Mono

I like Mono but hadn’t been in for a while so a visit was overdue. Went for dinner the other day — looking at the other tables, the seitan burger seemed to be a popular choice and it looked pretty good but I decided to order another dish I hadn’t come across before — the to-​fish and chips. There were 3 decent sized pieces of smoked tofu coated in batter, accompanied by hand cut chips, minted mushy peas, tartare sauce and lemon wedge. I enjoyed my dinner, it was nice to have some vegan food pub grub style. The service could’ve been a little more attentive and it’d be nice if they’d give the sticky tables a wipe but these are minor gripes. The atmosphere is very laid back and it’s great in the summer when you can sit outside in King’s Court.

The best vegan food in Glasgow. I love everything about Mono from its bright and open look and laid back vibe to the amazing food and homemade lemonade.
Keep an eye on Mono’s specials board when you go in. As good as the menu is, you’ll usually find a delicious gem chalked up on the wall.
After your main meal, treat yourself to the Oreo cheesecake. It’s one of the best in the city.

Mediocrity on a plate.
Working backward it was a gooey Tofutti cheese cake that tasted like it was glopped right out of the tub. Before that a bottle fed dim sum, by which I mean bottle sourced flavor all the way. The kale salad was okay, but note it consisted of unmodified garbanzos out of the can with kale and beets and more store bought vegan sour cream. This is a restaurant without cooking. If you want to consider dumping TVP on corn tortilla chips nachos go ahead, but you’ll be living a lie right along with the amateurs at Mono.
Nice atmosphere adulterated by people who know little of vegan cooking. Eat a cold veggie hotdog in the rain next time you’re in Glasgow. It will be better than going to Mono.

I love Mono so much. Apart from the fact that their menu is so good that I can never bear to choose one thing from it.
Popped in for a wee pre-​birthday lunch. Was in turmoil trying to decide what to get, but eventually settled for the Seitan burger with barbecue sauce, American mustard, dill pickle, onion and beef tomato served with hand cut chips. Added some ‘cheese’ too, just because I’m greedy. Wouldn’t be a birthday lunch without some booze, so had Kraken and diet coke too.
The burger was epic! The ‘cheese’ was awesome and the BBQ sauce just made it. I love pickles and gherkins and there was plenty in there. Wish I had space for dessert, they all sound so good. Must go back and try the Lamachan — Turkish pizza with spicy mince, roasted aubergine, onion, fresh red chillies, lime
and coriander yogurt, salad and sumac. How good does that sound?
Service is pretty laid back in here, but that’s fine. We ordered and paid at the bar to speed things up. No big deal. Staff are pleasant too.
It has a nifty beer garden at the front too, for when the sun decides to make an appearance. Inside is spacious and airy though, so not stuffy when it’s warm outside.
We were under 30 quid for two massive mains and two drinks, including tip. Not too shabby. BOGOF pizzas on a Monday night though, so I’ve heard. They’re also now serving up (occassionally) vegan half pizza crunch suppers, complete with pickle. Lordy!
Can’t wait to go back and try that ace sounding pizza!

Found this in lonely planet, and is just what I needed after a long flight. Unpretentious service (not a given at vegan restaurants ;), delicious Vietnamese style sandwich. The «side salad» was exactly two bites worth, so was more of a garnish.
For dessert, a sweet and tasty lemon coconut cake (very moist) and perfect cappuccino. First meal in Scotland,

