Where the Monkey Sleeps

The 2013 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the current (2013) edition.

Brilliantly named sandwiches like Mr Bolland’s Cutlass and Witchfynder General can boast a reliably satisfying incarnation in this basement flat style café. Best for its smoothies (such as the refreshing blueberry-based Monkhouse), sandwiches and amply filled bagels, there’s loads of choice for vegetarians and carnivores alike. The nuclear beans are not so much a comfort food as wake-up treatment, with rich, smoky flavours and a healthy dash of hot pepper sauce, while the Woman from Iran – smoked cheese, grilled veggies, heat from chillies, chilli oil, cayenne and Tabasco – is punchy fulfilment. Lunchtimes are brisk and busy with regulars rubbing shoulders with tourists led here by popular guidebooks. The Monkey has ditched some of the punk ethic since its inception but honours its Glasgow School of Art roots, replacing some album-sleeve décor and music memorabilia with artworks from students and graduates.

• High point: Popular, but still feels like a well-kept secret
• Low point: Reliable, but rarely updated menu