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    Saramago at the CCA

    4.3 (42 reviews)
    ModerateCafes, Bars, Vegan
    Open 10:00 am - 1:00 AM (Next day)

    Saramago at the CCA Photos

    SARAMAGO AT THE CCA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Hipster
    Casual
    Outdoor seating

    Recommended Reviews - Saramago at the CCA

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    Artichokes with roast garlic aioli
    Toby G.

    On a date night we decided to go and see the best metal band in Britain (Sikth!) at the Garage. Having not seen them live for ten years I was truly excited and needed to get my grub on before the concert, so we decided on The Saramago café. Saramago has been on my radar for years and is just one of the places that I didn't get round to going to, and I'm kicking myself for not going sooner. I was late as usual and the girlfriend had text me saying she was already there, so I swaggered in the door through the main CCA foyer and into the café but she was nowhere to be seen. What I didn't know was they also have a bar upstairs and that's where she was. The upstairs bar is totally my vibe, dark interior some great beers and wine available and a really chilled out vibe. We grabbed a quick drink and popped downstairs to the café section. When we first sat down the place was just starting to fill up with people (which you can see from my photo) by the time we left it was heaving, and there's a good reason why, the food is outstanding! The café's décor itself is as relaxing as upstairs, a really serene vibe, the walls adorned with art and posters of what is going on at the CCA and around Glasgow. Now, to let you know, all the food is vegan but I think vegan, vegetarians and omnivores alike will love this place, you get huge portions and it's outstanding value and quality. We ordered drinks and the waiter brought over a large jug of lemon ice water for the table and took our order. I went for the artichoke starter served with roast garlic aioli and she went for tempura with chili sauce, followed up by haggis fritters with chips and tartare sauce and pickles and a gnocchi arribiata. All the food was good but the star of the show was the haggis fritters, better than any haggis I've ever had, maybe better than any meat variety I had tried pre vegetarian. Girlfriend had true food envy after trying a piece of mine, she tried to get another piece but I threatened her with a fork. The service was great throughout the whole meal, and was only let down a little at the end hence the 4 stars instead of 5. It was difficult to track down a waiter to pay the bill and I ended up having to stand at the bar for 10 minutes while the staff worked out the debit card machine. But that was the only small downside. When you're in here it feels like you're nowhere near Sauchiehall Street and in a wee haven away from it all. The menu is extensive and inventive and I've already 'stolen' some ideas for dishes to make at home. Their pre theatre is £11 for two courses which is a bargain, and they do 4 tapas for a tenner on a Sunday. This is vegan food at it's finest that I think anyone will enjoy. We're already thinking about our next visit. One our new favourite places in Glasgow, and the best food I've had in a while, hands down! Go try it.

    Laurence D.

    This place is once of my favourite bars in Glasgow. Not because it is in my street and I can actually roll from my door to theirs (which I actually cannot because it goes uphill first, only then downhill!) but because it has such a cool vibe. You can enter it either from downstairs on Sauchiehall street and go through the shop that sells art, and then arrive in the downstairs part that does food (I've never had food there though), or go in from upstairs on Scott street and arrive in the 'pub' part of it. I like all of it. The food area is really nice, and you can go just for drinks as well, but it's all going to be seated. It has a high ceiling and coloured light garlands all over the top, which I find really cool; nice music, sometimes live, extremely friendly staff and a good wine selection very much to my liking! Where I usually go is in the upstairs bar part, though It is not that big, but very cosy and has a gorgeous little terrace, which is perfect on a sunny (understand non-rainy) day. Music is really artsy and hipster, and they have a malt of the month, which I almost always end up sampling. I can only advise you to go, whether you want to go for food, a coffee in the afternoon or a late night drink with friends, you cannot get it wrong at Saramago!

    Greek - with roast pepper houmous, roast peppers, rocket and 
coriander on toasted bread
    Laura P.

