As food and drink writers here in Glasgow we're always out looking for the next big thing, and call us hipsters if you must, but there is no better feeling for us than discovering a new café that no one else is talking about.
We're always out and about looking for the next big thing, and in the last month we've traipsed around Glasgow sampling soups like a fine wine - swishing coffee like some kind of breakfast sommelier - all to the end of finding the best hidden gem cafes in the city.
We went to places we would never dream of trying normally, and were pleasantly surprised on each occasion. We've included spots from all across the city, from the north to the south and everywhere in between.
These are the very best hidden gem cafes in Glasgow.
1. Olive Tree Chinese Kitchen @ The Savoy
It's the last spot we ever would have expected to go for lunch, but here we are. The Olive Tree is an incredible hidden gem where you can grab all kinds of asian soups, dishes, and more you'll struggle to find outside of Dim Sum sit-down restaurants, at very reasonable prices to mind you. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.
2. Cafe Encore @ Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
The café in Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall is shockingly good. Café Encore has been sussed out by Glasgow's golden generation and just be older Glaswegians best kept secret. Again we weren't expecting much from the cafeteria set up, but their soup was incredible, as was there baked potato - expect classic British lunch dishes like paninis, toasties, and rotating special soups - simple yes, but sensational also. Not to mention the staff may just be the friendliest hospitality folks we've met in Glasgow in a long while.
3. Ottomans Coffee House
Ottomans have an incredible atmosphere - it's worth a visit for that alone. We always make sure to stop in if we're walking from Finnieston to town - or whenever we find ourselves in Anderston to be honest. Given it's location, many Glaswegians will never have been, or perhaps have walked by it without ever taking a second look - and that's a crying shame. It goes without saying too that their coffee is incredible.
4. The Crypt Café @ Wellington Church
There is no expectation for a little church café to be anything more than some quick cheap food and a tea - the Crypt exceed those expectations 10 fold. Not only is the food delicious, it's incredibly reasonably priced, and the staff are super friendly. It may just be the best kept secret by the more astute University of Glasgow students.