Artisan Roast

Artisan Roast is, and will always be, the most divisive coffee place in Glasgow. While the coffee and cakes are always excellent, the surroundings and clientele are too much for some to stomach.
As anyone who has visited the sister branches in Edinburgh will attest, Artisan Roast has a style, and as a result it does attract a certain hipstery-​boho clientele. Put it this way, There Will Be Topknots. I’m not saying it isn’t nice, but I am acutely aware of myself when I sit in.
But let us not detract from the basics. The coffee is always excellent, and they actually know what a flat white should taste like (i.e It shouldn’t taste like two shots of burned coffee with a dribble of frothy milk). The cake selection is enticing and, though I haven’t sampled it yet, the food looks tasty.
Definitely worth your time if you like good coffee.
As an aside, I was in Artisan Roast about 18 months ago and I witnessed a clearly tired father trying to coax his child into sitting quietly while he tried to enjoy his coffee. What did he use as bait to keep his child preoccupied? A babycino and Scrabble.

Artisan Roast is quickly becoming one of my favourite places to go for coffee and/​or brunch in the West End! If you’re looking for a quick treat, the baked goods are top notch and they serve what is hands down some of the best coffee I’ve had the pleasure of sipping. Food-​wise, I’ve yet to get my hands on one of the wraps, but the soup of the day offers a fantastic value for money and helps keep away the all-​permeating Glaswegian chill. The atmosphere is nice and relaxed, with friendly staff that are happy to go the extra mile. Seems like a popular place to sit down and get some work done, as well, if that’s what you’re after. All in all, a very enjoyable, relaxing experience. :)

Had the most amazing cinnamon bun here. Gorgeous and warm — tasted like heaven. Highly recommend getting one. The other pastries looked good too.
Cappuccino was great, but the standard size is very small.
Artisan Roast has a cozy atmosphere, lots of wood and a cute upstairs area but it was packed when I went around 1pm. I have a feeling its pretty packed throughout the day, so if you want to sit-​in you might need to wait for a spot to open up.

When I ran my own coffee shop I had very regular guest beans on my second grinder. I would say that Artisan Roast was amongst the top 2 – 3 over nearly 3 years. So you might understand why I was so keen to check this branch out, which is one of a number, three or four of them now I think.
So it was a minor mission to get to from my city centre hotel but I planned a day around the area and really enjoyed it. The café itself is on a fairly busy road with buses to and from the centre, tho I walked there from Papercup where I’d enjoyed breakfast!
I was warmly welcomed and ordered a flat white. I found a weirdly rickety ex sewing table and seat up on the mezzanine area so I could watch the goings on. I was pretty happy up there tho the table really did seem to be a tad dangerous! It was probably late morning when I visited and maybe 6 people in.
The coffee duly arrived and while good it didn’t quite have the sense of the exceptional I’d experienced in my own shop. Same blend, Janzsoon, but maybe now using different beans. Certainly the same bang was there from the Sumatran beans, but had more of a lemon sourness to it. I did really enjoy it still and also liked the whole vibe of the place. It’s a bit grubby, rickety and unorganised, but overall there was nothing to moan about other than my table! Well worth a visit.

For the snobby Australians who love coffee & warm café vibes. Flawless. Close to Kelvin Grove Park, Museum & Glasgow University. Friendly staff, nice music & cozy atmosphere.

Popped in for brunch. Nice selection of wraps and paninis, all vegetarian which was great as normally struggle to find anything other than mozzarella etc. I opted for the pumpkin soup and a chickpea and butternut squash wrap, which was very tasty. Portions were huge though so didn’t finish both. I really liked the menu but deducted a star for comfort, seating area is quite cluttered and we ended up sitting at huge table just to get some space. Will def be back, hipster coffee shop at its best :)

Great coffee, hot chocolate and bagels — including vegan cream cheese. I stopped here in the morning before heading out of Glasgow. Highly recommend it!

