Cafés

and

Restaurants

Recollections

1.

Bob Sinclair
Queensland Australia

-  The Green Door

-  The West End Café

2.

Al Lorentzen
Inverness, Illinois, USA

-  Old Fleshmarket Close

-  Fleshmarket Close

-  Anchor Close

-  Warriston Close

-  Advocate's Close

3.

Mike Cheyne
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, England

-  The New Yorker

-  La Boheme

4.

Bryan Gourlay
Biggar. Lanarkshire, Scotland

-  The New Yorker

-  Meals

5.

Jim Cairns
Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

-  The Green Door

-  The Hungry i

6.

Terry McGuire
Coventry, Warwickshire, England

-  West End Café

7.

David Bain
Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England

-  North St Andrew Street

7.

Reply 1

Harry (Brandy) Simpson
Corstorphine, Edinburgh

-  North St Andrew Street

8.

Bob Sinclair
Queensland Australia

-  Lothian Road

8.

Reply 1

Sandy Cameron
Edinburgh

-  Lothian Road

9.

Jim Cairns
Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

-  Pied Piper

10.

Bruce Johnstone
Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland

-  Pied Piper

-  Others near the West End

-  Drinks

11.

Gus Coutts
Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland

-  The Hungry 'I'

12.

Jim Cairns
Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

-  Pied Piper

-  The Hungry i

13.

Frank Ferri
Newhaven, Edinburgh

-  Milk Bar Era

14.

Gus Coutts
Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland

-  The Hungry 'I'

15.

Dorothy Addison
Tsawwassen, British Columbia, Canada.

-  West End café

16.

Dorothy Addison
Tsawwassen, British Columbia, Canada.

-  Milk Bar

17.

Jim Woolard

-  The Hungry i

18.

Joyce Lamont Messer
Whanganui, North Island, New Zealand

-  The Conspirators' café

-  The Café

-  Meals

-  Customers

19.

Frank Ferri
Newhaven, Edinburgh

-  Austin’s Café / Restaurant

-  Leith Street

-  Waitresses

-  Cakes

-  Pictures

20.

Nick Swindale
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

-  The Conspirators café

-  Owners + Café Name

-  Meals

21.

Joyce Lamont Messer
Whanganui, North Island, New Zealand

-  The Conspirators café

-  The Name

-   Midnight Closing

22.

Gus Coutts
Duddingston, Edinburgh

-  The Continental café

23.

Nick Swindale
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

-  The Conspirators café

24.

Joyce Lamont Messer
Whanganui, North Island, New Zealand

-  The Conspirators café

-  Photos

-  Back Yard

-  Mouse

25.

Norman R Pope
Sidney, British Columbia, Canada

-  The Continental café

26.

Marie Johnson
Jamestown, Foothills of California, USA

-  The Manhattan café

27.

David Sanderson
Lake Forest, California, USA

-  Mackie's Restaurant

28.

Keith Miller
Oban, Argyle & Bute, Scotland

-  Pied Piper Café

29.

Rob Fender
England

-  The Manhattan Coffee Bar

30.

Rosemary Shariff (nee Craig)
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

-  The Sandwich Bar

31.

John Mills
Southside, Edinburgh

-  La Fiesta

32.

Allan Dodds
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

-  La Fiesta - Photo

33.

Dorothy Finlay (nee Cossar)
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

-  Deep Sea Restaurant

34.

June Wood (nee Robertson)
Central Coast, California, USA

-  Deep Sea Restaurant

-  Ball's Fish & Chips

35.

Meg Reilly

-  Deep Sea Restaurant

-  Near the Royal Infirmary

35.
Reply 1

Stuart Lyon

-  Barbecue Restaurant

35.
Reply 2

Ray Melville

-  Doctor's Public House

-  Sandy Bell's Bar

35.
Reply 3

Allan Dodds
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Scotland

-  Sandy Bell's Bar

-  Gordon Brown

36.

Dorothy Finlay (nee Cossar)
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

-  The Union Grill

37.

Catherine Jamieson
San Diego, California, USA

-  West End Café

-  Manhatten Café

-  No longer there

38.

Ray Melville
Rosyth, Fife, Scotland

-  The Stockpot

39.

Avril Finlayson Smith
Strathdale, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia

-  Café  Honeydew

40.

Sandy Cameron
Edinburgh

-  More Cafés

-  The Elizabethan

-  The Carolina

41.

Rosari Laughlin 
(nee Jeanette Rosari Durrell Nisbet)
Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA

-  More to USA

-  Edinburgh Cafés

-  Brattisani's

-  Francis Café

42.

Paul Sutherland
Glasgow, Scotland

-  The Grail

43.

Sandy Sievwright
Penicuik, Midlothian

-  Rellio's, Haymarket

-  After 'The Cavendish'

-  Meals

-  The Walk Home

44.

Sandy Sievwright
Penicuik, Midlothian

-  Thistle Street

-  Business Lunch

-  The Thistle

-  The Tatler

-  Homely Food

45.

Peter Stubbs
Edinburgh

-  Standard Life

-  Woolworths

46.

Avril Finlayson Smith
(nee Young)
Bendigo, Victoria, Australia

-  St Andrew Square

-  Gow's Restaurant, Rose Street

47.

Nan Scott
Pakenham, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

-  Lunch Vouchers

48.

Ian Stewart
Barcelona, Spain

-  The Grail

49.

Allan Dodds
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

-  La Fiesta - Exterior Photo

50.

Gordon Rule
Edinburgh

-  Pied Piper Café

51.

Gail Pike
South Carolina, USA

-  Pied Piper Café

52.

Bob Leslie
Glasgow, Scotland

-  Deep Sea Restaurant

53.

Eileen Shay (nee Byrne)
Florida, USA

-  West End Café

-  Manhattan Café

54.

Allan Dodds
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

-  La Fiesta - Exterior Photo

55.

Ronnie Aitchison

-  Manhattan Café

-  Coffee Joe's

56.

David Bain
Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England

-  The Bistro, Bruntsfield

Recollections

1.

Bob Sinclair

Queensland, Australia:  December, 2009

Thank you to Bob Sinclair who wrote:

"I remember the Green Door.  I'm not sure if it was actually called that.  It was down some steps from Johnston Terrace.  It was popular for a while and followed the success of the song Green Door - I wonder what's going on behind the Green Door."

