Empires Cafe Bistro interior with hand-painted Çini tiles

Boutique Anatolian Bistro

An Empire of Flavour, Reimagined.

Mezze · Sofra · Sharing

A Table Set with Six Centuries of Memory.

Coffee · Conversation

Linger Long. Speak Softly. Sip Slowly.

Hoş Geldiniz · Welcome

A small house on the Royal Mile with a long memory of the Bosphorus.

Just steps from Edinburgh's Royal Mile, we cook the way our grandmothers did — with patience, with butter, beneath the same blue-and-burgundy tiles that watched empires come and go. Twenty seats. One open kitchen. Every plate, an heirloom.

The Sofra

Signature Plates

3 Meze Platter

3 Meze Platter

Three Meze of your choice with warm bread a fresh green salad.

Special (5) Meze Platter

Special (5) Meze Platter

Five Meze of your choice with warm bread a fresh salad.

Baklava

Baklava

Selection of traditional Turkish style made with layers of filo pastry and nuts & syrup

@empirescafebistro

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A table is waiting for you.

Twenty seats fill quickly. Reserve yours and tell us if there's a celebration to honour or an allergy to mind.

Reserve a Table