Cafés
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Black Medicine Coffee Company
2 Nicolson Street, Southside,
Edinburgh,
EH8 9DH
The area near Edinburgh University's Southside campus is certainly not short of sandwich and coffee bars in which to grab a bite between classes. It proves a little harder, however, to find fresh, quality ingredients and a knowledge of how to combine…
The Engine Shed Cafe
19 St Leonard's Lane,
Edinburgh,
EH8 9SD
The Engine Shed has the delicious privilege of taking ethical business to a higher, smarter level. It was founded on a principle of truly equal opportunities by employing trainees with learning difficulties, but the quality of the food is even better…
Urban Angel
121 Hanover Street,
Edinburgh,
EH2 1DJ
More urbane than urban, this bustling Hanover Street basement is an ever-popular choice, and it's easy to see why. With simple prints on the white walls, solid pine furniture and flock-printed menus, the aesthetic lends the restaurant a cool…
Centotre
103 George Street,
Edinburgh,
EH2 3ES
With its funky hot-pink walls, edgy uplighting and smooth background jazz, über-cool Centotre dresses to impress, and equally style-conscious diners pack out the place pretty much every night of the week. The downside of this popularity is that smaller…
The Lot
4 Grassmarket,
Edinburgh,
EH1 2JU
Despite its rather grand situation in an old church, which nestles in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle, The Lot is a colourful, somewhat unassuming café-cum-restaurant with a lot of charm. The ceilings are high, the colours bright, and people come at all…
The Fruitmarket Gallery Café
Fruitmarket Gallery, 45 Market Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1DF
Many who regularly drop into this contemporary gallery housed in an old Victorian fruit and vegetable market don't make it past the ground floor café, such is the singular draw of the food. With a dedication to fresh produce and menu choices, lunch can…
Favorit
19–20 Teviot Place,
Edinburgh,
EH1 2QZ
Favorit is a late night diner for the young and hip and – most importantly – for those with the munchies. Black and white chequered tiles, retro tables and benches and a large, red neon Favorit sign set the scene. All that's missing is Pulp Fiction's…
Fifi and Ally
80 Wellington Street,
Glasgow,
G2 6UA
Spawned from the success of the original Princes Square emporium/café, the new Fifi and Ally sits squarely in the city's financial district, so polished even in its early days that it seems to have sprung up fully formed. The design-led monochromatic…
The 13th Note Café/Bar
50–60 King Street,
Glasgow,
G1 5QT
An institution among music fans due to its intimate basement venue and eclectic jukebox, the 13th Note proves a popular choice for meat-free meals – whatever your musical taste. Everything is free of genetically modified products, with light meals…
Brazilian Sensation
117–119 Buccleuch Street,
Edinburgh,
EH8 9NG
With an emphasis on good cuisine and familial service, Brazilian Sensation has long set its stall on hearty home-cooked portions and enough originality to appeal to even the most adventurous palette. A well-run family enterprise headed by John and Lucia…
Café Français
4 Byres Road,
Glasgow,
G11 5JY
Extravagantly fitted out fin de siècle style, with globe lamps and brass railings aplenty, Café Français exudes an informal class that draws a steady trade, perhaps due to its flexible menu. There's a big selection of crêpes, salads and baguettes and a…
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1 Brandon Terrace, Canonmills,
Edinburgh,
EH3 5AE
With a grand selection of daily specials, an impressive collection of home-made cakes, tarts and pastries, Au Gourmand breads and efficient service, Canonmills' very own café deserves its loyal local fan club. Once home to the Au Gourmand bakery, this…
Dionika
3–6 Canonmills Bridge, Canonmills,
Edinburgh,
EH3 5LF
Dionika's welcoming owner and head chef Juan Blanco – who was taught to cook by his large extended family back home in Galicia, an Iberian region just on the Spanish side of the Portuguese border – would take offence if people referred to his restaurant…