Arrghhh… this is a difficult one to review as I accept my negative experience is a tiny bit my fault. I was in the west end and hungry and I’d seen them post up they had «Bakewell tart, vegan chocolate and chocolate cookies». Now, there is debate over the importance of the Oxford comma, and the lack of one here did cause some uncertainty with me as to whether just the chocolate [cake] was vegan or both the cake and the cookies. When I arrived in the café there were no signs up by the cakes to indicate any dietary info (unlike other popular vegan-​friendly coffee shops/​cafes in Glasgow I’ve had reviewed in the past…) so I checked with the server if the cookies and the cake were vegan and they said yes, so I ordered one of each.
Then, I asked if their chickpea and sweet potato wrap was suitable for vegans, and was told it was but at over £4 for the wrap — plus a side salad I wasn’t going to bother with because I wanted a takeaway — I decided not to bother. Then, I asked about the cream cheese bagel which was marked on the board as having a vegan option and was informed they use Toffuti cream cheese, and the bagels are massive, so I got one of those to take away too. I was only told when I went to pay and it had already been made up and toasted that it was £3.00 — 20p more than the £2.80 indicated on the board — for the vegan version, so that was a bit annoying as well.
I left and ate the bagel, then decided to eat the cookie and leave the cake until later to share with my husband. The cookie tasted really, really buttery, but you can get great dairyfree butter alternatives so maybe they used this…? I felt a bit uneasy posting pictures on social media to show people their great vegan options I had myself sampled when I felt doubt, so I went back online to double check only to have confirmation that the cookies were not infact vegan. Now, if there had been signage, or the server had told me they were not vegan after me mentioning I was vegan about 5 times, then that would have been absolutely fine. Not everyone tells eating establishments they are vegan because they like to go out and hug trees — a lot of people start off dairyfree then go vegan, or say they’re vegan in places for ease of eating something they know what make them ill, so it’s likely that some people asking for vegan products could have an allergy or intolerance. I know miscommunications can happen, but there are several coffee houses which label items with dairyfree /​wheatfree /​glutenfree whatever-​free symbols and this would be a sufficient memory aid for staff too, as well as giving reassurance to customers. I am thrilled they have vegan options but in that area there are a few places I know of where I can go for vegan cake, so would probably only go back if invited there by a friend or they had a special event on.

I used to come here a lot when I first became interested in good coffee and really raved about the place.
Now after learning quite a bit myself and visiting many other speciality coffee shops I feel Artisan is a massive let down.
At one stage they were undoubtedly the best in Glasgow but times have moved on and this place hasn’t. Although the shop may have some hipster charm on the surface it’s really just a dirty den filled with old furniture. You’ll still get a decent cappuccino and maybe a decent filter, so long as you don’t mind waiting 20 mins, but really there is far better coffee to be had elsewhere. The last few espressos I’ve had from here have been completely undrinkable, massively sour and bitter at the same time.
What really irks me in here though is the service. With the exception of 1 or 2 people who are incredibly friendly most of the staff are rude and uncaring. Several times I’ve had evil stares made at me because I was trying to place an order and interuptted a deep philosophical debate the baristas were having. Worst of all they tend to be pretentious and demeaning to people new to coffee who do not know what to order, for example I’ve seen people who try to order syrups being openly mocked in the past.
This isn’t acceptable under any circumstances but especially when the baristas aren’t even that good at what they do. So skip this place and go to Avenue G or Pena, better service, food and coffee can be found there.

For a coffee shop with such a good reputation, I was extremely disappointed with my experience here.
I popped in with some friends after the West End Festival parade — I fully appreciate that they’d have had a mega busy day, but it was fairly quiet when we arrived. There were at least 5 staff on — but not really doing much. Our table was filthy and we had to clear it ourselves (after unsuccessfully asking for this to be done). And whoever thought that having a table covered in wee spiky studs deserves a right good talking to. Or at least made to use only that table. Forever.
Getting served was an issue — I was stood at the counter for 10 mins (no queue in front of me) before I was served. A further 15 mins before our coffees were brought over. Which were nice, but nothing special. I had a slice of caramel and date cake, which was also pretty good.
For me, there are several much better places within a few minutes walk of here — and walking past Artisan Roast is exact what I’ll be doing in the future.