"I remember the West End Café  in Shandwick Place, almost directly opposite the Milk Bar.  A friend who worked in American Express, a few doors along from Binns, took me there.

I saw Johnny Dankworth and Cleo Laine (now Sir John and Dame Cleo) there.  They were there quite frequently.  Great talent!"

Bob Sinclair, Queensland, Australia:  December 7, 2009

Recollections

2.

Al Lorentzen

Inverness, Illinois, USA

The Manhattan

Around 1960

©

Thank you to Al Lorentzen for allowing me to reproduce this photograph of The Manhattan, taken around 1960.  The Manhattan was near the West End of Princes Street.  The car on the left in this photo is a Morris Minor.

Al wrote:

"The Manhattan was a great place for a snack in the late 1950s.  I don't know if it is still there."

Al Lorentzen, Inverness, Illinois, USA:  August 26, 2010

Location

The Monseigneur Theatre, with The Manhattan below it, was at 131 Princes Street.

The shop next door on the right, at No 130, with the Royal Coat of Arms (by Appointment to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth)  is Jamieson & Sons, fruiterers.

Today

Now (in 2010), Gap clothing store is at 131 Princes Street, and HMV CD and Record store is next door at 130 Princes Street.

Recollections

3.

Mike Cheyne

Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, England

Mike Cheyne replied to Al Lorentzen's comments in 2 above:

Mike wrote:

"Reading Al Lorentzen's reminiscences of The Manhattan remind me of other haunts of my mis-spent youth in the late- 1950s and early-1960s

The New Yorker

-  In Shandwick Place there was The New Yorker, a kind of American diner, and The Stafford Café .

La Boheme

- Down in Stockbridge, there was the La Boheme.  As suggested by the name, it was full of groovy people like me!"

Mike Cheyne, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, England:
Message posted in EdinPhoto guestbook, September 4, 2010

Recollections

4.

Bryan Gourlay

Biggar, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Thank you to Bryan Gourlay who wrote:

The New Yorker

"I can remember making a good number of visits to the New Yorker restaurant in Shandwick Place, mentioned by Matthew Cheyne  (3 above).  It was a US diner type of place, opened with a great fanfare in 1961 or 1962.

The waitresses took your order, then plugged a microphone into the end of the table and conveyed your order to the kitchen by some sort of audio link, way too high tech for Edinburgh at the time. After a period of time they dispensed with the audio link and reverted to writing on order slips."

Meals

"My favourites were Haddock and Chips (2/6d) or Lemon Sole and Chips for 3/6d."

Bryan Gourlay, Biggar, Lanarkshire, Scotland:  September 7, 2010

Recollections

5.

Jim Cairns

Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

Thank you to Jim Cairns who wrote:

The Green Door

"My memory was jogged by Bob Sinclair’s mention of the Green Door. I’m reasonably sure that it was run by the church, St Columba’s by the Castle;  aiming to attract young folk and give them somewhere to go, I suppose."

The Hungry i

"Does anyone remember 'The Hungry i' in Queensferry Street?  It had a diner upstairs, and downstairs was a less formal coffee bar.  It had a great atmosphere, and a terrific juke box with an unusually wide selection of records.

To keep trouble in check, they employed a bouncer from London who had a big black moustache which made him look Spanish.  He was referred to as ‘Don Carlos’, but that wasn’t his name.

He carried a little wooden coffin with his calling card - no doubt copied from the TV series ‘Have Gun, Will Travel'.  He never had to raise his voice to keep order.  Unfortunately, he liked a drink, and it was said that he was in a nearby pub, instead of being in the coffee bar, when somebody modified the juke box with a well-aimed kick.   End of Don Carlos!"

Meals

"My favourites were Haddock and Chips (2/6d) or Lemon Sole and Chips for 3/6d."

Jim Cairns, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

Recollections

6.

Terry McGuire

Coventry, Warwickshire, England

Thank you to Terry McGuire who wrote:

West End Café

"I was taken to the West End Café  by a nurse from Leith hospital, after having had an ear operation.  Edmundo Ross was playing his hit of the time:

'Bongo, Bongo, Bongo,
I don't want to leave the Congo,'

 I thought the nurse fancied me, but she was just using me as an excuse to take another patient, a Royal Marine.  I was just a teenage cover for her ploy !!"

Terry McGuire, Coventry, Warwickshire, England

Recollections

7.

David Bain

Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England

Thank you to David Bain who wrote:

North St Andrew Street

"Does anyone else remember the Café  downstairs on the east corner of North St. Andrew Street and Queen Street?  I can still smell the atmosphere of cigarettes and burger grease.

It was run by a bloke called Bill who was very pleasant but big enough not to be messed with."

Arrow Motorcycle

"I remember throwing my Ariel Arrow motorbike up St Andrew Street showing off in the rain;  it was more slippery than I thought!

   ©

The occupant of the top flat, over the Café , was forever calling the police because of the noise  the various bikes made."

Cigarette Lighter

"This was in about 1967, and gas lighters had recently appeared. I remember a friend turning up the flame on a fellow rocker's lighter so when he went to light his cigarette it set his overhanging hair on fire. My, how we laughed!"

David Bain, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, Edinburgh:  September 15, 2010

Recollections

7.

Reply

1.

Harry (Brandy) Simpson

Corstorphine, Edinburgh

Thank you to Brandy Simpson who wrote:

North St Andrew Street

"The Café  that David Bain was asking about in Recollections 7 above was 'The Hideaway'."

Harry (Brandy) Simpson, Corstorphine, Edinburgh:  July 5, 2012

 Recollections

8.

Bob Sinclair

Queensland, Australia

Thank you to Bob Sinclair  who wrote:

Lothian Road

"I remember a Café  in Lothian Road where you could sit on stools looking out to the Usher Hall and Lothian Road.  The food there was snack type.  It was not all that great, but it filled a space.

Nearby, there was the Railway Canteen, at the back of the Caledonian Hotel.  It was a great place for good food at a low price."

Bob Sinclair, Queensland, Australia:  October 27, 2010

 Recollections

8.

Reply

1.

Sandy Cameron

Edinburgh

Thank you to Sandy Cameron who wrote

Lothian Road

"In answer to Bob Sinclair's question about the Café  in Lothian Road (in Recollections 8 above) I'm sure that the snack bar in the centre of this photo would have been the Café  that he remembers:

©

It was directly opposite the Usher Hall in Lothian Road.  They did a delicious hamburger and fried onion roll.

