Peter's Yard

This bakery cafe was so nice. The location is nice on Middle Meadow Walk, especially since I was staying near there on my trip to Edinburgh. I came around 9am on a Wednesday and it wasn't too crowded. I got a breakfast with an assortment of bread, some cheese and greens and two different types of preserves. The crispbread is the main highlight in my opinion. The latte was also excellent. The atmosphere is really nice and feels bright and cozy even when the weather is gloomy.

It's unique, and the highest possible quality in every possible way. So why 3 stars? Because £7+ for an open faced sandwich only works in a museum cafe where you pay it because you're a tourist your legs are sore. Also, they have probably 15 kinds of baked things on the table, and like 13 of them are all white flour which I try to avoid. The location makes it really convenient for me so I stop in sometimes to grab a roll or something quick for breakfast and it is always crowded. So, clearly there is a customer base for it, it's just amazing to a student who has learned how far a pound can go.

This place is a Pinterest locovore dream and if you can afford to be a regular here, it's probably exactly the kind of place you want it to be.

I have visited Peter's Yard a couple of times now with a friend and have enjoyed my experience. They serve nice strong loose tea, which is always a plus in my book. And my friends love the coffee. The pastries, cakes and sandwiches look amazing, and I'm looking forward to trying that soon... due to having been here at odd hours between meals, it just hasn't happened yet... but I do end up staring at the food on the counter, if I have to admit it.

If you visit on a cold day, then it's worth ordering a very warm drink. There is a bit of a draft through the whole place. This is due to a faulty door, which they have made a sign for. It really might be worth fixing that.

I want to give the Yard at least 4 stars, but I'm just not there yet. This is a pity as it has the food and look and feel of a place that should be getting 5 stars. This is partly to do with the fact that both times I've visited I haven't had much interaction with the staff. It actually seems a bit like responsibilities in the kitchen seem to have priority over managing the till and the customers. I still think the place could easily earn a higher rating from most recent reviewers, but maybe they have become too confident in the quality of their food to the detriment of the little things.

I just recently discovered Peters Yard and I wish I had found it sooner! They have lovely lose leaf tea that is rich and full bodied! And the pastries, each time I have been there I have not been disappointed. This last time I got a raspberry linzer tart and it was amazing , with my last bite I was sad it was over. I think its a nice cozy cafe, and even provides blankets if you are cold and sitting outside .
the savoury food looks amazing but I haven't had the chance to try it yet, hope to next time.

I have never had something in Peter's Yard I didn't like. The coffee is good, the tea selection from Anteaques is wonderful (try the grapefruit black tea), and the pastries/ cakes - delightful. Peter's Yard does a great job of blending together unique and interesting flavours. The foods are tasteful, appropriately seasoned (e.g. just enough sugar to highlight the flavours of their desserts), and very Instagram-able.

Recommendations: Sunday morning Swedish pancakes, Grapefruit Black Tea, the Raspberry Ice Cream, and the Vanilla Cardamom Bun.

Achingly middle-class. I hate that I like this place. I am such a stereotype. But, there's a lot to be said about Scandinavian aesthetics and Swedish food. Ugh. It's a good option for that neck of the woods, too.

Be prepared to take out a second mortgage. This place is a treat-only kind of stop. Fabulous cake options. so beware your expanding waistline. The queues are pretty mental too. BUT. Still worth a stop. It's four stars on a good day when the queues aren't insane.

Is there anything better than a cup of freshly ground coffee and a warm artisan muffin or pastry?

Actually, there is and that's sitting in the fresh air and following the coffee and cake with a piping hot bowl of soup, a slice of fresh sourdough bread and finally, a home-made ice-cream or fruit sorbet.

For those lucky enough to work or live in the area, Peter Yard's is extending the opening hours of this new Savour To Go branch from mid-day to 8pm during the Edinburgh Festival - so expect to see performers and audiences grabbing a slice of something tasty between shows.

Very solid bakery!

