Tinderbox is another popular series of espresso bars located all throughout Glasgow. They describe their coffee as “like an old friend, one you are always glad to see,” and providing patrons with a lovely rustic interior to enjoy it in. 
The vibes of Tinderbox are ones I’ve often seen in the Glasgow coffee scene, being that cozy, industrial setting. Tinderbox makes it its own, though with a warm color palette consistent throughout the store, with exposed iron and wood making a home in their shop. The seating areas, despite having many, were tucked away into different nooks and hallways, keeping the cozy atmosphere throughout. With it being the end of the semester, I saw many customers hard at work on their various finals, myself included, and I can certainly say the seclusion of Tinderbox’s seats was a welcome feature. The vibes were more potent than I’d expected, so I can reasonably give Tinderbox a 5 out of 5 here.
The food selection was the standard array of baked goods for a cafe: muffins, cakes and things in between. Surprisingly, they also offer an assortment of bento boxes. I can’t speak on their quality as I didn’t try them, but it does strike me as an interesting combo. I can’t imagine they make a good pairing with any coffee drinks, and if you wanted a bento box, there are plenty of Asian restaurants around that have that food as their priority. What food I was able to try didn’t help my opinion either. Their raspberry muffin was about as disappointing as a muffin could be. You can’t really make a bad muffin — I did still eat it — but it’s about as close as you can get. While the vibes had me hopeful, Tinderbox’s food gets a 1 out of 5.
Unlike food, coffee is Tinderbox’s specialty. Is it like an old friend? I don’t think so, but that might just be because most of my old friends are less comforting and more chastising, reminding me of every single embarrassing thing I did from ages 12-18. The vanilla latte I ordered, thankfully, didn’t remind me of all my childhood mistakes. It also didn’t wow me. It was comfortable, enjoyable and about a dollar more than similar quality coffee at other shops. Tinderbox is a great place to sit in, but you might just want to leave it at that. Their coffee gets a 3 out of 5.
Cobb’s Coffee Corner is the subjective opinion of Senior Reporter Griffin Cobb. Rankings are based on three criteria: vibes, food and coffee. Griffin is currently studying abroad in Scotland, where he continues to review cafes.