Artisan Roast's original Broughton Street café has wood-lined walls, bags of house-roasted beans and a compact seating area. Order at the counter, browse the retail coffee and allow extra time if the front room is crowded.
Coffee style
The Broughton Street bar serves the Janszoon blend and a seasonal single origin on espresso, plus single-origin batch brew and V60. Iced coffee, cold brew and espresso tonic offer alternatives in warmer weather. Ask about the current filter before choosing a bag for home.
Food
Food is secondary, but not forgettable. The pastry case is where the shop does most of its work: croissants, buns, caneles, and other cakes that make sense with a second coffee. If you want a broad brunch menu, go elsewhere; if you want something sweet with a careful filter or a flat white, the offer is more than enough.
The feel
What keeps the place interesting is that it still feels like a neighborhood room first and a destination second. The front can get crowded, service can move at its own pace, and the whole cafe has the slightly improvised comfort of somewhere that has been used hard for years. That makes it better for settling in than rushing through.
The area
Broughton Street puts the original café close to the New Town. Choose it for a central stop with house-roasted beans and V60; the Leith Walk, Bruntsfield and Stockbridge cafés offer other ways to fit the same roaster into a neighbourhood route.
Why Artisan Roast is shortlisted by Filter Notes
Come for the choice between blend and single-origin espresso, batch brew and V60, with beans to take home. The original Broughton Street room is compact and well used, so allow time for a seated coffee rather than expecting an empty table.