The Mackintosh Tearooms

The Mackintosh Tearooms at 217 Sauchiehall Street are the original Willow Tea Rooms, opened by Kate Cranston in 1903 and designed inside and out by Charles Rennie Mackintosh with his wife Margaret Macdonald, from the facade to the chairs, leaded glass and the silver and purple Salon de Luxe. Restored by the Willow Tea Rooms Trust and reopened in 2018, it has since come into the care of the National Trust for Scotland and runs as a working tearoom serving lunch and afternoon tea, with a family exhibition on the building's story, a gift shop and small guided tours of the interiors. Reviewers come for the design first, say the food is good but the menu short, and that booking is essential. Tips from visitors: only the exhibition and tour need a ticket, the tearoom does not; ask about the Salon de Luxe and the roof terrace; and there is no parking, so use the city car parks or come by train.