Fresher’s guide to lunch

There’s no shortage of places around uni to get a decent lunch. If you don’t have the time, the inclination, or (god forbid) the skill to make yourself a ham sandwich and wrap it in clingfilm, there are a handful of options right here on campus. The main University services are on Level 3 of the Fraser Building, which offers hot meals at a fairly reasonable price, but it gets oh so crowded very quickly and there are far better options well within a student budget.

If you’re keen to stay on campus or have a fast approaching class, the QMU is a particular highlight — try the nachos at Scran — and the Food Factory is definitely worth a look for cheap food. However, if you’re feeling a tad more audacious and want to venture off campus come lunchtime there’s a wealth of quality options just a stone’s throw away. Il Cappuccino on Great Western Road offers fresh, made-to-order sandwiches and homemade soup served in generous portions that’ll warm your belly on Glasgow’s notorious rainy days. S’mug on Great George Street is perfect for sitting down to eat whilst you finish off an essay, their wide selection of filled bagels and hot drinks made all the tastier by the student discount. And Old Salty’s is a solid contender for Glasgow’s best chippy – the macaroni pie and chips will make your day.

For those gleeful days when SAAS has just come in and you feel you can splash out a little more on lunch, head to Hillhead Bookclub. All their delicious lunchtime meals are priced around the £5 mark, and the £3 strawberry gin mojitos are not to be missed. Because nothing says SAAS-day lunch like casual day-drinking.

One of the best things about the West End is the abundance of laid-back cafés and coffeeshops perfect for quietly working on an essay when the library gets too busy. The Steamie, for example, is just a fifteen minute stroll away from campus through the gorgeous Kelvingrove Park and handily close to Cairncross House. It could come across as a little pretentious — all exposed brick and bare Edison lightbulbs — but their coffee is fantastic and their playlist is even better. Offshore is great if you’re looking for something closer to campus, and is ideal for killing time in a spare hour between classes.

The café in Waterstones Byres Road is perfect for procrastination, especially if you can grab a seat by the window and get the perfect spot for a bit of casual people-watching. And of course no Glasgow guide to cafés is complete without mentioning The University Café. It’s served the West End for almost 100 years, perfect for sitting in and having a quiet lunch of good, straightforward Glaswegian food — pie and chips, bacon roll and chips, lasagne and chips, you get the idea. The ice cream is great too, silky-smooth vanilla drizzled in a classic raspberry sauce that probably doesn’t contain any actual fruit, but is no less delicious for it.

We’re very lucky here in Glasgow, there’s so much choice when it comes to food and these meagre suggestions are barely the half of it. Explore the city, discover new places, and find your favourites — there’s so much beyond the Fraser Building.