The Buckstone Returns: Discover Edinburgh's Revived Café Gem

A decade after its last outing, The Buckstone returns with daytime charm, vintage motorsport flair, and some of the most relaxed views in Edinburgh.

Ten years. Where does the time go? It feels like yesterday, but it is nearly four thousand days since I last set foot in The Buckstone. It was once a sports bar (of which more later), it was once a casual diner (also of more later), but what is never in doubt is the exquisite location. It’s been here since before Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary stood on top of Everest (actually, a long time before), but getting to the Buckstone has no need for a Sherpa, unless it’s your van in the car park outside the door. Think less Base Camp and more morning coffee and a fresh croissant.

If you favour a lie‑in over the bonhomie of a hotel breakfast buffet, this is the quieter option. Catch up on emails after catching up on sleep. Just wander across the courtyard from the next‑door Braid Hills Hotel (now back in independent management). It’s like it’s never been away.

Morning croissant?

It is still early days for the Buckstone’s return. Time has zipped by since the reopening to a new café life back in August. Now, it’s December. It’s grey, overcast, damp and dreary — much like August, come to think of it. Step inside, though, and the mood immediately warms up.

What you find is reassuringly familiar. The bar is still there, and the licence application is in. So is the conservatory. The views of Edinburgh remain, as do the sofas at the back that quietly invite you to stay longer than planned. Then, also inviting you to remain, is manageress Kamala. Probably somewhat more familiar with the Himalayas than her customers, on account of her Nepalese origins. Can’t help feeling she finds the foothills of the Pentlands somewhat less intimidating — but not as irritating as my irrelevant mountaineering nonsense.

What is relevant is the way that the Buckstone has not been ripped up and given a corporate makeover — a refurb, as we call it in the trade. Instead, it has been gently smartened up and pointed in a new — and unexpected — direction.

First, though, the biggest change is the clock. The Buckstone is now very much a daytime affair, and it suits perfectly. A coffee‑and‑croissant morning at a window table, gazing out over the rhododendrons of Braidburn Valley Park. It’s time well spent. The sandstone villas that bound the park are Victorian contemporaries of the Braid Hills Hotel, of which the Buckstone was originally an annexe, in 1886 — the same full year that “Peak B” became named Mount Everest (see, not so irrelevant after all).

So, here’s the unexpected bit. A collection of historic motoring and motor‑racing memorabilia from the fifties, sixties and seventies. Well, when you own a collection of vintage trackside neon signs worth serious money, it would be rude to keep them in, like a garage or something (which, apparently, is where they’ve been these intervening years). The result is a space that thrums with echoes of Brabham and Brands Hatch, Stirling Moss and Maserati — minus the smell of high‑octane fuel and burning rubber. The aromas are much more pleasant.

Then, at twelve sharp, the flag falls for lunch. A lineup of sensible dishes, readied on the starting grid. Sandwiches are served on your choice of white or wholemeal bloomers, with gluten‑free available. All backed up by mixed salad and tortilla chips.

Kamala

Fillings cover the classics and then some. There’s tandoori chicken with onion marmalade; chicken Caesar; cheddar cheese and sweet pickle; egg mayo with roquette; roasted red pepper, roquette and hummus; tuna mayo and cucumber; or sliced honey‑roast ham with leaf salad. They are generous, straightforward and exactly what you want at lunchtime.

The hot sandwiches push things up a gear. A proper BLT, a fish‑finger sandwich built around beer‑battered haddock goujons, steak ciabatta with mozzarella and onion marmalade, or a Mediterranean number featuring fried halloumi and red pepper. These are plates designed to see you through a lap or two, whether or not a hike in the hills or an afternoon round is on the cards. There’s absolutely scope to extend the offer into the evening, or make that BLT into a broader breakfast range.

Right now, these are far from the easiest times for the hospitality industry. Any openings deserve a commendation. Reopenings too. Can The Buckstone work this second time around as a daytime destination? Yes — very much so, and not just because it’s there. Making a go of it may seem like climbing Everest, but at the Buckstone, you don’t need to be six miles up to feel on top of the world.

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The Buckstone: 134 Braid Road, Edinburgh, EH10 6JD - 0131 447 8888

• Morning coffee and pastries under £10

• Light lunchtime meals under £20

• Pet‑friendly too.