Should have brought my Marigolds…
A Tuesday morning brioche was well overdue, so Artisan Roast here we come! In hindsight a half nine morning visit to sit in was a mistake. We must’ve just missed the 9am rush, but hit the 10am lecture stampede. But we joined the queue that awkwardly snaked around every inch of this tiny shop and ordered our brioche, scone and two coffees :-) We spotted a semi-​clean table, In fact it was the only clean table and the reason why? Well, it was as stable as a wooden hammock. I felt a bit like cleaning the place up a bit and I did start, but a lack of space to dump the dirty stuff soon put a stop to that.
They looked understaffed, but the two stalwarts seemed to take it in their stride providing a smiley outlook. Our order came quickly, but the thimble of milk that came with our coffees needed seriously quadrupling. They made up for the lack of milk with the ½ pound of butter and pint of rhubarb jam that came with the brioche and scone though. But it’s a bit if a waste really and looking at the other dirty tables, there were slabs of butter and ‘gallons’ of jam waste everywhere :-(Tbh, the brioche isn’t what it used to be, but the scone was top notch as is the coffee. But what really irked me was the surprise appearance of a third staff member from downstairs. However, instead of cleaning the place up he poured himself a coffee and went for a five minute fag break before disappeared downstairs again. F#&K! Sigh…

Artisan roast is on my regular route and was recommended by a friend. I have made it a point to try the coffee along Gibson because there are soo many great places and overall I have to say it was just A-​OK. The coffee was good, but it was more expensive than the rest, the staff were pre-​occupied talking to each other and it was overly hipster inside. I’m sure it can be a nice hang out spot for some, but as a regular coffee drinker it won’t be a ‘go-​to’ spot for me.

Artisan Roast just has a way of making you feel like the coolest kid in town as soon as you walk in: chilled music, friendly hipstery staff, and this sensation that you have just stepped into an old cabin in the woods, with dim lights and cosy wooden furniture.
So, once in, just let your sense guide you. There is always a random selection of freshly baked things… I would not start to tell you which one to pick, because they change all the time, but you’ll never be unsatisfied, whether you go for the carrot cake or the blueberry muffin. They also have vegan things there to please everyone.
Then, have a look at their brew bar, where they use all kinds of brewing techniques, to match with your choice of coffee from all over the world. It you want something more traditional, or just don’t want to wait for a brew, which can be a bit lengthy, just grab an Americano to go, like I do, and have a perfect start of the day!

I’ve had a couple of really good filters from here and a couple of not so good filters.
What’s nice about this place is that it’s pretty spacious, so when my other favourite haunts are cramped out I can go hang out here knowing I’ll likely get a seat. (No wifi, but 3G tethering works so.)

Artisan Roast, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for not visiting sooner. I guess it’s because I’m the most half-​assed coffee drinker going around (my current rate of coffee consumption is around one cup per month). Morning tea with Susan F made for a good reason to visit, and when I finally headed through those doors I was wowed from the outset. I really like the vibe of this place — there’s lots of interesting, unusual decorations and the layout means there’s lot of nooks and crannies to enjoy your tea/​coffee/​lunch without being too close to other people.
I couldn’t resist the food after having a quick look at the menu — the asparagus, Parmesan, boiled egg, pesto and rocket sandwich had my name on it. What an usual combination, but it was perfect — rich pesto, lashings of rocket and even the asparagus worked when I didn’t expect it to. It felt like a very virtuous start to the day.
There was quite a few people here for a Tuesday morning — students, but an older crowd and it wasn’t too loud or crowded so we were able to get on with our chatting without being disturbed. The only negative thing I’d have to say is that the water glasses are incredibly small, and if I was hanging out here for a while I’d probably go stir crazy having to refill every 10 minutes or so. Apart from that, I thought Artisan Roast was great and I’m looking forward to my next visit — I might even have a coffee next time!

Whenever I have a rare toddler free morning involving an even rarer spare half hour, I love to check out local places that I consider to be child-​free zones. This is one of those places (in my view) due to its super cool vibe — defo a place where folk go to chill out — not listen to kiddie jibber jabber. Plus from the outside it looks pretty pokey!
I was so excited/​surprised to find that it’s a venerable tardis of a place once over the threshold. Not huge huge but it stretches back and up over a mezzanine level.
I was just in for a cup of tea & cake this time, and had the service not been so slow, they might have a 5 star from me. I was happy to linger and so this didn’t pose an issue.
The coffee board is extensive, the cakes look and taste amazing (I had pecan and walnut pie), the people watching scope endless!
I smell a new fave hangout coming on!