Zanzero
15 North West Circus Place,
Edinburgh,
EH3 6SX
Opened in 2007, this is the younger, slightly brasher sibling of the city centre establishment Centotre, owned by Victor and Carina Contini. Many aspects of the two are consistent, including the insistence on high quality, largely organic local produce…
The Elephant House
21 George IV Bridge,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1EN
This café – all elephants and Potter – attracts all sorts, including students and tourists who buy the Elephant House baseball caps and take the 'Harry Potter was born here' signals literally. The large, bright room in the back of the café, revered by…
Empires
24 St Mary's Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1SU
Colourful, cluttered and slightly chaotic, Empires is richly decorated with ornate wooden panelling, hand-painted ceramics and cascades of mosaic lanterns twinkling overhead. By day it is bright and cheery, offering healthy lunches and herbal teas, but…
Toast
146 Marchmont Road,
Edinburgh,
EH9 1AQ
There really should be more establishments like Toast in Scotland's suburbs. The restaurant, in the heart of cosmopolitan Marchmont, offers lovingly crafted meals using ingredients sourced from a butcher, fishmonger and greengrocer whose premises are…
Valvona & Crolla VinCaffè
11 Multrees Walk,
Edinburgh,
EH1 3DQ
Centrally located in the swanky shopping precinct of Multrees Walk, Valvona & Crolla VinCaffè exudes a simple sophistication that keeps it at the top of Edinburgh's A-list of Italian eateries. Its sleek chrome and wood-panelled interior, live jazz and…
Tibo
443 Duke Street, Dennistoun,
Glasgow,
G31 1RY
At Tibo, chef Robert Singleton creates outstanding dishes starring prime Scottish ingredients. Breakfasts feature Ramsay's bacon, Stornoway black pudding and peat-smoked haddock, while lunch options range from smoked ham hough and puy lentil salad to…
Coia's Café
473 Duke Street,
Glasgow,
G31 1NG
Coia's has been dishing out Italian favourites, chip shop classics and, of course, its famous home-made ice-cream since it first opened its doors in 1928. Following a 2006 facelift and expansion – which included adding a well-stocked delicatessen…
Dalriada
77 Promenade, Portobello,
Edinburgh,
EH15 2EL
Situated in an imposing building at the Joppa end of the Portobello Promenade, Dalriada is a fantastic bar-cum-café that's just perfect for an afternoon coffee and cake while you watch the waves roll in, or an evening drink as the sun sets over the…
Le Marché Français
9a West Maitland Street,
Edinburgh,
EH12 5DS
This is a popular deli and café by day with a large window full of croissants and baguettes, but come evening, the window is devoid of patisserie and you have to peer past the shelves of tins and jars of French produce to the back of the shop to see…
Pani Solińska
73 Broughton Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 3RJ
Pani Solinska is Polish for 'Mrs Solinska'. Dorothy Nowak-Solinska took over Broughton Street landmark Café Mediterraneo last year, but before putting her name above the door in spring 2008 took some time to design a restaurant she could be proud of.
Queen Street Café
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street,
Edinburgh,
EH2 1JD
The term 'home-made' is thrown about by restaurants as carelessly as 'local ingredients' and 'authentic cuisine', and not always entirely truthfully. This modestly sized café in a secluded corner of the National Portrait Gallery is one of the few which…
Amalfi Pizzeria
148 West Nile Street,
Glasgow,
G1 2RQ
What do Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Cary Grant and Errol Flynn all have in common, aside from the obvious? Amalfi Pizzeria. Or more specifically, its glitzier former guise as the Lido Café, which, being situated suitably close to the famous old Glasgow…
Café Marina
61 Cockburn Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1BS
The Valvona & Crolla dynasty just goes from strength to strength. In this modern diner-style café Marina Crolla offers the best of home-cooked Italian food. Be it panini, risotto or one of the fabulous pastas, you can eat in or takeaway with style.
