Trans-Europe Café

The Trans-​Euope Café has such a cool atmosphere. We went for breakfast one weekend and I think we were lucky to get a seat at all but the staff made it work without us having to wait for more than five minutes.
Once settled I ordered the full breakfast and my partner got the French toast. I don’t say this lightly, but that breakfast featured probably the best scrambled eggs I’ve ever tasted. They were perfect. I wish I knew what the secret was because I don’t want scrambled eggs any other way ever again.
It really feels like the kind of café you could sit in all day but they’re so busy I’d start to feel guilty about not giving them their table back. That said, by the time we were done they were starting to get a little quieter so perhaps they normally have a lull around mid afternoon.

I love this week place.
Took a pal for lunch for the first time & she also thought it was great.
My favourites are the sandwiches (served with crisps just like my mum used to do) and the French toast with any topping you like.
The quirky map & bus seat décor is fab & the service is always super friendly.
It’s a wee gem.

The coolest place for brunch in Glasgow is always chock full of hipsters and arty types. You may have to queue if you aren’t there for 10am — I did today but it’s always worth the wait!
Trans-​euro Café is the perfect place if you love mid-​century design, queeny tunes (often accompanied by the enthusiastic warbles of the gloriously eccentric waiter/​owner!) and the most logical menu ever. For all day breakfast you can choose individual items from a list of around 10– like a brunch pick and mix. There is a really great range of tasty options from french toast, omelettes, sandwiches, salads and all the egg variations a Europe lover could wish for!
My fave is the French toast with mixed fruit, a pot of Darjeeling tea and an apple juice.
The service is always excellent and friendly– though if you are seeking an impersonal and coldly efficient service the exuberant friendliness here may not be your cup of tea!
It’s hard to add to the already extensive reviews of this place– I absolutely love it.

Whilst Clare S was ‘lifting heavy shit’ in the gym, I wander round to get some breakfast here. What a great little place!
It’s got a very casual, spartan, second hand vibe kinda thing going on, from the old bus/​tram seats to the décor, and I like it. I immediately felt very comfortable and ready for some food.
I ordered a coffee, a fresh orange and french toast with cinnamon banana and honey.
The coffee, a latte, arrived in a tall glass mug, and was perfectly split with a dark coffee in the bottom half and a lot of milky foam in the top half, not quite a latte but it was tasty enough.
The food arrived after a short wait, I wasn’t in a hurry and had a book with me so was quite happy, and it looked delicious. I can confirm that, after the first couple of bites, I was hooked, the addition of the cinnamon really helped and I scoffed it down pretty quickly!
I asked for another coffee and told the waitresses I’d pay for everything as I was gonna sit outside and read for a while (it was a beautiful morning) and she happily totalled up my bill, let me pay and brought my next coffee out to me.
Looking at some of the previous reviews it seems a bit hit and miss, but I had no complaints the day I was in and I’ll definitely pop in the next time I’m in the area.

I was so nervous I was going to have to one star this place, but our experience went from «what the!!!» to «alright, cool».
It was our anniversary yesterday and my boyfriend, having had a late night with the guys playing pool and watching football at the flat, was in need of a good meal, and STAT. I had already had breakfast, and it was nearing lunch time, but he was wanting breakfast. We decided to venture here to see what all the fuss was about.
The place was packed. So much in fact that we walked by twice to see if any seats had opened. By the time we walked by that second time, a table had opened, but hadn’t been cleaned yet. The only waitress motioned for us to sit down and she would clean it off for us. What we didn’t realise upon deciding to sit was that she was the only waitress and there was no chef working, so another waiter was in the back cooking. «what the?!».
It took her about 15 mins to clear the table and finally bring us some menus. I was lacking the patience my amazing boyfriend has and probably suggested we leave a few times, but we stayed. I’m really glad we did because the food was delish.
My boyfriend decided not to go for breakfast items, but instead we ended up ordering the same thing. The Venice sandwich. Grilled chicken, pesto and mozzarella. Heaven. I have this love for pesto that is never satisfied but on random occasions like this. Our grilled paninis came on a selection of breads, we went for ciabatta. They also came with some slaw, a mixed salad and a small handful of crisps. We were pleasantly surprised at how good our food was!
We felt bad for the girl, who had a mega attitude when we first came in, but we were nice to her, which in turn helped calm her. She ended up turning away 3 couples who came in because the kitchen couldn’t keep up, so by the time we left, the place had cleared out a bit.
This place is great fir breakfast/​brunch/​lunch, its just really small and a bit overwhelming for the staff when they are short people. We will be back for sure, I’d love to try the French toast next time!

