Gesso Coffee Lounge

A brunch meeting with our lovely CM Briony brought me in here; it’s not an area I’m in often so I hadn’t tried Gesso before and was looking forward to it.
The space is a lot bigger inside than I was expecting, with a decidedly hipster atmosphere. There are some smaller tables and comfy seats at the front, giving way past the counter area to longer tables and a surprisingly arty gallery bit at the rear. There are a couple of benches on the pavement outside for the nicotine addicts too.
It was a little bit early for brunch, so it was more of a second breakfast for me (in hobbit fashion). I ordered the scrambled eggs with smoked trout — makes a change from smoked salmon, I thought. And of course, a Long Black. The serving lady asked me if I wanted milk with that… [sigh]. No, that would be a Flat White, says I (I do find it irritating when they ask if you want milk. If I wanted a white coffee I would ask for one).
The verdict? Well, the smoked trout was a nice change, the scrambled eggs on toast were okay, but nothing to get excited about. The Long Black was also… okay. Not fantastic, just okay. Probably still better than the coffee from the Seattle chain a couple of doors along, mind you.
Overall, I’d give the décor five stars, but the food and coffee is only worth three I think; so I’ll compromise on four.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, ‘Gesso’ (pronounced ‘Jesso’), is a painting technique that involves a mixture of white paint, glue and chalk or gypsum (a bit like Plaster of Paris) that is used to create raised sections on the painting. It’s incredibly time-​consuming and messy to make the stuff, and it was used extensively by Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh, the wife of Charles Rennie Mackintosh in her panel work. Some of her originals can be seen in the Kelvingrove Museum, and there are some good reproductions of her work in the House for an Art Lover in Bellahouston Park, done by local artist Jenny Vaughan, who has rediscovered and revived the technique.

I really like this coffee place. It has many of the attributes that make for a good one. Spacious surroundings so that you’re not rammed up next to your fellow coffee drinker, light airy feel and of course good quality coffee.
I feel that they’ve tried really hard with small details such as the egg timers for your tea to ensure it is optimally brewed, the toffee popcorn on the side with a coffee and the breakfast food is pretty good too.
I’ve not had lunch here so far but the food looks pretty good, although the sandwiches are the same as those you get in a few high quality places around town. Nevertheless they look well presented with a generous salad of your choice.
Looking forward to my next trip!

I enjoyed my first visit to Gesso, quite overwhelmed by the choice of cakes and sweet eats upon approaching the till (have a look at some fellow Unilocaler pics to see some of these). The café is decorated in a quirky way, with interesting artwork by Adrian McMurchie on the walls and exposed brick to one side. The space is light and airy as there is a huge skylight.
I really wanted to take home some of the fresh focaccia (some delicate rosemary and garlic topped ones, or cherry tomato flavour), but as I was out all day walking and expecting to be out for lunch and dinner I didn’t think it would be quite as nice by the time I got it home! We enjoyed a raspberry cake to share and a strong espresso, very pleasant.
They have an interesting selection of books to browse at the back of the café, and an exhibition space, I think this would be a good space to work (by which I mean type or write) as there is free wifi and a good range of food. I will be back there, and might enquire about the exhibition space hire too (this space can be hired for pop up events and exhibitions).

I love the décor in Gesso, definitely my style. They have a really good delection of cold drinks, more exciting than you’re average coke or lemonade. They have a wide variety of hot drinks as well. I’ve been a few times, last time I had a mocha and it was really good. Just the right ratio of coffee to chocolate and a little bit of coffee art on the top too (by that I mean a pretty leaf!) — nice touch.
The first time I tried Gesso, we just had cake and coffee. I believe I had some kind of white chocolate and raspberry tart which was really good. The base was maybe a bit solid but that’s just me being picky.
The last time I had a hot breakfast roll. They filled it a lot (two flat/​lorne sausages? That’s big!) and the roll was nice and soft. I’m not sure if they make them, I couldn’t really tell to be honest but as far as a filled breakfast roll goes it was pleasant! Their high point is definitely the cakes though!
Its a nice stop for a relaxing coffee stop or lunch with reasonable prices and pretty cool décor. I’ve found myself in here a few times now and will go back. I’m not sure why it’s not got the 5^th star yet, I think I need to try more things before I give it that!