Café Sejuiced
77 Hanson Street,
Glasgow,
G31 2HF
In a gloriously airy and open space on the ground floor of the WASPS studio building, in-house artists rub shoulders with workers from local businesses or Royal Infirmary employees over excellent breakfasts, lunches and snacks at this gem of a café. The…
Tapa Coffee & Bakehouse
21 Whitehill Street, Dennistoun,
Glasgow,
G31 2LH
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…
The Forest
3 Bristo Place,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1EY
Rather like Doctor Who's Tardis, The Forest café's exterior gives no hint of the space to be found within. The large back room is a real jumble, full of comfy sofas, mismatched tables and chairs, and a worn game of Pictionary perching haphazardly atop a…
Valvona & Crolla Caffè Bar
19 Elm Row, Leith Walk,
Edinburgh,
EH7 4AA
The Valvona & Crolla imprimatur remains definitive of all things excellent in food and wine, with a renown that draws visitors from far beyond the Edinburgh foodie scene. Behind the narrow shop front at the top of Elm Row, the deli's towering shelves…
Where the Monkey Sleeps
182 West Regent Street,
Glasgow,
G2 4RU
At WTMS, street-smart staff behind the counter cheerfully take orders from office-workers, students and the assorted hipsters who descend the steps to this basement café with comfy mismatched sofas. Inked on a giant whiteboard, the epic menu offers a…
Dolce e Salato
101/102 Dalry Road, West End,
Edinburgh,
EH11 2AX
Goethe once said that a man who has seen Naples can never be sad. Dolce e Salato, Rosario and Maria Sartore's new Pasticceria e Rosticceria in Dalry, transports each of its visitors to a very happy corner of Naples and invites them to linger over a…
November
Princes Square, 48 Buchanan Street,
Glasgow,
G1 3JX
Situated right at the top of Princes Square, November is a light, airy cocktail bar and café which offers seating 'outside' on the balcony, looking down to the shops below, or under the interior's cupola. It offers a variety of dishes to tempt wearied…
The Rio Café
27 Hyndland Street,
Glasgow,
G11 5QF
With its retro stylings and traditional exterior, the Rio – part pub, part café – has a great 1950s vibe. There are leather booths and sleek formica tables, and the menu is printed diner-style on the wall. Its contents range from a selection of cooked…
The Bakehouse Co
32c Broughton Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 3SB
This new venture by Patrick Crawshaw, an interior designer by trade, is a classy addition to the café/sandwich shop scene. It has the feel of a Victorian shop with old fashioned glass display cases, wicker baskets and a polished wooden floor. The…
Booly Mardy's
28 Vinicombe Street,
Glasgow,
G12 8BE
Just off the top end of Byres Road, Booly Mardy's is often overlooked in favour of grander surrounding destinations such as Òran Mór and Gong. Yet it's still popular for its extensive cocktail list – including eight different takes on the drink its name…
Café Gandolfi
64 Albion Street,
Glasgow,
G1 1NY
Café Gandolfi is a marvellous antidote to any harshness life throws at you. Its rustic charm and consistently good food has nurtured Glasgow's city dwellers since it opened in 1979, earning owner Seumas MacInnes and his team well-deserved iconic status…
CCA Bar and Café
350 Sauchiehall Street,
Glasgow,
G2 3JD
The Centre for Contemporary Arts, a cultural oasis amid Sauchiehall Street's noisy parade of bars and clubs, is the place to come if you're after a coffee or a meal without selling out to The Man – the café uses fair trade and organic produce wherever…
KG Café
Kelvingrove Park, Argyle Street,
Glasgow,
G3 8AG
When the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum reopened in 2006 after extensive refurbishment, much was made of its jumble-sale eclecticism – a mash-up of stuffed animals and Spitfires, weird fossils and Impressionist oils. A place of uniting contrasts…
Café Grande
184 Bruntsfield Place,
Edinburgh,
EH10 4DF
Long a jewel in the Bruntsfield eating scene, Café Grande continues to impress with its ability to be all things to all-comers. Whether it's a hearty breakfast you're after, a bite of lunch or just a quick cup of coffee, the cheerful staff are happy to…
Double Dutch
27–29 Marshall Street,
Edinburgh,
EH8 9BJ
There's an appealing openness about Double Dutch. Windows take up the length of two walls, and the blonde wood of the furniture and floor brings a clean, bright feeling to the airy space. A small team works in an open kitchen, churning out…
