Take a first look inside new Calton Hill cafe which offers stunning panoramic views

Cafe Calton will open to the public on Sunday, June 22, inside the Collective complex at the top of Edinburgh’s Calton Hill. The cafe itself is a sleek picture-perfect modern offering, and the outside terrace is the best spot in the city to spend time with family and friends while enjoying some lovely food.

Both the 35-cover cafe and impressive outside terrace offer incredible views of the city centre, Leith and further afield to Fife on a clear day, making it a definite Instagram hotspot, and a must-visit eaterie for locals and tourists.

Cafe Calton owner Stefano Pieraccini and his staff are excited and ready to open the doors on Sunday.

He said: “It’s fun and exciting to be opening on Sunday. We have been working on this since the end of April, so five weeks, but the process in planning for it began in January.

“We have had some amazing trades on board with this project, some of the best people I have ever worked with on a new site. The standard was excellent. Without them we would be nowhere near the level we’ve reached.

“It was quite harsh decor in this building before, very cold. The first thing I thought was that it needed warmed up. It’s now so comfortable and open.

“We are ready and looking forward to opening on Sunday. We think what we provide adds so much value to Calton Hill and the local area.

“We have got an amazing terrace that blends in so well with our incredible surroundings up here, we put a lot of thought into that. We are in a World Heritage Site and we need to respect that.”

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Although a daily, steady stream of tourists heading up Calton Hill to get some great photos from their visit to Edinburgh should provide plenty of customers for Cafe Calton, Stefano hopes to encourage locals to march up the hill to try the cafe’s great food and check out the incredible views of their city.

He said: “There are so many tourists up here on Calton Hill every day, but the local market isn’t here. So we are really trying to draw the locals back up here. It’s their city as well.

“This place is all about fun, run as a cafe that serves really good food in a great environment and I think when people come here they will love it, they will think it’s very cool, with stunning views.

“Great food in a great location, served well and cooked well with great ingredients. Just nice food that’s familiar to everyone, but just cooked very well with the best ingredients.

“The big thing to highlight is this venue is completely different now, different name, different look and a different atmosphere. We want to create a warm and welcoming place to visit, everyone is very welcome here.”