First experience was Tuesday May 26, 2015 for breakfast.
The owner was extremely nice and very welcoming to accommodate us and our little dog to eat in. I ordered the French Toast with sausage, bacon, and mushrooms. The French Toast was delicious but the sides weren’t anything to brag about but it wasn’t awful. Tea and coffee was great and my wife had zero complaints on the meal she ordered.
Staff– nice and welcoming
Food– average to slightly above depending on the dish
Eating area-​very clean and a explorers atmosphere.
We rarely eat at a restaurant more than once unless we find it spectacular just to experience more and I’m afraid to say Trans-​euro café will only be experienced once.

I love this place. Not necessarily because it has the absolutely best food, but it has such great character and feels a real stalwart of the Glasgow brunch scene.
I don’t mean to suggest that the food isn’t good because it is lovely. Few small issues, eggs florentine served on ciabbata rather than bagel or griddle cake, which is a little bit strange. French toast served with golden syrup rather than proper maple syrup.
As I said there is a great atmosphere, partly because it can be pretty smoky, not sure the kitchen has sufficient air extraction.
All that aside, this place is great and I love it!

So, I went here about 6weeks ago for Unilocal Brunch Club.
After hanging around for a while, we eventually squeezed into our bus seats. Literally.
I think the chef did a good job getting the food out to everyone — the place was jam packed! I opted for the full fry up breakfast — at a glacé, it looked like a bit of a skimpy portion. But, after munching my way through it, I was left feeling pleasantly satisfied — not too full either.
The only thing I didn’t like was the fried mushroom — it was really oily and gross.
Next time it’ll be dinner — the menu looked great.

Having walked past the Trans-​Europe Café maybe upwards of 100 times, I eventually got around to eating there last Sunday with some fab Unilocal friends for brunch club. Having arrived fashionably late, I was blissfully unaware of the problem over the table booking!
Inside, the café has a fantastic whole-​wall Europe map, and travel-​themed bits and pieces, including bus seats (a tight squeeze!). The kitchen is open and overlooks the café — at times the cooking smells and smoke was rather overpowering.
I opted for the Eggs Florentine, with my fellow brunch-​clubbers opting for Eggs Benedict, full breakfasts and tuna melt. The food arrived quite quickly and I was soon tucking in.
For the price, my eggs were quite disapointring. I was glad to see two poached eggs, but they weren’t the best I’ve had — the chef needs some practice here! The toasted muffin didn’t redeem the dish either, being rather hard/​stale, possibly pre-​toasted earlier in the day? Unfortunately the spinach didn’t hit the spot either — I’d have preferred streamed/​wilted baby-​leaf spinach, rather than a handful of raw big-​leaf stuff. Served swimming in hollandaise wasn’t to my taste either, overall it was passable, not worth sending back. I appreciate this place is a café and not a restaurant, but there’s room for improvement on this classic dish.
The full breakfast ordered by my friends was a little thrifty on content, a single small sausage, single bacon rasher, etc… I’d have been disappointed if I’d ordered it.
Overall I enjoyed brunch, but it was more down to the company than the food. My eggs, regular tea and tip came to £10, hardly breaking the bank, but I really expect more for my tenner. I’d like to give it a second change for dinner some time, the full menu looked really tempting.

Brunch club on Sunday was to tempting to ignore after all the good reviews I have read on Unilocal for this place.
First impressions were slightly poor tbh, they did not have a table for us and changed their minds about taking a brunch booking. Thankfully they eventually had room and after a ten minute wait we got all got seated.
It’s got quite a retro feel to the place and I like the maps on the wall and the general throw back style of the the décor. One complaint though is the chairs and tables are not very comfy, they look retro and cool, but a bit cramped when your 6ft 3.
The food menu looked pretty good and I was set on the eggs royale with salmon. It tasted superb, there was loads of sauce and the eggs were cooked perfect. I am afraid though for me the portion seemed a bit small. I could of done with another egg and a couple of slices of toast on the side.
Seeing as it was after 12 noon on a Sunday I decided to check out the beer menu, for a post brunch beverage. Unfortunately it was pretty poor with only peroni and fustenburg on offer. I went for the former and everybody else ordered what they were getting, but it felt like it took ages to come. Almost like they would have rather we moved off the table than order more drinks.
Don’t get me wrong, the eggs dish I got tasted awesome and I don’t think you would be disappointed if you ordered it, but I just don’t think the overall dining experience was good enough that I would be rushing back.
All ok, but nothing amazing… well apart my new AWESOME Brunch club mug!

