Good Coffee Cartel

12 Cornwall St G41 1AQ »Map«

Every day Espresso and batch brew Coffee: Good Coffee Cartel Also: Coffee gear, beans, doughnuts Dog friendly

Coolness: A touch of Portland industrial styling with Glasgow charm

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The Good Coffee Cartel is a Glasgow-based coffee roaster, set up by Courtney and Todd, previously from local roaster Avenue.

They've taken over a large space just off Paisley Road West, on the south side as you head out of central Glasgow, and parked their much loved Probat in the corner.

They're sourcing juicy, bright, sustainable coffees and changing them seasonally. You can expect an espresso - expertly pulled on their Kees Van Der Westen - and one or two filters from their Fetco batch brewer. When we went they were serving their Colombian Excelso, Ethiopian Warquee and Guatemalan Finca La Torre washed and unwashed roasts, but were looking forward to a Kenyan soon. Definitely worth checking back regularly!

And for those who don't live nearby, coffee joy is at hand via their website where you can order their beans to be delivered - freshly roasted.

At the moment you can tuck into a doughnut from fellow coffee professional Darryl Docherty, but look out for regular promotions of food pop-ups and collaborations.

We like the decor and feel of the Good Coffee Cartel. Big windows at the front bring in the light with plenty of informal seating at the front and rear. The barista works at a big central bench that is surrounded by stools for customers - with chatting encouraged.

The owners have highlighted some of the industrial past of the building, with plenty of exposed brick and chipboard. And the window in the loo showcasing their staircase to nowhere is a nice surprise. The space is softened with a very nice shade of teal blue, plenty of magazines to peruse and an internal coffee store with equipment, artwork, bags of their beans and clothing.

Adding to the cool factor is the in-house ceramics studio. These coffee lovers are sharing some of their space with Cathleen Nyman of Studio CN and Steph Baxter who've set up their kilns and workshop. We look forward to seeing their output, some of which is on sale in the shop.

All in all, Glasgow is the lucky home of another top quality Scottish specialty roaster!

More: facebook.com/thegoodcoffeecartel

Mayze Coffee & Food

974 Argyle St G3 8LU Glasgow »Map«

Open every day Espresso, batch brew, filter, nitro col Coffee: The Good Coffee Cartel Also: Meals, beans, cakes and more Dog-friendly

Coolness: Great veggie and vegan food with crafty arty guests

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Mayze Coffee & Food (5♥) is located in Finnieston, just West of Glasgow's city centre.

Owners Gillian and Craig bring a significant amount of speciality coffee and cafe experience to this shop, having been in Glasgow's coffee scene for many years. They also run Something Brewed - their coffee and tea pop-up bar for special events.

Their coffee is provided by locals and long time pals The Good Coffee Cartel (previous work mates from Avenue) who favour bright seasonally changing speciality coffees.

Collaborators Faceplant help Mayze turn out a wide range of every-changing tasty vegetarian and vegan food. Brunch is a major attraction, offering big veggie fry ups, waffles and avocado toast. Lunch features burritos, toasties and a daily special main meal. And then there's the mouthwatering cakes, often vegan, gluten-free or both.

Mayze is a winner and will keep you coming back with their regularly changing menu of coffee, cakes and meals.

More: facebook.com/mayzefinnieston/

Photos from Mayze Instagram feed :)

The Steamie

1024 Argyle Street G38LX, Glasgow »Map«

Open every day Espresso, aeropress, V60, chemex, cold brew Coffee: The Steamie Also: Meals, cakes, beans, kit

Coolness: It's so chilled you could wear your pjs and no-one would lift an eyebrow

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The Steamie (4♥) is cosy coffee shop located on bustling Argyle Street in Finnieston, just West of central Glasgow.

These folks are very partial to coffee and offer a wide choice of brew methods. They use their own small batch roasted coffee - offering quite a range of origins - across espresso, aeropress, V60, cold brew and chemex. You can also buy hand brewing kit, filter papers and vacuum flasks which is mighty handy.

Breakfast, lunches and in-between snacks include granola, toast, bagels, scones, soups and cakes. And their panini fillings range from chorizo and smoked paprika mayo, to hummus and roasted red pepper to brie and caramelised red onion.

