City Of Glasgow Restaurant Guide

“Perfectly cooked pasta in a range of mouthwatering sauces is served up by the friendly, enthusiastic FOH team” at this “reasonably priced” outfit in the Merchant City, with a “vibrant and upbeat ambience”. New owners DRG (of Cafe Andaluz and more) have maintained standards, and plan to open new branches both north and south of the border.

“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.

“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!

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.

“Delicious” Neapolitan-style pizzas are found at this “big, busy restaurant with lots of hustle and bustle, where the staff are welcoming and the service is fast and efficient” – “the relatively short menu with amazing ingredients on top (especially San Marzano tomato sauce and really good mozzarella, all sourced from Italy) results in top-quality pizzas”. There’s a second branch in Glasgow’s West End, and new owners DRG (best-known for Cafe Andaluz) are planning a major expansion: Southside opened in May 2025, with Edinburgh expected to follow soon after – while ratings have held firm at the OG.

“Not a café, but a bar and restaurant in the Merchant City area” that’s also, to give it full dues, a “Glasgow institution”, having been founded back in 1979 and having introduced Glaswegians to cappuccino machines, as well as wowing them with its distinctive wooden furniture, custom-made by Tim Stead. Downstairs is well “worth a visit for days where you want to have a simple dish, of higher quality than normal pub grub” (burgers, Scotch eggs, neeps and tatties), while the upstairs bar, of more recent vintage, is a fine place for a brew.

When it opened in 1996, the idea of ‘tapas’ for any cuisine other than Spanish was in its infancy in the UK and Monir & Smeena Mohammed’s cosy three-floor venue in the West End helped break the mould. It’s not as famous as once it was amongst our diners, but its dedicated fan club remains ardent: “the curries here are absolutely delicious with lots of unusual dishes to try. All so tasty and with vibrant flavours. The staff are so welcoming and the atmosphere upstairs is one of contented diners having a good time, many on long tables with silver candelabra”. Now with four spin-offs locally and with an Edinburgh branch.

“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!”

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!”

“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!”

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.

“Affordable fine dining” – say fans – makes these Fitzrovia and Canary Wharf venues (from Nico Simeone’s Glasgow-based national chain) “good for date nights” and “real value-for-money”. “The tasting menu changes regularly, so it’s a different experience every time” – the formula being “no mystery: you get to taste small samples of delicious food all related to a specific, changing theme”. (“We’ve been twice this year – more themes have caught our eye without the window of opportunity to try them. It’s not filling, but a really enjoyable eat”). There is, though, an alternative jaundiced view, which is that they offer “style over substance – you’ll leave still feeling hungry and the venue is noisy, like being in a canteen”.

“A great Italian-inspired spot” – this popular destination is run by Dean & Anna Parker in the ground floor of a historic Baronial-style building called Cathedral House, which incorporates a mezzanine level to the traditional bar and dining room. “Amazing pappadelle in generous portions” exemplifies the “talented cooking with great ingredients”.

2022 Review: This spin-off from Cail Bruich attracts some attention purely on account of its stellar sibling, although the culinary formula is much simpler – sharing plates of locally supplied meat, seafood, cheese and charcuterie, plus an interesting selection of wine. But while we do have some feedback saying it’s “very good”, its volume is too limited for a definitive verdict.