WOW, was what my cousin and i said as we left the double doors of Mono. It was the beginning of a hard week, my Cousin had flown up from London and we both had the day to prance about Glasgow. We walked through the Merchant City Festival and down to Mono for lunch. It was just absolutely fab, we sat in the nice big comfy couch and had a good view of the entire restaurant. The atmosphere was fantastic, we felt comfortable having a good ol chat here. We ordered Nachos to share which were so tasty, they were all polished off. There was far more corn chips than anything else though so ratio’s are something they could work on. I had the veggie burger and i couldn’t believe how good it was, i had been told this was the best veggie burger in Glasgow and it really was. It didn’t fall apart on me like the one at the 13^th note. The bun was fantastic and the flavours were strong. My cousin had the Phở and i also had a wee taste, she loved it. I would say my cousin knows good food and she loves hot dishes. In preparation of it not being up to her usual hot standards she ordered a side of sliced chillies. They went untouched as the Phở was perfectly spicy and perfectly delicious. We had a side of Cajun Fries with aoli, i really liked them even though i like a crunchy fry where as these were soggier yet far less soggier then other veggie places i have been (why are they all soggy? is the oil?)
We were keen to try their raspberry and rose lemonade however they were all out so i stuck with a regular sprite. We both had a fantastic experience the food came out in a good time (not too fast and not too slow) Everything we ordered was fantastic and we left so satisfied and happy that after complaining about how awful the weather was all day we said we felt so good we didn’t mind anymore. If you can make to home sick Australians forget about the cold, rainy and windy Glaswegian day… you really have done something spectacular.

I can’t believe I’ve never reviewed here!
My latest visit was at the weekend with Debs M for a good old blether. It was the quietest I’ve seen it in ages, but that was just perfect for a quiet catch up.
Usually, it’s really busy, and attracts quite a mixed bunch of folks. I’ve never eaten here, but have heard good things and will be sure to try it out soon — it’s vegan if that matters to you.
Drinkswise, the beer on tap is pretty limited, but they do a few good bottled ipa’s. Mono are also brewing their own soft drinks again — full list is above the bar. We went for raspberry (and a mysterious ingredient I can’t remember) lemonade. And I can’t praise it enough — it was tasty, light and refreshing on what was a really hot night.
Music is usually good in here too — just as well really, given that it’s also home to the record shop, Monorail. I’ve been to a couple of live events here over the years, most recently a talky thing by Tim Burgess (of Cardigans fame), with our very own celebrity stalker, Eilidh G (she might kill me for this, but she totally fan-​girled). It’s a space that works really well for that kind of event, as well as gigs.
Overall, I love coming here. I love the raised seating, the couches, the friendly atmosphere, and the lovely, but oh so airy fairy staff!

I have been and will be a Mono customer for years. I love the food (best vegan food in town) and it’s relaxed atmosphere. Truly a statement restaurant.

Enjoyed a bowl of this delicious carrot, coconut & ginger soup (June 2013) in Mono café bar, Glasgow. The home-​made bread and light (Suma, dairy free) sunflower margarine complemented the soup wonderfully! Highly recommended!

After visiting mono the other night, I was looking forward to the food. Not eating meat, I was excited about the range of food available, although I had my heart set on the Phở they’d actually ran out. I ended up having the smoked tofu sandwich with chips. It was definitely tasty :) and pretty good value, only £7.
However it disappoints me that I can’t say the same for the atmosphere or staff. As we went in, there was a big-​ish party of us, about 8. So we moved a couple of tables together. The area was reasonably quiet so we weren’t getting in anyone’s way. A waitress came over and asked how many were eating, she sighed and walked away when we said 7 of us were in for food. This made everyone quite uncomfortable, and definitely set the tone for the service we received.
It was incredibly slow. Someone came to take our drinks order before we’d been given menu’s although we had said we were in for food. It was about 20 minutes after this they came back to get our orders.
One member of our party arrived late and when she went to the bar to ask to add some extra sides onto the order, she got a frosty response. It took around an hour to get out food after ordering, dishes came out over a 20 minute spell meaning some people were almost finished before others had got food. There was no apology about the wait or anything. I think a different attitude would have made the wait much more ok. All in we were there for over two hours to have pretty much burgers and one drink each.
Unfortunately the service killed the experience for our group, I wouldn’t rush back which is a shame because the food was delicious! They make brilliant chips and onion rings and the home brewed ginger beer might be the best ginger beer I’ve ever tried!

