Scottish island coffee shop and ‘cosy’ city cafe named among world’s best
A cosy coffee shop located on a popular Scottish island has been named in the top 100 in the world - one of just two in the UK to make the list.
Speciality coffee roastery, Birch, on the Isle of Skye, has been recognised in the World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops 2026 along with the Ottoman Coffee House in Glasgow.
The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops 2026 were revealed on Monday, 16 of February at a ceremony at CoffeeFest in Madrid - one of Europe’s most influential coffee gatherings.
The news comes following Birch’s listing in the Best Coffee Shops UK 2025, announced earlier this year.
Birch was founded by Skye local, Niall Munro, in 2020. Inspired by trips to coffee mecca, Melbourne, Niall wanted to replicate the Melbourne café style back in his hometown, but with beautiful, locally sourced products from the Highlands and Islands, and with a firm focus on specialty coffee, roasted on the island.
They have two cafes - one in Portree on the Isle of Skye, and the other in Inverness.
Placing at number 50, Birch was one of just two coffee shops in the UK to make the World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops list for 2026. The other was Ottoman Coffeehouse in Glasgow, which was placed at number 38.
The Ottoman Coffeehouse is on Berkeley Street in Glasgow’s city centre and is owned by brothers Imran and Irfan Akhtar. The large, high ceiling room has comfy furnishings bought from the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, and it’s an ideal spot to relax over Yemeni coffee, Ottoman teas, espresso, chai, Turkish coffee and a £300 cup of Black Ivory coffee from Thailand.
Posting on their social media, the Ottoman Coffeehouse team wrote: “We just found out that Ottoman Coffeehouse has been named one of the top 100 coffee shops in the world, coming in at number 38 and representing the UK on the list alongside the incredible team at Birch Coffee, huge congratulations to them! We genuinely don’t know what to say.
“This was never the goal. We never set out to win prizes or get on lists. The only plan was to open our doors, serve great coffee, and look after the people who walk in. So for this to happen… It's beautiful. And it’s all down to two things.
“First, our staff. You are the reason. Your hard work, your smiles, and the way you look after every single person who comes in, that’s what makes Ottoman what it is. This award is yours.
“And second, the people of Glasgow. You have supported us, encouraged us, and shown up for us in a way we could never have imagined. You know how to appreciate local business, and you motivate us every single day. Thank you.
“We also want to send love to the wider Scottish coffee scene. From the roasters to the baristas across the country who are doing their thing day in, day out, there are too many of you to name, but you know who you are. You inspire us.
“At the end of the day, this isn’t really about us. It’s about putting Scotland on the map for specialty coffee and showing the world the kind of warmth and hospitality this country is built on.
“So yeah. We’re proud. We’re grateful. And we’re buzzing. Back to business as usual tomorrow. See you soon.”
Niall Munro, founder of Birch, said of his business’s listing: “To be recognised in this way means the absolute world to us.
“Since day one, Birch has been an absolute labour of love, and that’s always been at the forefront of everything we do.
“We’ve worked really hard over the last five years to create a unique experience at Birch - through our Isle of Skye roasted coffee, our curated pour over menus, speciality house-made Viennoiserie and our delicious brunch, made with ingredients from our home here in Skye.
“I’m so proud of the whole team who have made this possible.”
To determine this prestigious list, 15,000 coffee shops from around the world were first nominated, then the public voted for their favourite shops, and finally, scores from the public vote were then combined with jury scores from 800 judges worldwide.
The coffee shops with the highest combined scores from public and expert votes have been honoured as the World’s Best Coffee Shops, with the final results presented as a ranked list from one to 100.
The full list will be available to view here and can be found on Instagram @theworlds100bestcoffeeshops.
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