Palm Court Bollinger Bar
The Balmoral Hotel, 1 Princes Street,
Edinburgh,
EH2 2EQ
The glamorous entrance into the Balmoral Hotel is an experience in itself, but when the soft notes of a harp reach your ears in the Palm Court Tearoom and Bollinger Bar, a proper sense of grandeur is felt. Staff attend to your every whim, and before you…
Sadivino
52 West Richmond Street,
Edinburgh,
EH8 9DZ
Alessandro and Carmen's 'mi casa su casa' philosophy sets the warm-hearted tone at their Italian/Spanish café. Colourful jars of pesto hug up to bottles of brindisi and other Italian fine wines and flirt for attention next to the panettone in the…
Tchai-Ovna House of Tea
169 Deanston Drive, Shawlands,
Glasgow,
G41 3LP
Set up 'to offer an alternative to the corporate and clinical bars and cafés found throughout the city', and said to be inspired by Czech tea houses, Tchai-Ovna offers both West Enders and Southsiders affordable vegetarian meals and more than 80…
Tinderbox
14 Ingram Street,
Glasgow,
G1 1EJ
Appreciating the Tinderbox vision is like being in a successful long-term marriage: it's easy to take for granted yet vital to remember how good it actually is. Celebrating a decade in Byres Road, the original Tinderbox is still a contender for the…
The Waverley Tea Room
18 Moss Side Road,
Glasgow,
G41 3TN
This Shawlands favourite, situated near Queen's Park, rather belies its name. With bare stone walls and multiple bins of bottles, its style is more like that of a glitzy wine cellar than a genteel tea room. Which isn't to say it's inadequately…
Always Sunday
170 High Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1QS
Lunching lawyers, city breakers and local café crawlers succumb to the charms of the only café in town where every day is . . . Sunday. The ultimate escape when the cobbled and tam 'o shanter'd glory of the Royal Mile gets too much, this tasty time-out…
Bacco Italia
67–69 Kilmarnock Road,
Glasgow,
G41 3YR
Anyone wondering why Italian restaurants have such a special place in the hearts of Scots in general and Glaswegians in particular should visit Bacco Italia. The designer décor and concept of this 'style wine bar/restaurant' illustrate the intentions of…
Blue Moon Café
36 Broughton Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 3SB
There's a comfortable vibe in the Blue Moon Café, a popular bar/bistro that's been tucked away on Broughton Street for 20 years. A blue skylight in the centre of the restaurant area shines down on guests sitting at well-worn wooden tables. The menu…
Café Antipasti
337 Byres Road,
Glasgow,
G12 8UQ
Between the fairy lights and rustic pine tables and fittings, you might be surprised on first impressions to learn that Café Antipasti on Byres Road (not to be confused with the branch on Sauchiehall Street, which has different owners) is an Italian…
Café Camino
St Mary's Cathedral, York Place, East End,
Edinburgh,
EH1 3JD
Pick your moment at Café Camino and you could find your coffee and sandwich accompanied by the solemn, yet uplifting, tones of a Catholic Mass being sung next door. This is the St Mary's Cathedral café and, since 2005, it has been doing excellent…
Glass & Thompson
2 Dundas Street,
Edinburgh,
EH3 6HZ
Glass & Thompson's regulars were doubtless unsurprised to find their favoured haunt nominated for Most Stylish Café at the 2007 Scotland with Style awards. With its gleaming wood floor, muted silver tables and sedate lighting it easily deserves such an…
Spoon
15 Blackfriars Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1NB
Minimalism and quality are the cornerstones of the Spoon philosophy, with white walls and pine tables making the interior bright and spacious. The menu's confident enough to avoid overload, although with each soup, salad, sandwich and hot dish more…
The Storytelling Café
Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43 High Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1SR
Opened in 2006, the Scottish Storytelling Centre is the modern counterpart to the historic John Knox's House, composed of vast glass panels and modern angles. With a view of the Royal Mile's Canongate, the café space is demarcated by tactile, light wood…
Acanthus
1032 Argyle Street,
Glasgow,
G3 8LX
Until early in 2008 Acanthus was part flower shop, part café. But it is now under different ownership and the blooms have gone, allowing the new management to expand the café's once restricted seating area. Situated on a busy stretch of Argyle Street…
