Too Good To Go is an app used by cafes, restaurants, and shops to sell leftover food at a discounted price, in order to reduce food waste. Each time you order from somewhere, you will receive a unique bag. Despite no two bags being the same, with some trial and error, you can come to expect certain treats from certain bags.
Shops such as La Barantine, Not Just Coffee and Nott will charge you around £3 for around three pastries. This is a good reduction itself, but there are better deals available if you know where to look.
Blank Street has by far one of the most reliable and worthwhile bags in the city. You get a large variety of pastries and cakes, which are usually still quite fresh, all for £3.50. However, for a deal that good, you need to be on the app ready to fight when the bag goes live each night. Söderberg, with many locations across the city, also has bags worthy of consideration. Unfortunately, they use dynamic pricing, so you can pay anywhere from £3.99 to £5.99, depending on demand; though this can be justified if you get one or two of their iconic cinnamon buns.
But pastries and cakes aren’t all the app is good for; it is a great way to do some lazy meal prep! Places like Yo Sushi! and Bento are alternative options for meals, with Bento giving a more varied selection of products, while Yo Sushi sticks solely to its iconic sushi. These are decent options if you are craving sushi, but for £5 a bag, there are cheaper and more substantial meal options on the app. With Mexican restaurants such as Tortilla, you will receive a bowl with leftover ingredients from the day, which, with some tortillas, can easily be made into a lunch, dinner or both!
There are also many places, such as Söderberg, Pret A Manger and Victor Hugo, which can give you both sweets and savouries, for example, sandwiches and quiches.
The Too Good To Go scene in Edinburgh is so vast and varied that you are sure to find something to entice you. It is well worth the trial and error to figure out which ones are truly worth your time and money.
Image provided by Alice Locker.