I’ve an excuse to review one of my favourite bakers in Edinburgh, a city filled with great bakeries, so let’s talk about Tasty Buns.
It’s Valentine’s Day, and I may have overcompensated as a single middle-aged man. We do that. Sometimes.
I’m fond of Burton’s Biscuit Co Wagon Wheels, which are large biscuit and mallow-filled chocolate-covered treats.
Today, the Bread Street-based Tasty Buns Bakery made me a giant-sized (inspired by) one. 10 inches of wheel!
They also made me a cake in the style of a zombie unicorn, but I can’t eat both in a single day (don’t tempt me), so my photography of that will come later on social media, but Tasty Buns Bakery took their own snap, and you can see how awesome it is!
How did Tasty Buns find themselves in a position where an enthusiastic food fan came to them with madcap cake ideas? I know their baking through Moonwake’s markets. If I go to a party arranged in a brewery, I eat all the cake. I needed an excuse to visit Tasty Buns on their home patch, and this was that.
Tip: Don’t DM Tasty Buns with madcap cake requests. I didn’t. Email.
Tasty Buns venue
I’ll get back to the food. You already know I’m a fan, so you won’t be surprised when I rave about how good it is.
I was surprised by the Tasty Buns venue. There’s an oldie street lamp inside. The whole bakery is a bit of a Tardis, and if you decide to go in for a sit-down, you’ll find an entire room with kitchen table-vibe seats perfect for family groups. I suspect many a tourist cluster has formed there.
Edinburgh locals will know that this end of Bread Street is in an infamous part of the city and one associated with other sorts of buns, but step inside this Tasty Buns, and you’ll never know. Inside, this food venue feels wholesome, clean, and companionably comfortable.
Tasty Buns’ service and vibe
I’ve experienced Tasty Buns from the point of view of several sorts of customer types now, and it’s always been great.
Frankly, it can’t be easy being a baker in Edinburgh. The hours are notoriously challenging, there’s a war that made wheat incredibly expensive, turning the essential oven on is a financial challenge, and people are being so mean to staff that it’s become headline news.
Imagine being as charismatic and as helpful as the Tasty Buns team is while all that’s going on.
The bakery was well staffed; while I collected my cakes and waited for a taxi to take me and my calorie loot home, several people came, got served, some had a blether, and everyone left happy. The team is clearly good at what they do!
Tasty Buns’ food
You can get coffee (non-dairy milk is available, too) with your cakes, a classic combination. I think the baked selection varies slightly over time, but I’ve seen brownies, cookies, scones, cupcakes, muffins and tray bakes.
Importantly, you can also get savoury options here for more of a traditional lunch or brunch meal. I saw sandwiches that would lure me back to the bakery even without the temptation of the Tasty Buns baking.
That said, this is Tasty Buns Bakery and not the Tasty Buns Sandwich Shop. The emphasis and the siren call are definitely around the buns!
I can’t also promise Tasty Buns will ‘pimp that snack’ on request or for whatever you fancy, but there’s clearly no harm in asking over email. I recommend vigorously testing the everyday menu, as I did first!
Things to do in the City Centre
The West Port / Castle Terrace area is busy. Head away from the Castle, which is just behind the bakery as the crow flies, and you’re on Lothian Round and near the Filmhouse (currently closed, hopefully, to re-open), Festival Square, which sometimes hosts events, Central Hall and dozens of other Fringe venues and very close to the Odeon.
The Usher Hall and Lyceum are around the corner, although I doubt opening times overlap terribly much. Head towards the Castle, and you’ll find yourself, depending on your route, going through the Grassmarket. Ignore the castle, and you’re a short walk away from Princess Street or the Meadows.
Overall
I’m a long-time Tasty Buns fan, and I’m glad Valentine’s Day gave me the excuse to visit the bakery.
My experience gave me great confidence that the food would be delicious, and it was. It always is. I was delighted by how easy it was to make a custom order. My surprise comes from how lovely the “cafe part” of the bakery was and that my scan of savoury options added to the temptation to come back.
If you are in the city centre, especially if you need to sit down for a sugar break to recharge from the rain, catch up with gossip, or rest your feet, pop in. At all other times, scan for the Tasty Buns logo by a baked treat and turn hunger into that warm feeling of food satisfaction.
A review of Tasty Buns Bakery
Summary
Tasty Buns lives up to its name, providing a menu of marvellous baked goods and a welcoming cafe behind the deceptively small shop front. The venue is well worth a visit, with food too good to be shared and a venue perfectly placed for city centre shoppers, tourists and even busy business people out and about during the day.
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