Mackintosh at the Willow
Kate Cranston opened these rooms in 1903 and gave Charles Rennie Mackintosh control of everything, the building, the interiors, the furniture, the cutlery and the waitresses' uniforms, and they are the only tearooms he designed that are still trading in their own building.
Why go
Margaret Macdonald produced the interior designs alongside her husband, and the Salon de Luxe is the room where the two of them went furthest. The original business closed in 1919 and the address went through decades of other uses before Celia Sinclair Thornqvist MBE and The Willow Tea Rooms Trust restored it and reopened it in 2018 as Mackintosh at the Willow, backed by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The National Trust for Scotland took ownership in January 2024 and, on 12 February 2026, renamed the venue The Mackintosh Tearooms. Phil Long OBE, the Trust's chief executive, put the case for going in one line: Today they remain that rarest of things: an opportunity to soak up Mackintosh's original design vision in the way that was originally intended, by being able to enjoy their famous welcome and hospitality
(National Trust for Scotland). The rename is part of Mackintosh Illuminated, a project launched in 2024 with £1.1 million of Heritage Fund development support that also pays for conservation work at the Hill House.
Order this / avoid
- Order: afternoon tea in the Salon de Luxe, booked ahead, because that room is the reason the building matters and you cannot see it properly from a table downstairs. If it is full, a pot of tea and cake in the main tearooms still buys you the interiors.
- Avoid: arriving with a chef's expectations. Time Out, writing about the same address under the previous operator, framed the visit as seeing
the talent of one of Glasgow's most famous sons made manifest
while yousit here with your serviceable afternoon tea
4. Nobody has published a verdict on the kitchen since the restoration.
What locals & experts say
- National Trust for Scotland (February 2026): the venue is
the only tearooms by Mackintosh remaining in situ and still operating from their original location,
and Phil Long OBE on the 1903 opening,Mackintosh's radical design simultaneously startled and attracted people to Miss Cranston's boldest business venture yet.
1 - Time Out Glasgow (2015, previous operator):
sit here with your serviceable afternoon tea,
which is the only critical line about the food anyone has published.4 - Glasgowist (Paul Trainer, 2019): the £10 million restoration produced a 200-seat operation, and the roof terrace is
one of only two south facing terraces in Glasgow,
looking across to the Mackintosh Building's chimney.3 - Local rec: Jeff's save, his note below.
Good to know
- Name change: since 12 February 2026 the venue trades as The Mackintosh Tearooms, and the old domain redirects to the National Trust for Scotland's page. Same building, same address, same business.
- Timing: daytime only. Tearooms and gallery run late morning to early evening on a last-booking basis, the gift shop and exhibition open earlier, and guided tours go at 10 and 11 in the morning. Check the venue page for the day you want.
- Booking: essential for the Salon de Luxe and the Rooftop Terrace, which the venue handles on request rather than through the standard table booking. The exhibition is separately ticketed.
- Groups and events: the building takes private functions and community events, and it runs family and adult workshops.
Jeff's take (his words)
- His review (Jeff, first-hand, 4 stars, 7 October 2018): "We met friends for Sunday afternoon tea. We sat in the upstairs, a beautiful restored space. We had afternoon tea, the cakes were delicious. The sandwiches are classic. The tea itself was fine, but not extroadinary. I recommend visiting, particularly to experience the Mackintosh decor."
- Note: "Must visit for tourists. A combination of MacIntosh architecture and classic tea service."
- Google review, October 2018 (four stars): Sunday afternoon tea upstairs, "a beautiful restored space." His verdict splits: "the cakes were delicious. The sandwiches are classic. The tea itself was fine, but not extroadinary. I recommend visiting, particularly to experience the Mackintosh decor."
Verdict
should-visit — Worth the detour for the building, which is the honest reason to go. Kate Cranston opened it in 1903 with Charles Rennie Mackintosh controlling everything down to the cutlery and the staff uniforms, and Margaret Macdonald designing the interiors, and it is the only Mackintosh tearoom still trading in its original rooms. The National Trust for Scotland bought it in January 2024 and renamed it The Mackintosh Tearooms in February 2026. The food has never been the argument: Time Out's line about the afternoon tea, under the previous operator, was serviceable, and nothing has re-tested it since. Go for the Salon de Luxe and a pot of tea, and set the culinary expectation accordingly.