Their main food gig, however, is eggs en cocotte - traditional French baked eggs served in an individual dish. You can have them plain or with toppings: mozzarella, brie, sun dried tomato and prosciutto among others.

The decor is comprised of exposed brick, hanging filament bulbs, rough wooden flooring and a mix of recycled wooden tables and chairs of many shapes and sizes. There's no bench between customers and baristas and the space is fairly tightly packed, all contributing to a cosy living room feel but with better coffee.

(For the non-Scottish coffee lovers, a 'steamie' is a public or communal wash house for clothes washing)

More: facebook.com/thesteamiecoffee/

East

354 Duke St G31 1RB Glasgow »Map«

Open every day Espresso Coffee: Good Coffee Cartel and guests Also: Meals, cake

Coolness: Super chilled with super brunch

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East (4♥) is located in Dennistoun - Glasgow's East end - and is the venture of Sean and Niall who were previously at Meadow Road and Artisan Roast.

With attentive, relaxed friendliness, the East team are dishing out espresso-based, seasonally changing coffees from Glasgow's Good Coffee Cartel and aiming to offer loads of guests on filter in the near term. (It's early days but we'll check back).

We enjoyed a cracking breakfast of pancakes (that happened to be gluten free) with lush toppings - bacon, toasted banana, orange zest butter and maple peanut butter - yum! And there were other choices including berry compote and ginger pear. Poached eggs and toast come with sides such as avocado, spinach, chilli jam, salted peas. bacon and dill sauce plus there are bagels and cakes of varying kinds.

The shop is long and narrow with tables and chairs for around 15 customers and all the cooking and preparation is done behind the counter. At the back there's a little Libby Walker mini-shop with prints, mugs, homewares and textiles on sale.

More: facebook.com/EASTcoffeecompany/

Spitfire Espresso

127 Candleriggs G1 1NP Glasgow »Map«

Open every day Espresso Coffee: Avenue bespoke blend Also: Meals, cakes, beans, dog-friendly

Coolness: 1950s retro decor and brand

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Spitfire Espresso (5♥) is located in Glasgow's busy Merchant City area and sits on the corner of Candleriggs and Ingram Street, with big windows facing both.

Owner Danny is originally from New Zealand but has very much set himself up in Glasgow as 'home', opening up Spitfire in 2015. On offer is local roaster Avenue's coffee - a bespoke blend of Colombian and Brazilian - made with great relish and focus.

The food is of equally high quality and includes wholesome big breakfasts, soups, sandwiches and a wide array of mouth-watering cakes.

Spitfire has a great atmosphere, created in no small part by the super-friendly and high energy host and team. They're very keen for you to have a good time and will check in regularly to make sure you're happy. The other part of what makes Spitfire a great place to visit is the decor. The 1950s war-time nostalgia theme is unique and chirpy. Combine that with a bit of sunshine through those big windows and you won't want to leave.

There's plenty of seating with tables and chairs inside and out, and bench seating along both big windows that face the street.

You can also pick up a Spitfire cap (we do love a bit of coffee merch) and Frank Lloyd cups.

Spitfire Espresso definitely offers some of the best coffee Glasgow has to offer.

More: Spitfire facebook

Wilson Street Pantry

6 Wilson St G1 1SS, Glasgow »Map«

Open every day Espresso Coffee: Papercup Also: Meals and cakes

Coolness: Relaxed bistro vibe in city centre

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Wilson Street Pantry (4♥) in Glasgow's Merchant City is a smart, modern cafe serving up local roaster Papercup's coffee.

These folk are friendly and take their coffee seriously, offering well-made espresso-based drinks in stylish surrounds.

On the menu are breakfast choices including granola, toast, french toast and eggs a bunch of ways. For lunch your options include dips, soups, tarts, sandwiches and salads, many of which are built on high quality produce and antipasti from blue cheese, apple and walnut, to salami, chorizo and prosciutto to hot and cold smoked salmon.

The decor has an elegant, bistro feel - complete with black and white floor tiles and wooden tables and chairs - and has tables and chairs outside for the sunnier days.

The Merchant City area of Glasgow is a favourite with grand stone buildings of a bygone era and plenty of shops, boutiques and cafes to explore. All in all, this one's a great spot to relax mid-shop for both eats and coffees.

