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Coffee obsessives of the UK, put down your flat white – the 2026 edition of the World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops has landed.
There were 44 British coffee shops nominated for this year’s list, but just two made the final top 100, which was announced at a ceremony in Madrid on February 18. The final ranking, whittled down from a whopping 15,000 nominated coffeeshops across the globe, was based on a combination of public votes and scores from a jury of 800 coffee connoisseurs.
Both of the shops repping the UK are new entries to the list and, even more impressively, are among just 11 European coffeeshops in the top 50. They also both happen to be Scottish.
Ottoman Coffeehouse in Glasgow placed 38th. The shop was started by two brothers and, just as the name suggests, it’s inspired by the coffee shops of Istanbul. When Ottoman Coffeehouse opened in 2015 it claimed to be one of the UK’s first specialty Turkish coffeehouses.
Besides familiar milky classics like cappuccinos and lattes, Ottoman offers authentic Turkish coffee brewed in a traditional ibrik, which creates an unfiltered cup of incredibly thick and intense coffee. There are five other types of brews that visitors can sample, including Kyoto drip, which produces a smooth and delicate coffee, or siphon, which uses vacuum filtration to push hot water through a bed of freshly ground coffee.
In response to its inclusion on the list, Ottoman Coffeehouse said: ‘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.’
Fellow Scottish coffee shop Birch on the Isle of Skye placed 50th. Launched in Portree in 2020, it takes inspiration from Australian coffee culture. All of its beans are roasted on the island and it offers a gorgeous lineup of viennoiserie to go with its cups of joe. If you don’t fancy going all the way to Skye, you can also stop by Birch’s second outpost in Inverness.
Niall Munro, Birch’s founder, said: ‘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.’
See the full list of the word’s top 100 coffeeshops here.
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