From what I can see this place is mostly looks over substance. «look at me, look at me» it cries out. Well you can shout all you like, but your coffee’s not up to scratch, your (McGhee’s?) croissants are stale and your artisan scones are, what seems to be Costco bought (now’t wrong with Costco bought, but not If you’re marketing yourself as «artisan»).
This is my second time here and service is pretty friendly, but painfully slow. If it wasn’t for The Sunshine Tea Lounge pop-​up I wouldn’t have rushed back, but here we are. Sigh… I know when I see a bad review of somewhere I like I start shouting at my screen. Feel free, shout away, but it’s not my fault — honest. But I think it’d be a bit harsh to give it ** particularly because it’s a fine looking space and on my scale it’s more like a 2.69, so let’s round it up eh?

I stumbled upon Gesso via Instagram i believe, I’m always excited to try new coffee places. Ok let me re-​phrase that statement… Im always excited to try new cake, coffee is second purely due to my caffeine needs, its a problem I know!
Anyway Im getting of kilter here. My fiancé and I headed to Gesso one Saturday whilst out for a stroll. On walking into the establishment my first thoughts were its such a beautiful space. Its huuge and I feel it could be better set out to some extent? I noticed they have a pop up area to the back for art work etc and at the front of house they sell deli type goods.
We ordered at the counter and sat down, and waited… and waited. Now I don’t mind a bit of a wait sometimes, however it wasn’t busy in the slightest and we only ordered 2 coffees and cake. Anyway coffee and cakes came, not disappointed. I had a carrot cake and the fiancé had a white choc tart. Both delightful. Coffee was ok, again too milky for me — I have now just grown to accept I’m never going to be 100% satisfied with my coffee. Sandwiches, although not tried, looked good, all very fresh and fancy.

I’m lucky to have Gesso in close walking distance to my work! I’ve been very happy since it opened. I love that they serve Dear Green Coffee, it’s always a winner. The cakes are also amazing, coffee and walnut cake, iced apple loaf as well as their brownie being a firm favourite (although I’ve had a few different style brownies) I’m not sure the cakes are made in store, but if they’re not I’d definitely like to find out what bakery they are from!
Salads are delicious, with something different every time I’ve been in. The Chick pea and carrot with a cumin dressing, yum! They serve these as side salads with sandwiches if you sit in which definitely beats a bit of iceberg and a sliced tomato. You can also have them on their own, my mum had a generous portion of the panzanela that was lovely!
I have a firm favourite sandwich, 3 cheese toasty on sour dough bread. I’ve had variations on this with different breads but that first one was the best I’ve tried. Every time I go in I hope they have it again. It is nice how the sandwich counter always has a constant changing selection though :)
As well as the café side of it, they also sell fresh breads, think they might be Kimber and Jones loaves, and a selection of deli type produce. This is a nice touch, and the bread looks great!
My only issue is how slow the service can be if your sitting in. I’m not sure if this is just over lunch time, which is when I tend to be in. I have went in a few times and had to go up and order, or check where things are. And although I know they have a fuller menu, I’ve only been offered to look at it once. The staff are friendly, and it doesn’t ruin the experience or anything. Just stops Gesso from being a perfect coffee shop.

This place is like a little haven for me! It’s so close to work and you instantly feel calm when you walk in. Really spacious, light and beautifully decorated.
Popped in today to get away from the office and have a healthy lunch. Went for one of their green smoothies and basil pesto pasta to sit in. They take Swipii cards here too. Yay!
Smoothie was blended there and then and served in a glass with some ice. It had apple, spinach, grapes and a few other things in there. So fresh and tasty. The pasta was really lovely, not a massive portion, just enough for a side or small lunch. Lots of spinach in there too and some beautiful Italian cheese.
Noticed they had a really good selection of cakes, pastries and sandwiches, as well as healthy snacks. You can buy pasta, sauces, oils, coffee and other things to take home too. They had a lovely selection.
It’s not the cheapest place to eat in the area, but it certainly is the nicest. Sandwiches to take away were around £4 and to sit in were £5. My pasta was only £3.50 and my smoothie was maybe just slightly cheaper than that. Staff were really friendly too.
I can’t wait to go back and work my way through all their delicious food. Left feeling calm and refreshed. Love you, Gesso!

