Waverly Market deserves a bigger slice of the action - Kevin Buckle

I’m a man of simple tastes so it was a bonus for me when I moved into Waverley Market so close to a Greggs.

While I’m a big fan of their baked goods and sandwiches, not to mention their caramel custard doughnut, I rarely try their pizza so I was glad to hear that a new pizza place was opening in the food court.

I’m no pizza aficionado – I just prefer them not to be thin and have neither pineapple or pepperoni topping – but others seem very excited, being fans of Butta Burger who are behind this new pizza venture.

The blurb says “Specialising in pillowy, square-pan pizzas loaded with toppings and encircled with an iconic cheese-crown crust, Homies offers a decadent twist on the traditional deep-dish pizza found in Detroit, Michigan.”

Kevin is looking forward to sampling what's on offer at Waverley Market's new addition - Homies

I’m not sure about “pillowy” but otherwise it all sounds good and I’ll be going for a cheese, ham and mushroom topping as soon as I get a chance.

What I would like most of all is a chip shop in the centre and I’m told the owners are not against it but they do present issues especially with the need for extraction fans.

The food court is now completely full offering everything from big names like KFC and McDonald’s to newer arrivals like German Doner Kebab, The Magic Cup and The Cheery Churro. Sushi Stop and Chopstix add an oriental flavour while there are not one but three coffee shops.

I have to admit it is not something I’ve tried, probably because I’m too old, but the kids can’t get enough of Rainbow Bubble Tea.

Of course the Christmas Market opens this week and despite many more food outlets having opened in recent years the council still seems to think there is a need for lots of pop-ups claiming local businesses can’t cope. It would be nice if they were given the chance to try.

While I never miss an opportunity to tell the Waverley Market owners they are doing the shops below no favours having an admittedly very popular collection of pubs on its roof an unexpected benefit of having the NHS vaccination centre move next door to Avalanche has been that many people are visiting the centre for the first time in years.

Hopefully this will help gradually improve local footfall that up until now hadn’t thought to visit and with Christmas coming up already I’ve had a lot of comments from people picking up presents for family and friends after they had also been to Born in Scotland and Flying Tiger.

Also proving popular for a post-injection coffee and cake is The Refillery next door and with their location on Waverley Bridge opposite the Christmas Market entrance it will be interesting to see how busy they become.

With Pokemon Scarlet and Violet launching yesterday I can guarantee a flood of people asking me for GAME a few doors along or more understandably Anime Republic based in a small enclave between the job centre and the food court. Stranger Things customers meanwhile are sent along to Damaged Society.

Hopefully many more locals will now discover what Waverley Market and indeed Avalanche has to offer and for posting those Christmas presents and cards look no further. We have Edinburgh’s main post office next door!