    I'd heard great things about this place and have been meaning to go for a while now, so on a rainy Saturday afternoon it proved the perfect spot for some tasty food in a chilled out setting. Although I'm vegetarian, I'm by no means a strict vegan, but I really liked the fact that the menu was completely vegan and was excited to have so many tasty sounding options. Immediately I liked the feel of the place. Set inside the CCA the cafe/ restaurant is bright and airy - with high ceilings and strings of lights (which look lovely when it gets dark). Unlike a lot of places these days, there's lots of room between tables and we were lucky enough to get one of the comfier booth style seats. Its a fairly mixed bag of people - families and some arty sorts and people by themselves having drinks and nibbles and the staff were cool and friendly. The menu has a nice range of nibbles and tapas style dishes as well as sandwiches, salads and main courses. I finally settled on a greek style sandwich with roast red pepper hummus and salad , asking for it on homemade toast rather than the flatbread as advertised (some sandwich options were on flatbread others bread - but mmm I love bread best) and a Diet Coke. It arrived fairly quickly, all freshly made and was really tasty. Mr H opted for some chips which he enjoyed but strangely one half seemed to be a bit cold whilst the other was piping hot. He also enjoyed a falafel flatbread with salad which from someone who isn't a veggie, and finds veggie food quite bland was high praise. As usual Mr H was in the mood for some chocolate, and I'd heard good praise of the chocolate cake and icecream. Two spoons and a generous square of chocolate cake arrived and we were ready for attack. The top was crispy like a brownie whilst the inside was a gooey cakey yumminess. I would say there was a slightly unusual, but not unpleasant taste from it. It was only then that we both realised why .... lack of eggs !!! Never having had a vegan cake before I'd forgot about the lack of dairy! Anyway regardless, it was still tasty but pretty heavy going, even for two chocolate lovers. Mr H loved the icecream and couldn't tell it was vegan at all. At £22 it was pretty reasonable for really good quality food and I loved the fact that we were in there for a good few hours, never feeling pressured to leave or to order more. I'll definitely be back, and look forward to more good vegan meals!

    Cool venue
    Beth L.

    An easy five stars, in my opinion, for Saramago at the CCA! This is one of my absolute favourite places for lunch in the city. The all vegan menu would impress even the carnivores amongst us. There's such a wide variety of foods on the menu that, at first glance, it's easy to miss that it's all vegan. They do a great 'soup and sandwich' deal for £6.50. Today's soup was a choice of scotch broth or mushroom and puy lentil - which was my choice. It was a flavoursome soup - well seasoned and garnished with parsley. I ordered the tofu sausage sandwich with chilli jam and spinach on toasted bread to go with it and my lunch date chose the falafel and beetroot chutney wrap. Both were really tasty and we'd definitely order them again. We couldn't resist sharing a side of their handcut chips either - thin cut, skin on, fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside - sticks of perfection! The service is always top notch - really friendly and helpful staff. It was busy when we arrived today but the waiter swiftly organised a table for us by asking others to move up to create more room. Alongside the quality food, the venue itself is the reason I could spend every lunchtime in there. Inconspicuously situated through the gift shop of the CCA (which itself is behind a pretty bland entrance on Sauciehall street), you'd never know there was such a hidden haven in there! Saramago is in a high roofed room complete with glass ceiling and view of the sky, which creates a sense of space and openness. There's a cool vibe and a certain calmness about the place. It's all just done so well.

    Thai noodle salad and a small plate of soy and ginger asparagus.
    Amber K.

    I visited here for lunch last Saturday afternoon with some friends who were visiting for the weekend. They were looking to try somewhere healthy, in city centre and nice to relax in for a couple of hours, which is a harder than it sounds! A friend suggested the CCA as it serves some lovely big salad bowls. We were not disappointed, all four of us ended up ordering salads. A friend and I both had the Thai noodle salad and both loved it. Lovely fresh salad, packed with flavours and textures and coated in a delicious dressing. My friends also order the beetroot salad and the butternut squash one, which they also said were really good. The salad's are served with bread, making it a very filling meal. We had some small plates between us, sweet potato fries and soy asparagus. We spent a few hours sitting in the courtyard over lunch with a couple of drinks. It's a great space to chill out in! The only downfall was the service, when we walked in I had booked a table, being a Saturday afternoon we weren't sure how busy it would be and as we arrived two members of staff didn't know which table was ours. It was a bit of a confusing start to the meal. as we were seated we were instantly asked if we wanted drinks but needed a couple of minutes to look at the menu, we waited another 15 minutes until someone came back to take drinks orders. Not ideal but we weren't in a rush at least. In general the service was slow and distant the entire afternoon. I also tried some items on the mezzie platter while here for a Yelp Newbies night. Everything I tried that day was also really tasty! I will definitely be back to eat here, I think I would like everything on the menu! It's a great space, with a nice atmosphere and great food.