Sandy Cameron, Edinburgh:  July 6, 2012

Date of the Photo

    ©

Please click on the thumbnail image above to enlarge it.

Sandy tells me that he has had this photo for quite a while.  He cannot remember where this photo came from, and he does not know who the photographer might have been.

I think the photo may  have been taken some time around the 1980s.  The registration number on the approaching taxi has a suffix 'B'' so the taxi would have been first registered in 1984.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:  July 8, 2012

I have now received several more recollections about this Café , so I have given it a separate page on the web site.  Please click on the tumbnail image below then scroll down to read the page.

    ©

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:  July 8, 2012

Recollections

9.

Jim Cairns

Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

Thank you to Bryan Gourlay for sending me this photograph of the Pied Piper Coffee Bar in South Charlotte Street in the early-1960s.

The Pied Piper

    ©

"The 'Pied Piper' in South Charlotte Street was a favourite Coffee Bar in Edinburgh.  It was quite large, but always very busy.

The National Provincial Building Society later took over the premises.  Now it is occupied by the Dunfermline Building Society."

Jim Cairns, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland:  November 28, 2010

Recollections

10.

Bruce Johnstone

Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland

Thank you to Bryan Gourlay for sending me this photograph of the Pied Piper Coffee Bar in South Charlotte Street in the early-1960s.

The Pied Piper

"Jim Cairns' comments, above, reminded me of the 'Pied Piper'.   I frequented it, mainly on a Sunday evening in 1962/63 when it was very busy. The basement was the busier area."

Other Clubs near the West End

"There was also the 'New Yorker' in Shandwick Place and another Café  in Shandwick Place,  beyond Melville Street.  What was that called?

Drinks

"Coke floats and coffees were the order of the day - a simple life!"

Bruce Johnston, Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland:  November 28, 2010

Recollections

11.

Gus Coutts

Duddingston, Edinburgh

Thank you to Gus Coutts who replied to Bruce Johnstone's question in 10 above.

Gus wrote:

The Hungry I

"I think the café in Queensferry Street was The Hungry I.

I believe it was named after a café in the US;  San Francisco rings a bell in my memory."

Gus Coutts, Duddingston, Edinburgh:  November 29, 2010

Recollections

12.

Jim Cairns

Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

Thank you to Jim Cairns who replied:

The Pied Piper

"It's nice to hear that other people remember 'The Pied Piper' fondly."

The Hungry i

"Bruce Johnston asked about the coffee bar beyond Melville Street.  It was 'The Hungry i'.

I wrote about it a few weeks ago.  (See 'Recollections 5' above.)"

Jim Cairns, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

Recollections

13.

Frank Ferri

Newhaven, Edinburgh

Frank Ferri wrote:

Milk Bar Era

"Does anyone remember the Milk Bar era?

There was one in South St David Street and another in Shandwick Place on the left.'

Frank Ferri, Newhaven:  November 29, 2010

Recollections

14.

Gus Coutts

Duddingston, Edinburgh

Thank you to Gus Coutts who added:

The Hungry I

"On googling 'The Hungry I', I see that it was a nightclub in San Francisco back in the 1950s/1960s, but the name is now used by a strip club."

Gus Coutts, Duddingston, Edinburgh:  November 29, 2010

Recollections

15.

Dorothy Addison (nee Jenkins)

Tsawwassen, British Columbia, Canada.

Winton replied to Bruce Johnston's question in 'Recollections 10' above.

The West End Café

"I believe that the 'other Café ' in Shandwick Place that Bruce Johnston mentions was called 'The West End Café '.

Every Sunday evening, it was packed with young people as they played wonderful music there.

That's the only other Café  that I remember being there.  (If I'm wrong, I'm sorry.)

Dorothy Addison, Tsawwassen, British Columbia, Canada:  December 7, 2010

Recollections

16.

Dorothy Addison (nee Jenkins)

Tsawwassen, British Columbia, Canada.

Dorothy Addison responded to Frank Ferri's message in 'Recollections 13' above:

Milk Bar

"The Milk Bar in Shandwick Place that Frank refers to was a wonderful place.  If I remember correctly, we had to go up some steps to it.

I loved all those lovely fresh filled rolls they sold.  There was a queue at lunch time every day.

It was 1954, and I worked in the dog salon at Gibbs in Shandwick Place at that time, washing and doing all these things to make the dogs look beautiful.  This was done upstairs in the store."

Dorothy Addison, Tsawwassen, British Columbia, Canada:  December 7, 2010

The Milk Bar that Dorothy remembers can be seen on the left of this  photo, taken in 1961.  Please click on the thumbnail image below to enlarge it:

©

Recollections

17.

Jim Woolard

Werribee, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Jim Woolard wrote:

The Hungry i

"The best bacon rolls in town were to be had at .The Hungry i'.
It was also very handy for the bus stop to get me back to Granton."

Jim Woolard, Werribee, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Recollections

18.

Joyce Lamont Messer

Whanganui,  North Island, New Zealand

Joyce Lamont Messer wrote:

The Conspirators' Café

The Café

"I wonder if anyone remembers the Conspirators, Café .  It was  just along from the King's Theatre,  towards Bruntsfield.    I worked there, evenings and weekends,  in early/mid-1950s after my day job in a  law office.

I thought I was 'very cool' in today's parlance.  It must have been one of the first in the then 'new Café  culture' scene.  It was much more laid-back than the more formal restaurants in the city.

It was around then that some students made off with the Destiny Stone from Westminster Abbey.  I think that was why the Café  was so named."

Meals

"We served  mostly coffee and omelettes,  both of variable quality since no-one seemed to know much about cooking.  I certainly did not,  though I became reasonably  good at omelettes."

Customers

"I think the owner was related to the broadcaster, Franklin Englemann, of Housewives Choice fame.

The Café  was always very busy and  popular with students, especially  after   Edinburgh Festival productions at the King's Theatre when the place used to be packed out.

I've served up my omelettes to several famous conductors, singers and actors, mostly now dead - but not because of my cooking."

Joyce Lamont Messer, Whanganui, North Island, New Zealand:  April 15, 2011

Recollections

19.

