The Lea Rig, Edinburgh

It’s autumnal. It’s earthy. It’s pottery, it’s fresh plaster, it’s making and it’s remaking.

Yes, the predominant colour palette of The Lea Rig, the excellent new Easter Road cafe, is brown. It’s a dark, almost chocolatey shade on the exterior of the corner unit, save for some very nice but fairly minimal signwriting. That’s a confident move for your brand new cafe, and it’s backed up by a cosy, on-trend peachy terracotta on the walls once you make your way inside. The result is a bright, airy space that goes straight into our file of ‘cool and laid-back cafes’ and ‘places that feel like an extremely trendy living room (complimentary)’.

The Lea Rig. Photo: Graham Williams

That living room feel continues up at the counter, which is loaded with some extremely exciting baking (more on that shortly), and on a short lunch menu that sticks to a few crowdpleasing hits. The Reuben sandwich (£8) is extremely dark, with an almost mahogany shade to its crusty, toasty exterior, and it is brilliant. It’s a decadent treat, but one which never veers over into silliness.

It’s loaded with peppery pastrami, with a pickly, prickly tang from the Russian dressing and the sauerkraut, but it’s all really well balanced. Texture, flavour, spice, saltiness, a bit of crunch, it really does have the lot. Plus, it’s a big sandwich that doesn’t immediately fall apart when you try to eat it, which makes a big difference.

The reuben sandwich at The Lea Rig. Photo: David Fletcher

In many ways, the Lea Rig is the ideal spot for an autumn afternoon. It feels cool but welcoming, the coffee is excellent, it’s dual aspect so there’s bound to be some light coming in through one window or another. And at a time of year when everything feels a bit dark and damp, and all you want is a little treat, these guys have them by the counter-full.

The array of options is pretty impressive, and if only we could have wrangled a larger group of diners or simply bunked off work for longer, we would have more to say. Instead, we plumped for something that screams autumn, that shouts comfort, that whispers ‘there’s no way you’re going to make this at home, don’t kid yourself’ – the apple pie (£4.50). This diner-style slice passes all the classic tests. You can comfortably cut it with a fork in one hand, leaving your other hand free for wild gesticulation or, let’s be honest, sending a WhatsApp. There are big identifiable chunks of apple, in a filling that’s a beautiful shade of reddish pink, gloriously sweet and fruity. The crust is great; rustic and robust in the best way, with big flecks of baking sugar giving an outlandish bit of crunch to the top. It’s a really nice treat, handmade by someone who knows what they’re doing and cares about getting it right.

There is no shortage of cafes in Edinburgh in general, or in Leith in particular, and everyone has their favourites. What the Lea Rig does that’s so impressive is act like it’s already been on your list of great cafes for years; there’s a confidence and a feel to the place that is genuinely astounding given it’s only been open for a few months. The food is excellent, the coffee is great, the sweet treats are on a constant rotation, the late October light is flowing in through the windows and every wall and surface is a shade of caramel, terracotta, toast. The Lea Rig is proof that, sometimes, the best way to stand out is to keep it simple.

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127 Easter Road, Edinburgh, EH7 5PP; Wed-Fri 8am-3pm, Sat-Sun 9am-3pm
@thelearigbakes on Instagram