Glad Cafe

1006a Pollockshaws Rd G41 2HG »Map«

Open every day Espresso Coffee: Dear Green Also: Meals, cakes, breads, alcohol

Coolness: Everything about Glad is pretty cool, not least their unrelenting passion for supporting local artists and their community

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Glad Cafe (3♥) is located in Glasgow's Southside opposite Queen's Park and has a deceptively small frontage given the size and scope of what goes on here - a big-hearted, inclusive and active venue for local artists as well as those from further afield.

Starting with the cafe component of this community enterprise, visitors enter via a hallway in to a large cafe space that unfolds to the right. Step up to the large bench at the back wall to place your order (although they also do table service), peruse the cakes on display and check out any menu specials.

Glad's baristas do a good job with local Glasgow roaster Dear Green's beans - in tune with their local sourcing ethos. It's great to see a high standard of coffee here given they have their hands full with a wide variety of priorities.

The folks at McCune Smith (who also have their own cafe in Duke Street) run the kitchen at Glad, providing wholesome, tasty food made from local and sustainable ingredients. The menu spans breakfast, lunch and dinner and goes out of it's way to provide tempting offers for everyone including vegans, meat-lovers, gluten-free folks and kids, among others.

The Glad Cafe is also an award winning venue that hosts musicians - indie, electronic, experimental, world and traditional - as well as film, drama, storytelling and philosophical talks. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter to see what's upcoming. But it doesn't stop there, Glad also produces their own six-monthly magazine (the Glad Rag), runs the Glad Community Choir and their own thrift shop (Glad Rags - which takes up the majority of the shop frontage that faces the street) and the Glad Foundation which provides free and affordable music lessons to local people.

And on top of all that, they still have the energy to source quality coffee and train their friendly and welcoming people to do a good job with it. Respect!

More: facebook.com/thegladcafe