    Pasta
    Catherine F.

    My vegan experience in glasgow just kept getting better and better! Saramago serves a great range of delicious, high quality food in a funky venue on Sauchiehall Street. We went here twice and tried the pasta, pizza, haggis, Sharing plate and the chocolate brownie with vanilla icecream (made with soy milk).It was all amazing! If only I lived closer and could eat here all the time! Seriously, try the brownie with icecream - so, so good!

    Auburn L.

    This was my second time drinking here and I wasn't overly impressed. We booked the back room for a small party, which was great, and yeah the space itself works really well for a group of folk. I drank red wine all night but I wasn't happy with their wine selection, but as they say it got better with every glass! We were allowed to have decorations and cake but had to make sure it was all cleared up before we left, which is fair enough. The staff though, the staff were very rude. I had to wait at the bar numerous times until the staff had finished gossiping with each other, and never got so many as a smile or thank you once. They have a terrance which is handy for smokers, but either the door has to be locked or it doesn't close properly. So either people had to walk back around the bar to go outside or the room was freezing! Also it wasn't until about 30mins before we left that the bar staff realised the speakers hadn't been on in the back room. We then found out that this had been a blessing as suddenly no one could hear each other talk! It's useful for the space and location, but unless it fulfils a need for another party, I probably won't be going back.

    Mezze platter
    Jade W.

    A sweet little vegan restaurant and bar tucked away inside the CCA. I went to a Yelp newbies night and we were in the 'back bar'. Had lashings of wine, plenty of laughs and some vegan loveliness. We shared the mezze platter which came with a bread basket and included humous, baba ganoush, califlower, stuffed leeks, a rocket salad and more. People couldn't be more wrong if they thought vegan food wasn't tasty. This platter was absolutely delicious! My vegan friend has spoken about Saramago multiple times in the past - I can now see why! I really enjoyed the bread (strange focal point I know) it was beautifully fluffy and was the perfect accompaniment for the different bits and bobs on the platter. Definitely worth a visit!

    Lovely vegan pizza
    Leanne R.

    Ventured back to the Saramago to help at a Yelp newbie's night. We had the whole back section to ourselves, which was nice. These guys have an extensive vegan wine list and the white wine we had was beautiful. Can't remember the name of it, but pretty sure it was the house white. There's ample space for large groups, you can shift tables to accomodate and there's ledges to stand at, if you're a standing up kinda person. Nice view of the lovely sunny courtyard too, through the doors. We all shared some mezze platters with breads and balsamic, which was nice enough. Think they change what's on the platter from time to time. Also tried the tapanade, which was really tasty and filling. We had to ask for more cutlery and side plates. No biggy, it was a big group. Next time I go here, I'm going to resist the urge to order those addictive haggis fritters and try out some more of their menu.

    Delicious although they forgot the capers and olives! :(
    Raquel R.

    I was so excited about going to this place since I've heard such wonderful things. On my way there I text a friend asking for a recommendation for lunch, she suggested the New Potato and Artichoke salad. I remember her saying it was her favourite salad so I decided I needed to try it. i entered and it was a bit warm inside but I decided to stay since I walked all the way down from work and it's a good 15 min walk. I sat down, was brought a menu and I asked for a jug of water. Water was brought over promptly and after looking at the menu I decided on the salad - you see, I can't eat gluten so all the sandwiches were off the menu for me (see what I did there?). Now, the salad is meant to have capers and olives, which I was SO EXCITED about. They add the right amount of salt to a dish. Unfortunately my salad was lacking both. I thought perhaps they were mixed in or at the bottom but the more I ate the more I realised they weren't there at all. I told the server and he brought my salad back with capers on it. WHERE ARE THE OLIVES??? I didn't feel like sending it back AGAIN, but I was totally disappointed that my salad was missing some pretty crucial ingredients. On the plus side they did serve my salad with gluten free oatcakes instead of bread and the staff were friendly. I'll be back but if they mess up my order next time I don't see me making a return visit.

    Artichoke and new potato salad

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    9 years ago

    I really enjoyed the food at Saramago. It's a hidden gem inside the CCA. I had a vegan wrap that was delicious & filling.

