Vegan cafe Bowls to close its doors as the latest Edinburgh casualty of lockdown

Founded just last year as a unique hotspot for vegans and vegetarians in Edinburgh’s Old Town, Bowls announced at the weekend that it would be closing its doors for good due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Bowls: another hospitality business forced to close its doors for good due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemicBowls: another hospitality business forced to close its doors for good due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic
Bowls: another hospitality business forced to close its doors for good due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic

Known for its healthy fast food and salad bowls, Bowls opened in 2019 on Forrest Road and has been a popular spot for students and Edinburgh’s vegan crowd ever since. However, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the central belt restrictions has led them to make the decision to cease trading.

On its website, Bowls describe itself as having “introduced fast, healthy, delicious food” to Edinburgh’s Old Town, adding it takes “pride in our ability to discover unique flavours from around the world and serve lunch that goes far beyond the standard sandwich.”

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The team behind the site serving colourful, fresh vegan salads, vegan cakes and locally-sourced coffee took to social media at the weekend to announce the site’s closure. In a post on Instagram, they said:

“It was awesome serving you guys. We loved bringing our healthy and flavoursome bowls to Edinburgh! Unfortunately the business has taken too much of a beating since the arrival of the c-word, and with heavy hearts we're shutting shop.”

They continued: “We hope to move onwards, upwards, and are optimistic about the future. But we urge you to support your favourite independent businesses here in Edinburgh. More will close, and it's vital to our community that you show support now. Peace out.”

The decision will likely come as a shock to their fans and particularly students in search of affordable vegan grub in the local area. Comments on the cafe’s Instagram post suggest that many will be sad to see it go and have high hopes it will return to Edinburgh at some stage in the near future.

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