Thistles Coffee Shop has traded from Main Street in West Calder since 2011, taking its name from the nearby Thistle Tower, a landmark built by local benefactor John Thomson, known locally as 'Pie Jock'. It is a family-run, independent coffee shop rather than a chain outlet, serving breakfast and lunch dishes, soup of the day and lunchtime specials alongside homemade baking and afternoon teas of sandwiches, cakes and tea or coffee. Alongside the coffee shop, the business runs a catering arm supplying food for local events, which forms part of its trading name. Thistles sits in the centre of West Calder, one of the villages along the old shale-oil route through West Lothian. The business is built around affordable, freshly prepared food rather than a formal restaurant offer, with lunchtime specials changing regularly. It is independently owned rather than part of a franchise or hotel group, and has built up a strong following reflected in its review ratings.
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