Glasgow Ranked the Best City in the UK to Open a Restaurant, Bar, or Cafe

A comparative study reveals the best European cities to launch a gastronomic business

  • Glasgow ranks 1st in the UK and 19th in Europe. The old industrial hub has plenty of available rental space.
  • London ranks 3rd in the UK. The bustling capital has a thriving culture of cuisine and plenty of available space, but is pulled down in the ranking by rent prices.
  • Budapest, Hungary, ranks 1st in Europe thanks to a vibrant gastronomy scene and plenty of cheap rental space.

Mobile payments platform, SumUp, has revealed the best European cities to open a small business in gastronomy. Restaurants, cafes, and bars are a popular choice for entrepreneurs looking to attract a wide target market. They offer locals the chance to indulge in exquisite food and drink, and tourists a gateway into local culture and cuisine. The findings from this study aim to help entrepreneurs make an informed decision on where best to launch their next gastronomic venture.

The top 10 ranking table below includes a final average of the European cities with the highest number of bars, cafes, and restaurants, and the best availability and price of rent. The findings are part of the Small Business index 2019, which analysed the 100 most populous cities across Europe to reveal the status quo of small enterprise across the continent.

Birmingham ranks marginally behind Glasgow in the index. The Midlands metropolis has more cafes, bars, and restaurants, but higher rent prices and less available space. Similarly, Manchester ranks second in the UK for the number of establishments, but is pulled down to 12th place by expensive rent and low availability. Budapest ranks top for Europe. The Hungarian capital has a vast number of cafes and bars – indicating a strong culture of cuisine – alongside cheap rent and plenty of available space. Valencia, Spain, ranks 2nd in Europe. A hub of art and science, entrepreneurs will also benefit from high EU subsidies for small businesses in Spain.

The following table reveals the best cities in the UK to open a business in gastronomy. It includes the number of establishments and the availability and price of rental space. The highest score for each category is highlighted in yellow, and the lowest in blue.

 

City
 

 

Restaurants, Cafes, and Bars

 

 

Availability of Rental Space
Price of Rental Space
Average of Gastronomy Score and Rental Scores
National Rank
European Rank
Glasgow
6.68
8.36
5.27
6.77
1
19
Birmingham
7.59
8.00
4.36
6.65
2
22
London
9.95
9.91
0.00
6.62
3
23
Liverpool
6.86
5.45
5.36
5.89
4
42
Leeds
6.50
4.91
4.09
5.17
5
56
Leicester
4.77
4.64
5.55
4.98
6
62
Edinburgh
6.91
5.00
2.91
4.94
7
65
Wakefield
4.41
3.18
7.00
4.86
8
66
Bristol
5.77
5.36
2.55
4.56
9
75
Manchester
7.64
2.27
3.73
4.55
10
77
Sheffield
4.77
2.18
5.73
4.23
11
85
Cardiff
5.36
3.00
4.27
4.21
12
87
Coventry
3.14
2.82
1.91
2.62
13
97

 

The following table reveals the best European cities to open a business in gastronomy. It includes the number of establishments and the availability and price of rental space. The highest score for each category is highlighted in yellow, and the lowest in blue.

Country
City
Restaurants, Cafes, and Bars
 

 

Availability of Rental Space

 

 

Price of Rental Space
Average of Gastronomy Score and Rental Score
Rank
Hungary
Budapest
7.14
9.45
7.91
8.17
1
Spain
Valencia
9.18
7.09
7.09
7.79
2
Romania
Bucharest
5.50
8.18
9.09
7.59
3
Germany
Berlin
9.68
9.82
3.18
7.56
4
Spain
Madrid
9.86
9.73
3.00
7.53
5
Austria
Vienna
9.23
9.64
3.36
7.41
6
Czech Republic
Prague
8.91
8.27
4.91
7.36
7
Poland
Warsaw
7.41
8.73
5.91
7.35
8
Spain
Seville
8.95
6.36
6.55
7.29
9
Italy
Rome
9.45
9.55
2.64
7.21
10

 

Further findings for the UK:

  • Liverpool ranks 4th in the UK. The maritime city in the north-west of England has fewer food and drink establishments than Manchester, but cheaper and more available rental space.
  • London has the largest disparity between the categories: with a thriving gastronomic scene and plenty of available rental space – but high rents; Liverpool and Leicester have relatively consistent scores across all three categories.
  • Cardiff, the Welsh capital, ranks 12th below Edinburgh, the Scottish Capital, in 7th place.
  • Bristol in 9th place outperforms Sheffield in 11th.  The vibrant hub in the southwest has more cafes, bars, and restaurants than Sheffield, but both cities have the same overall score for rental space. Bristol has more available space, and Sheffield has cheaper rent.

 

Further findings for Europe:

  • UK cities score consistently well for the number of food and drink establishments  (with Coventry the only exception) indicating a strong and diverse culture of cuisine. However, the majority of cities are pulled down in the ranking by high rents and/or low availability of rental space.
  • London, Birmingham, Glasgow, and Liverpool are the only UK cities that rank in the top 50% of the index.
  • Bucharest, Romania, ranks 3rd thanks to plenty of cheap rental space – despite having an average number of food and drink establishments.
  • Berlin, Germany, outperforms Glasgow, Scotland. The German capital also ranks ahead of both Madrid, Spain, and Vienna, Austria.