34 of the best restaurants in Glasgow

You’ll need patience to nab a spot at this popular no-bookings pizza restaurant (i.e., expect to queue at busy times). If you do manage to bag a table you’ll be rewarded with authentic Napoletana pizzas topped with high end ingredients like Tuscan fennel sausage or grilled aubergine.

This spot in Hyndland has been taken over by the team behind Cail Bruich – Glasgow’s only Michelin starred restaurant – and specialises in modern international cooking. Menus flex with the seasons for fresh, ingredient-led dishes. 

Sitting pretty on the Michelin Guide, this small Scottish restaurant has drawn crowds from across the country and beyond thanks to its stunning French-leaning fish dishes. Prices are steep, at around £25 for main courses, but the cost is justified when the kitchen only uses the very best ingredients from Scotland’s larder. Shetland cod, Isle of Gigha cod and king scallops sit alongside each other on the quietly confident menu that signals an experienced kitchen team. This Glasgow restaurant finds its home in a luxuriously appointed basement space making it one for special occasions.

After a refresh a wee while back this West End restaurant came back better than ever, now majoring in solid seasonal cooking that keeps the team here busy with back to back diners most days. Unusual combinations populate the menu – like tomatoes with strawberries and dashi or young summer veggies with barley and fermented turnip – and there are a couple of tasting curations to choose from. Prices can be steep, but at lunchtime there’s an extremely fairly priced set affair that starts at £24 for two courses, which includes complimentary still or sparkling water and those little extra touches, like an amuse bouche, that you’d expect from a fine dining restaurant.

Ka Pao comes from the team who run perennially popular Ox and Finch down the road. This cavernous basement restaurant has a buzzy bar atmosphere and serves twists on Asian flavours from across the continent.

A combination of globally inspired dishes made with some of Scotland’s best ingredients has sealed the fate of Stravaigin as one of Glasgow’s most popular restaurants. For those who are in town just for a day or two they do a great haggis neeps and tatties, but for those who have tried all the typically Scottish dishes and are looking for a bit more there are options too. Cod with devilled potatoes, cashews and raita is fragrant and comforting while Shetland hake with charred corn salsa and clams brings a taste of Mexico to colder shores.

With a dedicated chip menu and a standout brunch, this Glasgow favourite deals in comfort food classics. At dinner time you can expect dishes like a 12-hour crispy duck leg or steak with chimichurri.

Notorious on the Glasgow dining scene, Ubiquitous Chip has been in situ on the corner of Ashton Lane since 1971 and is a real tick list place to visit while in town. Food is geared towards getting the best from Scottish ingredients while not neglecting the global influences that can make good food great. The rich umami flavour of miso accompanies sea trout, while crab is lightly spiced and paired with a sweetcorn bhaji for an interesting rift on a classic Indian recipe. Downstairs can be pricy, but the upstairs brasserie offers a more affordable way in.

This Glasgow legend holds the title of the city’s oldest restaurant and is all old school glamour, still pulling the crowds over eighty years after opening. In line with its luxurious art deco interiors the menu features high end fare, with lobster, oysters and truffles all being regularly used ingredients. For the dining room expect to dress up to fit in with the well-heeled crowd, but for a more relaxed affair plump for a posh sandwich and chips in the bar area.

Beef is the hero here, with high-end serves like a luxurious chateaubriand for two running alongside classic cuts like fillets and rib-eyes. Sunday roast with all the classic trimmings shouldn’t be missed on the weekend.

Six by Nico started in Scotland, and now has restaurants all over the UK thanks to the popular six course tasting menu format. For the price this fine dining experience is a bargain.

As the name might suggest, this trendy Finnieston restaurant specialises in shellfish. Here you’ll find seafood dishes for purists: oysters on ice, seared scallops served au natural, rich crab bisque and spaghetti vongole. There is a steak option in case of mixed preferences in a group but for the most part the fish here is the star of the show. Open 12-12 every day, Crabshakk makes for the perfect lunch or dinner venue, but if venturing out on the weekend make sure to book ahead as it does get busy.