Gesso is just such a lovely space and shows excellent potential in its first few weeks of trading. It’s a great place to take a break from a busy day, drink a good Dear Green espresso and generally relax. I had their cheese toastie and it wasn’t quite as good as I’d hoped but it still locked-​up lunchtime hunger, good and proper.
Overall, we said: «I really enjoyed my visit to Gesso. I think there’s room for the food to be a wee notch better, but I thought the space was just lovely and the atmosphere highly conducive to relaxed enjoyment. I look forward to visiting again.»

Upon reading some reviews here I knew I wanted to try Gesso out. It’s in an area that I wouldn’t usually find myself heading to for a coffee, but I think that’s going to change and this particular spot is pretty handy for those who live or work in the West End/​Woodlands and Charing Cross/​Town too. It’s not far from St. Georges Cross subway or Charing Cross train station.
I like the big, spacious and airy feel to this place. I’m glad they haven’t tried to over cram it with loads of tables as well. That helps keep the feel of the place more relaxed and chilled. If I had to compare it to another coffee shop I guess it has the same kinda vibe as Kember & Jones; the fresh bread, delicious range of cakes/​sweet treats, wall of goodies to buy, their quality coffee and also tasty savouries, except Gesso is MUCH more relaxed & cooler in atmosphere. I felt as though Gesso were pumping Valium through the air con (don’t worry, they weren’t, haha!) that’s how relaxed this place made me feel…*large exhale*
I liked the comfy benches with (cool) cushions and I spotted towards the back a really huge table (perfect for a large/​group meet up or meetings) and also a comfy sofa alongside some book shelves (and books) and a space behind which is set aside just now for other purposes (wee craft stalls/​fair maybe? Book club? Tiny yoga class?) and I believe can be hired?
My friend & I weren’t sure if it was table service but I did notice the tables all have numbers & upon enquiring they said it was indeedy table service. The guy who served us… wow. I don’t know if he was just having a bad day or if he’s allergic to smiling but he wasn’t the happiest camper shall we say. Ooft. Luckily the other people serving were very friendly & lovely so that made up for his bizarre, somewhat miserablist attitude. Price-​wise it’s not the cheapest but it is pretty good quality. I had a soya capuccino & flat white and also a carrot cake and it was all lovely ~ the coffee was nice & strong and the cake was super delicious; crammed full of cranberries & topped with a gorgeous cream cheese topping (and pecan nut too, yas!). All the other cakes looked good too. My friend had the Chorizo soup & a chocolate & coconut cake; both looked/​tasted lovely.
The toilets were clean & had nice handwash & hand lotion in (bonus). Not sure what the dealio is with WiFi as I didn’t try to connect, but I didn’t see an obvious code either, but having said that there were a few people in with laptops so I’m guessing it does have free WiFi?
I really liked that they gave us a jug of water & glasses without us even having to ask (some places even trying to get one glass of water is a total struggle!) and the table service is a nice touch. Another thing I really like is their opening hours ~ 7am — 10pm Mon-​Sun. I asked a guy serving (not Mr. Happy!) what their opening hours were on a Sunday and he said it’s probably nearer 8pm but it depends how busy they are, which is fair enough. I’m just happy to have found a really nice coffee shop that opens past 6pm midweek! Another thing he said was that the times might change again as they are trying to get an alcohol licence, so that would be another wee bonus.
I bumped into an old pal who lives nearby & he said him & his partner were single-​handedly trying to make sure this place doesn’t shut as they love it, which was so sweet to hear. I really wish all the best to the Gesso folk. Now I have figured out how to cycle here (yay!) I think I shall be here quite a bit.

Not fancy, but more than fine for our coffees over business talks. Friendly staff… and a very promising menu for the next visit!