More: facebook.com/wilsonstreetpantry/

It All Started Here

75 Deanston Dr G41 3AQ Glasgow »Map«

Tuesday to Sunday Espresso & batch brew Coffee: Guests

Coolness: Some of the best guest roasters around

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It All Started Here (5♥) is William Heenan's specialty coffee shop - a welcome evolution from his much loved coffee pop-up stall that has been doing the rounds at Glasgow outdoor markets and events for several years.

This shop that seats around a dozen folk is all about high end specialty coffee. Will's constantly on the look out for top notch guest roasters as well as featuring their long time favourites Sheffield based Foundry Coffee Roasters and London's Workshop and Caravan. You can expect "lots of naturals, lots of African coffee, lots of fun, interesting tasting notes and (hopefully) sweet, juicy, fruity brews."

Located in Shawlands just near Queen's Park, Will also serves Edinburgh's Pekoe Tea, hot chocolate and cakes such as banana bread, financiers, lemon drizzle and brownies.

More: http://facebook.com/allstartedhere

Written in partnership with our coffee buddy Leanne Graham
- - Instagram @glw.coffee.snob & peaceandjam1

Kelvin Pocket

72 S Woodside Rd G4 9HG Glasgow »Map«

Open every day Espresso Coffee: Climpson & Sons Also: Meals, cakes, beans, fresh juice

Coolness: Spacious and laid back on the River Kelvin

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The Kelvin Pocket (4♥) provides breakfast, lunch and cakes and is situated at the bottom of the Kelvinbridge stairs, adjacent the Kelvinbridge Underground.

These folks ply coffee from the well-established and highly regarded East London company Climpson & Sons - available to sit in, takeaway or take home with various beans to choose from.

As the name describes, the cafe is tucked in a little pocket, a little sun trap in the afternoon with outdoor seating. There's plenty of seating inside and outside the cafe with a lovely laid back spacious feel and nothing is ever to much for the fantastic staff.

Inside the counter displays an amazing array of ever-changing cakes with some popular ones making a reappearance from time to time. The food menu changes daily, keeps in season and is sourced locally. This ranges from soaked oats and berries, smoked salmon bagels, various filled fresh sandwiches, soups and salads all made on site.

More: facebook.com/kelvinpocket/

Post written by Leanne Graham
- Instagram @glw.coffee.snob & peaceandjam1

Kaf Coffee

5 Hyndland St G11 5QE »Map«

Open every day Espresso, pour over Coffee: Guests Also: Meals, cakes, beans

Coolness: Lovely food cooked on premises

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Kaf Coffee (5♥) is a small and perfectly formed coffee bar and bakery in Glasgow's West End area.

Specialty coffee reigns supreme here and visitors can expect to enjoy a constantly changing menu of pedigree roasters. Week to week choices will vary, but some of these names will give you an indication of the treats you're in for: Fortitude, Workshop, James Gourmet, Union and many more to come.

Kaf offers high quality pour over and espresso based coffees - made to exacting standards. You can also pick up coffee merch such as Colonna coffee capsules (Nespresso compatible compostable coffee pods), Keep Cups, pourover and aeropress kit and filters as well as some smart, Scandi-inspired cups and what nots.

While this is a wee shop that seats 9-10 people inside and a couple more out front, owner Leo is managing to produce some stand out food on site. In many cases for a shop of this size, the coffee would be the primary focus but Leo's managing to produce food to an equally high standard.

Meals will vary and include all day breakfast until 4pm of Scandi plates (e.g.boiled egg, bacon, cheese, new potato, hummus, sourdough, fruit and granola with yoghurt), breakfast rolls, porridge and grilled cheese sandwiches. And additional lunch options include a wide range of whole food sandwiches (e.g. ingredients include felafel, tuna nicoise, hazelnut pesto, pastrami). And the cakes, custard tarts, brownies, biscuits, puff pastry tarts and more that are on display are pretty much eye poppers.

Owner Leo brings to Kaf the skills and knowledge she's gathered through considerable time in some of Edinburgh and Glasgow's best specialty coffee houses. And has now set up her own offering that is a unique combination of food and coffee that's all her own.

And we love the 'KAF Coffee Glasgow' branding and tote bags - bravo.