With three restaurants in Glasgow this mini chain has certainly built a reputation for itself, and for good reason. The menu focuses primarily on Scottish ingredients, elevating them by bringing them together in classic combinations. Roast chicken is butter basted and served with a fondant potato and Madeira jus, while Isle of Barra scallops are caramelised in a hot pan before being plated up with a curried parsnip puree. For classic cookery, it doesn’t get much better than this restaurant in Glasgow’s city centre.

This independently owned neighbourhood bar and bistro specialises in French classics. Doing a great line in brunches, the menu offers up combinations like waffles with a crispy duck leg or an epic croque madame.

Here six courses centre around a theme that changes every six weeks. The focus is always playful – think ‘chip shop’ or ‘childhood favourites’, and while portions can be small, for what you get all in it is great value for money.

Often found buzzing about her tiny, open-fronted kitchen you might recognise Julie from her stint on MasterChef. Now she heads up her Kopitiam baby which specialises in Malaysian food and does a killer nasi goreng.

Offering up fine dining in Finneston, The Gannet is a neighbourhood gem run by three friends. The tasting menus change regularly to ensure the best seasonal produce is being championed and there’s a great drinks list too.

Found across North India, Dhabbas are family-run roadside diners, but this restaurant has put a slightly more sophisticated spin on things. The menu makes use of the very best ingredients to produce high end Indian fare served in a luxurious and vibrant dining room. Begin with the sweet and sour samosa chat that combines samosa pieces with chickpeas, salad and a tangy yogurt sauce, before moving on to dishes made in the tandoor, like the malai murg which is a cardamom and cream coated chicken dish. There is a whole section of the menu dedicated to biryani and homemade paneer is also afforded its very own mini line-up – perfect for vegetarians with a soft spot for this popular Indian cheese.

Dakhin was a frontrunner in bringing South Indian food to Glasgow’s restaurant scene and has held firm in its position as a well-loved local since. With dishes from Kerala and the surrounding regions you can expect the plates to be packed with the rich flavour of coconut and sweet and sour notes. Flame cooked tiger prawns marinated in ginger, garlic, cumin and crushed bay leaves are a crowd-pleaser, while more substantial curries like the Kozhi stew combines chicken, potatoes and carrots in a creamy coconut gravy. The entire menu is allergy-friendly, with the restaurant being Coeliac UK accredited, and the kitchen uses no nuts, sesame, celery or molluscs in the dishes they send out.

Not all burgers are equal and El Perro Negro – for us – does the best in Glasgow. While there are veggie and chicken options, we have got to give star of the show to the classic burger topped with pickles, caramelised onions and a healthy serving of sauce.

After time away from Scotland (working in kitchens like le Gavroche with Michel Roux Jnr) chef proprietor Brian says he returned home because of the outstanding quality of the country’s produce. Making full use of this there’s always a seasonal menu offered to guests, with dishes like fillet of lamb and aubergine caviar with tempura courgettes and basil oil featuring. The space is elegant, if slightly old fashioned, and there are private dining and wedding hire options too.   

With sustainability at its heart The Finnieston serves up a menu of carefully curated Scottish seafood and proudly labels itself as Glasgow’s premier gin bar. Interiors are as trendy as the tableware the food is served on, and you can expect classics like steamed Shetland mussels to be given a twist, in this case a rich Thai coconut broth. Elsewhere there’s delicate cod paired with rich sobrassada and a monkfish steak given a hit of curry flavour served with kachumber salad and straw potatoes.

Local lad John Quigley set up Red Onion after spending a few years travelling round the world cooking for stars like Bryan Adams and Tina Turner (and you know what they say, if it’s good enough for Tina, it’s good enough for us all). The menu pays homage to favourites from around the world with haggis bon bons sitting alongside things like bang bang chicken or harissa octopus. There are gluten free and vegan menus available too, and the kitchen are wholly accommodating to special requirements, so that everyone can eat quite happily whatever their needs or wants.