I’ve returned to Gesso quite a few times and I’m excited to say I think it’s worthy of 5 stars. I mentioned it in my first review, but the space really is beautiful. It reminds me of a bar in Madrid which I really enjoyed — it was a café during the day and a wine bar at night. I would love it if Gesso could do this!
I work in cafes quite a lot and I have to say that Gesso has become a firm favourite of mine already. It’s a tranquil place which is great for getting on and focussing, they have great wifi (free, no stupid troubles getting connected) and they have table service so you don’t even have to get up to order another pot of tea. This place seems to attract lots of free-​range worker types — last time I was in, the place was partly filled with people working away on their laptops/​in their notebooks or having meetings. It’s also very kid friendly which normally I wouldn’t think paired very well with a good working space, but it does work.
Food wise I’ve now also tried the grilled mushrooms on toast which were just lovely and a great sized lunch portion. The menu seems to have been culled a bit since my first visit and it seems like there’s less hot options.
I find parking during the day on Sauchiehall Street to be the best option although you could park on the other side of Charing Cross and walk over (don’t park in Garnethill as they have a ridiculous ticketing system where you need to go to a nearby shop to buy a ticket).
And I’ve been informed it’s actually pronounced «Jesso» but perhaps they couldn’t call it that because then Scots might call it «Jeezo»?
Note: they now take Swipii cards.

Pros: Good food, lots to choose from, lots of comfortable seats, nice relaxed atmosphere.
Cons: On my first visit, very slow and disorganised service.
I went to Gesso for a light Sunday lunch and coffee. They have lots to choose from on the menu inclusing sandwiches, salads, weekend brunch and breakfast from 8−11am during the week. They have fresh baking and some prepacked snacks like crisps, flapjacks, Nakd bars and a few other things.
After browsing the five page menu (probably could be fitted on to two pages!) I went for scrambled eggs with chorizo on toast. I also ordered a coffee and a slice of banana bread. We sat down and waited… then waited some more. Eventually the food arrived but no coffee so I reminded the waitress and she was very apologetic. However the coffee still didn’t appear and after we’d finished our food I asked another waitress for the coffee as other people had come in and been served while we waited. She was also apologetic and said she would take the coffee off the bill which was a nice gesture as we’d been there about 45 minutes.
Food wise the eggs were perfectly cooked, light and fluffy and there were lots of big chunks of chorizo on top, so tasty. It came with big slices of toast made from artisinal bread. The banana bread was nice but the slice seemed a bit on the slim side, maybe I’m just greedy?!
I’ll definitely be back here for a raspberry and white chocolate tart and the banh mi looks pretty good too. It seems like a great place to hang out and relax for a while and the staff will probably leave you in peace.

Gesso can be found on St Georges Road, from the outside it looks like quite a smallish standard coffee shop but once you step inside it’s frankly massive for a coffee spot. The décor is totally up my street — loads of natural day light, cool exposed brick wall, large counter area busting with tempting goodies, cool art and an assortment of seating areas from large communal tables at the back to tables for two by the front door. It is 100% hipster but as you know I like that, and I would happily head over there with my laptop one day and set up camp for the morning to do some writing.
The staff were great — polite, helpful and smiley… nothing really more I can add.
So Gesso is definitely a coffee shop which does food rather than a restaurant. Don’t get me wrong it has a great little selection of food, but great coffee and cake is the main pull for the average Gesso customer I would guess. We had just missed their breakfast menu which is served until 11am, it was a shame as I quite fancied a square sausage roll. However I happily choose from the lunch menu which consisted of lovely looking sandwiches, scrambled egg, a few different soups and some sharing boards.
In the end I opted for the scrambled egg with some grilled chorizo for £5.70 and a side of Gigantes beans in tomato sauce at £2.20. The food arrived pretty quickly and it was really really delicious. There were 3 large slices of toast topped with a whole mound of creamy and well seasoned scrambled egg, with a good amount of tasty chorizo on top. I feel the beans should have come with a bit of a warning as they were pretty spicy, I didn’t mind this but it did surprise me a bit on my first bite. They were so good though and I would definitely recommend you try them… although not a massive portion for £2.20 in my opinion.
With such an amazing selection of Big Bear cakes on offer there was no way I could leave without trying one. I went for the white chocolate and raspberry tart. It was nice enough and I enjoyed it, but all white chocolate tarts are judges by the Cottonrake version which is still by far the best cake I have ever eaten. It was a perfectly pleasant cake though which I would have again.
Gesso is an outstanding addition to the Woodlands/​Charing Cross area and I will definitely be visiting lots in the future.

