Laboratorio Espresso

Laboratorio Espresso opened on West Nile Street in 2013, fitted into a small glass-fronted unit that was later shortlisted for the Glasgow Institute of Architects Award. The idea was to bring proper specialty coffee into Glasgow's city centre, an area the founders felt had been overlooked while independent cafés spread through the West End. Beans come from a rotating list of European roasters rather than one house blend, brewed as espresso, filter, V60 or Aeropress. Seating runs to a narrow counter along the window, so most trade is a quick coffee rather than a long sit-down. The bar has since appeared in the Telegraph's UK top 30 coffee shops and the Big 7 global top 50. It remains one site, independently run, with no second branch opened since.