The cardamom bun opens your senses, slightly sweet, and savory, with a lingering cardamom finish. The vanilla roll was like a bagel donut with vanilla tapioca pudding in it, rolled in sugar. Tried the hot chocolate - perfect temperature, good chocolate/ milk balance, and sinful. My latte was a bit bitter, which was the only downside, but corrected with some table-side pure cane sugar. The pink rock candy citrus shortbread was buttery and soft, but not too flaky. Self-serve tap water available (a plus for any runners like me who drink a lot of it).

Love the blankets available to use for outdoor seating, and staff was friendly and willing to answer my questions about ingredients. Great location, and way better than Starbucks next door for the same price.

Being a member of the Edinburgh University Scandinavian Society, this Swedish cafe has been the venue for a couple of our events, and it's definitely appropriate, even down to it's decor of minimalist scandinavian design.

I lived in Sweden for two years, so was increasingly surprised as I spotted one swedish speciality after another on the menu and at the counter! It's primarily a bakery, so all the delicious pastries and desserts I'd only found in Sweden were here, and in abundance as well; cinnamon buns and all sorts of muffins! They also sell a selection of sandwiches, and for those homesick Swedes, hand made crisp bread and jams imported from the land of the Vikings!

On the occasions I've been there for society get-togethers, there have been free for all waffles, served with ice cream, jam and cream... extremely messy but equally satisfying! And ofcourse a Swedish café wouldn't be complete without an endless supply of coffee; seeing as I'm not particularly a fan, I'll give it a pass and say I've definitely had worse.

Peter's yard is just off George Square, so a student favourite, and with outdoor seating, it's a glorious place to be when the Scottish weather decides to be generous!

My knowledge of Sweden is very limited. Off the top of my head, the only things that I think of that are related to Sweden are Ikea, Swedish meatballs, Swedish fish, and Peter Forsberg, and the first two are inextricably linked anyway. So as you can see, I'm not very familiar with Sweden, or any of the other Scandinavian countries for that matter. When I learned of Peter's Yard, a well-regarded Swedish bakery mini-chain that has a location in Edinburgh, the first two questions that popped into my head were 1) what constitutes Swedish baked goods? and 2) would there be any assembly required? I was intrigued enough to pursue this further.

Entering the bakery shortly after it opened, I was immediately greeted by the warm smell of cinnamon swirling in the air. Piles of unfamiliar but most definitely tasty-looking baked goods, ranging from cakes and cookies to assorted breads and buns, were laid out on dishes on the countertop. Proclaimed as one of the bakery's specialties and supposedly a baked good with a cult-like following, the kladdkaka sounded like something I needed to try. Described as a dense, gooey, and sticky chocolate cake, kladdkaka sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately, the slice that I got was dry and crumbly, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was left over from the previous day. For something that was essentially a dry, glorified brownie that cost £2.70, I felt ripped off.

The disappointment from the kladdkaka, though, was remedied by the cinnamon and cardamom buns. I know that Ikea sells cinnamon buns, but the buns baked at Peter's Yard differ substantially from the typical American cinnamon bun. Both the cinnamon and cardamom buns at Peter's Yard consist of a braided mass of soft, slightly sweet dough. The cinnamon bun, topped off with some coarse sugar and almonds, bears no resemblance to the sticky, gooey, and ridiculously sweet (but still delicious) Cinnabons, but it was tasty all the same. I think I actually preferred the cardamom bun, with its slightly fruity flavor making for a more interesting-tasting bun. However, both the cinnamon and cardamom buns were fresh and made for a satisfying breakfast without the hyperglycemia-inducing sugar rush of a Cinnabon.

My first exposure to Swedish baked goods was a pleasant experience. I am definitely interested in trying out some of the other interesting breads and pastries I saw in the bakery, but I can't recall ever seeing a Swedish (or Scandinavian, for that matter) bakery in NYC, though perhaps that's because I haven't looked hard enough. Although I still know virtually nothing about Sweden, at least I will now think of something other than do-it-yourself furniture stores, chewy candies, and brittle hall-of-fame hockey players when I'm talking about Sweden.