iCafe Merchant City

• Monday: 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
• Tuesday: 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
• Wednesday: 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
• Thursday: 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
• Friday: 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
• Saturday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
• Sunday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM

iCafe Merchant City at 70–72 Ingram Street is the flagship branch of Glasgow’s iCafe coffee-house and internet-café chain. The official site lists this address and phone (0141 548 6902) alongside the Woodlands Road cafe; Merchant City and Trongate Community Council’s August 2026 spotlight calls Ingram Street the flagship and names Marco Di Chio as group business manager and manager there. The chain began in 2005 with a small Great Western Road cafe founded by Umer Ashraf Malik (also styled Umer Ashraf in The Herald). He won Entrepreneur of the Year at the Scottish Asian Business Awards in 2012 and that year pitched on BBC’s Dragon’s Den, where Duncan Bannatyne offered funding. Food is 100% halal and prepared in a central kitchen each morning; the cafes serve iCafe’s own triple-certified coffee blend, roasted weekly, with retail bags available in-store. Hours on the official site are Monday–Friday 8:30am–9pm and Saturday–Sunday 9am–9pm. An iCafe app covers the menu, contact-free ordering, table ordering and loyalty points (5 points per £1 spent). HappyCow lists plant-based milk drinks plus vegan breakfast bap, hummus platter and pasta pot options, and notes outdoor seating and free Wi-Fi. A December 2017 blog visit already places this Ingram Street cafe as open by then. Diners and remote workers often use it as a laptop-friendly cafe with upstairs booths and plenty of seating; Reddit threads repeatedly name Merchant City iCafe among city-centre spots where staying to work is accepted, though plug sockets fill early. A private mezzanine meeting room for up to 12 is hireable via Tagvenue from £18 per hour (1-hour minimum), with TV/HDMI, whiteboard, Wi-Fi, air-con and optional catering; Tagvenue’s cancellation rule is a full refund if cancelled 24 hours or more before the booking. The venue does not provide alcohol. MCTCC also notes training courses, language lessons, a book club and small birthday parties hosted here. Getting there: Buchanan Street subway is about a 5–7 minute walk west along Ingram Street; Glasgow Queen Street station is a short walk via George Square. Paid parking includes Ingram Street Car Park and NCP Ingram Street nearby.