Decided to try Trans-​Europe Café after passing it recently and noticing their funky seating which was clearly from an old bus! Also thought their menu looked good too. So, I took the family back to try out the Sunday breakfast menu before we tried out some of Glasgow’s Doors Open buildings. Namely, the Panoptican and the Glasgow Trades House.
My wife and I had the full breakfast whilst my daughters had: 1) French toast, bacon and maple syrup and 2) bacon, black pudding, beans, egg and toast. All the breakfasts were good quality and tasted good too. I would have maybe expected some mushrooms and an extra sausage to make it a good filler but that’s just me and my appetite! Coffee was good too and my cappuccino was nice and strong!
They also appear to be open in the evening too and whilst we were waiting for our food to arrive I did check out their large black board with specials on it and there were certainly a few dishes which caught my eye!
In conclusion, good food, good staff, good atmosphere and good service. :)

Really really really good sandwiches and café food during the day — haven’t tried the evening menu yet but planing too soon as it looks ace (combo of French, Spanish and Italian cooking)
Friendly service, nice atmosphere and very reasonable prices — no negatives at all in my book

This is a funny wee place but I really like it. I can’t put a name to the style of décor (I’ve looked at other reviews on here but don’t really agree with any of them) but it’s casual and quirky and I love the bus seats and the maps on the wall. The music is brilliant — both times I’ve been in they’ve been playing 70’s and 80’s stuff and there’s nothing like drinking coffee while I Don’t Like Mondays is followed by The Cure’s A Forest. Especially when the cheery guy who works there is singing and dancing along. The coffee is more than decent and the breakfasts are good. As we were going out for lunch, we ordered french toast with bacon, added on sausages and asked if we could split it between two of us. No problem at all, and it was lovely. If I was in the area, this would now be my first stop for coffee and I’m planning on coming back to check out the evening menu at some point.

Have been dying to go here for dinner for ages. Had brunch a few times but whilst eating my brunch, have been eyeing the dinner menu.
Probably everyone has described the interior, won’t spend too much time describing that. Only thing I would say about it at nightime is that it feels more cosy and romantic.
The dinner menu was made up of about 5 staters and 5 mains. We never had a starter as were not mega hungry. For mains I had chicken with black pudding and potato fondant. My boyfriend steak and frites. The food was sublime. The chicken was moist and the black pudding amongst the best I has ever tasted. The star of the plate was the potato fondant. Creamy, velvety, moreish, potato.
The steak was also lovely and tender. We never had deserts. Can’t wait to go back to try all 3 courses!

We decided to fuel ourselves before a wee adventure by delving into the full breakfast at the Trans-​Europe Café. The food was great and we look forward to trying the french toast next time.
In terms of staff, they were attentive and full of energy. Atmosphere was great too. Perfect start to the day.

This is a fabulous place to go for brunch. Their all day breakfast is so filling you probably won’t need any dinner later! Their sandwiches are named after European cities, and are all delicious! I always look over the menu on each visit, but 8 out of 10 times I’ll get the Spanish omelette. Filled with chorizo and mozzarella it is fantastic! Their coffee is also tasty, and they have a small selection of beers.
On Friday and Saturday you can also have a tasty dinner here. Their evening menu changes fairly often, so you are not stuck with the same choices all the time. On my most recent visit both myself and the boyfriend had the pork loin, with apple purée, mixed greens and black pudding mash. Yes, you read that correctly, black pudding mash. At first I thought there was a missing comma on the menu, but no, an it was soooo tasty! It wasn’t overpowering, quite subtle, black and white mottled mash ftw!
For such a small place it has a decent sized menu and drinks selection, and the owner is on hand most of the time, and he is brill. Very chatty and always glad to see you. Sometimes the service can be a bit slow (I prefer relaxed!) if they are full to capacity, but the kitchen is only wee! I’d recommend heading there on a weekend evening if you want good, tasty, non fussy food, with a great atmosphere, and always a good place for breakfast/​brunch.