Arts Café
City Art Centre, 1 Market Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1DE
'Unpretentious' can often sound like an insult to a more insecure establishment, but here less fuss is ultimately more. And given that it is situated beside a huge art gallery, across from Waverley Station and within walking distance of various office…
Café Newton
Dean Gallery, 73 Belford Road,
Edinburgh,
EH4 3DS
Café Newton makes up one third of the triumvirate of arts venues that includes the cafés at the National Portrait Gallery and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, all of which were previously run by Helen Ruthven. She served as an inpirational…
Café Renroc
91 Montgomery Street,
Edinburgh,
EH7 5HZ
Walking into Renroc is a warming experience: enthusiasm permeates the place and a friendly welcome is quickly followed by personalised service. The area upstairs is stylish and airy, while the bistro-style basement is warm and sleepily lit, and a real…
Cornerstone Café
St John's Church, 3 Lothian Road,
Edinburgh,
EH2 4BJ
Set beneath the majestic spire of St John's Cathedral, the Cornerstone Café is a cavernous space where gothic meets church coffee morning in surprising harmony. Arching stone walls, synthetic silk table cloths and a dash of peach make this an appealing…
Elephants & Bagels
37 Marshall Street (Nicolson Square),
Edinburgh,
EH8 9BJ
A stone's throw from Edinburgh Uni, Elephants & Bagels is popular with students seeking brain food, comfort and access to free WiFi. Customer-created felt tip and crayon elephant drawings bedeck the walls, while a tower of carved wooden elephants stands…
Enjoy
393–395 Great Western Road,
Glasgow,
G4 9HY
The pavements of the Great Western Road see more striders than strollers. So competing cafés often need something extra to get bums on seats. For Enjoy, the selling point is the real food ethos of its Kosovan owners, Sebo and Manuella Brestovca. There…
Espresso Mondo / E Mondo
116 Lothian Road,
Edinburgh,
EH3 9BE
Views out to hectic Tollcross, where buses and ATMs decorate the landscape, may not compare favourably with a panoramic view over the New Town, but the location of Espresso Mondo is no less interesting. Grab a table by one of the impressive windows for…
GSC Café
50 Pacific Quay,
Glasgow,
G51 1EA
Seemingly lifting itself out of the Clyde like a great silver-scaled beast, Glasgow Science Centre is a child's wonderland of levers and buttons and things that whirr and ping. The near-constant clatter and wail of kids learning and having fun can make…
Montgomery's Coffee House
9 Radnor Street,
Glasgow,
G3 7UA
Montgomery's, which sits thinly between a pub and a GP's surgery, is easily missed, but once you're inside, you'll find the interior opens to an unexpected and calming sense of space. A world map hangs on the corniced ceiling and local artists exhibit…
Tchai-Ovna House of Tea
42 Otago Lane,
Glasgow,
G12 8PB
Set up 'to offer an alternative to the corporate and clinical bars and cafés found throughout the city', and said to be inspired by Czech tea houses, Tchai-Ovna offers both West Enders and Southsiders affordable vegetarian meals and more than 80…
Tinderbox
189 Byres Road,
Glasgow,
G12 8SN
Appreciating the Tinderbox vision is like being in a successful long-term marriage: it's easy to take for granted yet vital to remember how good it actually is. Celebrating a decade in Byres Road, the original Tinderbox is still a contender for the…
Word of Mouth
3a Albert Street,
Edinburgh,
EH7 5HL
Here is an unusual hybrid between a café and a restaurant. Open all day for breakfast, coffees and takeaway sandwiches, it also serves hot lunches and substantial dinners. The tables are packed tightly together, and a good sized corner of the room…
Art Lover's Café
House for an Art Lover, Bellahouston Park, 10 Dumbreck Road,
Glasgow,
G41 5BW
House for an Art Lover is a grand-scale realisation of a Charles Rennie Mackintosh design, built to amended plans in the 1990s and set in the busiest and prettiest corner of Bellahouston Park. There's a beautifully maintained walled garden, some dry ski…
Brooklyn Café
21 Minard Road,
Glasgow,
G41 2HR
The Brooklyn Café first opened in 1931 and its award-winning ice-cream has made it something of a Southside institution. Ask a member of staff and watch them become positively dewy-eyed about their main attraction. Ice-cream sundaes at Brooklyn are a…
Café Lucia
Festival Theatre, 13-29 Nicolson Street, Old Town,
Edinburgh,
EH8 9FT
