The Real Food Cafe Unveils a Vibrant New Mural by Scottish Graffiti Artist

The Real Food Cafe has unveiled a vibrant new mural by Scottish graffiti artist Ellie Mills.

Bursting with colour and playful detail, the new artwork has been designed to capture the people, places and experiences that have made The Real Food Cafe a much loved stop for over 20 years.

Ellie, also known as ‘Ellietype’, is a Glasgow based lettering artist whose colourful, distinctive work can be seen at popular spots across Glasgow and beyond. Her playful style caught the eye of The Real Food Cafe owner Sarah Heward, who considered hundreds of artists before choosing Ellie to bring her vision to life.

At the heart of the artwork is the cafe’s famous Mile 53 reference, marking its position along the West Highland Way walking route, and celebrating its role as a familiar stopping point for those making their way through the Highlands.

The mural also captures the vibrant community that surrounds the cafe as well as its loyal local customers and visitors from around the world. Sarah, says she was particularly drawn to Ellie’s colourful and playful style, and was keen to work with a female artist in what remains a predominantly male graffiti and street art scene.

Sarah Heward, owner at The Real Food Cafe, said: "Scottish art is a real passion of mine. The cafe already houses seven pieces of metal sculpture by Scottish artist Heather Cummings, including a specially commissioned centrepiece, alongside an original oil on canvas of Goat Fell by Danny Campbell and a limited edition print by Georgina McMaster.

"I looked at hundreds of artists and knew Ellie's colourful and playful work would fit our style perfectly. I also loved the idea of supporting a female graffiti artist as I found there weren’t many.”

From 1st September 2026, The Real Food Cafe will also begin showcasing local artists through a rolling programme of six week exhibitions, with each artist given space to display two pieces of work. There is no charge to take part but instead, if an artwork sells, the cafe is asking artists to donate 10% of the sale price to Tearfund’s Toilet Twinning initiative.

Sarah added: "The Cafe has such a diverse audience, with people coming from all over Scotland, the UK and the world. Opening up our space to budding artists seemed like a lovely way to connect people with Scottish art in a place they might not expect to find it."