Kirkintilloch, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“In a great central location” – this well-situated, casual all-day brasserie is celebrating its 20th year and won a strong thumbs up this year in our annual diners’ poll. Run by chef-patron John Quigley and his wife Gillian, it serves a “varied menu” of well-constructed dishes at approachable prices, and there’s a wide range of menus for vegans, theatre-goers, etc.

Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan was – as of mid 2025 – rumoured to be on the verge of buying a £1 billion stake in Richard Caring’s restaurant empire, of which this famous brasserie chain is the crown jewel. Presumably, he’s more interested in ‘rolling out’ the brand in The Gulf and beyond rather than dropping by for a Salmon Fishcake and ‘Ivy Chocolate Bombe’, but if he’d asked the opinion of our annual diners’ poll, we’re not sure that he’d sign on the dotted line. “How can a restaurant with this heritage produce such uninspired, tick-box food?” is a question merited by its poor ratings, ditto what explains the “very slow and disinterested service”? The answer may be that “you don’t come here for the food, obviously” but for the “gorgeous” interior design and “picturesque” locations that continue to underpin their appeal. Let’s hope for the Sheikh’s sake that the middle classes of the Arab World are as undiscerning as those from the UK!

“Modou and his team really push the boat out to present a full 10-course menu” at Modou Diagne’s West End feature – originally part of Nico Simeone’s stable of restaurants, now run by his protégé Modou, a former Senegalese refugee who worked his way up through the ranks. Feedback is limited, but continues to say that the value of the imaginative cuisine is almost as good as the backstory!

“Top cooking with no stuffiness” helps win applause for Graeme Cheevers’s “exceptional” venue – a comfortably furnished, somewhat old-school enterprise “located in hip Finnieston” and with “tables set nicely apart so neighbours’ conversations don’t intrude”. There is a seven-course tasting menu for £135 per person, but there’s also a (slightly) cheaper à la carte for £100 per person and all agree that the “set lunch is great value” (at £55 per person – “Michelin quality at a price that’s half that of its nearest competitor”). “You can always walk it off in the park afterwards if needed!”

Celebrating its twelfth year with a major six-month refurb, this sizable venture in Kelvingrove reopened in April 2025 complete with a scrubbed up but stripped back new look. Its opening was too late to inspire feedback in our annual diners’ poll, but – in her May 2025 review – The Times’s Chitra Ramaswamy exclaimed “What a comeback” and hailed “exceptionally good” modern bistro fare and wine that was just as good as ever. On that basis we’ve restored its former good all-round rating on the basis that this is conservative. It’s comforting not culinarily ambitions fare – with dishes such as Skate wing, crab, capers and pickled chilli, Duck liver parfait, cuts of Scottish beef, and classic desserts, from Apple tarte tatin to Rhubarb, custard and gingerbread trifle.

“Absolutely cannot fault it” declare fans of Peter McKenna’s Finnieston fixture, converted from a derelict tenement building in 2013 and a mainstay of the local dining scene ever since. Feedback is of “a superb experience from beginning to end”: there’s an evening à la carte offering three courses for £79 per person, but the main event is a six-course tasting menu for £100 per person, which is reportedly “excellent”. Top Menu Tip – “Oyster with Vietnamese dressing was a taste sensation!”

“Fantastic small restaurant” in the West End serving “exceptionally tasty food” from chef Gerry Mulholland, who took it over in partnership with manager Joel Ponfret 15 years ago (it celebrated its 26th anniversary last year). The duo are both from Arran, and visit the island every summer for pop-up dinners.

2023 Review: This Southside newcomer opened in late 2021 on the site of Gnom (RIP) and serves up Mediterranean small plates (as well as a dedicated vegan menu) inspired by the cuisines of Spain, Italy and France. No feedback as yet in our annual diners’ poll, but in an August 2022 review, Rob Mackenna of The Herald hailed its “delicious small plates”: “short, sharp flavour bombs exploding all over the palate”.