Laboratorio Espresso

Very good coffee in an italian themed place. Tasty desserts but kind of small comparing to other places. Nevertheless, very good option for a coffee in the center

I was a bit disappointed with Laboratorio Espresso to be honest and it really wasn’t just unrealistic expectations. When they were researching this place the owners popped by my coffee shop on a research trip. It was an absolute joy to meet them and exchange ideas, so as you might imagine I was kinda excited. Now, three or maybe four years later, here I am rather surprisingly in the place itself.
First off it’s much smaller than it seems from images I’d seen, but it’s very well laid out. A lot of thought has gone into making the most of the space. Everything is attractively presented and they’ve made good use of whatever budget they had.
There wasn’t much in the way of food left when I popped in, but it was late afternoon so no surprise there; I just ordered a flat white. Cakes appeared very small. Presentation tho was good and the drink itself fine. Just didn’t blow my socks off at all. The overall taste profile was towards the stewed fruits/​acidic end so not my preference.
I think they’ve shifted to using HasBean as their roaster, who are based in Stafford. Not exactly local, but maybe they see an added value trading on the HasBean brand. I’ve never been a fan of any of their blends and same with this one. It’s not bad, but it’s quite overt and tastes actually unbalanced to me — too much acidity. I tended to enjoy the Dear Green roasts I tried in the city, so I’d personally say the HasBean move is a backwards step. You may feel differently and that’s perfectly OK.
Service was fine, but again not the exceptional vibe I’d expected. Worth a visit, and don’t get me wrong the 4**** review means I was quite happy, but I preferred Riverhill and Spitfire around the city central area.

I can’t seem to get excited about coffee shops these days which is weird because I love coffee. I think it’s the fact that they’re all tiny so you often don’t get a seat and when you do it’s a hard wooden stool that sends your butt into pins and needles mode. And then once you’ve had your coffee there are never any toilets. I’m sorry if this is TMI but when I’ve had coffee I usually need access to a toilet within half an hour. Anyway, the coffee in here is good, maybe even great. They obviously really care about the quality of their coffee and if you wanted to have a long chat about it I bet they would indulge you. The Italian inspired food is good but way over priced. A little cannoli for £2.50? On the other hand they give you a little amaretti biscuit with your coffee which is sweet, literally and metaphorically. The interior design is super cool and they have outdoor tables which is a good thing. Maybe I’m just getting old but I miss the Central Perk inspired coffee shops with their giant sofas, books and newspapers and huge mugs… and toilets.

God, this brownie is delicious. Perfectly complemented by a citrusy espresso, and a glass of water so my mouth can recover from thks full on hit of flavour. That barista in there keeps the line moving so fast, though he is as chill as the glaswegian autumn breeze (in a good way).
Although I don’t have milk in my coffee, I can see by everyone’s made in line before me that the barista knows what he’s doing for all you latte and cappuccino lovers.
Finally, this is one of the few places getting some sun in the city centre today. Score!

Finally got to try the coffee here! And it was pretty damn good :)
We were wandering home from the city centre and ended up walking past by mistake and I was happy to pop in and grab a flat white. It was good and strong and will definitely head back soon for another one and maybe try out their food.
The place was moderately busy and my flat white was made quickly and delivered with a smile.
You can also buy fresh ground coffee to take away here too.

This is the absolutely best coffee in Glasgow. The coffee itself is so well made, attention to detail is everything in here. I always marvel at how it also charged what the items genuinely cost, nothing is over inflated. Then there’s the cakes and pastries, which are superb. Obviously they buy them in, but the small but perfectly chosen range is top notch. It’s quite a small shop, but this just adds to the atmosphere.
I really can’t fault this place!

I love this place!
It is just round the corner from my work and it is the best place to get a beautiful and delicious coffee to cheer up your working day.
The beans that they use have an almost chocolate aftertaste and you can tell that extra attention and care has gone into each drink.
Apart from yummy coffee, they also have a whole host of other treats including ultra chocolaty hot chocolate (which you can normally only by from shops like Selfridges), Baci (seem expensive for one chocolate but treat yourself) and a full range or sandwiches and pastries.
I have been in quite a few times but have never sat in for a coffee, which i must make an effort to very soon.
On top of the everything, the staff have always been amazingly helpful and friendly — which is tough for the early mornings that I am normally there.
I would definitely recommend Laboratorio Espresso and I would definitely go again. probably tomorrow!

Fantastic wee coffee shop in the centre of town. There’s a real absence of good, independent coffee shops in the centre & thankfully we now have this place. All coffees are brewed with a double shot of coffee. Prices for coffee range between £2 — 3, representing great value. There’s a cute case full of treats to munch on while watching the world pass by. The décor is very sleek, with grey stone walls & wooden borders.
The fact that they use dear green coffee makes it all the more awesome. This is a great wee addition to the Glasgow coffee scene

I love this place! It is stylish and modern, yet extremely cozy. The service is great, the coffee of high quality and the WiFi faster than my own! Your coffee comes in a blue cup, and always with water and a little biscuit on the side. Perfection.
This is paradise for coffee lovers with a demand for quality. Only downside is that the seats are limited, so you have to be a bit lucky to get one ;-)

Having visited Laboratorio Espresso on several occasions, I can assure you that this is without a shadow of a doubt the best coffee in the City Centre. This is where I tried my first ever Aeropress and Scott (The Manager I think) was happy to make some recommendations on which one to try. Just the their day I decided to try an espresso and can honestly say, it was delicious. Staff are excellent, friendly and happy to talk to you about their various espresso and filter options. Haven’t tried the Cannoli but I have heard good things!
These guys have recently changed there espresso over to Has Bean and I would now give it 6 stars if I could!

