Restaurants, Cafés, Budget

Regulars order without glancing at the large menu which covers everything from steak pie to fillet steak, from chicken curry and chips to pastas, and from pizzas and fish. The atmosphere’s buzzy and busy and you should probably book – even mid-week – to…

Bookshelves crammed with classics, a full complement of tasty cakes and a chilled-out lounge space upstairs make this family-run café a great spot to grab a quiet moment to yourself. A relaxed nook with more print than pretensions, it has a wider appeal…

Meaning ‘home’ in Swedish, Hemma is the latest addition to Mike and Anna Christopherson’s string of Scandinavian style bars. And with its soft furnishings and quirky interiors, it does indeed have a laidback, homely atmosphere, despite the modern feel…

An unlikely yet welcoming setting for relaxed Italian/Scottish dining, this cosy spot offers delicious cake, pasta and seafood house specials and a wealth of sandwiches made with freshly baked bread. There is a definite quirky charm to the premises…

A superb gourmet sandwich selection makes this small, unobtrusive café one of the best places in Glasgow to grab a gorgeously crafted ‘piece’, as weegees would say. A few new additions include unlikely favourite the Smackdown – smoked peppered mackerel…

Proprietor Mario Pelosi at last making use of an alcohol licence for his classy little Italian-style deli and café near Kelvingrove Park is a welcome improvement. Beer and wine can now be served with the consistently impressive, organic produce-oriented…

Happy birthday to the Traverse Theatre. In 2013 the venue celebrates its Golden Jubilee and to mark the occasion its fondly regarded basement bar/cafe has an updated menu. Fried sea bass with crushed new potatoes, or tagliatelle with mushrooms…

Relatively hidden down a side street between Kelvingrove Park and Sauchiehall Street, this friendly family owned outlet offers home cooked Italian food in a café setting. With its focus on a daytime and early evening clientele, Arcaffe attracts mainly…

This Bay Tree can count a good few rings in its trunk; it's been around for over 50 years and was one of the first Arabian restaurants in Scotland. With large portion sizes, and generous servings of salad and creamy hummus served with almost everything…

Since opening in late 2012, Bees has garnered its own budding community, from small clubs using it as a base, to fellow hospitality professionals who congregate in the early hours when it transforms from daytime café to late-night hangout. Inside, it’s…

The Blue Bear is a place to eat breakfast or brunch any time of the day. Situated in the heart of Canonmills, it provides a smiling welcome and a homemade pastry selection that catches the eye as you walk in the door. The interesting shortbreads, garish…

A visit to the Brooklyn Café, the 83-year-old godfather of the Shawlands all-day café scene is a real Glasgow treat. There's a steady production of breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner dishes including creamy risottos or the recently introduced grill…

With its handsome interior, chunky Tim Stead furniture and globe lights, Café Gandolfi is the granddaddy of Merchant City bohemianism. Serving a mix of clientele from shoppers to concert-goers, it’s been dishing out high-end bistro food for more than 30…

From the men who brought you the Regent pub, Café Nom de Plume is the latest café above Edinburgh’s (and possibly Europe’s) oldest LGBT centre. A friendly set of rooms, both light and warm, the décor is pulled together from the collected finds of your…

A good local eatery can be hard to find but not in Partick. Cafezique is attached to a delicatessen. Inside, simple décor and a mezzanine level is enjoyed by elegant young ladies chattering over wine with nibbles (olives and cheese fondue). And…

Perhaps hoping that diners will be distracted by its association with the boy wizard and his chums, the erstwhile haunt of JK Rowling appears to lavish more attention on its Potter-themed loos than it does on its food. While, admittedly, it has recently…

Complete with a continental bicycle above bread-laden shelves, Falko Konditormeister is a slice of lazy-afternoon coffee-drinking heaven. This corner of Germany in Bruntsfield is already a well-known hangout for cake connoisseurs and has numerous awards…

A true chameleon, this innovative community enterprise café and arts venue attracts a varied clientele. The kitchen offers breakfasts, lunchtime specials, soup, sandwiches and unusual cakes including sweet potato and white chocolate. Familiar breakfast…

The Marshmallow Lady is part sweet kitchen, part apothecary and part craft fare. In a brightly decorated café with room for a dozen covers, the eponymous sweet treats line the walls in paper bags and jars labelled with the various flavours. The range on…

A small-scale Glasgow outpost of the same iconic Scots-Italian chippy/ice-cream parlour of Largs seafront fame, Nardini’s popped-up on Byres Road in March 2012, styled in much the same Art Deco fashion as the mother restaurant but focusing predominately…

Located inside an independent bookstore, with tables in between the bookshelves, this simple wee café feels almost like a community drop-in centre. Indeed since opening in November 2012 it has found regulars happy to come in and hang out for a few…