As Scotland’s only kosher deli, Mark’s Deli in Giffnock occupies a unique and rather important space in Glasgow’s food landscape, operating under the supervision of the West of Scotland Kashrut Commission and Rabbi Moshe Rubin to ensure everything meets proper kosher standards.
The café serves freshly prepared food from their own supervised kitchens—think proper deli classics executed with the kind of care that comes from knowing your community depends on you getting it right. Bagels arrive properly chewy, ready to be topped with smoked fish that’s been sourced and prepared according to kosher requirements. The deli salads rotate seasonally but maintain that perfect balance of creamy, crunchy, and flavourful that makes you want to assemble an entire plate of different varieties. Soups are hearty and restorative, the kind that repair both body and spirit on a chilly Scottish day.
And then there’s the kosher haggis—Mark’s Deli’s most famous export, shipped throughout the UK and beyond for Burns Suppers, and even mentioned at the Scottish Parliament (which is about as official an endorsement as a haggis can receive). It’s a brilliant example of cultural fusion: taking Scotland’s national dish and adapting it to meet kosher dietary laws without losing the essential haggis-ness of it all.
Beyond the prepared foods, the shelves stock an impressive range of products catering to various dietary needs: dairy-free, gluten-free, and sugar-free options that go well beyond sad compromise cookies to actually enjoyable foods.
They deliver throughout Glasgow daily, to Edinburgh fortnightly, and have been known to travel as far north as John O’Groats and as far south as Carlisle when the occasion demands. The mail-order operation uses insulated packaging and icepacks to send kosher provisions anywhere in the UK, making Mark’s Deli not just a local institution but a lifeline for kosher-keeping households across Scotland and beyond.
Whether you’re picking up lunch, stocking the pantry, or arranging catering for an event, Mark’s delivers food that’s characterful, comforting, and happily moreish—kosher deli done exactly right.