SOcial Bite
Rose Street
Good food for a good cause
Opening hours
Monday - Wednesday: 7.00am - 6.00pm
Thursday: 7.00am - 4.30pm
Saturday: 8.00am - 6.00pm
Sunday: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Takeaway free food service times
Monday - Friday
Breakfast rolls: 8.30am - 9.30am
Evening scran: 5.00pm - 6.00pm
Top-notch barista-made coffee. Banging baked potatoes, salads, bagels, toasties, pastries, cakes, and smoothies. Free meals and support for people experiencing homelessness.
Social Bite is one of Edinburgh’s best-loved independent coffee shops, and the place where our mission to end homelessness began. Fully redesigned and refitted in 2025, our space is now more welcoming than ever.
we can also come to you
Social Bite offers convenient home and office food delivery, as well as a hireable coffee cart for events, bringing great food and coffee with a social purpose straight to you.
Home & Office delivery
Customers can order freshly prepared, nutritious meals straight to their doorsteps or workplaces combining great taste with a positive social impact.
Hire our coffee cart
Our coffee box will arrive fully staffed with our professional baristas, ready to serve your guests with great coffee, good food for a good cause, and a friendly smile.
Edinburgh: Where it all started
In 2012 Social Bite founders Josh Littlejohn and Alice Thompson opened their first shop on Rose Street, with profits donated to good causes. Soon after, a young man called Peter, who had been selling The Big Issue outside, came in and asked for a job. Recognising his initiative, Josh and Alice brought him onto the team.
Seeing the impact on Peter’s life convinced them to embed supported employment for people with experience of homelessness into the heart of the business. After a few months, we introduced a “Pay it Forward” system, giving customers the chance to add a little extra to cover the cost of a meal or a hot drink for someone who needs it.
In 2015, George Clooney paid a visit, having been invited by Josh — coverage ran in 10 of the world’s 20 best‑selling newspapers. And in 2018, Prince Harry and Meghan popped in as part of their first official joint trip to Scotland.
We now have coffee shops in Glasgow, Aberdeen, and London. And we’ve grown into a leading homelessness charity, pioneering fresh solutions across food, homes, and jobs.
The food, drink, and service is beyond great and I love the Pay it Forward scheme they have going. If you're hungry and want to also help out a wonderful cause then look no further.
