Well, here I go, poised and ready to pen not only my first ever review... but also my first ever blog post! I'm sitting here as unashamedly excited as a child in a sweetie shop, scratch that, myself in a sweetie shop (who was I kidding, right?). Admittedly, the blog is still in that freshly thought up, dreamy, honeymoon stage, the kind where I find myself itching to sit down, take pen to paper (or keyboard) and ferociously gush about all the foodie delights I'm just dying to share with you all. But lets be frank, its a rare occasion to find me doing anything other than gushing about food so lets get this God dayuum show on the road!
Choosing the subject of my first review wasn't hard, I wanted somewhere local, dependably great and more importantly I wanted to write about somewhere I'd be more than happy to recommend again and again. Maxi's of Stockbridge is all of these things and so much more. Sitting smack bang in the middle of busy Raeburn Place, this unassuming shabby chic cafe has been serving up breakfast, brunch and lunch to the hungry locals of Stockbridge since 1997.
I confess, I love the decor in Maxi's, I always have, and always will. The bench style seating, ramshackle wall tiling, and quirky crockery has you feeling like, yes you really are as urban hipster as you think you are (you go girl), and the simple counter service adds to the informal, laid back "grab yourself a seat" kinda vibe.
First things first, it's important to know that Maxi's is always busy. Not overbearingly loud, children screaming, phones ringing, elbows in your dinner busy, but the kind of busy where it reassures you that, yes, this place really must be as good as the hype, why else would there be a queue out the door right? It's best to keep this in mind, especially if you're hoping to visit for brunch at the weekend, arrive early rather than late to avoid losing out on a table and then the inevitable onset of the "I'm going to miss brunch" related tears I'm all too familiar with (just kidding... or am I?)
Once you finally get yourself a seat, a look at the small but varied menu and that unavoidable peek at the cake counter (oh, we'll get to those delights later) it's time to order yourself one of Maxi's expertly crafted, beautifully decorated artisan coffees. The unmistakable, irresistible scent of roast coffee beans greets you like a hug from an old friend as soon as you walk through the door, (I'm not quite sure there's anything else I love more than that smell) Their coffee beans hail locally, from neighbours Artisan Roast, and on their hot drinks menu you can expect to find all the usual suspects like my favourite, the small but mighty flat white. Coffee from Maxi's ranges in price from around £1.80 for a small to around £2.50 for a more substantial cupful, and if coffee just isn't your thaaang (who even are you?) you can always order one of their monstrous prized hot chocolates, complete with whipped cream, marshmallows and chocolate buttons, oh my!
But, enough about that, and on to the really good stuff. What ultimately keeps me coming back to Maxi's, over and above the top notch coffee, great chilled atmosphere, friendly staff and the ability to park outside (you can take the girl out the country) is the food. Maxi's has a small, fairly simple but extremely varied menu that truth be told, I'm completely obsessed with. Consisting of two sections, one for breakfast (served everyday til 3pm) and the other for lunch dishes, I promise you'll be very hard pushed to find anything on it you won't instantly instagram #brunchgoals #avotoast #sexyeggs (no judgement please). The menu is one of those rare finds, the kind where you're scrolling through the options thinking "Butchers Breakfast, oh that's what I'll have... no wait French Toast with Bacon! Oh but hang on the Grilled Cheese Sandwich sounds amazing" and eventually you reach the conclusion that you'll just have to order all three and be done with it! (just me? um ok). Anyway I shan't bore you by listing every item on the menu as I'm hoping this article might inspire you to try Maxi's out for yourself, but what I will do is tell all you lovely foodies about my favourite dish of the moment. The absolutely delicious, subtly warming, gloriously photogenic Spicy Eggs
Now, come Sunday morning, I always find it extremely hard when perusing a menu to see past any form of egg dish. So (to quote the late, great Cilla Black) surprise, surprise, I couldn't resist, when I saw that Maxi's were serving up spicy eggs I simply had to have it and oh boy was I glad I did! There's nothing better on a chilly, November morning than being presented with two perfectly runny eggs, poached in a gently spiced tomato, chilli and garlic sauce, topped with salty parmesan cheese, the dish comes out steaming hot, delightfully aromatic and served with a big hunk of warm sourdough bread to mop up all the delicious juices. Gorgeous and healthy it's perfect breakfast, brunch, lunch or anytime of the day nosh, needless to say my plate was shamelessly devoured in 4 seconds flat.
I'm going to finish up with a li'l special mention to Maxi's baked goods, I know, I know ... as if you need any more encouragement right? Just go already! Seriously though, if you find yourself with a little room left after your coffee, hot chocolate, french toast or delicious eggs then be 100% sure to grab yourself something from their cake counter. Especially if, by some kind of unprecedented miracle, they happen to be offering up the raspberry cheesecake chocolate brownie, because trust me lovers, this brownie CHANGES. LIVES.