Ooooh, Trans-​Europe Café, you!
So Parisian and chic, I almost felt like I’d taken an express flight to Paris and popped into a quaint little bistro to wile away the hours over tea whilst people-​watching by the seine. Such is the nature of Trans-​Europe Café to take me far, far away but alas, it was just another dreary afternoon in Glasgow.
Met by the jovial owner singing away to the cheery café tunes, we took a seat in the old vintage tram seats. Cosey and kitsch! And I really loved the worldly feel of the café with the atlas designs on the wall. It’s small and I did have some trouble getting past the nearby pillar and into my seat (it was quite busy!) but once I did, it was worth it to have lunch in such a unique place.
I had peppermint tea and the Venice (ooh, fancy!) toasted sandwich with chicken, mozzarella and pesto. The sandwich came with a handful of crisps, coleslaw and some salad leaves in a balsamic vinaigrette. Whilst being a simple meal, it was delicious and made for a great lunch in a quirky little café. I particularly loved the owner’s positive attitude along with the warm welcome we received. The painting of the owner sitting outside the café itself stole the show for me! When you see it, you’ll know it… And it will make you smile!
Until next time, Trans-​Europe Café!

My favourite place for brunch in Glasgow. It’s a little hard to find at first but it’s well worth making the effort to eat here.
The interior reminds me of being back in Berlin (my favourite place in the world) with it’s quirky seating, the countless postcards on the wall and 80s music on in the background.
I have eaten here at all times of the day and have never been disappointed. For breakfast the Eggs Benedict are amazing, there is a huge range of salads and sandwiches for lunch and on Friday and Saturday nights they now open for dinner. I tried the evening menu a few weeks ago and it was excellent. Beef with black pudding to start, perfectly cooked fish to follow and then really good coffee. At just over £40 for 2 starters, 2 mains, dessert and coffee it is amazing value.
I cannot recommend this place enough. If you want a little bit of Europe in Glasgow this is the place to be.

Hadn’t been here before, despite it having a great reputation. It looks brilliant: retro without being scabby, and it has lots of charm to it. The weekend evening menu also looks interesting, and would definitely be something that I would give a go in the future.
It was nicely ticking over when I was there, it felt nice and lively, and it felt like a place you could stay for a while. I definitely think if I was in that neck of the woods I would go here.
The missing star is due to price: I had a bacon sandwich, and while it was lovely it and a coke came in at £4.75. Even though I was sitting in I think this is a little on the high side. Having said that, I think if I was going for a full breakfast or brunch it would be pretty good value. I think the food I had would definitely come back.

This place is really cool in a very casual way. It’s got a very old-​school vibe with bus seats and the décor on the outside. Inside it’s a friendly place and good to chill out for a few hours. I was here for a meeting and planned on hanging around afterwards as well. I ordered food as soon as I got in — there’s all day breakfast, sandwiches and salads. I went for the Copenhagen salad with cheddar, chicken & bacon. It arrived quickly and was a generous portion with lots of chicken and bacon and smothered in cheese. It felt healthy and decadent at the same time.
I had a green tea later which was served in a tall glass. My bill came to around £10 for the salad, a tea and a coke which I thought was good value, especially as I ended up sitting in here for a few hours. I would have stayed longer but they close at 5pm on a Friday and Saturday to re-​open at 6.30 for evening service. I can’t wait to go back to try the all day breakfast, especially after reading the reviews on here.

So I’m a fan and thus want to ensure that this place receives as much attention as is humanly possible… here goes.
Now I’ve experienced this place on many a different occasion. Breakfast: Amazing. Lunch: Just perfect. For a quick wee coffee and chat over business? Aye, it works for that too.
It’s the mix of eclectic music, tip top service (honestly, refreshingly good service) and smellably (it’s a word) good grub, that make the place just so appealing to all the senses.
For this trip then, it was a quick coffee and a chat for business. The coffee is good. The service is sharp, friendly and the setting just perfect.
I’ll contiune to sing the virtues of this place for as long as anyone still listens to me.
GO HERE! GO HERE OFTEN!