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Grassroots Café

Grassroots Café
93–97 St Georges Road
Glasgow, G3 6JA
Phone: 0141 333 0534
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  • Food served: Mon–Thu 10am–8.45pm; Fri 10am–9.45pm; Sat 10am–3.30pm, 5–9.45pm; Sun 10am–3.30pm, 5–8.45pm
  • Number of wines sold by the glass: Six
  • Also offers: Vegetarian options (at least 25% of main courses), Gluten-free options, Children's portions, Children's high chairs, Wheelchair access
  • Music on stereo: Mixture of alternative tunes
  • Capacity: 36
  • Largest group: 36
  • Open since: 1999
  • Average price 2 courses:
     £10 (lunch)
     £13 (evening meal)
  • House wine: £9.50 per bottle
  • BYOB: £3/50p beer corkage
Eating & Drinking Guide 2008

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

This café/restaurant is worth a small diversion off the well-beaten track of Woodlands Road; its creative menu (with blackboard specials, too) and relaxed atmosphere are of a higher calibre than the usual vegetarian operation. Purple curtains divide tables into booths, and potted plants and candles add to the home-from-home feel, not to mention the open kitchen in full view of diners. Starters include hearty sweetcorn and chilli pancakes, while the vegetable tempura is slices of aubergine, courgette and carrot coated with crispy batter and complemented by a wasabi yoghurt and tamari dip. Main course options include salads and sandwiches: the grilled goat's cheese crostini, for example, is served with walnuts, honey and slabs of cheese. A burrito, which makes for a larger proposition, comes with stuffed red beans, chipotle chillis, avocado and cheddar – with tortilla chips on the side. A dessert of light but creamy custard is a logical postscript, but the chocolate cake is so moist and dense that it verges on brownie territory. There are also regular theme nights – Lebanese, for example – and all-day Scottish breakfasts as well as organic beer, wine and tea and coffee.

  • High point: Small but perfectly formed menu
  • Low point: Finding the toilets

Take Three: Delis-cum-Cafés

19 Jun 2008

Valvona & Crolla Caffè Bar, Grassroots Café and Herbie of Edinburgh.

Comments

1. Laura Tyler, Glasgow – 10 March 2008, 9:28amReport

I was very disappointed with Grassroots Cafe. The food was bland and overpriced. One of my friends loves the cafe so both myself and another friend (a vegetarian) were quite excited about it. Sadly it disappointed both of us.

Not sure if it was an off night, poor menu choices or a combination of both. The cauliflower and broccoli fritters were over-cooked and tasteless, more like a very poor pakora than a fritter. I had the burger which was not what I expected at all. I thought it would be a burger made of vegetables and beans. It was some sort of meat substitute which again didn't taste of much and caused me to have a sore tummy for the rest of the night. My friend had a mushroom risotto dish which for some reason consisted off a deep-fried mushroom risotto cake. This had been over-cooked and was greasy. My other friend had the burrito which very much look like the 'safe' option but not impressive.

Overall this is not imaginative cooking. If you want imaginative vegetarian cooking take the train to Edinburgh and visist Banns. The prices are very similar and the food is a world apart.

This is over-priced. over-cooked, bland pub grub.

2. Jim Boyle, East Ren – 22 March 2008, 11:43amReport

I've been to Grassroots many times over the last year. The food is always good, the prices are OK and the service is relaxed and friendly.

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