Owned by the people behind Stravaigin and Ubiquitous Chip, this unpretentious colourful spot, tucked away down a lane off Byres Road serves up some seriously satisfying Vietnamese fare. The menu changes semi-regularly but the old favourites remain firm in their placing – you can always expect fresh rice paper rolls, fragrant pho and that sweet and syrupy Vietnamese coffee that can play the part of dessert should you wish. Occasionally a menu that features a whole range of unfamiliar dishes can feel overwhelming, but happily the team here have thought of that. If you simply utter the words ‘feed me’ you’ll be delivered a mystery selection of dishes for £22.95 per person giving you a variety of things you may not have chosen yourself, and portions are robust.

This legendary Glasgow city centre restaurant knows what its audience wants, and that’s the classics. To cater to this the team here have a menu that doesn’t change – which features things like a trio of pates alongside cullen skink and haggis neeps and tatties – as well as a seasonal selection of dishes. Plates from the latter menu might feature things like ginger braised pork with smoked cauliflower or pan roasted duck breast with Scottish girolles. Having been around since 1979, this Glasgow restaurant is testament to the fact that good, solid cooking never goes out of style.

With a buzzy atmosphere, colourful interiors and large sharing plates, Alchemilla is a great spot for groups. Expect widely reaching Mediterranean fare with everything from croquettas to cevice on the menu at any one time.

Serving up small plates of globally inspired dishes Ox and Finch have managed to establish themselves as one of Glasgow’s most popular restaurants in just a few short years. Katsu curry is given a modern spin with a piece of poached hake, while pork belly is paired with delicate scallops and a rich satay sauce, pickled cucumber and salted pineapple for a trifecta of salt, sweet and sour. The service is made up of a trendy team who know their stuff when it comes to the menu and are well versed in making recommendations should you need any.  

Pairing wines from small independent makers with Mediterranean sharing food is a winning format at Gloriosa. Celebrated chef Rosie Healy is at the helm, and the warm atmosphere encourages laid-back lunches and dinners.

The now-national chain of Ivy restaurants opened its second Scottish site in Glasgow, only preceded by the Edinburgh offering. As with other branches all over the country, this city centre restaurant is luxuriously appointed with rich soft furnishings and a large marble bar takin centre stage. The menu is a whole host of long-standing favourites, from prawn cocktail to steak and chips, and delivers reliably robust flavours without skipping a beat.

With two AA Rosettes and a place on The Good Food Guide this reliably good Glasgow restaurant runs two services each day and is a sure-fire winner when it comes to delicious food, cooked well. The menu changes regularly according to what’s in season and at its best but dishes you can expect see the likes of saddle of wild rabbit paired with black pudding for starters, and belly, loin and cheek of pork served with hispi cabbage, heritage carrots and star anise for mains. Make sure to save room for pudding too, as a line-up of treats that includes things like chocolate delice and passionfruit and coconut torte isn’t to be missed. 

More of a lunch spot than a restaurant proper, Kember & Jones is popular with west enders. Fresh breads and pastries ensure breakfast always looks tempting, and they do a great salad for lunch too.

Well before the trendy chains like Dishoom were established in Scotland, Mother India brought authentic Indian food to Glasgow. For special occasions there are real showstoppers on the menu, like the lamb raan, which is a leg that is slow cooked with whole spices and served with rice, raita and breads for two people to share. At other times a reasonably priced set menu for £25 per head gives enough choice without the options becoming overwhelming and includes some of the restaurant’s most popular dishes, likes its butter chicken. 

Seasonal menus and ethically sourced ingredients are championed at FIVE MARCH. Mediterranean small sharing plates ensure you can get a good taste of everything from the menu, making this a great place for meeting friends.

Dinner with a side of theatre makes this one of Glasgow’s best Japanese restaurants. Watch as the skilled chefs cook your meal on the grill at the centre of your counter seating. Expect audience participation.