An Clachan

Having spent the first dry, sunny afternoon in what seemed like ages, in the park, I came across this little gem of a café .
It reminded me of London, in so much they often had cafes in the larger parks, where mums and babies could while away an afternoon in comfort .
This is situated near the play park and has a nice boho vibe to it. We sat outside all wrapped up to get our Ray’s whilst enjoying scones and coffee. The scone was delicious being home made and containing dates and ginger, what, s not to like there I ask myself .
Hopefully another opportunity will come along to try something more substantial. Can, t wait !!

Well, I’m sorry An Clachan, but you leave me no choice. I have to downgrade you to two stars. That’s twice in one week that you’ve disappointed me.
The first was on Sunday, when we stopped by on a walk round the park for some refreshments. I know it was very busy, but to ask for £9.60 for 2 coffees and 2 tiny cupcakes is nothing short of daylight robbery. When I queried the charge, the serving lady had to consult with higher authority, and then the price was reduced to a (still hefty) £8.40. Come on now, you’re a café in the park, not a restaurant in the Merchant City.
After that I was prepared to take my patronage elsewhere, but on finding myself passing again today at lunchtime, I thought I’d give you a chance to redeem yourself.
Today was very quiet on the customer front, so I ordered a hot smoked salmon with horseradish toastie (from the «TOASTIES» menu), together with my usual Americano, which came to a more reasonable £4.60. The server (not sure if she was the same one as Sunday — she may have been) even looked at the TOASTIES menu and pointed at the one I had picked.
Armed with my coffee, I sat down to browse the newspapers and awaited my lunch.
You can imagine my surprise when, instead of the hot smoked salmon & horseradish toastie that I was expecting, I was served a poached salmon roll with side salad. I was momentarily stunned into silence, and too hungry to wait for the mistake to be rectified, so I ate it. Very nice it was too, but it wasn’t a TOASTIE!
I want to like this place, I really do, but they need a serious review of their pricing strategy and their staff training, as clearly much is being lost in translation between the counter and the kitchen.
Next!

An Clachan is a lovely wee independent café nestled in the trees of Kelvin Park. It has an earthy, bohemian vibe with a wholesome, whole foody menu, gorgeous natural wood fittings and furniture and even a piano on the porch. Although this can get tiresome when the kids get on the stool!
There is outside seating but good luck as this is a popular place on a dry day. Not least because of a clear view of the play parch affording sleep deprived parents a chance to top up caffeine levels while the little darlings burn off the sugar high from visiting the ice cream van at the park entrance. Or is that just my approach to parenting?
I didn’t eat this visit, just popped it for a carton of juice for smudge and a take away coffee for me. The staff were friendly. The coffee was great and I’m looking forward to another lazy sunny day in Kelvin Park to visit again.

Charming café. Waited an age at the desk waiting for my order to be taken so didn’t hold out much hope of getting it any time soon. Seemed seriously short staffed for a sunny day. Once ordered my veggie chilli burrito in fact arrived swiftly and was delicious. Will be back but maybe not if it looks busy.

Through pregnancy I came to this place, ate its yummy food and drank a lot of lemonade whilst thinking it was a parent’s paradise. You can sit while your kids roam free in the play park, if your babies scream there are plenty of people to give you empathetic looks and a breastfeeding mother can feel relaxed in the knowledge that the people around her probably aren’t going to freak out if they catch a glimpse of a boob!
Yesterday was my first time heading there as a real-​life mummy and my idea of the place as a 5 star child friendly wonder was rocked slightly. With the back door (which doesn’t have steps to it) locked and the clouds above threatening rain I left my pram outside while I went to enquire about how a person with only two hands was meant to get the pram up the stairs and whether the pram would be welcomed inside. The first answer i got was a little frosty but a second member of staff redeemed the place by saying he’d carry the pram in for me. Back to 5 stars, An Clachan. Well done!
Anyway, the rain didn’t arrive and I enjoyed a lemonade with a friend whilst watching the mummy and granny pros getting their prams, babies and bags up the stairs using only two hands! I guess I’ll learn soon enough. And that’s good because this place will still be my first choice for a light lunch or a cool drink with other mummies.

Just returned to my office with some carry out cauliflower soup, my office is less than 2 mins walk from the café, the soup is cold! and the taste of the cauliflower is drowned out by the overpowering taste of wholegrain mustard. My £2.50 soup goes down the sink.
I’ve had great coffee and an amazing bacon roll in this little café but its the second time I’ve purchased soup which is rank, a few colleagues have experienced the «soup» and are sympathetic. I love freshly made soup which isn’t laden with salt hence my second visit however I wont be making a third.
Cold nasty tasting soup… yuk

Charming building in the beautiful setting of Kelvingrove Park. Delicious food and friendly service! Lovely place to eat al fresco (when the weather permits).