Frank Ferri

Newhaven, Edinburgh

Frank Ferri wrote:

Austin’s Café / Restaurant

Leith Street

"I remember Austin’s Café.  It was located on the left hand side of Leith St going up towards Princes St, set back off the pavement, just before Halfords and Jackson’s the Tailors."

Waitresses

"The waitress staff wore uniforms of black dress, white collar, white bib pinafore and a little tiara.  The furnishings and layout were just like an Agatha Christie film set, so 1920s.  Each table had a triple lair cake stand with fancy cakes on display."

Cakes

"I remember being taken there as a kid by my mother, eager to get my hands on the cakes, but being warned they cost a tanner each so keep your hands to yourself."

Pictures?

"I think it was still there in the early-1960s.  I wonder if anyone has got any data or pictures of it."

Frank Ferri, Newhaven, Edinburgh:  May 18, 2011

Recollections

20.

Nick Swindale

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Nicholas replied to 'Recollections 18' above

The Conspirators' Café

Owners and Café  Name

"The Conspirator's Café  was owned jointly by my father, Owen Swindale, and his brother-in-law, Ian Engelmann (whose
uncle was the broadcaster Franklin Engelmann).

 The name of the Café  had nothing to do with the Stone of Scone, but was inspired by an 18th century poem with that title."

Meals

"In addition to making omelettes, my mother, Tessa, made a chocolate gateau which she said was always very popular.

 Another attraction was that the Café  was open until midnight - unheard of in Edinburgh at that time. I still remember the smell of the Expresso coffee from when I was about four or five years old."

Nick Swindale, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada:  August 5, 2011

Recollections

21.

Joyce Lamont Messer

Whanganui,  North Island, New Zealand

After reading 'Recollections 20' above, Joyce emailed me again to follow up her comments in 'Recollections 18' above.  She wrote:

The Conspirators' Café

The Name

"I am obviously wrong about how the Café  got its name.

Several Edinburgh students were involved in planning the removal of the Destiny Stone from Westminster Abbey.  One of them was a vet student at the Dick.

I thought he went to jail because there was much discussion about him continuing to study while inside - but Mr Wikipedia says that charges were not laid, which does ot tie up with my memory of events.

I knew some of the students and they certainly came into the Café , which is where I guess I got the idea about the name.  The stone business must have pre-dated the opening of the Café ."

Midnight Closing

"Owen's son, Nicholas, is right about the Café  closing at midnight.  Reeking of cigarette smoke and fried food, I used to walk back to Morningside across Bruntsfield Links, for a few hours' sleep before heading off early the next morning for another day as Shepherd & Wedderburn, confounding the  legal fraternity with my creative shorthand and typing."

Joyce Lamont Messer, Whanganui, North Island, New Zealand:  April 15, 2011

Recollections

22.

Gus Coutts

Duddingston, Edinburgh

Gus Coutts who wrote:

The Continental Café ?

"In the early 1960s myself and friends used to occasionally go. in the early hours. to a Café /restaurant  which was open all or nearly all night.  If I recall correctly, it was about the only place open after midnight in the city.

I remember eating Wiener Schnitzel there.

We knew it as The Continental Café , but I don't know if that was its correct name.

It was upstairs in a building near the top of Morrison Street, on the Princes St. side of the street, about opposite Semple Street, or perhaps a bit further down."

Question

"Does anybody out there remember this place and have more information about it?"

Gus Coutts, Duddingston, Edinburgh:  August 7, 2011

Recollections

23.

Nick Swindale

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The Conspirators' Café

Thank you to Nick Swindale for writing again, enclosing these two photos of The Conspirators Café .

Please click on the thumbnail images below to enlarge them:

©            ©

Acknowledgement:  Nick Swindale, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada:  August 10, 2011

Recollections

24.

Joyce Lamont Messer

Whanganui,  North Island, New Zealand

Joyce Lamont Messer replied

The Conspirators' Café

Photos

"Thanks for adding the photos.  The café looks so 1950s - restrained and neat!  Seeing the photos certainly brought back memories."

Back Yard

"There was a small back yard, enclosed in an ancient brick wall.  These days, it would be tarted up and turned into an 'alfresco dining' area.  Then, it was just a place to store things."

Mouse

"I can remember a mouse running through the café, much to the horror of the diners, some of whom got on their chairs.

 Someone in the kitchen managed to hit it with something, slightly stunning it as it staggered into the yard where I finished it off with a brick while trying not to look at the result."

Joyce Lamont Messer, Whanganui, North Island, New Zealand:  August 13, 2011

Recollections

25.

Norman R Pope

Sidney, British Columbia, Canada

Norman wrote:

The Continental Café?

"Yes, we remember the Continental. I cannot remember its exact address, but the description above of where it is, sounds right.

That was where my girl friend and I (now my wife of 47 years) learned to eat 'real' spaghetti.  I mean spaghetti that did not come out of a can.

Her favourite meal was the pineapple omelette and I had to have chips with my spaghetti.  Our favourite waitress was called Margaret.  She always looked after us very well."

Norman R Pope, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada

Recollections

26

Mary (Mari) Johnson

Jamestown, Foothills of California, USA

Thank you to Marie Johnson, who wrote:

The Manhattan Cafe

"The Manhattan Cafe on Princes Street was a great place for coffee or lunch.  It was owned and operated by Mr and Mrs Valente."

Marie Johnson, Jamestown, Foothills of California, USA:

Recollections

27

David Sanderson

Lake Forest California, USA

Thank you to David Sanderson, who wrote:

Mackie's Restaurant

"I grew up in the little town of Tranent in  East Lothian.  Every other Saturday we all came into Edinburgh for an afternoon of shopping in Princes Street.  Usually, it was my mum, granny and myself.  My dad usually went off to Tynecastle.

Part of the routine was always afternoon tea in Mackies.  We usually went upstairs to the proper restaurant with tablecloths and uniformed waitresses where we would have tea and toast, although I always had some juice, usually Hendrys red cola!

Occasionally we went downstairs to the self-serve café where I would take childish pleasure in sliding the tray along the rails to the cashier at the end.

I think Mackie's closed in the early-1970s.  I remember being a bit surprised by this as it always seemed busy."

David Sanderson, Lake Forest, California, USA:  September 1, 2011

Update

Thank you to Nigel Baxter for reading David Sanderson's recollections of  Mackie's restaurant in Princes Street, above, and for sending me a copy of his photo titled:

 Drinks in Mackie's

     ©

Edinburgh Castle, on Castle Rock, across Princes Street Gardens can be seen looking through the restaurant window in this photo.