L,x
You can find Maxi's at 33 Raeburn Place, Stockbridge, Edinburgh, EH4 1HX
Instagram ~ @maxiscafe
Facebook ~ @maxiscafe
Choosing the subject of my first review wasn't hard, I wanted somewhere local, dependably great and more importantly I wanted to write about somewhere I'd be more than happy to recommend again and again. Maxi's of Stockbridge is all of these things and so much more. Sitting smack bang in the middle of busy Raeburn Place, this unassuming shabby chic cafe has been serving up breakfast, brunch and lunch to the hungry locals of Stockbridge since 1997.
I confess, I love the decor in Maxi's, I always have, and always will. The bench style seating, ramshackle wall tiling, and quirky crockery has you feeling like, yes you really are as urban hipster as you think you are (you go girl), and the simple counter service adds to the informal, laid back "grab yourself a seat" kinda vibe.
First things first, it's important to know that Maxi's is always busy. Not overbearingly loud, children screaming, phones ringing, elbows in your dinner busy, but the kind of busy where it reassures you that, yes, this place really must be as good as the hype, why else would there be a queue out the door right? It's best to keep this in mind, especially if you're hoping to visit for brunch at the weekend, arrive early rather than late to avoid losing out on a table and then the inevitable onset of the "I'm going to miss brunch" related tears I'm all too familiar with (just kidding... or am I?)
Once you finally get yourself a seat, a look at the small but varied menu and that unavoidable peek at the cake counter (oh, we'll get to those delights later) it's time to order yourself one of Maxi's expertly crafted, beautifully decorated artisan coffees. The unmistakable, irresistible scent of roast coffee beans greets you like a hug from an old friend as soon as you walk through the door, (I'm not quite sure there's anything else I love more than that smell) Their coffee beans hail locally, from neighbours Artisan Roast, and on their hot drinks menu you can expect to find all the usual suspects like my favourite, the small but mighty flat white. Coffee from Maxi's ranges in price from around £1.80 for a small to around £2.50 for a more substantial cupful, and if coffee just isn't your thaaang (who even are you?) you can always order one of their monstrous prized hot chocolates, complete with whipped cream, marshmallows and chocolate buttons, oh my!
But, enough about that, and on to the really good stuff. What ultimately keeps me coming back to Maxi's, over and above the top notch coffee, great chilled atmosphere, friendly staff and the ability to park outside (you can take the girl out the country) is the food. Maxi's has a small, fairly simple but extremely varied menu that truth be told, I'm completely obsessed with. Consisting of two sections, one for breakfast (served everyday til 3pm) and the other for lunch dishes, I promise you'll be very hard pushed to find anything on it you won't instantly instagram #brunchgoals #avotoast #sexyeggs (no judgement please). The menu is one of those rare finds, the kind where you're scrolling through the options thinking "Butchers Breakfast, oh that's what I'll have... no wait French Toast with Bacon! Oh but hang on the Grilled Cheese Sandwich sounds amazing" and eventually you reach the conclusion that you'll just have to order all three and be done with it! (just me? um ok). Anyway I shan't bore you by listing every item on the menu as I'm hoping this article might inspire you to try Maxi's out for yourself, but what I will do is tell all you lovely foodies about my favourite dish of the moment. The absolutely delicious, subtly warming, gloriously photogenic Spicy Eggs
Now, come Sunday morning, I always find it extremely hard when perusing a menu to see past any form of egg dish. So (to quote the late, great Cilla Black) surprise, surprise, I couldn't resist, when I saw that Maxi's were serving up spicy eggs I simply had to have it and oh boy was I glad I did! There's nothing better on a chilly, November morning than being presented with two perfectly runny eggs, poached in a gently spiced tomato, chilli and garlic sauce, topped with salty parmesan cheese, the dish comes out steaming hot, delightfully aromatic and served with a big hunk of warm sourdough bread to mop up all the delicious juices. Gorgeous and healthy it's perfect breakfast, brunch, lunch or anytime of the day nosh, needless to say my plate was shamelessly devoured in 4 seconds flat.
I'm going to finish up with a li'l special mention to Maxi's baked goods, I know, I know ... as if you need any more encouragement right? Just go already! Seriously though, if you find yourself with a little room left after your coffee, hot chocolate, french toast or delicious eggs then be 100% sure to grab yourself something from their cake counter. Especially if, by some kind of unprecedented miracle, they happen to be offering up the raspberry cheesecake chocolate brownie, because trust me lovers, this brownie CHANGES. LIVES.
L,x
You can find Maxi's at 33 Raeburn Place, Stockbridge, Edinburgh, EH4 1HX
Instagram ~ @maxiscafe
Facebook ~ @maxiscafe
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