Another new coffee shop opening in Charing Cross… it’ll never work, I cried!
Gesso appeared as if from nowhere this week on the somewhat rainwater splattered Driftwood/​Starbucks stretch of the Charing Cross/​M8 intersection. I must admit my expectations were not terribly high. That is, until I paid a visit.
A veritable oasis given its location, this coffee shop come foodie stop is a very cool space indeed. Cleverly, the first thing that hits your radar upon entering is the mountain of awesome looking cake-​age. Décor-​wise, think cosy cushioned seats meets stripped back brickwork and stainless steel. With free wifi on tap, I will definitely be back to work in this vast yet quiet space (although I fear once word gets out it could become very busy indeed!)
Firstly, I sampled a plain scone and pot of tea. The scone tasted as if it was fresh out of the oven and was served up with the traditional strawberry jam pot & solid, cold butter. The tea was loose leaf and served up complete with brewing time hourglass. It was a pretty strong brew, which fairly blew the cobwebs away! I got my money’s worth and was wide awake!
On the way out, I bought a sandwich to go. The sandwiches are put together in house and this was just being finished off at 11am, which was perfect timing. The daily specials were: trout and pickle (looked a lot nicer than it sounds I promise!), tofu and some form of wilted veg (asparagus or stem broccoli I think) and triple cheddar. Feeling very unadventurous, I plumped for the triple cheddar, which in hindsight I kinda regret as it was definitely the poor relation of the three, seemingly especially designed for unadventurous people. It was basically three thick slices of rustic brown bread with grated cheese in the middle. My own fault, but I definitely think a dod of homemade chutney or quince wouldn’t go a miss in the poshing up stakes.
Also worth mentioning that Gesso is a wheelchair/​buggy accessible venue.
All in, I paid £8.20, which I thought was fairly reasonable given the calibre of the place generally. Special shout out to the staff, who were super friendly, enthusiastic and knowledgable given it was only day 2 of being open.
Bravo Gesso — I shall be back!

I’m all for luxuriously spacious cafes and Gesso is nothing short of huge! It’s a nice environment, very new so it’ll take some time for it to settle in and develop its own character but so far, I quite like the space, especially to do work on my laptop.
In terms of coffee, they could improve more. The prices are not as friendly as many other cafes so if you wanna make it pricey, the coffee should be spectacular.
My caffe latte was so-​so and my partners soy macchiato was extremely bitter and a bit pulpy (was the soy milk powdered or something? Didn’t smell sour or anything) and they charged 35p more for the choice of soy milk! That’s one expensive macchiato. The hot chocolate was good though but a bit too sweet.
I tried their lemon drizzle and sorry to say but it was too sweet for me. Not sure how the other cakes are though!
Staff are alright, most are pretty friendly except for one guy who has a chronic grumpy face. I’ll still go back for the environment and hot chocolate! Hope it improves as time passes!

Move over Burger bars, Coffee shops are rapidly becoming the new overkill industry on our streets! Given that the alternative is CostaNeroBucks I can’t say I’m totally disappointed, but it’s getting harder & harder to see how they’re possibly going to survive, and frankly that’s quite sad.
Today saw the opening of Gesso Espresso at Charing Cross. It might not be in the most attractive of locations (it’s almost the last outpost of West End coffee bars), but I’m sure there’ll be a lot’ve weary workers walking in through the doors in need of caffeine & sugar.
The décor is faux-​industrial with exposed ceilings, bare brick walls, cool abstract art, it follows a fairly standard template for cool coffee bars. The coffee served in-​house is by Dear Green, they sell cakes from Big Bear bakery, they sell Aeropress & deli products, there’s even WiFi, it’s a pretty cool place.
The problem isn’t with this shop in particular, more that (in my opinion) Glasgow has surpassed saturation point for coffee shops & it’s becoming difficult to feel enthused (or hopeful) for every new venture coming along. This is a nice, deceptively large coffee shop serving as an alternative to a big chain store just along the road, sadly given the competition for your coffee £££, it may have shown up a little late to the party to have much’ve a future in Glasgow’s coffee club.
In short: cool place, good coffee & nice cake, good luck!