Imran Akhtar is the co-owner of the Ottoman Coffeehouse, along with his brother Irfan. Their father originally bought this space intending it to be a restaurant. It sits behind the former Glasgow Society for Musicians and what was the Shah Noor Indian restaurant on Berkeley Street.
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A beautiful room with high ceilings, ornate light fittings, comfy sofas, chess sets, furnishings bought from the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, portraits of Sultans.
After being initially used for private functions it emerged as a community coffeehouse serving Yemani coffee, Turkish roast, Ottoman teas, espresso and chai.
The food menu includes chicken and lamb kebabs, tandoor grilled salmon, vegetarian salads, naans and pakora.
Their impressive baklava is popular for dessert.
The coffeehouse runs a kitchen to help those in need, regularly providing food packages to the homeless.
Their mission statement: “Our ambition is to establish the bridges between the nostalgic coffeehouse of the Ottoman past and the present, operating as both a café and a meditation space in the heart of the West End of Glasgow, the perfect location for morning coffee, afternoon tea, reading the papers and catching your breath”.
There is no reopening date yet, but when the Ottoman Coffeehouse returns, discover Glasgow’s best hidden coffee spot.
73 Berkeley Street, G3 7DX
