Woodlands, Fish & Seafood Restaurant Guide

This “lively fish restaurant in Glasgow’s uber-trendy West End” is “one of those places where the food and vibe combine to make you want to step in and eat there”. Its ratings suffered this year, though, with very up-and-down reports. Some are of “exceptional food” from a menu that features “lots of fresh fish”. Others though are of an experience that’s “haphazard”: “whitebait was cooked brittle, and the sole, which was ordered grilled, arrived meunière. Service is best described as fluctuating. I would overall call it cheap and cheerful… but it isn’t cheap!”

Dating from 1870 – and with an evocative, traditional interior to match – this “famous Scottish restaurant” on the periphery of the city centre (from which it’s cut off by the M8) is steeped in Victorian charm. Run by Ryan James, it once traded under the banner of his ‘Two Fat Ladies’ brand, but with the demise of its siblings it generally just goes by ‘The Buttery’ nowadays. Its traditional Scottish fare is consistently well-rated in our survey, but there’s also a sense that “one goes for the ambience more than the food nowadays”. It’s also “very popular with tourists” – not that this should necessarily put you off.

“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”.

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.

2024 Review: 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).