As I exited Haymarket railway station I was accosted by STV who were filming interviews and asking for views about ScotRail. Strange they picked me as I am one of those people who has a face for radio and a voice for the deaf. Some swearing and mumbling to camera later, I lugged my bags to a cafe across the road where the ‘o’ in the signage had a small line either side of it. I assumed it was to make it look more exotic and therefore must be at least one beardie in there.
And there was. The old hipster standards were present; wooden floor/ tables, dangly lights, artisan cakes on the counter and plants abound. Yawnster. The most interesting thing was the ornate Moorish-style counter in front of metro tiling but the staff behind it were not interesting or interested even – a youngish girl with a face like a crumpled crisp packet and a bewhiskered male with the personality of a tea towel. Both dead-eyed automatons waiting for 4pm so they can go home and watch Netflix for 9 hours.
Still a few attractive items in a glass cabinet on the counter caught the eye, mainly fig cakes, salads and plant-based oddities. They also did porridge but then I expect to find that everywhere in Scotland along and with Irn-Bru, Tennants and Tunnocks. 🙂
Nomad is quite small so not ideal for sitting with suitcases but I grabbed table at the back blocking the staff doorway and the toilet which made me happy for a few minutes. I got the attention of one of the uninterested droids and ordered a latte which was pretty bonza and a gluten-free white lentil and cauliflower pancake which was bob-on and healthy an’ all.
I had also ordered a cake but then noticed they were used as sort of a runway for an squadron of bluebottles. I suppose the staff could pass them off as Eccles cakes if they were awake. Shortly my teddy bear cake arrived which bore a creepy icing face and reminded me of the cover of artwork for Donnie Darko. Oh and it tasted like a sanitary towel covered in cocoa so I probably won’t be recommending that one.
A sixty-something lady with a monobrow sat near me and chatted as she could see I was trying to work and that I needed distracting. FFS. Oh well, she was friendly enough so I listened to her tell me about how her son works on an oil rig and that she was making a patchwork quilt. She then asked me to help her with the last few clues on her crossword puzzle which I did in double-quick time.
There were no flies on me you see, they are all on the fig cake.
Verdict: 3/5
Good: Some good and interesting food
Bad: Zombies, space, what’s been crawling on your cake?
Pieces of Ate 
Very interesting may have to get up there!
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very good – not sure you’ve sold this cafe to me tho man
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Useful if you don’t want a Starbucks across the road before your train but aye there are better places in town
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Och it’s fine in there dint know whatya ohn about
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As a wee bairn i usedta go along this road and will go here now and see if itsa bad as you saye
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It’s a nice cafe to my mind and always had good experiences there personally xx
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A wee place but lots of nice cakes in there and love the staff. Not sure I agree with you but you do make me smile. :))))
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Cruel man lols think you really luv this place many aey?
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It’s no bad in there but you better of in the center likesay
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See my tripadvisor comments – I mainly disagree with you mate!
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A cool spot no doubt if you’ve been!
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It’s a decent cafe but there are better in the centre of town – not sure why you picked it?
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Love your review – you are very very good xxxx
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I’m no mad but it helps lols – d’ya ken?
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NOMADder how I try I can’t get bothered about Scotland xx
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My cousin reckons there is a ghost upstairs? Has anyone seen it?
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A lovely little cafe and I’m a regular for breakfast by the way. GLA to you and all!!
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I’m no mad – get it?
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Looks nice from the inside however it’s service lets it down, food not the best, in fact one of the toasties was stale and one toastie came 20 minutes after the other two so one person was looking at a cold cup of tea by the time food arrived, the chai latte was quite tasteless. Located near to Haymarket Station should have made this place busier but this was not the case, staff although pleasant weren’t overly proactive at dealing with the customers.
Such a shame as had been looking forward to sampling the atmosphere and food.
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Excellent breakfast. Really good coffee. Conveniently opposite Haymarket train station. Chorizo Omelette, poached eggs with bacon and avocado. Pleasant service.
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We stayed in the Haymarket area and ate here twice during our stay. Personally we found it to be absolutely spot on. First day I had the porridge with red berries and granola and husband had a full English both dishes were absolutely superb. On the second day we tried the omelettes and poached egg with pulled pork and haggis again absolutely spot on.
My chai latte was served in a cup and was one of the best chai lattes that I’ve had, so disagree with previous reviews.
Staff were 2 welcoming young men who were chatty helpful and polite, we had no issues with the music the choice of music we found very appealing and wasn’t too loud, but it was the weekend so no external noise from the ongoing works outside.
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I’ve walked past Nomad so often, thought I should give it a go. Unfortunately, I won’t be back and I regret not asking for a refund.
I took the last available table. The table was clean but there was a slice of tomato by my feet.
The music was very loud and uncomfortably pounding – more suited to a nightclub or bar than a coffee shop. It would be hard to have a conversation without raising your voice. I wonder if it was to cover up the building works outside. Perhaps closing the door and finding an alternative way to ventilate the shop might be a better short term solution than the disco vibe?
I ordered porridge. There were only knives and forks on the table, so I had to get up to ask for a spoon.
I also had chai tea – which I would advise avoiding here at all costs. It came in a cafetiere. I’ve had chai in several cafes but it’s never come in a cafetiere and there’s a good reason why. As I downed the plunger, it splatted everywhere on myself and the stranger at the table next to mine. (Poor guy – though he made the mistake of ordering chai too. His chaiplosion was less dramatic than mine, but still required mop up). My t-shirt was stained and my book got showered by the hot drink too.
My table neighbour asked for some paper towels and the barista kindly cleaned up. She said it’s happened before, which begs the question of why they’re still using cafetieres for tea?
The flavour of the remaining chai was okay – not the best, not the worst. However, the cafetiere meant I couldn’t get all the chai into my cup without getting the leaves too. I had to leave half-a-cupsworth of tea stuck in the cafetiere, which made it feel getting even less value for money.
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Went here a couple of years ago and was cramped but pleasant.
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