New candidate for the best espresso in Glasgow (and if I’m honest I’m pretty chuffed with the filter too).
Had a nice chat with the baristas about their plans for the future (coffee plans) and it’s safe to say I’ll be a frequent visitor from now on. It’s good to see a coffee shop in Glasgow not afraid to experiment a little — I wish there was more of this in the town.
What I really like (and find amusing) is the Italian style service with italian style snacks (albeit without the standing bar) but the nordic style coffee — the best of both worlds although no doubt quite annoying to any Italians who might wander in looking for their traditional shot of burned rubber.
If you’re a coffee person and you’ve been put off by the Italian theme (I know it kept me away) then you owe it to yourself to come in and check it out.

Simply the best coffee in the city centre. Period.
Go, try their… anything you fancy and I promise you’ll love it. I’ve had the flat white, the cappucino, the americano, and they were all gorgeous. Next on my list is the macchiato.
They also do little treats, in an italian-​UK fusion style, where cannoli are sitting next to brownies. The chocolate cannoli are to die for… I suspect they are made with Nutella, or a Nutella base, but I don’t mind: Nutella is as italian as it gets anyway.
The look and feel of the place is also great, very simple but really trendy and cosy at the same time. My personal crush goes to the light blue and red assorted cups.
So, if you are a bit of a coffee snob like me, and want a change from the usual Nero, Starbucks and other places where coffee taste goes to die, try Laboratorio Espresso!

I am always interested to try new independent coffee shops and I had read good things on Unilocal and I was looking forward to giving this place a go today.
First impressions were good as the staff were really friendly and I liked the industrial look of the place. They specialise in espresso based drinks and had the full range to offer. Recently I have moved to drinking black filter coffee instead and that is my preference to milky espresso based drinks. Surprisingly for me they had no hot filter options at all. This seemed pretty unusual in my opinion, but they did offer me a cold filter coffee that had been brewing overnight. Cold drip filter coffee is the «in» coffee trend at the moment, so I decided to have one for a change. It was actually quite nice, but it did need the vanilla milk in it as well to sweeten it up as otherwise it could have just seemed like over stewed cold coffee.
I went with the intention of having some food as well, but it turns out they don’t do it on Sundays as the deli they buy them from does not open on a sunday. This was a bit disappointing to be honest. Instead I went for a small hard pasty with lemon in it which was fine, bit not amazing.
Nice place, doing decent coffee, but not particularly ground breaking in terms of current «coffee shop culture».

Great Italian coffee, excellent choice of (small) cakes and snacks, in a tiny concrete and wood setting.
What’s not to like?
My flat white was perfectly served, with a delicious roast giving a good dark kick. I particularly like the fact the pastries on offer are small (2 or 3 bites) rather than the massive muffins and danish pastries you get elsewhere. Much nicer for a ‘wee something’ than the usual stodge.
My Pistachio Aragostine was wonderfully crisp, with a creamy sweet pistachio filling, and disappeared quickly!
It’s small inside so I can imagine seats would be at a premium during busier hours, but it’s well laid out, good tunes playing in the background and I’ll happily be back.
Only downside for me was the lack of any kind of atmosphere. That may be harsh as it was early on a Saturday morning, but the stripped back décor makes it ‘feel’ a little cold and unwelcome, almost austere?
Importantly the coffee was great, smooth, dark and I’ll be taking a very VERY fussy friend along to try the expresso — if they pass that test I’ll be upgrading to a 5-​star review!

Now, this place is swish.
Think authentic Italian espresso bar; smart and sophisticated. Think fresh, delicious sandwiches and baked treats. And of course, coffee. I’ll be honest, I can’t speak for the coffee. — I’m just not a caffeine kid. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy a high quality cup of the stuff. But when faced with the option, I’ll always pick tea. Herbal, breakfast, bubble. I love it all and I relish a chai latte. Always. So whilst coffee just ain’t my thang, the smell of the fresh beans when I arrived was definitely a pleasing one.
Despite me being the only person in when I arrived, there was a general busy city feel. The staff were charming and friendly, ensuring I felt welcome and was attended to. It wasn’t long before a steady stream of customers were popping in and out and I could indulge in some mid-​afternoon people-​watching. So whilst Laboratorio Espresso is definitely a coffee lovers’ hotspot, I didn’t feel at all out of place or unwelcome. There’s not a sniff of pretentiousness. — Just passion for good coffee (it sure smelt good!) and food.
Boy, oh, boy was the food good! My chicken, mozzarella and rocket toasted sandwich was the kind of sandwich you dream about for days after, the kind you wished would last forever. The chicken was breadcrumbed, packed full of flavour and perfectly tender. Cower in fear, sandwiches everywhere; you’ve a lot to live up to after that incredibly tasty bread on bread rendition.
Perfect chai latte. Perfect sandwich. Perfect service.
With a little hustle and bustle thrown in for good measure.
People-watching’s never been better.

I love this espresso bar — please note I have only just started drinking coffee so an update will be on the cards once I get to sample it! On my previous visits I’ve indulged in the tea as well as some of the food options. I really like the lunch options (made by Eusebi Deli) — simple, delicious and packed with flavour. They do sell really quickly though, so if you fancy getting a bite to eat you might need to get in early!
With simple, modern décor and not much seating, this place is more suited to grabbing a coffee and food and going. Personally, I’m a sit in person but this doesn’t stop me going the full 5 stars for this fabulous addition to the city centre.

Iv been to Lab Espresso a few times now and I really like it. I love the small, intimate space. I love the free water, coffee is good but… the lemon cannoli — oh my good god!!! I could literally die happy having one every day. I figure as they are little this is feasible? What do you mean NO?!
Yeah so anyway, where was I. This is deff a firm favourite in the city centre, staff are always lovely and they on a side note they play great music too!