University Cafe is a british gastropub budget eat in West End, Glasgow.
University Cafe has fed Byres Road since 1918, a fourth-generation family cafe in Glasgow serving cheap fry-ups, fish and chips and its own ice cream.
Editorially verified July 1, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Tip: It is a proper old-school Italian-Scots cafe; save room for the double-cream ice cream at the end.
Address: 87 Byres Road, Glasgow G11 5HN
Suissi Vegan Kitchen sells cheap, filling plant-based bao and street food on Dumbarton Road in Glasgow's Partick, a great-value stop for meat-free eaters.
Try: Tofu and rendang bao
Tip: Two or three baos make a full meal; the rendang with lion's mane mushroom is the pick.
The Wee Curry Shop cooks a short, fresh and cheap Indian menu from a tiny Garnethill room in Glasgow, a long-standing budget favourite for a proper curry.
Try: Set curry thali
Tip: There are only a few tables, so book ahead at weekends or grab a lunch sitting.
Namak Mandi cooks generous Peshawari lamb and fresh naan for well under £15 in Glasgow's Southside, big-value halal cooking in a plain Norfolk Street room.
Try: Salt-cooked namak mandi lamb
Tip: It is alcohol-free and portions are large; the salt-cooked lamb easily feeds two to share.
Bread Meats Bread stacks award-winning burgers, poutine and vegan options on St Vincent Street in Glasgow, filling city-centre value with a proper feed.
Try: Burgers and poutine
Tip: Split a poutine between two; the portions are generous even at the budget end.
Suissi Vegan Kitchen sells cheap, filling plant-based bao and street food on Dumbarton Road in Glasgow's Partick, a great-value stop for meat-free eaters.
Try: Tofu and rendang bao
Tip: Two or three baos make a full meal; the rendang with lion's mane mushroom is the pick.
Julie's Kopitiam ladles cheap, brilliant Malaysian hawker food in Glasgow's Southside, where a bowl of laksa or beef rendang costs little and satisfies a lot.
Try: Laksa and rendang
Tip: Seats are few and it does not take big groups, so aim for an off-peak sitting.
Blue Lagoon fries a cheap, reliable fish supper in Glasgow's city centre, an Italian-Scots chippy running since 1975 and open late on Gordon Street.
Try: Fish supper
Tip: It is the classic budget chippy; the fish supper is the order, gluten-free available.