More: facebook.com/kafcoffee/

Space Speciality Coffee House

540 Dumbarton Rd Glasgow G11 6SW »Map«

Open every day except Monday Espresso, cold, iced, v60, Aeropress Coffee: Union and guests Also: Cakes Dog-friendly

Coolness: The custom paint job on the espresso machine is the biz

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Space Speciality Coffee House (4♥) sports a coral pink Lamarzocco and is in Patrick, north west of Glasgow’s city centre.

They’re using Union coffee, including their cold brew co-produced with Edinburgh’s Brew Lab. You can also eat cake or order a Chinese Tea ceremony.

The vibe is friendly with a big window at the front with bench seating. And behind the servery area there’s a selection of tables and chairs.

We like the quirky, optimistic colour scheme.

More: Space Speciality Coffee House Facebook

Short Long Black

501 Victoria Rd Glasgow G42 8RL »Map«

Open every day except Wednesday Espresso, cold, iced, filter Coffee: Thomson's Also: Meals, cakes Dog-friendly

Coolness: Creative food on lovely locally made dinnerware

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Short Long Black (4♥) is located South of Glasgow's city centre - near Queen's Park.

They're working with local Glasgow roaster Thomson's and making some tasty, seasonally changing espresso-based and filter coffees.

The menu is equally good - including creative brunches and waffle creations. The menu changes often and is flexed to your likes, from meat lovers through to vegan.

This is a thoughtfully designed and inviting space. We love the teal, ochre and navy colour scheme, softened by the light timber furnishings and pergola style ceiling, complete with hanging pot plants.

They also use local ceramicist Claire Henry's hand-thrown dinnerware, cups and jugs, which is super stylish and super lovely, with some items available for purchase in store.

More: Instagram

Thomson's Coffee Roasters - The Arches

Argyle Street Arches 253 Argyle St Glasgow G2 8DL »Map«

Open every day Espresso, batch brew, nitro Coffee: Thomson's Also: Meals, cakes, alcohol

Coolness: Roastery, café, bakery and training centre - in a great historic setting

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Thomson's Coffee Roasters is proud of its heritage. So much so, that 'Est 1841' is part of their logo and their history still plays out in their 'legacy' coffee roasts, alongside their more modern range.

Critical to Thomson's survival for nearly 180 years is their focus on their customers and their willingness and capability to change as their customers' tastes and desires change. That's wholesale customers to whom they supply large quantities of beans, and retail customers of all sorts who want coffee for home, from 18 to 80+ years old.

Installing themselves in a major way within the redeveloping Argyle Street Arches (5♥) is another move by Thomson's to not just stay with modern coffee drinkers' needs and wants, but to provide more than most realise they want yet.

It's a roastery, cafe that seats around 60 people, stone-baked pizzeria and training centre for wholesale and consumer coffee lovers, and all set within one of the Argyle Street Arches right by Glasgow Central Station. An arch that is cavernous, beautiful, evocative of Glasgow's industrial leadership, stylish and welcoming.

Further proof of intentionally balancing heritage, community and innovation, The Arches also hosts Platform - a weekly street food market open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. A wide range of independent vendors set up each weekend and sell tasty portions, from Japanese octopus to vegan sausages, to shrimp burgers and creme brulee - alongside craft beers and other drinks.

A few things help us like Thomson's approach to coffee.

One is that they love dogs, which may be irrelevant to some readers, but the other is their inclusive approach. Having chatted with Managing Director Russell Jenkins at last year's Edinburgh Coffee Festival, I like that they continue to flame-roast darker coffees for some of their established customers because those customers are valued.While Thomson's is also experimenting with newer coffees (their 'lab') and providing single origin coffees with lighter roasting styles, replacing the flame thrower with a Loring Smart Roaster for their 'new standard' range, designed for specialty coffee palettes.

Roasters who were established in the 1800s face a bit of an identity challenge if they seek to reinvent themselves for today's specialty coffee lovers. Thomson's is doing a grand job of it.

More: facebook.com/pg/thomsonscoffee/

Black Pine Coffee Company

518 Great Western Rd G12 8EL Glasgow »Map«

Open every day Espresso, V60, Aeropress, Chemex Coffee: Good Coffee Cartel and guests Also: Meals, cakes, beans

Coolness: Relaxed and dog-friendly

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Black Pine Coffee Company is located in Glasgow's West End, just along from Kelvinbridge station.

