Harden's survey result
Summary
Original hand-made furniture (by Tim Stead) and a characterful, panelled interior add to the enduring appeal of this 40-year-old favourite in the Merchant City – one of Glasgow’s stalwart culinary institutions. The food (served from breakfast) is wholesome, but un-fancy: burger, risotto, rarebit, Arbroath Smokies and so on.
Summary
This 40-year-old pioneer of modern Glasgow dining “never fails to deliver”, with its “great food selection” (including excellent breakfasts) and unique interior, including original hand-made furniture by Tim Stead. Its fish restaurant offshoot a few doors along closed down during the pandemic, but owner Seumas MacInnes saved the Gandolfi by selling his home. His sons Donald and Alasdair are part of the team, as manager and chef respectively.
Summary
This Merchant City legend, with its custom-made furniture and stained-glass window, still wins a good number of nominations, particularly for brunch, and it’s often held out as a “casual and relaxed” landmark of local life with “always reliable” cooking and a “good, somewhat unusual wine list”. One sceptical report, though, has some ring of truth to it: “Long held up as a Glasgow highlight, it can now seem a bit dull. The food is absolutely fine, but without any particular interest. But the room, with its wooden furniture seemingly made from driftwood and fallen trees, is great!”
Summary
This Merchant City legend, with its custom-made furniture and stained-glass window, still wins a good number of nominations, particularly for brunch, and it’s often held out as a “casual and relaxed” landmark of local life with “always reliable” cooking and a “good, somewhat unusual wine list”. One sceptical report, though, has some ring of truth to it: “Long held up as a Glasgow highlight, it can now seem a bit dull. The food is absolutely fine, but without any particular interest. But the room, with its wooden furniture seemingly made from driftwood and fallen trees, is great!”
For 32 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Café Gandolfi?
Restaurant details
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £26.40 |
| Filter Coffee | £4.50 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 10.00% |
64 Albion St, Glasgow, G1 1NY
Opening hours
| Monday | 8 am‑5 pm |
| Tuesday | 8 am‑10:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 8 am‑10:30 pm |
| Thursday | 8 am‑10:30 pm |
| Friday | 8 am‑10:30 pm |
| Saturday | 8 am‑10:30 pm |
| Sunday | 9 am‑5 pm |
Best similarly priced restaurants nearby
Pizza restaurant in Glasgow
Pizza restaurant in Glasgow
Fish & seafood restaurant in Glasgow
