20 Jan Top Places to Visit in Glasgow (and the Scottish Highlands)
Vegan options are everywhere!
I just came back from the best trip to Glasgow! I have to say I was surprised by how easy it is to find vegan food there. Almost every restaurants/ cafes have vegan options available on the menu! As such, I just want to consolidate all the amazing vegan places I’ve been to during my trip, so you can try out all the delicious vegan foods when you are travelling to Scotland.
Visiting the Scottish Highlands
After visiting so many cities around the world, I would have to say that Glasgow is one of the most vegan-friendly cities I’ve ever been to. From vegan bakeries in Glasgow to restaurants with an awesome view in Portree, the vegan scene in Scotland is filled with surprises. During my one-week trip in Glasgow, I spent 3 days in the Scottish Highlands and the gorgeous Isle of Skye for a quick photography trip. If you are looking for the perfect tour company for a guided tour in the Scottish highlands, I would highly recommend you reach out to James from Alba Experience.
Before my trip, I reached out to him enquiring about a personalized photography trip to the Scottish Highlands and the Isle of Skye. It normally takes at least 3 days. However, as I only had 2.5 days available for the tour, I asked James if it’s possible to arrange something for me. He immediately said yes, and he managed to arrange the most fulfilling tour for me to visit all those beautiful places for landscape photography!
At first, I was a bit worried that there won’t be much vegan options in the Scottish Highlands. And boy was I wrong. At every place we visited, there are always some vegan options available. And I was not talking about sad vegan salads or sandwiches. They even have desserts and mains available.
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1. The Dorky French – French patisserie at its finest
@thedorkyfrench is a vegan bakery specializing in viennoiserie, and is particularly known for their viral supreme rolls 😚 Due to my tight time schedule of traveling back from the highlands, I wasn’t able to visit their shop to pick up my order. The owner, Marlene, was kind enough to arrange delivery by vegan wheel to my hotel. So by the time when I checked in to my hotel, there was already this lovely parcel waiting for me! Everything tastes so delicious that you couldn’t even tell they are vegan!
2. Plant Blonde – Vegan Dessert Paradise
Plant Blonde is a 100% plant based vegan bakery & speciality coffee specializing in vegan desserts. They serve a variety of vegan sweet treats from brownies, cinnamon rolls to cakes. My favorites of them all are definitely their signature white chocolate &.salted caramel empire, slutty brownie, chicken sandwich and viennese whirl! Gluten-free vegan options are available too! The banana cream walnut cake, for example, is super moist and fluffy!
They have two branches around Glasgow, one based inside the @lush anchor store, the other one in Patrick. Apart from all those delicious desserts, they also serve vegan sandwiches and soup at their Patrick store if you are looking for some light bites before some indulgent desserts!
3. Glasvegan – Award Winning Vegetarian Restaurant in Glasgow
How could I not visit the famous Glasvegan when I come to Glasgow? Glasvegan is the winner of the Scottish restaurant of the year (Vegetarian restaurant) and it’s a gorgeous little place conveniently located in the heart of the city center. It was my first meal in Glasgow and I would say it for sure set a high standard! A bowl of hearty creamy soup with sandwich is definitely the most perfect and comforting meal after a 20+ journey from Hong Kong to Glasgow! Also, they serve vegan breakfast and a large variety of vegan fast foods too. The perfect place to go if you are craving for some vegan comfort food.
4. Stereo – Vegan Bar + Live Gig Venue
Situated on Renfield Lane in the heart of Glasgow city centre, Stereo is a dedicated vegan cafe in the day, a bar and kitchen in the evening and a club and gig spot at night. This restaurant is founded in Glasgow back in 2007 and is housed in a building designed by Charlie Rennie Mackintosh. The interiors are cool and funky with black walls adorned with chalk boards, bold wallpapers on feature walls, and plants and lamps hanging from the ceiling. The venue prides itself on its atmosphere, both as an event space and as a vegan eatery. Most importantly, it operates a safer space policy to ensure that everyone feels welcome and comfortable in their space.
I visited Stereo on a day that is cold and rainy, and after I managed all the hassle of rebooking my flights as my original booking was cancelled. And I was welcomed by two friendly staff. I took a look at the menu and decided to order the tempeh bourguignon and some soup. Those were perfect for a cold rainy day and the whole atmosphere there makes me feel so relaxing and homely. Would highly recommend you to check them out when you visit Glasgow!
Where to drink in Glasgow?
1. Gin71 – Glasgow’s first dedicated Gin bar
If you are looking for a nice cozy and a photogenic place to have a drink of two and wind down after a hectic day. Gin71 is perfect for you! It is not only an award winning specialist gin bar, but it is also Glasgow’s first dedicated Gin bar serving over 71 different Gins from around the world. I tried the Isle of Harris and the Puerto de Indias and they are both amazing! Highly recommend if you are a gin lover like me. Even if you are not a huge fan of gin, Gin71 is an absolute nice place for spending a relaxing night with your friends.
2. Dear Green Coffee Roaster
Dear Green Coffee Roasters is a Speciality Coffee Roaster based in Glasgow. The name of this roaster comes from their home city, Glasgow, also known as ‘The Dear Green Place.’ Note that this is not a place that serves coffee, but there is a nice cafe nearby called Us V Them Coffee (more about them below) you can drop by after buying the coffee.
