Quirky Edinburgh cafe set in old candy shop named amongst the top five places for coffee in the UK

Edinburgh city centre cafe ranked as one of the very best coffee shops in the UK

An Edinburgh cafe set in a refurbished confectionery shop has been named one of the best places for coffee in the UK.

It comes after a study from bookmakers Betway, which used its own index score to pick out the best coffee shops nationally. A Top 10 list has been generated by the number of hashtags each location has racked up on Instagram, as well as Tripadvisor and Google reviews – with the lower the overall index score the higher the ranking.

Placed at No.4 on the list is The Milkman, an independent speciality coffee shop on Cockburn Street. The quirky Old Town cafe is one of only two Scottish venues to make the cut, alongside the Ottoman Coffee Shop in Glasgow. Topping the list is the Federal Cafe Bar in Manchester, with Cardiff’s Bigmoose Coffee Co and Fig + Sparrow, also in Manchester, in second and third place respectively.

The Milkman, on Cockburn Street in Edinburgh, has been named one of the best places for coffee in the UK. Photos: The Milkman

A real favourite with locals and visitors alike, The Milkman opened its doors in November 2015 when owner Mark Donald completely transformed what was an old candy shop into a stylish and cosy coffee shop. The name of the cafe is imbued with memories and carries the story of Mark’s great grandfather, who once delivered milk by horse-drawn carriage in Aberdeenshire (The Milkman’s logo is his silhouette).