Portuguese cafe named one of Edinburgh's best coffee shops on TripAdvisor

Owner of Casa Amiga cafe, Patrica Da Silva, which has been voted best on Trip Advisor. Picture: Ian Georgeson

Casa Amiga, based on Leith Walk, opened in June 2014 and serves traditional Portuguese rolls and tarts, all of which are baked on site.

Visitors to TripAdvisor, the leading online review site, have praised the coffee shop for its “friendly” atmosphere and “charming” staff.

The shop is owned by Patricia and Michael Da Silva, who visited the Capital while travelling through Europe – and fell in love with the city.

Keen to open a coffee shop, they opted to return and eventually embarked on a project with a Portuguese twist.

Patricia, pictured, said it was “fantastic” to be number one on TripAdvisor. She said: “It’s nice to be well known. We’ve been in Edinburgh for about 14 years and we always wanted to open up a coffee shop.

“To be different, we thought ‘let’s open a bakery’ too. So we opened, and we do everything here from scratch.” As well as offering Portuguese baking, the coffee shop has authentic  groceries that prove very popular with Portuguese people living in the city, as well as natives.

With a wide range on sale – from sweets and chocolate to dried cod fish – the café is a haven for those living far from home.

The café is also well known for its coffee, made with authentic Thomson blend. One TripAdvisor user wrote: “It’s the best coffee I have ever tasted”.

The lively atmosphere and great tarts also come in for praise.

Casa Amiga was visited by. Labour leader Kezia Dugdale during the recent election campaign and pictured serving coffee for customers.

Patricia said: “Kezia had been in before but she never told me who she was, so she came in and I was like, ‘oh my god she’s been in here before!’ It was kind of embarrassing, but she said, ‘I’ve been here before and I love your custard tarts.”

Casa Amiga means “friendly house” in Portuguese, and there’s no doubt it’s living up to its name with Capital coffee lovers.

The cups that cheer

1. Casa Amiga

294 Leith Walk. Classic brunch and with a Portuguese twist. Sheila said: “Something different in the afternoon tea trade. All delicious.”

2. Le Cafe Bleu

62 West Port Street. Brunch and lunch with sweet treats. Emily said: “Absolutely delicious breakfast!

3. Clarinda’s Tea Room

69 Cannongate. Popular for its home-baked goods. Isabella said: “It’s small, but the café is furnished so nicely and in detail that it makes you feel in a 1800s novel.”

4. Graze on Grassmarket

67 Grassmarket. Locally-sourced ingredients, vegan and gluten-free options. Megan said: “The servers were really polite and nice. We will return!”

5. Sugarhouse Sandwiches

158 Cannongate. Known as the cafe in Edinburgh to get lunch for less than a fiver. Patsy said: “Had tea and the most truly scrumptious cakes here.”

6. Southern Cross Cafe

63A Cockburn Street. Fresh Scottish sourced food that is described as simple and tasty. Jeff said: “Very nice affordable food and a cafe with a lot of character.”

7. Leo’s Beanery

23A Howe Street. A family-run cafe offering fresh home baking. Susanne said: “The coffee was the best I have tasted in the UK and the porridge with honey and stewed apple was also lovely.”

8. Cramond Falls Cafe

10 School Brae. Situated in a converted 17th century grain mill, the cafe has a rustic style with a varied menu. Nicola said: “Perfect location, excellent coffee and probably the best scones I’ve ever tasted.”

9. The Bon Tea Room

279A St John’s Road. Tea to sit in or take away at a reasonable price. Lyndsay said: “The afternoon tea is excellent value, the food is delicious and well presented and staff are very friendly.”

10. The Coffee Mill Cafe

54/56 West Port Street. Simple and freshly made sandwiches as well as large home-made breakfasts. Erik said: “Service was great. This proved to be a lot better and cheaper than the overpriced, expensive and not so impressing breakfast at our hotel.”