Dear Green not only strives to pursue excellence in coffee, but they also ensure that every coffee they source meets their ethical policies, Moreover, they even go out of their way to ensure transparency, traceability and sustainability in every coffee that they roast. Apart from their emphasis on the ethical aspect, which is a huge plus, they also aim to roast their coffee to maximise the sensory tasting experience.
So that’s why once I got off the flight and checked in my hotel. My first stop in Glasgow was to visit this cute little hidden coffee roaster in Gallowgate. Upon walking into their shop, I was greeted by a very nice person. He asked for my coffee preference and picked the Ethiopian coffee for me. I also purchased a bag of decaf beans as well. Since I got back from Glasgow, I have been brewing both of these coffee and I have to say I absolutely love them both so much! Highly recommend you to check them out whenever you are in Glasgow.
3. Us V Them Coffee
Not far away from Dear Green Coffee Roaster, Us V Them Coffee is a speciality espresso bar found at 200 Gallowgate Street. Founded in 2017 by local entrepreneur, engineer and coffee aficionado James Aitken, Us V Them Coffee is a place which allows James to combine his skills and passion. His workshop specializes in repairing professional coffee equipment servicing Scotland’s best independent cafes, bars and restaurants. And the espresso bar is a place where he can share his love for coffee with others and allow the coffee community to gather and relax. They serve a variety of blends, from local speciality roasters, such as Dear Green, to blends from Europe and Colombia.
Where to stay in Glasgow?
1. Radisson RED Glasgow
Radisson RED Glasgow is a hotel right next to OVO Hydro, with super chic interior, amazing view to the Clyde river and superb breakfast offerings. I stayed there on the day I attend Bring Me the Horizon concert and it was so convenient. A huge plus is that the hot items on their menu are made to order, with tons of options easily customizable to vegan options. I ordered the vegan pancakes and avocado toast. And both of them are super delicious! I would visit this place just for the breakfast. Definitely a breakfast you don’t want to miss!
2. Maldron Hotel Glasgow City
Conveniently located in Glasgow on Renfrew Street, Maldron Hotel Glasgow City is a 4-star hotel with comfortable bedrooms, meeting facilities, gym and of course a bar and a restaurant. It is also a merely 3-min walk to the Buchanan Bus Station, where you can take the Airport Express Bus and it will take you to the Glasgow airport within 30 mins. Their hotel breakfast also has a couple of vegan options, including vegan sausages, fruits and plant-based milk. I was very surprised when I saw that they are offering vegan sausages, as it means I will be able to make my own full Scottish breakfast. I really enjoyed my stay at their hotel despite a small hiccup, which they have also addressed the issue and assure me that it won’t be happening again.
Scottish Highlands – Food & Stay
As mentioned at the beginning of this post, I spent 3 days at the Scottish Highlands for a photography tour. I have to say it’s very easy to find vegan options in any restaurants there! And the food quality is also surprisingly good too! I’ve had some of the best vegan foods and desserts I had during this trip, especially at the Cuillin Hills Hotel.
1. Cuillin Hills Hotel
This hotel features spectacular views over Portree Bay to the Cuillin Mountain range, with an award-winning restaurant and a wide range of whiskies on offer! I did tried several different scotch when I was there and I think I have found my favorite one! Cuillin Hills Hotel is definitely my favorite hotel in Scotland, if not the world. Furthermore, the staff are super accommodating, foods are perfect and the room is so spacious with the most comfortable bed! What more could you ask for?
First of all, every items are made to order at breakfast, they offer both continental breakfast and also hot dishes including full Scottish breakfast, pancakes and waffles, which can all be made VEGAN! For the first day, I tried the Scottish breakfast with vegan haggis and it was mind-blowingly delicious! They even offer me some vegan butter for my toasts without me asking. How nice are they? I was planning to try the vegan waffles on my second day. However, as I have to leave early that day to get back to Glasgow, I did not have time for breakfast. Luckily, they are nice enough to prepare some simple continental breakfast and have it delivered to my room at an earlier time. This way, I can have breakfast before I left.
For lunch, as we are out taking photos all day, I asked the hotel to prepare me some vegan packed lunch, and I got a delicious beetroot and onion sandwich.
As for dinner, they do have quite a number of vegan options or dishes that can be made vegan on their menu. As far as starters are concerned, I tried the roasted beetroot with cheese, as well as the roasted fig with cheese, both are perfectly seasoned and well balanced dishes and I really enjoyed them. For mains, they do have a vegan option with roasted butternut squash dish with seasonal vegetables. I don’t know how they do it, but they made this dish tastes so delicious that I have to order it again on the second night!
To end this perfect meal, I ordered the mulled wine fruit crumble with vanilla ice cream that is also the only vegan dessert on the menu. This is hands down the perfect dessert as the warm crunchy crumble complemented with the gooey mulled wine infused fruit mixture. To make things better, they topped it with some vegan vanilla ice cream coz who doesn’t love ice cream?
2. Glencoe Visitor Centre – National Trust for Scotland
On the first day and last day of the tour, we dropped by this visitor center for lunch and coffee. To my surprise, they do offer quite a bit vegan options, including soups, salads and wrap/sandwiches. They even have a vegan red velvet cookie sandwich too! I ordered the superfood vegan salad and it was unexpectedly delicious, with quinoa, seeds and vegan chicken, this certainly keeps me full for a while. Also, as I saw that they have a toasted almond latte. I love how the nuttiness of almonds pairs with the creaminess of oat milk, making it the perfect winter drink with it was under 0°C out there.
