The trendy shop is widely considered to be one of the best in the Scottish capital.
20:00, 21 Apr 2026Updated 08:49, 22 Apr 2026
‘I queued 30 minutes at viral Edinburgh bakery and couldn’t believe the price’
Edinburgh is one of the food capitals of the UK, if not the world, known far and wide for its abundance of acclaimed and popular food spots. From Michelin-starred restaurants to cosy neighbourhood pubs, the city offers a wealth of choices no matter what you are in the mood for.
One of the most trendy eateries in the Scottish capital is actually a bakery, with Lannan developing a large and loyal following since its opening just a few years ago in 2023. Situated on Hamilton Place in the city’s trendy Stockbridge neighbourhood, it is widely considered to be one of Edinburgh’s must-visit bakeries.
As previously reported by the Daily Record, Lannan is famous for its long queues—with dozens of people often seen outside the front door of the bakery waiting for their turn to be let inside. It is also a favourite amongst online food influencers thanks to its elegant-looking pastries and cakes.
Scotland Now’s Alexander Smail visited Lannan over the weekend to find out if the bakery is worth the buzz, sampling everything from a flan to a slice of cake.
As I expected, there was a long queue(Image: Alexander Smail)
I have lived in Edinburgh for a long time, but I have somehow never made it over to Lannan since its opening in the summer of 2023. While I’ve heard good things from friends, and can’t scroll TikTok or Instagram without seeing an influencer talking about the bakery and singing its praises, I had just never got around to it.
However, I decided on Sunday that it was finally time to see what all of the fuss is about. Knowing the queues outside Lannan would likely be lengthy, and wanting to avoid leaving empty handed, I headed out at 9am sharp and made my way over to the Stockbridge bakery.
It was thankfully a sunny and relatively warm morning and if there is one thing you can say about Stockbridge, it is that it is a truly beautiful part of Edinburgh. Passing by idyllic green parks and historic architecture, I really enjoyed the walk over from Leith and it was the perfect Sunday activity.
As I made my way up Hamilton Place, I saw a long line of people in the distance and knew I had reached my destination. The intimidating queue wrapped around the corner, and with so many people waiting patiently for their baked goodies I figured the wait had to be worth it.
There were so many yummy-looking cakes and pastries to choose from(Image: Alexander Smail)
Lannan only allows eight people inside at a time, and they’ve placed black tape on the pavement outside showing customers where to line up. Soon after I joined the queue, one of the members of staff emerged to hand out QR codes to everyone waiting—giving me a peek at what was waiting for me inside.
As the queue progressed, I walked past one of the windows of Lannan and was able to get a look inside the kitchen. Seeing the bakers work, and the trays upon trays of croissants and other pastries, my anticipation reached fever pitch and my mouth was practically watering.
Fortunately, it wasn’t that much longer to wait and, after around 30 minutes of queuing, I was finally allowed inside Lannan. From the rows of delicate pastries to the wooden furniture and beautiful artwork adorning the walls, it looked straight out of a film set and my first impression was extremely positive.
My chocolate and hazelnut cake(Image: Alexander Smail)
My usual go-to when it comes to pastries is a plain croissant, of which Lannan had plenty – and they definitely looked tempting. I didn’t come all the way to the trendiest bakery in Edinburgh to play it safe though, so decided to be a bit more adventurous after spending around 30 minutes waiting to get in.
I had a good look at all of the cookies, buns, and viennoiseries on offer, and eventually decided to go for one of the unique-looking rhubarb, pistachio, and tonka flans. I also ordered a slice of chocolate and hazelnut cake, as well as a baguette and an espresso.
For as long as the wait was, the staff were incredibly efficient and were able to get customers in and out at a good pace without rushing them. They were really friendly too, especially given how stressful their job must be, and were happy to answer questions other customers had about the ingredients.
I loved the packaging(Image: Alexander Smail)
I will say, though, my eyes widened when I saw the total cost of £21.30 appear on the til—£7.50 for the flan, £6.50 for the slice of cake, £4 for the baguette, £3.20 for the espresso, and a 10p carrier bag charge. I knew Lannan was going to be on the pricier side, and I did order a fair amount, but I don’t think I have ever paid upwards of £20 at a bakery.
One thing I really liked about Lannan is that you can tell the bakery puts care into their presentation, with my cake and flan coming in cute little boxes that reminded me of something you would see in Paris. There is no seating at the bakery, so I headed to the nearby King George V Park to sit and finally have a taste.
While everything was absolutely delicious, I have to say the biggest surprise for me was the rhubarb, pistachio, and tonka flan. It looked unlike any pastry I’d ever seen, with the pistachios giving a gorgeous green colour and the rhubarb compote providing a striking centrepiece.
The flan was absolutely beautiful(Image: Alexander Smail)
I love everything with white chocolate in it, and the custard in the flan was certainly no exception, while the pistachio praline added the perfect touch of salt without going overboard. Meanwhile, the flaky pastry went wonderfully with the velvety pistachio and tonka whipped cream.
The chocolate and hazelnut cake was easily one of the best I have eaten in a very long time. I always prefer a rich and decadent flavour profile when it comes to chocolate cake, and Lannan’s offering definitely did not disappoint in this regard—while the generous filling was smooth and sweet.
The baguette was great too, being perfectly crispy and beautifully baked, but overall wasn’t worth the steep £4 price tag, in my opinion. I had a little bite but saved most of it for later that evening, when it went very well with butter, olive oil and balsamic, and Highland brie.
The baguette was crispy and beautifully baked(Image: Alexander Smail)
The coffee was fine but nothing spectacular in my opinion, though I didn’t really have any expectations going in. It was sharp, bitter, and everything else you would expect from an espresso but it didn’t wow me, though I will say that the £3.20 price was quite reasonable—at least compared to everything else.
Overall, I don’t have a single complaint about the food at Lannan Bakery and I can say it more than lived up to its lofty reputation. The rhubarb, pistachio, and tonka flan was absolutely divine, while the cake was one of the best I’ve had in recent memory and the baguette went incredibly well with butter and cheese.
However, I still can’t pretend I wasn’t gobsmacked when I saw the price of everything at the till. That makes it hard for me to unreservedly recommend Lannan, but if you have money to spend or are in the mood for a decadent weekend treat then you definitely won’t be disappointed.