When I first came to Mono many years ago, I was unaware that it was vegan bar. To be frank, as an omnivore, I didn’t care.
The reason is I’ve always found something on the menu that catered for my preferences.
Today I had the falafel and tahini wrap with spicy chips. It was delicious. As I write my only dilemma is whether to have another wrap or go for the Oreo cheesecake. Life is hard, with tough choices.
They also have mini discos on a Sunday (sometimes), are child friendly and have a natty little record store for burning off the post cheesecake calories.
I had the cheesecake.

Stopped in for lunch today. I am not vegan (but I am gluten-​free!) and my companion is vegetarian. They do have a gluten/​wheat free menu, which was good news for me.
The good: my companion ordered the banh mi and he enjoyed it. He topped the sandwich with a side of soy sauce and his only complaint was that there was too much bread for the amount of fillings he got. Taste was great.
I wasn’t super hungry, so I just ordered cajun chips with aioli and a green salad. The salad is just greens, thinly sliced cucumbers and dressing, but at least I can say I ate a vegetable today. The chips were heavily seasoned (this is a good thing) and the creamy aioli took the edge off the spices. I could have had phở or a few of the sandwiches as salads, so I definitely have more options to explore.
The less-​than-​good: service was pretty slow — it was about 40 minutes from sitting down to getting our food. For a table of two with a sandwich and two sides, this seems long. The restaurant only had a few tables when we arrived, but it was filling up steadily by the time we left. Also, I’m not sure why, but one waitress kept giving us the silent treatment/​stink eye when she brought our drinks and silverware around — I felt a bit unwelcome at first! Everyone after that was nice, though, so maybe she was just having a rough day.

It had been many years since I was last in Mono and to be honest, whilst I knew that Glasgow has a thriving vegetarian and vegan scene, I’d always got the impression that the dedicated veggie restaurants, or at least the more casual ones like here, tended to the bean burger and potato wedge type menu (a stereotype reinforced by certain other Glasgow establishments whose names I shan’t mention). So despite my cries of «urgh, Mono!» I was pleasantly surprised to discover a varied and interesting menu when I popped by with my mum and sister at the weekend.
I was torn as to what to have. The sourdough base pizzas sounded excellent, and the main meals showed an imagination that both surprised and delighted me. We must have all been in a Vietnamese mood as my sister went for Phở and mum and I couldn’t see past the Banh Mi. Now obviously these were vegetarian versions, in the case of the Banh Mi it was a grilled, smokey tofu rather than pork and paté, but the other staples were there — the pickled vegetables, the coriander and the mayonnaise (though it was sriacha mayo). It was delicious, but not wildly filling. The phở certainly looked impressive, and my sister enjoyed it so it must have been doing something right! We added on cajun chips with alioli, yet despite all this I was still hungry.
So, the food is all good, but I’m afraid what lets Mono down (and brings it firmly into the four star category despite the tasty grub) is the service. It’s not unfriendly, it’s just painfully slow at all stages and from all members of staff. Certainly not somewhere for a quick bite, you need to make sure you have a bit of time on your hands before you pop by.
Mono is casual, but the menu is impressive, plus it’s a great evening venue with live music and an alcohol licence. It’s gone back on my list of places to eat in Glasgow, and not just when accompanying veggie friends!

When you are vegan it can be a total pain to grab a bite to eat. The great thing about Mono is that everything on the menu is 100% vegan and that the selection is surprisingly good. There are healthy options and DURTY vegan treats. They often have cake which they make in house (and will bake for your birthday if you give them notice). They have a good coffee and a great relaxed attitude and atmosphere.
Talking about atmosphere the look of the place is thrift shop, meets library, meets that church hall your band used to practice in with some brewing equipment in the corner. It can be a bit dark and sometimes verges on gloomy. But the staff are welcoming and friendly and the couches are super comfy.
Overall a great place to grab a bite to eat. My only criticisms are that if you are looking for a vegan cider you have to go for a pretty pricy bottled number. Also the food could be more consistent (amount of cheese on pizzas from day to day).
This will long continue to be a regular haunt for me!