It's independent, offers a range of brew methods that are bound to suit most discerning specialty coffee drinkers and invites you to linger and enjoy your visit.

We're yet to get along to Black Pine, hence no rating, but are keen to help specialty coffee lovers find their way to Black Pine's doorstep!

More: facebook.com/blackpinecoffee/

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

Riverhill Coffee Bar

24 Gordon St G1 3PU Glasgow »Map«

Open every day Espresso, aeropress, clever dripper Coffee: Dear Green Also: Meals, cake, beans

Coolness: Fantastic array of mouth-watering cakes

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Riverhill Coffee Bar (3♥) is located in Glasgow's city centre and shopping district and offers high quality food, primarily to take away.

They use Glasgow roaster Dear Green and offer good espresso, aeropress and clever dripper with beans chosen accordingly.

The venue is small - narrow with the servery running most of its length. But the owners pack a lot into that small space and the service is very friendly and efficient.

The first thing you'll see when you enter the shop is a beautiful display of cakes of many types. It is really very hard to resist a little something to have with your coffee! Examples include dark chocolate and beetroot cake, caramelised banana and strawberry jam frangipane slice and pistachio, orange blossom and dark chocolate financier - among many others, piled up on a long wooden board looking like a veritable cake-u-copia.

The food is inventive, locally sourced and very much the focus of Riverhill who also have a restaurant around the corner that faces on to West Nile Street (offering the full suite of options for breakfast, lunch, dinner).

If you're lucky you can perch on one of the few stools available but the vast majority of customers grab their coffee and a sandwich, salad or soup (or cake!) and take it with them to devour elsewhere.

More: Riverhill Coffee Bar facebook

Roots, Fruits & Flowers Kelvinbridge

451 Great Western Rd G12 8HH Glasgow »Map«

Open every day Espresso Coffee: Charlie Mills Also: Whole foods, meals, groceries

Coolness: Wholefoods to take home - raw and ready to eat

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Roots, Fruits & Flowers (3♥) is a combination wholefoods, healthfoods, delicatessen, florist, fruit and vegetable shop that's been a landmark in Glasgow's West End for decades.

It has a grand and wide frontage with some produce on display outside the shop - under their iconic black awnings with gold type clearly spelling out their wares.

In the section of the shop that has a big glass deli counter, you'll be able to order your coffee to have in or take away - made with beans from local roaster Charlie Mills.

The deli counter displays a wide range of food to eat in or take-away including soup, olives & hummus, deli platters, grilled panini, savoury tarts, tortillas, salads and cakes.

The majority of the large number of customers take yummy things home, but there's quite a bit of seating available to eat-in, by way of large, chunky, high wooden tables and stools along the windows.

More: facebook.com/rootsfruitsandflowers/

Gusto and Relish

729 Pollokshaws Rd Glasgow G41 2AA »Map«

Open every day Espresso Coffee: Ovenbird Also: Meals, cakes, beans

Coolness: A friendly, deli-inspired local

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Gusto and Relish (4♥) is a breakfast and lunch cafe/deli on the south side of Glasgow in Strathbungo, a couple of blocks from Queen's Park.

Gusto serves Glasgow-based Ovenbird's 'Dead Poet's Society' blend which is 70% Colombia Supremo and 30% Rwanda Virunga. They do a very nice job with it, offering espresso-based drinks. You can also pick up bags of Ovenbird's attractively branded 'In coffee we trust' beans to take home - and Suki Teas for when you're in the mood.

The shop has a dozen or so wooden tables with a mix of chirpy chairs to match the upbeat grey and lime wallpaper and colour scheme. The staff are friendly and it's not unusual to have some sort of friendly exchange with other customers, making for a warm atmosphere.

The main servery bench has a wide range of cakes and other tempting items on display. The menu includes many of the usual breakfast favourites alongside smoothies, frittatas of the day and other deli-inspired plates of goodness using carefully sourced ingredients.

We feel very at home here and give Gusto and Relish the big thumbs up.

More: facebook.com/gustoandrelish/