The Glasgow Tearooms

I’ve been to the Glasgow Tea Rooms a few times for afternoon tea and I’ve always had a lovely experience. For the very reasonable £14.95, the afternoon tea is made up of your choice of English/​Scottish loose tea, two rounds of sandwiches (e.g. cheese and tomato, tuna and sweetcorn, ham and tomato, egg mayonnaise), scones with cream and jam, and a selection of cakes. The staff are absolutely lovely — run by a family, it’s lovely and unique to be seated by a granny, then have her grandson bring over your order, then pay the auntie! The staff have always been so lovely to speak to as well — chatty, friendly and cheerful, giving the Glasgow Tea Rooms a more ‘friendly local’ vibe than other similar tea rooms and restaurants in the Merchant City area.
The afternoon tea is a generous size — every time I’ve visited I’ve had to take away at least a few of the cakes in a box because me and my friends simply couldn’t manage them at the time! It’s not a problem at all to take away some of the food if you’ve not managed to eat it all, with the staff usually suggesting it before you even have to ask. Everything is home made and fresh, which means you can ask for a slight change in sandwich toppings if you fancy (e.g. I always have cheese sandwiches with no tomato) and — if you’re lucky enough to time it right like I was last time — you can tuck in to scones warm from the oven.
The Glasgow Tea Rooms does get busy, so, especially if you’re popping in over the weekend, I recommend booking a table. The last time I visited every table was full so the staff were really busy which meant there was a bit of a delay between finishing our pot of tea and having a fresh one brought to the table — if you’re happy with a short wait then pop in any time, otherwise I’d avoid Saturday and Sunday lunch times!
A lovely homely venue in the city centre — I’ve already been a handful of times and would definitely visit again!

I was sadly disappointed by my experience with this place. I went for tea and felt rushed as soon as I sat down. The staff was sweet but not really focusing on my needs. My order was hurriedly taken and then my food arrived before my tea. I waited about 6 mins to get my tea. The daily special I ordered came with a soup and sandwich but the soup was not fresh and the sandwich was thrown together. The bread was stale and bland. The desert looked much better but I did not bother trying.

This is a great wee gem in the heart of Glasgow Merchant City. It is family run by a lovely family, the matriarch of the family still waiting tables, her daughters and other family members all helping out.
They are very nice and will have a chat with you as they serve teas, coffees or their great selection of cakes and goodies. They serve amazing afternoon tea on vintage china, it is a great idea for taking out mum or grandma. They have a three tier cake stand; sandwiches on the bottom, scones with jam and cream then cakes on top.
They play Sinatra on the speakers and the carpet is just like your grandma used to have, it has a really homely feel. There is a massive painting on one wall of various Glasgow attractions which really makes it feel Glaswegian and authentic.
I can’t say how good this place is enough, I have been a few times now and enjoyed it every time, the family made me feel very welcome and I’m proud to take my family and friends there.