I had lunch here today, and I sought out the place based on a recommendations from a few people including a vegan friend of mine. I am vegan myself so knowing it was a vegan friendly place to eat I was keen to visit.
I am so glad I stopped here for some food and a bit of a chill out, as it was just what I needed to assuage my shopping woes from earlier in the day.
Anyhoo, I opted for the Seitan Burger as I’d heard about this seitan stuff but never tried it. It was a thoroughly good vegan burger, and went well with the bottle of Birds & Bee’s ale I had with it.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the entire menu is vegan! The woman who served me was very friendly and I enjoyed a few minutes pleasant chat with her about the plans Mono have for making their own craft beer. I love craft beer and if they do this I will be coming back here to sample it!
The venue itself is quite a funky cool place, very minimalist with painted stone walls and old wooden tables and chairs with character. I liked the internal lay out of the place. There’s art on sale on the walls and a small record and art store section behind the seating area.
My only negative point about the visit there was the air temperature in the toilets: it couldn’t have been much warmer than the freezing cold outside temperature!
I know that every time I’m in Glasgow in future that I’ll feel compelled to visit Mono and try a new menu item until I’ve tried them all.
If you’re vegan it’s pretty much a must, and if you’re not vegan go and see just how tasty a meal can be without animal derived protein in it.

My husband and I visited this place on our first night in Glasgow.
Sorry, I have to marvel at that for a moment. I’ve been to Glasgow. How awesome.
Anyway, we had been traveling for the better part of the day, and had been walking for the better part of the night, just sight seeing and enjoying the city… But then it came time, as it sometimes does, to forage for food. I was a bit worried that traveling to a different country would be hell on my diet since I’m a terminal vegetarian and I don’t know how different places treat people like me. I know the internet at large likes to play rounds of kick the vegetarian on open forums, and in the Midwest servers really love to make sure I know that they hate me for asking to keep the cheese off of my sandwiches… But I’ve been relatively lucky in that I live in Southern California, and vegetarianism is sort of the «in thing» here. Which comes with its own set of problems, I can assure you, but at least those problems don’t include not being able to eat ever.
In any case, I don’t think my apprehensions were unwarranted.
But you know what? The British diet is not a «foreign diet» the way I had imagined it could be. It’s just a little different. Visiting Scotland, in that way, was more like visiting a cousin’s home for dinner rather than visiting an entire different family altogether. You know what I mean. You go to your aunt’s house, and she still makes your grandmother’s special pie recipe just the same way your mother does. She puts a half cup of cream in the mashed potatoes just like you were taught to do. Your friend’s mom, on the other hand, serves bok choy with rice noodles, and you’re like «WTF, my mom never made this…»
Except in Scotland I believe you say «mum», which, okay, is a little foreign, but then no one eats vernacular variations, and this is a food review after all, so let’s get back to that.
Mono was, by far, the best vegetarian restaurant I’ve eaten at in a long time. Which was a little disappointing, as you can imagine, because I don’t live in Scotland. I don’t even live on a coast that shares an ocean with Scotland. However, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, and since now I’m left with an idealized memory of this place, I can recall it with all the poetry of a lost love… especially since, in a way, that is kind of what I feel. I had a brief and torrid love affair with Mono, visiting twice during my two day stay in Glasgow — indeed the only restaurant in all of the UK that we visited more than once. I have tasted perfection, and it turns out perfection is a perfectly made falafel sandwich. In Scotland. CRUEL FATE!
I half feel that this place disappears and returns on a whim, like an enchanted traveling circus, and if I ever tried to return to the spot all I would find would be wind howling through an empty courtyard. I can only hope that one day it finds itself back to me.

