Checkpoint

I went on a Friday night to find that it was very quiet, although it was nice. There are plenty of tables and it feels intimate but funky. The service is casual, but the staff is friendly and very helpful with discussing food options. I had the freekah salad, which also has squash. I think I got the bigger one and it was massive, far too much for me so I suggest sharing. It was a nice salad and we also ordered chips and the garlic and cavolo nero, which was amazing! My friend ordered cauliflower and broccoli cheese, which was also massive and tasted very nice. It is affordable and a nice atmosphere for dinner. I didn’t have coffee or desert, but they do offer breakfast so I am keen to go back and try it!

I came here for a work meeting, and it was great that Checkpoint was close to the University but also had a lot of seating available and was a little funky. It was really conveniently located but felt like it was miles away from things because like others said the pace slowed down when inside. My colleague said that he felt this place was too cool for him, but although it has a cool vibe it didn’t seem pretentious.
It’s a quirky place with lovely big windows in the back and some seating essentially in a shipping container with a window cut out of it. They had table service which was slightly confusing since they didn’t come round too often, but you could always go up to the coffee bar to ask for things and it was certainly fastest to pay there rather than at the table.
Checkpoint had a great but somewhat small mocha and my colleague’s lemon tea with honey looked fantastic as well. This place not only does the coffee shop thing but I’ve heard it has good brunch and it also sells alcohol so you could come in for a glass of wine or a beer later in the day.
#underdog

Had breakfast and coffee here this morning, and it was lovely! Nice and spacious, lots of tables, pretty sparse but modern vibe. My friend and I had a paper writing session after finishing our breakfast and were probably there a total of 3 and a half hours (oh how time flies when exams are near). During this time I had the eggs florentine (comes with cherry tomatoes which are super tasty) and 2 americanos. The bill was only 10 pounds, which seemed like a deal to me. Nice strong coffee too. The lunch menu looked interesting so I’m sure I’ll be back!

Their service is a bit casual, it is true. However, I find that I don’t mind this. Some menu items are a bargain while others are pretty much what you’d expect for, say, a casual-​upscale dining experience of a casual bistro at about £10. I don’t think it’s a bad thing, but I think in this area they may find that students will tend to the more casual/​hearty/​cheap fare. Again, not necessarily a bad thing.
The HUGE thing for me is that this place is open until midnight. Having a place to go and drink coffee OR beer with friends after work that isn’t a pub is MAJOR in Edinburgh. It basically doesn’t exist in this kind of atmosphere. Even better, if you are a student who needs a change of scenery from the library and a break from your flat and you want a stimulating place full of strangers casually chit chatting in the background while you drink your lattes until midnight, HELLO CHECKPOINT. I love this concept and I really hope it does well for them. This area has long needed a good late-​night wifi and work-​friendly coffee spot. Large tables too, and food for when you are peckish and the beer you need when your work session is over. It’s the perfect «other living room» that your flat isn’t.

Checkpoint has only been open about a month after running as a fringe venue during August. I loved it during August so dropped by for a solo lunch on the way to a meeting.
The menu is the same for lunch and dinner with the exception of the ‘brunch’ section which is only available till 5pm. I found it a bit confusing as it has bowls, dishes than can be big or small, mains and sides as well as the brunch options. In the end I went for one of the bowls which was great and more than big enough for lunch. The bowls are good value at £4.50 or £5 for the different varieties.
If I’m eating alone, especially at lunch, I expect quick service. It took 5 minutes after I’d decided and put down the menu before my order was taken as the waitress was chatting to the barman. The food then came reasonably quickly and they’d adapted it to my allergies but I had to ask for a side plate to have somewhere to put the ends of aubergine on other than the table.
In general a bit meh service and it was trying to be a bit more formal for lunch than I thought it was from the outside. I’m going to come back for coffee as I think it’s a nice space, they have a ridiculously huge coffee machine and the menu had some interesting looking desserts.