In a nutshell, the Artisan Roast is really great coffee, accompanied with excellent food. Oh, and it’s not too pricey either.
We just had a lunch there if 2 coffees, one big slice of tart and a bowl of soup, it came to about £10.
The tart was amazing, broccoli, rosemary and onion in a cream and cheese sauce, which I could have eaten a whole pan of.
The soup today was roasted butternut squash and coconut milk, equally more-​ish.
I can recommend it enough, what a great wee place with great staff.

nous avons essayé ce café pour le petit déjeuner. Le latte est excellent et j’ai bien aimé les cheese scones. l’ambiance est agréable.allez y sans hésiter si vous séjournez dans le quartier.

Disappointed is an understatement!
I was really looking forward to trying out «the newest hipster coffee shop in town» but these guys are trying too hard. The Décor was cool all mis-​matching furniture and the windows all steamed up. I ordered a latte, and after a extremely long wait our drinks arrive and it was average. I also had one of their blueberry muffin which again was average. The staff where just a bit rude to be honest. This little place has so much potential if they stop trying to be too cool as it’s just coming across as an uncomfortable experience.

By the looks of the other reviews on Unilocal my view of this place does not match the general consensus. I went for my first ever visit on Saturday and to be honest I was very underwhelmed by the whole experience. These guys have a great reputation but it seems like they are stuck in the past. Staff were totally aloof and seemed to busy trying to be super bohemian to provide a decent level of service.
My flat White took ages to arrive. The blueberry muffin was very bland. The décor inside and the furniture all just seemed a bit dirty and dilapidated. The coffee itself was fine but nothing special.
Not at all what I was expecting from such a highly rated coffee shop. 2 stars I am afraid.

I forgot I hadn’t reviewed this place yet. Shame on me as I love this place.
I must admit on my first visit I wouldn’t have given it 5 stars… but that was only based on the customer service I received that day ~ I found the guy serving (who I actually haven’t seen since then) to be quite stuck-​up & a bit rude but I went back because the coffee & cake that I had was so good.
Since then the staff have been nothing been lovely to me every time I’ve gone in so no complaints there at all now.
I come here for the coffee. Don’t get me wrong their freshly baked cakes/​tray bakes are delicious (I especially like their vegan chocolate & lavender cake and blondies) and I have heard so are their soups/​savoury foods, but it’s for a really good, strong cup of coffee why I keep returning. My favourite being a soya flat white, slurp & yum. So flipping good.
I really like the cosy feel to this place too ~ it’s all odd tables & chairs, treacle tins holding sugar on the tables and books & board games for your pleasure too. I also like the subtle lighting and relaxed atmosphere. The last time I was in here they were playing some great music too ~ songs/​bands I hadn’t heard for ages so I was well happy.
The only wee thing that is a bit miff-​worthy is they do not have Wi-​Fi. Boo. When I didn’t have Wi-​Fi set up in my new flat I thought ‘I know, I’ll go for a lovely coffee & cake in Artisan Roast & catch up on my emails, etc…’ Well… that didn’t happen. The lovely coffee & cake did but I then learnt they do not have Wi-​Fi. Doh. Still, I could’ve gone to a café that did have Wi-​Fi access but also sold mediocre coffee/​cakes, so at least my belly was happy.
I have still to buy their coffee to take away but I have purchased one of the cute reusable mug/​cups they sell just because a) It looked so cute, b) you got a free cup of coffee with it and c) with a discount on your coffee every time you use it it was a brilliant excuse to come back and have a lovely and cheaper cup of coffee to go! Yas. Not just a hat rack my friend!
Like Andrew C said; If you think Starbucks is a good cup of coffee then PLEASE try AR for a change, okay you may not like it/​find their coffee tastes too much like real coffee BUT at least you can say you have tried it & it wasn’t for you (so ner), but I think AR will pleasantly surprise you and instead of queueing for your single shot venti skinny latte with no foam (no fun) you will be partaking in an Artisan Roast coffee which will warm your cockles & make your brain buzz back to life. Who doesn’t want that?!