I’ve been to Mono a few times now thanks to my vegan better half and the place us definitely growing on me.
The first time, I wasn’t convinced — the waiter needed a personality transplant! Luckily I’ve not seen them since so maybe they’re not there anymore. Staff this time were really friendly.
Last week though was an evening with great friends and we landed on the Bank Holiday Monday and happily got stuck into their ‘2 pizzas for £10′ deal which is just awesome value.
All 4 of us tried a different pizza, we were all happy with the result. Mine was a «Salami» affair with jalapeños and was lovely — particularly liked the sourdough pizza base — nice and crispy too!
My only downside was a lack of drink options and I’d like to see a more extensive selection. I wanted an alcoholic ginger beer but they didn’t stock any and I wanted a wheat beer for Lucy but they only had bottles which whilst nice were pretty pricey!
Anyway, I’ll definitely be back and pretty good chance it’ll be on a Monday night too! Good job Mono!

I last reviewed Mono four years ago and I still love the place — it’s now even better than it ever was. Their genius of a chef has managed to veganise all my old fat favourites, such as burgers and doughnuts, which many a vegan would ordinarily mourn.
I highly recommend visiting on a Wednesday, as you can get a beer and burger for a fiver and OH what a burger it is. This seitan burger comes in a seeded bun, with all the gherkin, ketchup and mustardy trimmings and is served diner-​style in a wee plastic basket. It is, without a doubt, THE best veggie burger I have ever eaten and is the closest you’ll get to the real thing (it’s actually better).
I was overjoyed when I discovered they had started making their own doughnuts, which are glorious. They’re sugary and sinful, just like the ones I used to get at The Barras when I was wee, although I doubt these ones will do as much damage.
They also brew their own soft drinks, including raspberry and rose lemonade, which goes gorgeously with gin.
Absolutely everything I have ever eaten here has been sensational. Although the menu is entirely vegan, there’s never that feeling that your meal is missing something and the quality of the food is outstanding. I don’t know how they do it, but I hope they continue forever and ever.

It is a lovely building, they really use this place! In the restaurant is also an altenative music store (i did buy a CD of jacques brel: né me quitte pas, is one of my favorites song of him.), a place to relax on one of the couches, serveral plants and non of the chairs are equal. :)
We did expected a relaxed place, tasty food for a small price and good drinks, services and maybe some music.
The drinks are big, cheap, good an just a good deal.
But we think that the chef didn’t has a good day: the rice was overcooked and the sauce to heavy, spices, salty and spicy. We ask for more white rice, because we couldn’t eat our meal without making it less heavy to eat. We saw on other tables that people send the nasi back to the kitchen.
Some of the people who work here are polity, helpful, full of energy, others just walking around like zombies not really knowing what the customers saying and what to do. The last ones aren’t helpful for a relaxed evening unfortunately.
We didn’t get what we were expecting. We didn’t get any good food, or good services, we waited more then 30 minute for our meals and not just 15 minutes what the waiter said. But we did get a small price, good and lovely drinks and we bought a CD with music.
We won’t come back for the food, it was not good enough. But we will come back for the drinks, the relaxed feeling and the music shop.

Mono is a very chilled out place to head any time you fancy a drink, a browse through the record shop, food or just somewhere to sit and chat. I visited on Friday night after dinner at Brutti Compadres, and it was a nice place to wind down the night.
I’m sure Mono looks different from the last time I visited, it seemed a lot lighter. Not sure if it’s the big glass cupola (skylight) has been cleaned or repainted, or just the bright evenings we get in Glasgow. Anyway, it was a welcome change as I remember this place being a bit dark and dingy on occasion.
There’s lots of seating here so you shouldn’t have a problem finding a seat. It’s a very relaxed place so often tables have been rearranged and moved about. There are also couches but obviously they’ll always be in hot demand. During business hours you can visit Monorail Music or Good Press (music and books respectively) which I think makes awesome use of this unusual space.
I haven’t eaten here in a long time, or even looked at the menu so I can’t comment on that, but I do know it’s vegan treats. We recently got tickets to see BIS in August so I’ll make sure we try the food then.
All round, a good place to go for a drink if you’re in the area. There’s also a nice seating area outside in Kings Court if the weather is suitable.