East Coffee Company

Compact coffee shop doing breakfasts and bites, with beans locally roasted in the city.

The 2019/20 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

Purveyors of speciality coffee and a locally sourced larder, owners Niall Walker and Sean McLennan are successfully epitomising the ‘good things come in small packages’ proverb within their compact Dennistoun outfit. The muted secondary colours and shabby chic style doesn't try too hard, and flaking plaster pleasingly reveals original 1870s retro wallpaper and cornerstone. Coffee is locally roasted by the Good Coffee Cartel, while recipes are made by the cafe's founding duo. This is brunch nirvana at its best – gluten-free buttermilk pancakes come 4 or 8 stacked, sourdough toast hosts everything from eggs to salmon, avocado to salted peas, and bagels are loaded with crispy maple bacon and chilli jam. Sweet treats are even dreamier – take the perfectly moist banana bread with orange zest butter, for example, or the baked vanilla cheesecake sporting the mightiest crust you've ever seen. A true accomplishment all round – neighbourhood dining has arrived in the East End's thriving scene.