Old Town Patisserie · Specialty Coffee · Serious Sandwiches
★ 4.8 — 107 Google reviews
As posted on @substationnn — this is the real thing, filmed in the shop.
Every sub starts as a plain roll and gets filled in front of you — like this Chicken Tikka Cheese, finished under the neon.
📍 9 St Mary's St & 63 Grassmarket, Edinburgh
Whole cakes under glass domes, each with its own hand-chalked label. This is the window that stops people on the street.
📍 Cake prices are chalked up in-store — ask at the counter
Any Hot Coffee & Any Muffin — £5.99
The prep counter runs all day — doner wraps rolled to order, salads built from the same fresh trays.
📍 Bagels & hot morning rolls too — from 8am
The original Sub Station sits on the Grassmarket — yellow chairs out front, open from 7am. Sub Station Express is five minutes away on St Mary's Street.
📍 63 Grassmarket & 9 St Mary's St, Edinburgh
Tucked on St Mary's Street in the Old Town, Sub Station Express runs a proper cake cabinet and a coffee bar alongside the sandwich counter — rows of cheesecakes, cannoli and daily bakes under warm Edison-bulb light.
Even the small things get looked after: your plate comes with a heart drawn on it in chocolate sauce.
4.8 out of 5 from 107 Google reviews
"...high-quality pastries and cakes. Coffee made with attention to detail... we will return during our stay in Edinburgh."
— Manel M. (Barcelona)"We stopped in for breakfast each day during our stay on St Mary's Street... Always left with full stomachs, happy hearts"
— Stevie C. (Toronto)"Best Lemon Cake I have ever tasted."
— Greg M.9 St Mary's Street, Old Town, EH1 1TA
PASSFood Hygiene Rating — inspected 12 Feb 2025