Quick question, have you started your Christmas shopping yet? I hit the high street this weekend and saw there were a lot of people in the Christmas mood. And honestly it got me panicked that I needed to start and build up my Christmas lists. After a few hours of looking for presents and sparkly outfits for the festive season you really build up a hunger and so I stopped into Cosmo in St. Enoch’s Centre Glasgow hoping to get off my feet and to feed myself with some fresh fast food. I was starving when we checked in for our booking on Saturday at 6.30pm. I had booked in advance, and I was glad I had as the place was buzzing, and a queue was starting to form. For full clarity I’d been asked to review Cosmo in Belfast but had moved the booking to Glasgow as that’s where I currently reside but I’m always honest in my reviews.

Cosmo in St. Enoch’s has been open just under the year and has a very modern spacious layout with comfortable seating and plenty of room for all the family. It’s a very large space and whilst we were there, we saw a lot of young families, couples and even a 16th Birthday party take their seats; they were guided by the robot waiters who sang Happy Birthday! It’s a sight to be seen.

Back to our experience we were seated quickly, and the service was great. Drinks orders were taken within the first five mins then we were free to roam through all the fresh service bars and counters. There was something to suit all tastes from a traditional carvery to a selection of Asian dishes, sushi, dumplings, fresh seafood, chicken nuggets and chips for the little ones and so much more. It’s an all you can eat venue so you can basically taste a little bit of everything if you like.  

I started with some prawns, dumplings and bao buns and whilst I was at the counter, I couldn’t help but notice the staff cleaning around and topping up dishes, making sure everyone had what they needed. Don’t be mistaken, this is a fast food and mass catering venue but everything I tasted had a lot of flavours and didn’t seem to have been sitting under the heated lights for a long time. It was so busy I don’t think it had time to sit and stew. I brought a friend with me who claims to be a picker eater, but she was happy to try a few new dishes to start as well and was converted in the end. For mains we decided to go to one of the fresh counters, we opted for fresh teriyaki steak made to order, I’m a medium rare steak lover and my steak was perfectly cooked and the teriyaki sauce that accompanied it was very moreish. I decided to top my dish off with some stir-fried broccoli and noodles and it was the perfect Saturday night treat.

At this point we were starting to get quite full, but I have a sweet tooth and dessert is one of my favourite parts of a meal out, so I waddled back up to the counters to so what they had. Like a child in a sweet shop, I was impressed with cheesecakes, jellies, puddings, fresh ice cream fruit and even a chocolate fountain. I opted for a little square of Baileys cheesecake, some Eton mess (which was full of fresh berries) and some ice cream. The cheesecake was passable if very boozy, but the fresh ice cream and the Eton mess were delicious! I would go back to Cosmo for the Eton Mess alone!

Overall, my thoughts on Cosmo; It maybe fast food but it had a friendly relaxed Saturday evening buzz with cocktails flowing as well as refillable soda and as I said before lots of fresh selections of food coming out of the kitchen. To me it’s a fun family venue when you want something a step up from McDonalds and KFC but not a stuffy restaurant. It’s a fun venue to visit after your Christmas shopping trip or before you hit the arcades and kids will love it! Check out your nearest venue and let me know your thoughts.

Emer D xx

You can find out more about Cosmo here