With its giant windows facing out onto Nicolson Street, Café Lucia is a great place to people watch. Or you can turn your back on the world and find out what's coming up at the Festival Theatre courtesy of the large, but silent, TV screen. Situated on…
Gaia Delicatessan
32 Crighton Place, Leith Walk,
Edinburgh,
Eh7 4NY
A recent addition to Leith Walk's growing selection of pizzerias, cafés and delicatessans, Gaia Delicatessan is doing its best to bring fresh, delicious flavours to the local residents and office workers it serves. A spacious takeaway with room for a…
Herbie of Edinburgh
1 North West Circus Place,
Edinburgh,
EH3 6ST
The light and airy café/deli on North West Circus Place in Stockbridge is the most recent venture for Herbie of Edinburgh, and an inviting, family-friendly, foodie dreamscene. On offer is an astounding assortment of fine wines and 'slow' foods, such as…
The Kitchen Restaurant
Pollok House, Pollok Estate, 2060 Pollokshaws Road,
Glasgow,
G43 1AT
Set in the magnificent Pollok Country Park, Pollok House – an elegant 18th century country mansion beautifully maintained by the National Trust for Scotland – seems a world away from the city that surrounds it. There's an Upstairs Downstairs quality to…
Mediterranean Gate
48 George IV Bridge, Old Town,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1EJ
Although the Earl of Sandwich has done much for meal-times, variety is the spice of life. Mediterranean Gate has spice, it certainly has variety, and it provides a host of options that might be the best thing since sliced bread. It can be easily…
Papa Gill's
337 Dumbarton Road,
Glasgow,
G11 6AL
The Partick flagship of this modest Indian diner-café is something of a local institution, serving everything from filled rolls before noon to late-night curries, with a selection of burgers and other takeaway fare in between. Prices are reasonable. A…
Reds
254 High Street,
Edinburgh,
EH15 2AT
For parents and toddlers there are many soft play areas with café facilities, but Reds goes one better, as a café with soft play facilities. Being able to eat without constant interruption is a luxury that is so far only available to Portobello parents…
Sprio & Co
39 St Stephen Street,
Edinburgh,
EH3 5AB
Squeezed between two galleries in St Stephen Street, Marcello Sprio's Deli and Latteria catches the first lick of morning sunshine. He and partner Kathryn Macallister decided in 2006 that they'd had enough of noisy city life in Milan. The result is that…
University Café
87 Byres Road,
Glasgow,
G11 5HN
Visiting the University Café is like free-falling back to childhood seaside holidays, where the whole experience is simultaneously comforting and exotic. Dark wooden panelling and flock wallpaper surround the pink formica tables and red vinyl seats. A…
The Zulu Lounge
366 Morningside Road,
Edinburgh,
EH10 4QN
The Zulu Lounge is bright as a button and somewhat unexpected in the heart of sedate Morningside. With its black and white striped exterior and dark wood and corrugated iron interior, this place is a real wake-up call. It was opened in 2007 by South…
The Bay Tree Café
403 Great Western Road,
Glasgow,
G4 9HY
The long-established Bay Tree likes to keep things fairly simple, with its unassuming layout and Middle Eastern knick-knacks around the walls. The same goes for its menu, which comprises a mixture of Arabian, Mediterranean and European dishes at…
Beanscene
19 Skirving Street Shawlands, Southside,
Glasgow,
G41 3AB
Scotland
It may be part of a chain, but Scottish café enterprise Beanscene stands out by selectively adopting hallmarks such as consistency and friendly service and rewriting them in its own style. The deep leather couches, scattered tables and down-lighting…
Cabbages & Kings
5 Byres Road,
Glasgow,
G11 5RD
Cabbages & Kings is one of the newest additions to Byres Road. The décor is monochrome, and – with the exception of one striking black and white image – its walls are unadorned (at least when we visited in its early days). In contrast to the minimalism…
Café Cherubini
360 Great Western Road,
Glasgow,
G4 9HT
From the outside, Café Cherubini resembles a local café from a European indie film in which bookish characters sip coffee in the windows, framed by gold lettering and drawings of chubby angels. Inside, the couple in charge are wholly genuine with an air…
Café Cosmo
Glasgow Film Theatre, 12 Rose Street,
Glasgow,
G3 6RB