Please click on the thumbnail image above to enlarge it.

Nigel Baxter, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada:  October 8, 2012

Recollections

28

Keith Miller

Oban, Argyle & Bute, Scotland

Thank you to Keith Miller, who wrote:

The Pied Piper Café

"On reading the contributions from Gordon Rule (Hi Gordon, long time...) and others on the Pied Piper Café  in Charlotte Street, I was transported back to the heady days of Edinburgh in the mid 1960s."

Fashions

Mid-1960s

"I spent time - maybe too much time - in the Pied Piper, downstairs in the great melting pot of mods, faces and fashionistas from Edinburgh's vibrant club scene of the early/mid-1960s.  I think the Pied P was at it's trendsetters peak around 1966.

I have fond memories, as the explosive mod fashions from Carnaby Street hit the provinces and began to eclipse the established 'scene':

- High collared polka dot or paisley shirts, tab collars, bell bottomed jeans, when all around were drainpipes, high-heeled zip sided boots, crew necked striped t-shirts, shiny black plastic oilskin coats ... and that was the guys.

-   Girls in the Mary Quant mode.

I think most of the 'Pied P' clientele in the mid-1960s were probably in their mid-teens and effectively excluded from the pub scene, which gave the place such energy and atmosphere."

Later-1960s

"And the music!  - Small Faces, Chris Farlow, etc.  It was great while it lasted, but I think it was a short interlude  -  maybe 18 months or so  -  before fashions rolled towards the hippy era and the summers of love of the later-1960s."

Later-1960s

"Happy times!  Does anyone have any photos of the fashions or of the Edinburgh's 'street scene' from that time?"

Keith Miller, Oban, Argyle & Bute, Scotland:  September 4, 2011

Recollections

29.

Rob Fender

England

Robert Fender, now living in England, wrote:

The Manhattan Coffee Bar

"The Manhattan Coffee Bar was owned by a friend of my aunt who used to work there.  I used to visit fairly regularly in the 1950s. It was one of the few places that was open on a Sunday.

I seem to recollect that down one side of the interior, there was a large mirror showing the Manhattan skyline."

Robert Fender, England, September 5, 2011 (2 emails)

Recollections

30.

Rosemary Shariff (nee Craig)

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Thank you to Rosemary Shariff for responding to one of Bob Sinclair's recollections in 8 above.

Rosemary wrote

The Sandwich Bar

"The very small Café  opposite the Usher Hall was called The Sandwich Bar.

I believe that the Café  actually belonged to the railway, but was leased for many years by the Armstrong family."

Rosemary Shariff (nee Craig), Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, September 20, 2011

Recollections

31.

John Mills

Southside, Edinburgh

Thank you to John Mills, Southside, Edinburgh, who wrote:

La Fiesta Café

"Does anyone remember the Café , La Fiesta, which was part of the Rutland Hotel?"

It was popular with American soldiers from the Kirknewton Base who frequented it after the Berkley Bar emptied at 10 PM. It also had a very good jukebox.

Happy days!"

John Mills, Southside, Edinburgh:  December 19, 2011

Recollections

32.

Allan Dodds

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

Thank you to Allan Dodds who replied sending me this photo of La Fiesta Café  that he took in the 1960s.

Allan wrote

La Fiesta Café

    ©

"Here is a photo that I took of 'La Fiesta' Café  in the 1960s.

Sorry about the quality of this photo but that's what you get when you push Royal-X Pan to 3200 ASA!"

Allan Dodds, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England:  January 19, 2012

Please click on the thumbnail image above to enlarge it, and read the large sign hanging in front of the middle window that reads: 'La Fiesta'

Recollections

33.

Dorothy Finlay (nee Cossar)

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Thank you to Dorothy Finlay, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia for posting a message in the EdinPhoto guestbook.

Dorothy wrote:

Deep Sea Restaurant

"Does anyone remember the Deep Sea Café .  I think it was in Leith Walk.  You could, if funds allowed, eat in or take away.  It was the best fish and chips."

Dorothy Finlay (nee Cossar), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia:
Message posted in EdinPhoto Guestbook, June 8, 2012

Yes, Dorothy.  Others have remembered the Deep Sea Restaurant in Leith Walk.  I added their comments earlier to the Leith Walk Recollections page on the EdinPhoto guest book some time ago.

I see that you have already received a couple of replies to the message that you posted in the EdinPhoto guestbook earlier today.  I've added these two replies below.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:  June 8, 2012

Recollections

34.

June Wood (nee Robertson)

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Thank you to Jean Wood (nee Robertson) for  also posting a reply to Dorothy Finlay's comments (33 above) in the EdinPhoto guestbook.

Jean wrote:

Deep Sea Restaurant

"Yes Dorothy.  I can taste the great fish and chips from the Deep Sea.  Now, its just a wee take out place"

Balls' Fish & Chips

"Balls, on Montrose Terrace, were also great.  On a cold winter nite, carrying the hot take-out sure kept us warm."

June Wood (nee Robertson):  Brisbane, Queensland, Australia:  June 8, 2012

Recollections

35.

Meg Reilly

London, England

Thank you to Meg Reilly for  also posting a reply to Dorothy Finlay's comments (33 above) in the EdinPhoto guestbook.

Meg wrote:

Deep Sea Restaurant

"I also remember the Deep Sea"

Near the Royal Infirmary

"I remember a Café , but forget the street.  It was just up from the Royal Infirmary.  We used to go there and share a plate of chips;   fond memories."

Meg Reilly, London, England:
:Reply  to  Message from Dorothy Finlay posted in EdinPhoto Guestbook, June 8, 2012

Recollections

35.

Reply

1.

Stuart Lyon

Blackford, Edinburgh

Thank you to Stuart Lyon who wrote:

The Barbecue

"I wonder if Meg Reilly is thinking about The Barbecue Grill  & Restaurant in Forrest Road.  Here is a photo of the restaurant, published on 11 June 1954

Stuart Lyon, Blackford, Edinburgh:  July 6, 2012

This photo may was published by Scotsman Publications on June 11, 1954, probably in the Edinburgh Evening News. 

Please click on the thumbnail image above to enlarge it.

Recollections

35.

Reply

2.

