Tapa Coffee & Bakehouse

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

Named after the South Pacific tapa cloth, which is 'hand-made using traditional methods', this artisanal bakery, café and coffee roasterie just off Duke Street in Dennistoun applies the same principles to its food. The ethos is clearly appreciated by a steady stream of customers popping in to buy some of the shop's bread – including wheat-free varieties – and cakes, or sticking around to have a bite in the cheerful café. Breakfast includes muesli or a hot brioche, while home-made soup with fresh organic ingredients might serve as a starter before a sandwich or toasted focaccia (including several dairy-free options). The tomato and chickpea broth is light and still filling, its flavours contrasting with a smoother pumpkin and basil soup. There are heartier dishes, such as tortilla and quiche, or an aromatic spicy chickpea, spinach and potato curry that is served with Tapa flatbread. Cakes are made daily and also include wheat and gluten-free options: for example, a deeply satisfying and moist gluten-free chocolate and almond cake made with Green & Black's dark chocolate. It takes brave souls to promise 'the best coffee in Glasgow', but there appears little reason, given their frothy cappuccini, to quibble.

• High point: Friendly atmosphere
• Low point: Not the handiest of locations