Tom’s Guide to Glasgow Coffee Shops
BY TOM SAXON
Glasgow does not do things by halves.
It never has. Same goes for the coffee.
While Edinburgh gets the tourists and the postcard views, Glasgow quietly got on with building one of the best speciality coffee scenes in the UK.
Roasteries tucked into old warehouses, tiny espresso bars doing genuinely serious things with espresso, and a West End that has more good cafes per square mile than most entire cities manage.
So grab your coat (it will probably be raining) and let me walk you through some of my favourite coffee shops in Glasgow.
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▻ The Best Coffee Shops in Glasgow
▻ Dog friendly cafes in Glasgow
▻ Cafes in Glasgow for breakfast
▻ Cafes near Glasgow Central and Queen Street stations
▻ Cafes in Glasgow with outdoor seating
AUTHOR: TOM SAXON
Why trust me
At Batch Coffee we pride ourselves on showcasing some of the best independent coffee roasters in the UK and their seasonal single origin coffees in our coffee club subscription.
Our team has spent years visiting cafes and roasteries the length of the country, Glasgow very much included. We only recommend places we genuinely rate, and this guide exists as much for us as it does for you
The Best Cafes in Glasgow
Here are our top coffee shops in Glasgow, in no particular order, followed by a few more favourites in the FAQs below. If we have left out your local, let us know in the comments.
1. Songbird
Tucked away on Dumbarton Road in Partick, Songbird is a multi roaster speciality coffee shop that has quickly become a firm favourite in the West End.
Alongside high quality speciality coffee, they serve teas, pastries, freshly made bagels, and traybakes, so there is always a reason to linger a little longer.
It is dog friendly, has customer toilets, which counts for more than you would think on a coffee crawl, and the whole place has a cosy, welcoming feel that makes it easy to settle in for a while.
Checkout Songbird Speciality Coffee.
2. Papercup Coffee Company
Papercup has been a fixture of the West End since 2012, and it remains one of the best examples of a Glasgow cafe getting the basics brilliantly right.
Set on Great Western Road, the original cafe is small, lively, and always busy, which tells you everything you need to know. Coffee is roasted just up the road at their roastery in SWG3, and the food menu punches well above its weight, think proper brunch rather than an afterthought.
Owner Graeme Crawford set out to deliver consistently great coffee in the cup every time, and more than a decade on, that is exactly what you get.
Checkout Papercup Coffee Company.
3. Laboratorio Espresso
If Glasgow had a single cafe that best captured old world Italian espresso culture, this would be it.
Laboratorio Espresso opened on West Nile Street in 2013, just a few minutes from Queen Street station, and its award shortlisted design still turns heads. Glass fronted, tall ceilinged, and finished in timber reclaimed from the Glasgow School of Art, it is one of the most striking coffee shops in the city.
The coffee itself is serious business. Expect rotating guest roasters from across Europe alongside a classic, strong espresso, and do not skip the affogato.
Checkout Laboratorio Espresso.
4. Kaf
Kaf opened its doors on Hyndland Street in 2017 and quickly became one of those cafes that every local recommends within about thirty seconds of you asking.
Founder Leonora cut her teeth at Edinburgh’s Brew Lab before bringing a genuinely multi roaster approach to Glasgow’s West End, with a concise but carefully chosen coffee menu and an in house bakery that turns out sourdough, pastries, and a cardamom bun with something of a cult following.
It has since grown to a second site in Partick, but the original remains a small, quietly excellent spot worth seeking out.
Checkout Kaf.
5. Thomson’s Gallowgate
Thomson’s traces its roots all the way back to 1841, making it Scotland’s oldest coffee roastery, and the Gallowgate cafe is where that heritage meets Glasgow’s East End head on.
Located next to the iconic Barrowlands and just along from the Barras Market, this spacious cafe and shop offers the full run of Thomson’s coffees alongside a regularly rotating guest filter. It is dog friendly, reasonably priced, and a proper pit stop after a morning spent bargain hunting at the Barras.
Checkout Thomson’s Coffee.
6. Godshot Studio
Godshot Studio is a bit different to the rest of this list, and that is exactly why it deserves a spot on it.
Set in a concept store in Shawlands on the Southside, Godshot mixes speciality coffee and matcha with Japanese and French patisserie made in house, alongside a curated selection of functional objects from around the world. Founder Sam Amdjadi built it around a simple idea, finding the perfect shot of coffee, and the beans reflect that ambition, sourced from some of the best roasters in Europe including Three Marks, Bonanza, and Friedhats.
It is as much a design destination as a coffee shop, so budget a bit longer than your usual flat white stop.
Checkout Godshot Studio.
Dog friendly cafes in Glasgow
Glasgow is a genuinely dog friendly city and its coffee shops reflect that. Out of our top six, Thomson’s Gallowgate and Black Pine Coffee Co both welcome dogs, and Songbird Speciality Coffee and Zennor in the East End are also known for having a bowl of water by the door.
Cafes in Glasgow for breakfast
If brunch is the plan, Kaf and Papercup are both excellent choices, with Kaf’s bakery leaning towards Scandinavian style bowls and pastries, and Papercup doing a properly good avocado on sourdough. If you want something heartier, Spitfire Espresso and BAM Glasgow both do a generous breakfast menu that will set you up for a full day of walking around the city.
Cafes near Glasgow Central and Queen Street stations
Laboratorio Espresso is your best bet here, just a short walk from Queen Street station on West Nile Street. If you are coming from Glasgow Central, it is a fifteen minute walk across the city centre, or a quick hop on the subway if the rain has other ideas.
Cafes in Glasgow with outdoor seating
Several of our favourites offer a spot to sit outside on a rare dry day. Black Pine Coffee Co and Papercup both have pavement seating on Great Western Road, while Thomson’s Gallowgate has space outside its East End shop looking onto the Gallowgate itself.
Perch and Rest in the West End also has a small outdoor patio, ideal for slow mornings when the sun makes an appearance.
