Scone Spy: Edinburgh's Rabbie's Cafe is an oasis of peace on Princes Street

Rabbie's Cafe's scone (Chris Austin / DC Thomson)

I’m in Edinburgh on a bustling Sunday afternoon. Once upon a time Sundays would have been quiet, but gone are the days.

Princes Street is heaving with people and frankly, some of them could do with a lesson in manners.

Is there any need to barge into people (by people, I mean me), whack them as they rush past on their way to their busy and important lives (me again), or simply trample me without even an: “Oops-sorry-are-you-OK?”

No, there is not, but it happens anyway.

I need a seat and a scone to calm me down.

So we dive into the first cafe we see, Rabbie’s.

And this is the odd part.

Because while the streets outside are jam-packed, there’s hardly anyone here.

There are only two staff.

One is behind the counter and the other appears from nowhere, swishing a mop about the floor with a rather melancholy air.

That’s it.

Until we arrive, there isn’t a single customer.

And yet all those people are thronging the streets outside.

Well, it’s their loss.

You may be familiar with Rabbie’s as a tour company.

They offer award-winning tours around Edinburgh, the Highlands and beyond.

And this is their cafe, where many of their tours leave from.

The tables have metallic, vintage-looking maps on them, a nice touch.

We order a scone, a Danish pastry and a latte. And my companion decides one of the fine selection of bottled beers is just too tempting to resist.

I’m tempted to point out that a beer and pastry is a weird combination, but each to their own. (Still weird, though.)

Everything is tickety-boo.

The scone is a gem, a fruit-packed stoater, and comes with its own wee pot of Galloway Lodge jam. And the pastry is flaky, buttery and close to perfection,

So why isn’t Rabbie’s jammed to the rafters on this fine, sunny day?

We’re in at that time in the afternoon that’s after lunch but before closing – surely the perfect time to stop for afternoon tea?

Eventually a mum comes in with two boisterous kids. They order soup, cake and drinks and tell me they’re all great.

The only reason I can think why it’s so deserted is that you could almost pass Rabbie’s without realising it’s there. It’s sort of tucked away in a corner – it’s on Waterloo Place, but that runs on to Princes Street.

And I’m reliably informed it’s much busier in the mornings and at lunchtimes.

So if you’re along that end of Princes Street and feel the need of a wee refresher and you don’t want a chain, head to Rabbie’s.

When the streets are jam-packed and driving you mad, it’s an oasis of peace.

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