Oh hellooooo there wee café! Where have you been? This bustling, bright and airy spot is the perfect addition to the park. There are several light food and drink options that are tasty and healthy (or at least, tasty and fresh in the case of the pastries) and can be ingested at seating either inside or outside. A small children’s play area keeps the kiddies amused while you sip your latte and take a breather. It’s tucked away in the corner of a park so it’s never overrun, even on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
The prices are a skosh high, but it is the West End, daaahhlings. However I do deduct a star for the sourpuss English server who always makes one feel like dirt for daring to want to patronize the establishment. But once you get past her, it’s a lovely little spot that perfectly punctuates a West End wander.

Can i hear a ‘HELL YEAH’?
I said can i hear a ‘HELL YEAH’… that’s better.
OK so what’s not to like about this joint…
Talk among yourselves, I’m constructing a visual canvas… OK done.
Kelvingrove Park on a bright, brisk winters day. Kids run, adults panic, kids stop, adults puff, kids run again, adults assess the immediate danger, stop panicking and toddle off to An Clachan for a kick ass latte to blow away the midday fog and warm up the ol’ body… again I ask, what’s not to like?
I love this place, not just for what it is (a cool wee café next to a playground in the wondrous wonder that is KG park) but also for what it, or they rather, have done; gap in market spotted and filled… done deal!
So yeah, beyond bigging these guys up again for being awesome with a capital ‘Hell Yeah!’ I thought it worth reporting that there’s a wee rumour they maybe considering opening at night time for some adult fun (minds out of the gutters folks). This would be cool.
Adult out.

This little café is a real mother earth type place and like Gavin, I have experienced the mothers with their breasts on the tables, not a baby in sight either just for the sake of it.
When I visited a few months ago I opted for a chicken and avocado sandwich and it was delicious, it was a ciabatta style roll which was really soft and the avocado was delish! The price wasn’t too bad either for the size of the roll and it was accompanied with a little side garden salad. I thought it was a nice little touch that they have jugs of tap water with ice with a surplus of glasses if you don’t want a drink and are just looking for a little drop of tap water. In other cafes some of the staff look at you as if you’ve deeply offended them if you ask for tap water.
I noticed that they had a huge range of homemade cakes and cupcakes which looked delicious and I saw a sign saying that they catered for party food too. This would be especially good for kids parties as they will lap the cupcakes right up and all the food is very healthy so it will be carrot sticks all round.
This little café would be best to visit in the summer and even better if you have little ones, you can sit outside with them in the sun and they can run around in the park whilst eating their five a day. There’s also a small play park right next to the café so I’m sure hours of fun could be had there.

Having just left this place after the tastiest lunch I’ve had in a while, I urge anyone in the West End to give this tiny little café a try.
Situated next to a playpark in Kelvingrove, An Clachan does sandwiches, soups coffees etc with an emphasis on fresh ingredients and is a little bit more upmarket than most such places. It’s very expensive, with a sandwich and a slice of cake leaving little change from £6.00, but the quality is outstanding with the tuna and avacado and BLT being my personal favourites so you get what you pay for. Theres also Sweets and cakes which change daily but there should always be something to tickle you’re fancy.
It’s very family friendly, perhaps too much so if you don’t feel the most comfortable sitting across from a trio of breast-​feeding women whilst supping on a latte, but takeaway is always available. You really must try it.

This lovely little café has been set up in some old public toilets that have sat, unused and unloved, crumbling away in the corner of the park for years. When I first heard there was a café opening up in the park I was struck by what a fantastic idea that was — and exactly what the Kelvingrove is missing!
Since having visited it at least twice a week since, I’m entirely grateful for its presence — it’s absolutely perfectly placed for anyone who looks after (like me) kids, or has some of their own, and gets stuck in that emergency moment when the child cries «I need a pee!», or for those who cannot express themselves fully but are emitting a suspicious smell, as they have a nicely equipped nappy changing area.
The food is pretty good too, far above the average sandwich shop. I’ve had some tasty lentil soup from there.
The only complaint I’d make would be the price — a kid’s platter is £2.99, which is pretty extortionate considering it consists of a cup of diluting juice, a small sandwich and a piece of fruit. I have taken to just getting coffee now, in order to use their toilets guilt free, and bringing our own lunch to save my pennies. Def worth visiting though!