I have lived in several places in Glasgow during my 11 years in the city but when I moved to Dennistoun 7 years ago I knew I felt comfortable there.
We called it Little Inverness for a while because there were so many people from Inverness living there. You see, Dennistoun has a real community feel and Dennistounites are a friendly bunch.
A perfect example of this is that when I first moved to Dennistoun the staff in Day Today went out of their way to make me feel welcome – they would order me in things I like (my guilty pleasure is butter microwave popcorn), order me in the Inverness Courier & always made time for a chat. A trip to the Apple Pharmacy on the Parade is like a social event with everyone chatting like old friends. Then there’s Alexandra Park – a lovely place for a walk or a run and, in the summer, a picnic.
We have an excellent butcher shop, bakers, greengrocers & florist. Florresters created the bouquets for my wedding and they were stunning (if I do say so myself). The photographer got a great photograph of the florist giving me a hug when she delivered them on the day – friendly, heartfelt service.
Florrester shop exterior outside opening hours
Us Dennistounites are lucky to have several wonderful places to eat too. Down at the Duke Street end of the Drives there’s Tibo – a cafe/bar/restaurant that would not look out of place in the West end. The platters are superb to share with some glasses of vino for a catch up & I love that their pizzas are all named after Dennistoun streets.
Then there’s Nakodar Grill for when you really need a good curry. They do a deal before 7pm where you get half price mains – perfect for the after work Monday blues. I love their Aloo Tiki starter and Chasni curry.
Just along the road there’s Coia’s – half restaurant and half takeaway, deli & ice-cream shop. This is the place to go for ice-cream on a sunny day and for some Italian grub down at this end of Dennistoun.
Coia’s impressive ice-cream selection
Not forgetting the well regarded Tapa Bakehouse sitting just off Duke Street, with their freshly baked bread smell wafting out & drawing you in.
At the top of Dennistoun on Alexandra Parade I was sorry to see the departure of Albertos cafe recently. At the same time of Albertos sadly closing a new cafe has opened just off Duke Street called Gills Coffee House. I haven’t had a chance to try it out yet but the cakes look amazing so I will be paying them a visit very soon.
Gills Coffee House
Further up in Dennistoun you’ve got Cafe Zecchino along from Alexandra Park but I’ve left my favourite place until last – Celinos. When I first moved to the Parade, Celinos was more like a takeaway with a few tables that was only open during the day. Now it’s a full blown cafe/restaurant/deli open until 10.30pm (10pm on Sundays).
Celinos is my go to place in Glasgow & I feel very at home there. It can be bustling and relaxing at the same time and I love it. Everything I’ve had there is nice but I can particularly recommend the french toast at breakfast time, the penne salsiccia aurora, the macaroni cheese, the pizzas & the soprano hot roll. Most recently I had seabass with leek risotto from the pre-theatre menu & I’ve been thinking about it ever since – that’s how delicious it was. The deli counter has some gems as well – fresh bread, sicilian olives and an array of fancy meats & cheeses.
If this place ever tries to shut down I will be outside protesting!
Now all that we need to make Dennistoun even better is for someone to buy the old tanning place at the start of the Parade & turn it into a chilled out bar – any entrepreneurs out there?
Girl around Glasgow 