Ray Melville

Rosyth, Fife, Scotland

When I added this photo of The Barbecue Grille and Restaurant to the web site,

Photo 1

Barbecue Grill & Restaurant

   ©

I described it as being at Lauriston Place.  However its location was actually as described by Ray Melville below and its address was 32 Forrest Road.

However, Ray Melville wrote:

The Barbecue

"The Barbeque Grill and Restaurant was on the corner of Forrest Road and Teviot Place.  It  is now a pub called 'Doctors'.

I remember that it was too pricey for we poor students in the early-1970s!"

Sandy Bell's Bar

"We spent our cash in Sandy Bell's, over the road.  Although now called Sandy Bells, it was then the Forrest Hill Bar, I think, or maybe the Forrest Road Bar.

Ray Melville, Rosyth, Fife, Scotland:  July 13, 2012

After reading Ray Melville's comments above, I added this photo of Doctors, which I took in September 2007 to the web site.

Photo 2

Doctor's Public House

©

Recollections

35.

Reply

3.

Allan Dodds

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

Thank you to Allan Dodds who read Ray Melville's message  (Reply 3 above) and replied:

Sandy Bell's Bar

"Ray Melville mentions the former name of Sandy Bell's.  When I was an undergraduate, that was the colloquial name for 'The Foresthill Bar'."

Gordon Brown

"Gordon Brown, a fellow undergraduate, used to frequent the pub with his entourage, most of them, as I recall, young girls sporting T-shirts bearing the words: 'A Gordon for me'.

Gordon used to order a round for his cronies, and would pay for it with a student's grant cheque made out to him by the Scottish Education Department. In those days cheques were legal tender, and Gordon would get back change in cash from the till.

We always felt that Gordon knew something about money that we didn't, and we weren't wrong when he eventually became Chancellor of the Exchequer!"

Alan Dodds, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England:  July 17, 2012

Recollections

35.

Reply

4.

Meg Reilly

London, England

Meg Reilly, who wrote Recollections 35 above replied:

The Café

"Thanks for adding this photo of  the restaurant.

Barbecue Grill & Restaurant

   ©

But, this picture is not of the place that  I was thinking of.  In fact, the place that I remember was actually more of a Café  than a restaurant.

There is a tobacconist shop on the image above.  It can be seen if you click on the image to enlarge it.  I think the Café  was there, or thereabouts, and i think it may have been run by Italians."

Meg Reilly, London, England: July 14, 2012

Recollections

36.

Dorothy Finlay (nee Cossar)

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Thank you to Dorothy Finlay, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia for posting another message in the EdinPhoto guestbook.

Dorothy wrote:

The Union Grill

"I think that not far from The Deep Sea Café  was The Union Grill.  It served a wonderful mixed grill, but from memory it was pretty expensive, and you had to save up for it,

Crawfords Restaurants

"There was also there was a Crawfords chain of restaurants. Are they still around?"  **

Dorothy Finlay (nee Cossar), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia:  June 19, 2012

Crawfords

** Yes, Crawford's Bakeries and Crawford's Restaurants were popular in Edinburgh, but there are none to be found now.  I cannot remember what happened to the company.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:  July 21, 2012

Recollections

37.

Catherine Jamieson

San Diego, California, USA

Catherine Jamieson, San Diego, California, USA wrote:

West End Café

"I remember the West End Café , near Binns.  My friend and I would go there every Sunday night.  There was music and all the teenagers went there."

Manhattan Café

"I also remember the Manhatten Café .  They  had wonderful American milk shakes"

No longer there

"Both of these Café s no longer there.

Catherine Jamieson, San Diego, California, USA

Recollections

38.

Ray Melville

Rosyth, Fife, Scotland

Ray Melville wrote:

The Stockpot

"There used to be a basement Café  on the west side of Frederick Street between George Street and Queens Street called the Stockpot.

I first was introduced to folk music there and there were often impromptu sessions there in 1964/65.

I can't remember if the coffee was any good though!"

Ray Melville, Rosyth, Fife, Scotland:  July 6, 2012

Recollections

39.

Avril Finlayson Smith (nee Young)

Bendigo, Victoria, Australia

Thank you to Avril Finlayson Smith (nee Young) for leaving this message in the EdinPhoto guestbook.

Avril wrote:

Café  Honeydew

"Does anyone remember the Café  Honeydew in West Maitland Street, on the right-hand side before you reached Haymarket?

It was our special Café , which we'd go to, when we were courting, for a special treat on Christmas Day.  We'd have a lovely Mixed Grill and then usually go to the Gaumont Cinema after the meal.

Happy Days!"

Avril Finlayson Smith (nee Young), Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
Message posted in EdinPhoto guestbook, July 16, 2010

Recollections

40.

Sandy Cameron

Edinburgh

After sending me the photo of Lothian Road Café , which has provoked some interest with several replies to the EdinPhoto web site over the past week, Sandy Cameron writes:

More Café s

"Our recent correspondence about Café s has brought to mind another two that I used to frequent with my pal, John O'Rourke, in our teenage years in the 1960s.  They are:

The Elizabethan

"The Elizabethan was in Brougham Street.  We would go there for a coffee after a round of Pitch and Putt on Bruntsfield Links.  I remember having a crush on one of the waitresses!"

The Carolina

"The Carolina was in Bread Street, opposite St Cuthbert's store. The proprietor had quite a prominent nose, this was a source of amusement to John and me.

The Café , if i remember correctly, was formerly a shoe repair shop where the cobbler had his bench at the window and you could watch him at his work."

Sandy Cameron, Edinburgh:  July 17, 2012

Recollections

41.

Rosari Laughlin

(nee Jeanette Rosari Durrell Nisbet)

Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA

Rosari Laughlin wrote:

Move to USA

"I attended All Saints' School then, from 1952, Boroughmuir School.  I married an American am now living in Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA, about four hours' drive from New Orleans.

Edinburgh Café s

"However, I still think of :

-   Brattisani's chip shop

-  Francis Café  with Mrs Craigie who never smiled but made good eggs beans and chips and had all the latest music in the juke box."

Rosari Laughlin:  July 22, 2012

Recollections

42

Paul Sutherland

Glasgow, Scotland

Thank you to Paul Sutherland who wrote:

The Grail

George Street

"Does anybody remember anything about this cafe/bookshop on the first floor next door to the book publisher at 38 George Street?