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    11 years ago

    Vegan haggis was the most delicious thing I ever ate in my WHOLE LIFE!!!! I wish I lived in Glasgow so I could eat here all the time.

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    10 years ago

    We experienced a wonderful Sunday brunch in their bar area: just lovely. We also indulged and had dessert: just amazing.

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    The Flying Duck - From official website

    The Flying Duck

    4.2(48 reviews)
    0.4 miCity Centre
    £

    This place attempts to incorporate faux meat in every dish. I had the bacon cheeseburger here. The…read morepatty was mushy and incohesive. The cheese tasted like vomit. And the chips that came with the meal were stale. I had the jackfruit "bbq pulled pork" was just sad. It was a nice atmosphere though

    Basically, the Flying Duck is a gem of a place…read more It has two rooms: The kitchen Bar which feels like home with funny news articles, quirky decor, random bits of tat and even a fully laden clothes line suspend over the bar. The mood in the bar is chilled, with nice mood lighting, good tunes and board games and books to use at your leisure should you want. There's even a microwave which you can use if you bring in your own food to eat! The kitchen bar is open during club hours too, so if you don't feel like dancing you can head on in to the kitchen and chill and/or eat and/or drink and/or play some board games at 2am!! The club is just as unique. there's parts of old furniture attached to the walls, lots of subtle nods to "The Big Lebowski" everywhere and lots of places to sit. There is a big quirky bar with all the mod cons including that lovely vintage tv playing some obscure Japanese films, of course. There's a big no frills dance area, complete with a wardrobe in the middle of the floor to dance around. There's not much in the way of flashy flashy lights, instead they have projections bouncing about the venue providing lighting changes and blasts from the pasts in the way of old footage and stuff. I've seen people stop dancing to reminisce at what they are seeing on the big projection screens. There is a nice set of standard lamps around to supply extra lighting around the tabled ares too. There is space for fowk to dance and sit and mingle with out feeling like a club, even though it kinda is. Friday and saturday nights see a good varied selection of club nights from 90's themed ones with bingo to indie stuff to b-sides to rawk to funk and everything in between. Um Did I mention you you get free toast?! PS. Check out the toilets for years worth of funny graffiti, art and poetry!

    Photos
    The Flying Duck
    The Flying Duck
    The Flying Duck - Mind wash yer hands.

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    Mind wash yer hands.

    The Hidden Lane Tearoom - Afternoon tea

    The Hidden Lane Tearoom

    4.4(71 reviews)
    0.7 miFinnieston, West End
    ££

    I was on a trip to the wonderful city of Glasgow from the US with my mom. We went to the quaint…read moreHidden Lane Tearoom our first day in to unwind and enjoy delicious treats. First you go down an alley, only to reveal a secret enclave of an antique store, corner shop, and the tearoom. The square itself is fun to explore and great for photos. Once we sat down in the charming tearoom, we were greeted by a friendly and accommodating server. We ordered the afternoon tea. There was a perfect balance of sweet and savory with yummy finger sandwiches and delectable scones with clotted cream and jam. This is a lovely afternoon tea spot for all ages!

    Honestly I could rave about this place. I just love afternoon tea to begin with so there's that,…read morebut honestly I feel like the teas were just SO lovely. I had their house chai and their London fog, both of which were creamy and SO flavorful and served in the loveliest teapots. The finger sandwiches and cakes were also really good and I actually did leave full, as did my travel companions. The servers were friendly and checked in often, and the place itself was actually fairly big (had 2 floors and we sat in a corner on the second floor), but it had a quant feel. The cost per person was reasonable in my opinion at £16 per person for a mini pot of tea and selection of sandwiches and tea cakes. We really enjoyed our experience there and I would recommend it to anyone looking to have a lovely afternoon tea!

    Photos
    The Hidden Lane Tearoom - Selection of tea cakes and sandwiches on the left; tea pot with a cup of their London fog latte on the right :)

    Selection of tea cakes and sandwiches on the left; tea pot with a cup of their London fog latte on the right :)

    The Hidden Lane Tearoom - Late lunch with tea at the Hidden Lane Tearoom.

    Late lunch with tea at the Hidden Lane Tearoom.

    The Hidden Lane Tearoom - Teacup

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    Teacup

    Saramago at the CCA - cafes - Updated May 2026

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