes in the world!!!

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

limegreen07

Points +156

Vegetarian
06 Aug 2011

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

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

captain_sensible

Points +50

Vegetarian
23 Nov 2010

Best baked potatoes on the planet.

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

hack_man

Points +23916

Vegan
06 Jul 2010

Essential Budget Eating

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

gr8vegan

Points +2363

Vegan
14 Aug 2009

Huge lines, but worth it! Try the Haggis

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

Eugene Nyunt.

Points +162

Vegan
12 Apr 2009

Friendly and outgoing service & large range.

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.

VeganPrincess00

Points +28

Vegan
19 Mar 2009

Perfect!

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

amysaundersbigelow

Points +55

Vegan
13 Aug 2008

A filling meal

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

Aine

Points +46

Vegan
24 May 2008

Not just baked potatoes...

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

Deano

Points +123

Vegan
22 May 2008

Much-loved

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

Karla

Points +29

Vegan
21 Mar 2008

great for lunch and dinner

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

bavegan

Points +494

Vegan
01 May 2007

Woo! Big Potatoes

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

Stevie

Points +11765

Vegan
08 Oct 2006

The Baked Potato Shop, Edinburgh

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




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