Deagh bhiadh, deagh bheannachd - Well fed, well blessed. This seems to be the proverb which Cafe Gandolfi lives by, prominently displayed on its walls both outside and within the restaurant.
Cafe Gandolfi is a 40-year-old dining institution in Glasgow, its dining room familiar to many Glaswegians who work in the city, and beyond. Back in 1979, Gandolfi founder, Iain MacKenzie purportedly brought to Glasgow its first cappuccino machine, giving the city its first taste of real cafe society.
The dining room still has its heavy wood furniture, designed by local furniture maker and graduate of the Glasgow School of Art, Tim Stead, since its inception. These days, the furniture has worn smooth, contributing towards the place’s warm, homely ambience.
I had a lunch appointment elsewhere later on, but was at Cafe Gandolfi to meet a relative for breakfast.
- Aberdeen Smoked Haddie, with poached eggs and sourdough toast
- Eggs Hebridean: toasted muffin with Stornoway black pudding, poached eggs and hollandaise
Latte and cappucinno - of course, we need to have these at the first cafe in Glasgow to have its own espresso/cappucinno machine. 
The quality of the produce here was nonpareil. But, in both dishes, the eggs were overcooked by a couple of minutes so, instead of molten, runny yolks, we get them firmer than we’d liked.
Service was flawless, friendly and very welcoming. This place is a real gem.
Address
Cafe Gandolfi
64 Albion St, Glasgow G1 1NY, UK
Tel: +44 141 552 6813
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 8am-11pm, Sun 9am-11pm.
