The fish & chips at The University Cafe came highly recommended by the late Anthony Bourdain. So of course, while in Glasgow, we had to stop in. The aptly named University Cafe, is located just a street away from the University of Glasgow. The University is indeed one of the most picturesque campuses I’ve seen to date. Real Harry Potter energy.
The University Cafe however, is nothing like Harry Potter. So erase that image from your mind. Instead, picture a small New England college town about 70 years back. Or rather, that scene in Grease where Sandy and Danny sip on thick milkshakes at the diner with their friends. Except this spot is a tenth of the size and everyone has Scottish accents.
At the counter you can order a take away meal or any of their homemade ice cream flavors to go. Behind that are rows and rows of novelty candies some of which I’d never seen before. They had names like soorplooms, summer creams and Edinburgh rocks.
But I wasn’t there for the sweet, nope, I was there for Anthony Bourdain’s recommended fish & chips.
Anthony Bourdain recommended Fish & Chips
We were a large group. Nine. And despite our initial assumption that we’d never get a table, we were lucky enough to grab two. Each had narrow lunchroom style tables with sticky condiments and a napkin dispenser up against the wall. The seats fold up like at a movie theater so you can slide in and out more easily. Shockingly, we had plenty of space.
The fish & chips lunch special
We slid in and all decided to order the same thing – the lunch special. It’s served with coffee or tea, battered white fish, chips and a family-style side of what looked like untoasted Wonder Bread. It came straight from the bag with a healthy smear of butter on each slice. I also added a side of mushy peas, my favorite.
So, how was the fish & chips?
The fish & chips took a while to arrive. What Anthony neglected to tell us is the University Cafe only has two fryers. So nine orders of fish & chips at once is a bit of a challenge.
The fish & chips were not the best I’ve had, but they hit the spot. The fish was fresh, piping hot but lacked a bit of salt. The fries were precisely how I like them, thick cut and soft enough to absorb the generous dowsing of malt vinegar I drowned them in. Which did get me thinking, do I even really like fish & chips, or is it the vinegar and mushy peas I love so much? Let’s save this conundrum for another day. Oh and the peas, well they were subpar, but I’d most certainly go back. Mostly for the blast into the past and I do have to try that homemade ice cream of course.
If you’re nearby Glasgow University, definitely try the fish & chips at the University Cafe, or another selection yourself. It’s a 4-generation family run business that deserves your love!
Looking for more tips for a trip to Scotland? Start here.
