Glasgow has become a city where coffee culture thrives. Wander through its neighbourhoods and you’ll find that each corner of the city has its own café to represent the area’s personality, from laid-back brunch spots to wee espresso bars and takeaway cafes beside local parks.
A new generation of Glasgow cafes have become creative hubs and local living rooms for the community. In the West End, you might sip your cortado surrounded by students and writers, notebooks open beside laptops. In the Southside, family-run cafés spill out onto pavements with dogs snoozing under tables. In the East End, pared-back roasteries now showcase single-origin beans while playing music at weekends. Glasgow’s standards are high when it comes to coffee, alongside the cakes, matcha, hot chocolate, pastries and brunch dishes that comes with it.
Take a tour of 12 neighbourhood cafes that represent the local coffee scene.
5. Short Long Black
Come for the coffee, stay for the pies, baked fresh each morning. Flavours include ham hock, cheese and potato or vegetarian haggis. Look for lemon meringue tart, cinnamon buns, carrot loaf, and chocolate cookies straight out of the oven for dessert. Take a walk to nearby Queen's Park. 501 Victoria Rd, G42 8RL | Supplied
6. The Glad Cafe
A Shawlands cafe and not-for-profit music venue serving high quality coffee from Machina Espresso and cakes from local suppliers. Great brunch menu, burgers, loaded fries and pizza. 1006A Pollokshaws Road, G41 2HG | The Glad Cafe
7. Papercup Coffee Company
They started out here introducing their specialty coffee and attracting the brunch bunch in 2012. Since then they have built a reputation for a top espressos and meals featuring organic meats and fresh farm eggs. In normal times, expect “positive vibes and uplifting tunes”. The kind of relaxed, friendly neighbourhood café that you would like at the end of your street. Order the muffuletta: a New Orleans pressed focaccia with cold and cured meats, peppers, olives and cheese. 603 Great Western Road, G12 8HX. | Papercup Coffee Company
8. Cafe Strange Brew
A compact, cool and dog-friendly cafe in Shawlands. Go for Glasgow’s best brunch with quirky, colourful creations like a pancake stack with cinnamon spiked plums, blackberries, white chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream, hazelnut and oat brown butter crumble or a baked eggs skillet with confit duck, roast butternut squash, molten blue cheese and parsley. 1082 Pollokshaws Rd, G41 3XA | Supplied