The Mannequin

While Byres Road seems to be welcoming more and more of the big chains, those looking for a quirkier, independent place to hole up would be wise to head beyond the Botanics.

As well as being home to perennial lo-fi favourite North Star, the cafe scene on Queen Margaret Drive continues to flourish thanks to latest addition The Mannequin.

Bright, intimate and with chatty staff and a lace-and-candlesticks decor that falls on the tasteful side of chintz, The Mannequin is one to linger in. The concise savoury menu covers salads, made-to-order sandwiches and omelettes, all with a Polish / Eastern European bent. You're only kidding yourself, though, if you claim to be here for anything other than the baked goodies. They call to you from the glass cabinet – a Victoria sandwich as big as your head, oozing whipped cream, berries and jam; an appropriately skyscraper-tall slab of baked vanilla New York cheesecake; Babka, a marbled chocolate cake, dripping white icing and candied citrus. Those with slightly daintier appetites will appreciate the apple and cinnamon muffins or chocolate-orange cupcakes, again all baked in-house – no danger of shrink-wrapped, factory cake horrors here.

Although experimenting with occasional, 'themed' late night openings, with The Mannequin shutting at 4pm and not opening at all on a Sunday you'll have to work your schedule around a visit. But one squidgy, buttery mouthful of coffee and walnut cake will make that missed lecture/meeting/funeral completely worth it. [Ruth Marsh]