The Glasgow Film Theatre's open-minded programming has broadened over the years to include almost every genre that a family film theatre might reasonably be expected to cater for. European cinema is well represented, and numerous retrospectives and…
Café Gramofon
7 King Street,
Glasgow,
G1 5QZ
Now run by the people behind the ever-popular Café Hula, Gramofon still bears the name it was given by the previous Russian owners but little else remains the same. Local art decorates the white-washed walls, there are entertainment nights in the…
Café JJ
180 Dumbarton Road,
Glasgow,
G11 6XE
Behind its sage-green exterior, Café JJ's good-natured and efficient staff are usually busy serving students, hospital workers, teachers and Partick ladies generous portions of full-flavoured, wholesome food. A starter of home-made Scotch broth has a…
Café North
North Edinburgh Arts Centre, 15a Pennywell Court, Muirhouse,
Edinburgh,
EH4 4TZ
If Café North was in the centre of Edinburgh, you would be fighting to get a table. So perfect is it for family lunches, every toddler in town would treat it like a second home. In reality, North Edinburgh Arts Centre (NEAC) is a little off the beaten…
The Doocot Café and Bar
The Lighthouse, 11 Mitchell Lane,
Glasgow,
G1 3NU
As you might expect from The Lighthouse, Scotland's centre for architecture and design, there's a breezy sophistication to be found in its stylish café bar. The Doocot is a bright, almost dazzling space, even on the dullest days, with prints of clouds…
Fair Trade Coffee Shop
30–31 Albert Place,
Edinburgh,
EH7 5HN
With its leather chairs, simple coffee tables, bookshelf of battered paperbacks and poster-covered walls, this Leith Walk café is the epitome of shabby chic. But there's nothing shabby about the food or service. All-day cooked breakfasts are popular and…
Go Slow Café
452 Victoria Road,
Glasgow,
G42 8YU
Tucked between an amusement arcade and an optician, the Go Slow Café provides a peaceful oasis among the hurly-burly of Victoria Road. Ochre walls, day-glo artwork and a bulletin board (which wouldn't look out of place in a backpackers' hostel) help to…
Lily's
103 Ingram Street,
Glasgow,
G1 1DX
On first impressions, Lily's may seem somewhat stark – white tiled floor, pale walls and giant windows – but a warm welcome awaits guests at this busy Merchant City café/diner. The menu covers a selection of sandwiches, toasties and burgers, but what…
Made in France
5 Lochrin Place,
Edinburgh,
EH3 9QX
Amanda and Graham Nash fell in love with France, so they decided to bring home what they'd found and the result is this wee French café and deli in Tollcross. The little bell that jangles cheerfully as you enter gives way to the sound of locals from the…
Trans-Europe Café
25 Parnie Street,
Glasgow,
G1 5RJ
The décor of this café feels inspired by Kraftwerk's stylish aesthetic. Bauhaus pendant lamps shine on subtle taupe walls. Cream window blinds with mono-print drawings of the Trans-European Express may intrigue browsers in nearby art and curio shops.
Two Thin Laddies
103 High Riggs,
Edinburgh,
EH3 9DS
Rather incongruous in the modern surroundings of Tollcross' High Riggs, inside this is a cosy little log cabin-like café. It's easy to miss, but still sought out by a loyal office workers, mums and toddlers, students and pensioners. The usual café fare…
Arcaffe
7 North Claremont Street,
Glasgow,
G3 7NR
Arcaffe is an unassuming place that might be mistaken for a coffee shop or sandwich takeaway due to its exterior décor. Under new ownership since 2007, it has a slight 'in transition' feel about it, and as this guide went to press there were plans to…
The Bakehouse Bistro Bar
125 Dalry Road,
Edinburgh,
EH11 2DR
On entering the Bakehouse on Dalry Road, you can expect a friendly welcome from staff behind the food counter. Choose from a range of pre-prepared sandwiches and pizzas to enjoy as takeaway, or opt for table service when sitting in. There are plans…
Bangkok Café
53 Clerk Street,
Edinburgh,
EH8 9JQ
South Clerk Street has been a challenging location for Edinburgh restaurants, the spot currently occupied by Bangkok Café having recently been home to both Red Marrakech and Porto Grill in the City. It's to be hoped that the current incumbent manages to…
Beanscene
1365 Argyle Street, West End,
Glasgow,
G3 8AF
Scotland
It may be part of a chain, but Scottish café enterprise Beanscene stands out by selectively adopting hallmarks such as consistency and friendly service and rewriting them in its own style. The deep leather couches, scattered tables and down-lighting…
