Ottoman Coffeehouse

Imran Akhtar is the co-owner of the Ottoman Coffee House on Berkeley Street, along with his brother Irfan. Their father originally bought this space intending it to be a restaurant. It sits behind the former Glasgow Society for Musicians and what was the Shah Noor Indian restaurant on Berkeley Street. A beautiful room with high ceilings, comfy sofas, chess sets, furnishings bought from the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, portraits of Sultans.

After being used for private functions it emerged as a community coffeehouse serving Yemani coffee, pomegranate tea and some small dishes. They run a kitchen to help those in need, providing food packages to the homeless. Their mission statement: “Our ambition is to establish the bridges between the nostalgic coffeehouse of the Ottoman past and the present, operating as both a café and a meditation space in the heart of the West End of Glasgow, the perfect location for morning coffee, afternoon tea, reading the papers and catching your breath”. When we can return to lounging around for the afternoon, this is where you should go.

My Macaroni Pie

Glasgow Times:

East Coffee Company have made their home at their roastery on Hillfoot Street, offering bagels, cakes, coffees and other treats for collection. This week they launched a macaroni pie that could well be the best example of this popular food fusion item in the city. It was a sell out sensation but there will be more tomorrow when they reopen for the weekend.