Edinburgh has long prided itself on its coffee culture.
A short train ride west, though, is quietly producing some of the most rewarding café experiences in Scotland. These are to be found in an often overlooked segment of Glasgow; the old High Street.
A Favourite Returns — Bigger and Better
Stepping out of Queen Street Station, the first thing many visitors need is a good coffee. For those familiar with Glasgow, Spitfire Espresso has long been a reliable answer – just a few minutes from the station on Ingram Street, in a Art Deco building. There was a moment of anxiety on a recent visit, then, when its familiar home appeared to be mid-refit, a new business clearly moving in. A quick check on the phone brought relief: Spitfire had simply relocated, a few streets north-east onto the High Street.
On arrival, the move had clearly been more than a sideways step. The new corner site is substantially larger than the old premises. It has an airy, relaxed atmosphere and, on a good day, remarkable light. As the manager puts it, “the walls are made of glass.” During a run of bright days shortly after opening, sunshine streamed in and transformed the place entirely. It was then, he said, that he truly felt confident about the move – he was already looking forward to summer.
A sketchy few weeks
The journey to get there had not been straightforward. After a decade at the Ingram Street site, the landlords pushed for a significantly higher rent, apparently calculating that a business so identified with its location would pay almost anything to stay. They calculated wrongly. What followed, in the manager’s own words, was “a sketchy few weeks” while the search for affordable alternative premises dragged on and the prospect of closing altogether loomed as a real possibility. It should be noted that Spitfire also has a West End outpost at 387 Great Western Road and a roastery on Osborne Street. In the end, the new High Street site has proved a genuine upgrade.
The coffee remains a major draw. Spitfire’s exclusive Gunnerbean blend – Colombian and Brazilian beans roasted to bring out chocolate and nutty notes — is excellent as an espresso or with milk. The cortado I ordered was punchy but smooth. But what strikes you as much as the coffee is the welcome. Staff greet every customer at the door and usher them in; no one hovers uncertainly near the entrance. “Come on in, guys.” For first-time visitors, that warmth matters.
The seating caters to everyone: a sofa corner for those settling in, group tables, snug spots for pairs, and a handful of tables for laptop workers. The retro 1940s and 50s aesthetic carries across from the original, with the distinctive Spitfire blue prominent throughout, giving the place a coherent identity at a time when specialty coffee shops can blur into one another. Perhaps we have reached peak Scandi-minimalism (?).
The High Street’s Hidden Gem
Further up the High Street, closer to the Cathedral, a newer arrival is already making its mark. Rest Coffee has been open only a matter of months, but it would be a shame to walk past without going in. After a blustery visit to the Necropolis, the little snug lounge at the back is exactly what you need: calm, cosy, and properly warming. Rest Coffee is a new sister cafe to the highly regarded West End spot, Level 11 coffee hub.
The coffee, using beans by London based Ozone, rewards attention. A thick, vibrant crema is the first good sign, and the cup itself delivered: rich and full of flavour. It is the kind of coffee that suggests real care in sourcing and preparation. The manager, when I visited, was happily comparing notes on the best spots in both Glasgow and Edinburgh — the conversation of someone genuinely engaged with the craft. As she noted, good new places are not hard to find in either city (“I think I’ve missed a few new ones”). Rest is certainly among the leading newcomers in Glasgow.
The High Street itself is looking a little tired, but Rest Coffee — close to Strathclyde University and the Cathedral — has both the footfall and the quality to thrive. It feels like part of something beginning to stir along this historically significant stretch of the city. The traditional shop fronts and beautifully tiled tenement entrances give it plenty to build on.
A Journey Worth Making
Glasgow’s High Street is easy to pass through without pausing to take stock of what it contains. Much of medieval Glasgow has disappeared, but what survives repays the effort. The Cathedral is substantial and fascinating, with a lower section full of atmosphere and history. The Victorian Necropolis next door is one of the most dramatically evocative places in any UK city — its monuments rising against a skyline of dark hospital buildings and the kirk, with views that feel unmistakably and unapologetically urban. Edinburgh has Calton Hill; Glasgow has this, darker, denser, and in its own way just as arresting.
For visitors from Edinburgh, the logistics are simple. Queen Street is 40 minutes from Waverley on a fast service, and both cafés are within easy walking distance of the station. A morning or afternoon on the High Street – taking in the Cathedral, the Necropolis, and Provand’s Lordship (recently restored and well worth the detour) -with good coffee at either end, makes for a very satisfying day out. The Central Belt is not so wide as to make this an expedition. It is, at most, an excellent excuse.
Spitfire Espresso, 55 High Street, Glasgow, G1 1LX
Rest Coffee, 285 High Street, Glasgow G4 0QS