I thought it was called 'The Grail' but this photo shows the name as 'Grail'.  It closed round about 1973.  It was a unique, amazing place."

1970

36 (The Grail) + 38 George Street

©  RCAHMS,   Photo 99972312  Scran 000-299-993-804-C        Photo 1970

My Experience of The Grail

"Those were the days when you had to walk more than ten yards to get a cup of coffee!

Below are extracts from a memoir piece that I wrote some years ago.  I'd be very interest to read any other people's memories of the Grail."

Paul Sutherland, Glasgow, Scotland  July 26, 2012

 Recollections

43.

Sandy Sievwright

Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland

Thank you to Sandy Sievwright who wrote:

Rellio's

Haymarket

After 'The Cavendish'

"After a good night at the upper floor of the Cavendish, dancing to the likes of Herman's Hermits and Engleheart Humperdinck, and finishing with songs like 'Please Stay', it was time to head down to Rellio's at Haymarket, opposite the Police Station."

Meals

"A mixed grill, a steak with all the trimmings or a nice trout were my favourites. The place was popular but never too busy. It was the highlight of our Saturday nights.

The Walk Home

"It was a late night in those days, with no night buses back to the sticks, so we simply walked back to Penicuik, some 10 or 12 miles away, and we never thought anything about it.

Sweet 1960s!."

Sandy Sievwright, Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland:  August 11, 2012

 Recollections

44.

Sandy Sievwright

Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland

Thank you to Sandy Sievwright for writing with memories of more restaurants in the centre of Edinburgh.

Sandy wrote:

Thistle Street

1966

Business Lunch

"In 1966, I worked in Dundas Street.  Then, it was called Pitt Street.  I often went out for what was referred to as a 'Business Lunch'

The places that I recall as being the cheapest were in Thistle Street.  They were next to each other, between Hanover Street and Frederick Street if my memory serves me.

The Thistle

"I believe that one  was called 'The Thistle'.  For two shillings*, a 3 course meal was offered - often a bowl of soup, meat and 2 veg and a sweet to finish off."

Tatler Restaurant

"There was another such place going up Dundas St on the left.  I think it was called 'The Tatler Restaurant'.  It was a little bit more upmarket, charging a half crown**  for their offerings. The sweet always seemed to be fresh fruit and ice cream."

Homely Food

"These places were always busy with good, honest, homely food and it was sometimes a struggle to get an empty table."

Sandy Sievwright, Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland:  August 1, 2012

*  two shillings (2/-) = 10p

** half crown (2/6d) =12.5p

 Recollections

45

Peter Stubbs

Edinburgh

Sandy's comments in Recollections 44 above reminded me of the time when I first arrived in Edinburgh.

Standard Life

"I moved to Edinburgh in 1963, at the age of 18, to take up my first job, working for The Standard Life Assurance Company and studying for the Actuarial Exams in the evenings.

I lived in a hostel owned by the company with about fifteen others.  We were all studying for the exams.  The hostel was at 35 Inverleith Terrace.  It provided breakfast and an evening meal."

Woolworths

It was to be another couple of years before Standard Life opened its own restaurant so at lunchtime, about 12.30pm, I used to take a five minute walk from St Andrew Square to  Woolworths at the East End of Princes Street.  Their restaurant was on the second floor, above their shop.

I don't remember the exact prices they charged, but they were cheap.  I remember that for several weeks, one colleague had just had a bowl for his lunch.  It cost him 4 pence a day. ***   We both continued to work for Standard Life for the next 40 years!

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:  August 18, 2012

*** four pence (4d) = about 1.5p

Recollections

46.

Avril Finlayson Smith (nee Young)

Bendigo, Victoria, Australia

Thank you to Avril Finlayson Smith (nee Young) for posting a message in the EdinPhoto Guestbook after reading my Recollections 45 above.

Avril wrote:

St Andrew Square

"I also worked in St Andrew Square.  I worked at at the Scottish BUPA office which was then called the Scottish Nuffield.  It was a Private Health Insurance, which I thought was for only the wealthy back then.  Never did I think that one day BUPA would become our Private Health Insurer here in Australia!!

Gows Restaurant

Rose Street

"While working for Scottish Nuffield, we were given Lunch Vouchers.  I think they were worth about two shillings each, if my memory serves me correctly, for the restaurant in Rose Street called 'Gows'.

I wonder if anyone remembers 'Gows'.  They were very plain home-cooked meals, but they were nice.  One of them was small individual steak and kidney puddings, plain potatoes and peas, as an example but very tasty.

Maybe someone else will have visited it, even your good self."

Avril Finlayson Smith (nee Young), Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
Message posted in EdinPhoto guestbook, March 24, 2010

Reply to Avril

Luncheon Vouchers

Hi Avril:  I don't think I ever visited Gows in Rose Street, but I do remember fairly widespread use of Luncheon Vouchers that you mentioned, even though I was never issued with any.

They continued to be used for a long time after I first came across them in the 1960s.  I believe they offered a modest tax saving, but their nominal value hardly changed over the years as the price of meals went up with inflation.

Peter Stubbs:  August 19, 2012

Recollections

47.

Nan Scott (nee Hay)

Pakenham, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Nan Scott replied to Avril Finlayson Smith's Recollections 46 above.

Nan wrote:

Luncheon Vouchers

"I've just been reading about Luncheon Vouchers.  I remember  them well.  I too used them.   Mine were for 2/6 when I worked for Thomas C. Gray, the Sheriff Officer.  I could use them in Patrick Thomsons, the big shop up the Bridges.

When I changed jobs a few years later. I got vouchers for 3 shillings and used them at the Chinese Restaurant at the West End called the Bamboo and also in the New Yorker.

If I didn't use the vouchers during the week, which I sometimes didn't, my husband and I used them in the Bamboo on a Saturday for lunch before we went to see Hibs playing, whether home or away  -  a great meal, and I didn't have to cook!"

Nan Scott (nee Hay), Pakenham, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia:
Reply to Avril Finlayson Smith's message of Aug 19 2012  posted in EdinPhoto Guestbook, same day.

 Reply to Nan?

If you'd like to send a reply to Nan, please email me, then I'll pass on you message to her.

               Thank you

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:  December 3, 2011

Recollections

48.

