Review: Green Bite Cafe & Bakery, a plant-based cafe in Inverleith

Green Bite Cafe & Bakery in Goldenache / Inverleith or the Granton section of Ferry Road is one of my favourite places for lunch.

I could equally walk a similar distance into the culinary heart of Stockbridge, and so I hope that speaks positive volumes about the vegan cafe.

The friendly and locally popular cafe isn’t huge; there were three tables for two and a small bench, but towards the end of the year, they squeezed in one more table. The new addition is a bit close to the cash till, but it shows that those in the know, know to come here, and Green Bite has tried to accommodate the crowds.

If you’ve not been in the area for a while, then let me tell you: Green Bite is where Plantz was once, and so we’ve traded one vegan shop for another, except Green Bite is all about cafe food rather than retail.

Green Bite’s food

Plant-based delicious temptations abound at Green Bite. I think there are about three types on offer here.

Green Bite offers plant-based baking like scones and cakes, which are moist (when they’re supposed to be), light, delicious and hard to resist.

Then there’s the salad and soup option you might expect from a vegan or plant-based cafe. Portions are generous, and if you want something more compact or eat-and-walk then there are paninis as well,

Lastly, there are also plant-based recreations of old favourites like vegan sausage rolls or ‘chicken’ pie.

I’ve thoroughly tested them all, generally with coffee, and I can reassure you that you cannot go wrong.

A bakery-cafe means everything you eat in Green Bite is made fresh – sometimes straight out of the kitchen. To top off all this delicious food, there’s a loyalty card and meal deals, and I hope you can see why I try to get here several times a month to eat.

Green Bite Cafe’s vibe

The people are one of Green Bite’s many highlights. We’re not just talking about talented chefs and canny hospitality staff, as the Green Bite team is friendly, clever and diligent.

For example, if you have a food allergy, my experience is that team Green Bite would like to hear about it. I suspect they very much want to make plant-based food as available and approachable to as many people as possible,

Or, as another example, if you want a little cold water in your coffee to grab a takeaway cup and wolf your morning pick me up on the way to work, there’s no problem.

There’s a sort of halo effect in Green Bite; the staff are so friendly that it sort of spreads to locals. I keep encountering local shop workers in the cafe for their lunch, being super friendly or even tourists being accommodating with seats. You only need to see the birthday cards the cafe got to see how much local and regular affection the team had earned.

Things to do in Inverleith

Green Bite is about a ten-minute walk, in a straight line, from the Royal Botanic Gardens. Alternatively, if you head the other direction and go down Ferry Road, you’ll get to Victoria Park, chance a few corners, walk a few more minutes in yet another direction, and get to Granton Harbour. 

Granted, these are not high-octane entertainment thrillers. The nearest cinema, for now, is Vue in Ocean Terminal; there you have the Port of Leith and the Royal Yacht Britannia. These are the nearest tourist attractions, not nearby tourist attractions. 

Overall

There’s a few extra highlights to call out that fit neither easily into food nor vibe;

• Green Bite is open on a Monday.
• Green Bite opens at 8:30am so that you can wheel past for a pre-work coffee.

As I hope it is clear, I’m a Green Bite fan. I’m not vegan, just increasingly plant-based, and places like Green Bite make it easy, affordable and delicious to do that.

I recommend the food, the venue and having friendly chats.