Merchant City, Fish & Seafood Restaurant Guide

2023 Review: Shuttered in September 2020 and marked as ‘Permanently Closed’ on Google, this city-centre fish and seafood institution is one of the city’s best-known restaurants thanks in large part to its Art Deco interior, created in 1935 by the same craftsmen who fitted out the Queen Mary. According to an August 2022 report in the Glasgow Evening Times, it will re-open… but no-one seems to know when.

“Superb seafood” has made this central Glasgow institution one of the city’s most treasured dining destinations of the past two decades. Chef-patron Derek Marshall has reportedly put it up for sale after 26 years at the helm, but as we went to press there was no word on a possible buyer. Top Menu Tip – “the fish soup is to die for”.

With the demise in recent years of its sibling venues, the ‘Two Fat Ladies’ branding is increasingly absent from Ryan James’s old-school fixture on the periphery of the city centre. Its traditional Franco-Scottish menu presents a focused range of options – typically venison, beef and fish dishes – with some spoiling puds (crumbles, possets, gateaux). For some reason, it has never generated huge amounts of feedback in our annual diners’ poll and there was too little for a rating this year. But this plush Victorian building is one of the city’s most historic eateries, and for a traditional blow-out it’s worthy of consideration.

This compact den in Finnieston has an air of casual sophistication about it, with its counter at the front and dense warren of quirky eating areas. Owned by John Macleod, it’s earned a niche as one of the better-known venues in this popular neighbourhood, on the back of its superior seafood bites.

The “truly exceptional food” at John Macleod’s year-old follow-up to his long-established hit seafood venue Crabshakk shows he can repeat the successful formula, with “the same excellent fish but in more refined surroundings than Finnieston”. The new site by the Botanic Gardens in the West End is a beautifully restored Art Deco garage from 1912, shared with Ka Pao (see also).

“Sophisticated cooking that’s not extravagantly expensive” wins positive (if somewhat limited) feedback for this casual venue deep in the West End, from the team behind Cail Bruich, now in its second year of operation. There’s the odd sop to meat-eaters (steak or Barnsley chop) but most dishes are fish-focused; and although there is a range of light bites such as prawn tacos, the focus is on substantial fish dishes (e.g. sole meunière on the bone) and seafood (e.g. grilled whole/half lobster).