Iain Stewart

Barcelona, Spain

Thank you to Ian Stewart, Barcelona, Spain, for responding to Paul Sutherland's comments in Recollections 42 above.

Ian wrote:

The Grail

"The Grail  Cafe in George Street was a sort of an oxymoron.:

-   A ladies' ecumenical centre.

-   An organisation founded by a Jesuit.

It was famed for:

-  its filter coffee

-  its homemade cakes

-  its catholic (small c) record collection

-  Shubert's Trout

-  Beiderbecke

-  Songs for Swinging Sellers

-  etc.

-  great Christmas cards

-  cheap pressies for the girlfriend

-  the hand-picked lovelies from Craiglockhart who served the filter coffee in the brown pottery cups.

The Australian lady in charge was Norah."

Iain Stewart, Barcelona, Spain:  August 18, 2012

Recollections

49.

Allan Dodds

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

Allan Dodds has asked:

Chinese Restaurants

"Does anyone remember the two Chinese restaurants that opened in Hanover Street in the early-1960s

The Golden Gate

and

The Golden Palace.

They were on opposite sides of the road and were owned by the Sito brothers."

Allan Dodds, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England:  October 9, 2012

Allan added:

Question

Henderson's

"Am I right or am I wrong in believing that one of them became Henderson's vegetarian restaurant?

We used to play mah Yong with the waiters there after closing time and we were treated to numerous free meals as the management tried to attract customers by word of mouth."

Allan Dodds, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England:  October 9, 2012

Recollections

50.

Gordon Rule

Edinburgh

Here is a message from Gordon Rule about the Pied Piper Café.   I originally added this message to the web site as  'Recollections 115' on the Clubs and Discos page.

However, I've now decided that it is better included on this  Cafés and Restaurants page as Recollections 50, so that's what I've done

Gordon wrote:

Pied Piper Café

"I am amazed that after trawling through all the recollections of clubs and Cafés that I can find absolutely no mention of The Pied Piper Café which operated in the early-1960s and closed around 1965 to become a building society.

This was in Charlotte Street, very close to Princes street at the West End and was a hugely popular meeting place, mostly at the weekends, before going to parties and clubs, especially the Gamp and Place.

There was such a wide circle of  people from all walks  of life who met up there to socialise and enjoy themselves. As a testament to how popular  it was,  when it closed, it  still did not stop people meeting outside the Café with often some 50 or so, all congregating on the pavement.

This went on for about a year before it finally tailed off and people found other places to go.

I would be delighted to hear from anyone who used to frequent The Pied Piper."

Gordon Rule, Edinburgh:  April 13, 2011

Recollections

51.

Gail Pike

South Carolina, USA

Thank you to Gail Pike, South Carolina, USA for responding to Gordon Rule's 'Recollections 50' above.

Gail wrote:

Pied Piper Café

"I appreciated the comments and photo of the Pied Piper:

©

In 1965 my best friend and I took a shoestring tour of Europe and our first stop was Edinburgh. 

I remember the fab meal we had at Pied Piper, and it seems like I remember some stained glass or mosaic windows.  I'd love to have a picture of the inside of the Pied Piper, if anyone has one.

We stayed at the Learmonth Hotel - two 18 year olds from South Carolina"

Gail Pike, South Carolina, USA:  August 22, 2012

Recollections

52.

Bob Leslie

Glasgow, Scotland

Thank you to Bob Leslie for writing again with more recollections from the 1960s.

Bob wrote

Deep Sea Restaurant

"After hearing the bands at the Top Storey, at the top of Leith Street on a Sunday, we'd drop into the Deep Sea chippy for a fish supper - a damn good one too, as my taste buds recall!

There was a rumour that there was a house of ill repute above the Deep Sea to which admission was gained by murmuring 'Mars Bar' to the chippy proprietor. We never worked up the nerve to test this rumour!"

Bob Leslie, Glasgow, Scotland, October 20, 2012

Recollections

53.

Eileen Shay (nee Byrne)

Florida, USA

Thank you to Eileen Shay for posting a message in the EdinPhoto guestbook.

Eileen wrote:

West End Café

"I went tother Palais de Dance on Saturday nights with my girlfriends and on Sundays went to the West End Cafe to hear the great bands.

Manhattan Café

"I also worked at the Manhattan Café where they had the best hamburgers I have ever tasted.  I wish I was still in Edinburgh, that wonderful city."

Eileen Shay (nee Byrne), Florida, USA:  Message posted in EdinPhoto Guestbook, Oct 31, 2012

Recollections

54.

Allan Dodds

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

Alan Dodds has already sent me one of his photos of the exterior of La Fiesta Café  that he took in the 1960s.  See Recollections 32 above.

Exterior View

    ©

The large sign at the top of the central window on the left of this photo reads:  'La Fiesta

Now Allan has sent me a photo that he took, around 1960, inside the café.

Interior View

    ©

Alan wrote:

Acknowledgement:  Allan Dodds, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England:  November 27, 2012

Recollections

55.

Ronnie Aitchison

Normanton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England

Thank you to Ronnie Aitchison who wrote:

The Manhattan

"I was curious if there was any information on the Manhattan on the EdinPhoto web site.  That's a cafe I visited many times in the later 1950s, learning to enjoy spaghetti Bolognese."

Coffee Joe's

"The Valentes family also opened another restaurant in Edinburgh.  It was Coffee Joe's in Forrest Road."

Rev Dr Ronnie Aitchison, Normanton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England:  December 16, 2012

Ronnie:

The Manhattan

Did you find the comments above about the Manhattan? 

Please see:

-  Recollections 2  (from Illinois, USA)

-  Recollections 3  (from Newcastle -upon-Tyne, England)

-  Recollections 26  (from Jamestown, California, USA)

-  Recollections 29  (from England)

-  Recollections 37  (from San Diego, California, USA) and

-  Recollections 53  (from Florida, USA).

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:  December 19, 2012

Recollections

56.

David Bain

Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England

Thank you to David Bain who wrote:

The Bistro

Bruntsfield

"I haven't seen mention so far of The Bistro.  It was one of the row of shops beside the church in Bruntsfield Place.

I went there many times in the mid to late-1960s to enjoy a 'hamburger all the way'.   It was similar to the dressed up burgers served by today's fast-food emporia; the big difference being that it was delicious!"

David Bain, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, Edinburgh:  December 20, 2012

Cafes and Restaurants

Recollections

Contributors