Thistle Sandwich Bar

Thistle Sandwich Bar trades from Thistle Street, one of the quieter lanes in the Georgian New Town grid running parallel between George Street and Queen Street, and has built a strong daytime following as a no-nonsense breakfast and lunch operation. The bar holds a 4.7 rating on TripAdvisor from reviewers who return specifically for the breakfast rolls and wraps rather than any aspiration towards café-bar territory.

The menu is compact and focused: breakfast rolls with options including bacon, haggis, black pudding, and scrambled egg, with multiple reviewers picking out the scrambled egg roll as among the best in central Edinburgh. Toasted wraps and sandwiches carry through to lunch, and the emphasis throughout is on daily preparation from locally sourced ingredients. Vegetarian options are available across the menu.

The premises are modest in size, suited to the grab-and-go trade from the surrounding offices and the financial district a short walk away towards St Andrew Square. A straightforward, well-executed operation that earns consistent praise for both food quality and staff friendliness — an increasingly rare combination on a street of this character.