Grand Victorian warehouses turned into Italian delis, Indian dining rooms and the wood-fired pizza crowd around Miller Street.
Cafe Gandolfi has anchored Glasgow's Merchant City since 1979, a warm room of hand-carved oak serving Scottish classics like Cullen skink and smoked venison.
OrderA bowl of Cullen skink followed by the smoked venison with gooseberry.
TipThe upstairs Bar Gandolfi is a quieter spot for a cocktail before or after your table downstairs.
Dakhin was Scotland's first dedicated South Indian restaurant, a Merchant City room in Glasgow serving dosas, appams and Chettinad curries, all gluten-free.
OrderA crisp masala dosa with sambar and coconut chutney.
TipThe whole menu is gluten-free, which makes it a rare safe bet for coeliac diners in the city centre.
The Spanish Butcher on Miller Street, Glasgow brings Galician beef, Iberico ham and Scottish seafood to a dark, buzzy Merchant City dining room open late.
OrderAged Galician rump steak and a plate of hand-carved Jamon Iberico to start.
Book1 week ahead
TipThe bar seats take walk-ins and pour an excellent sherry list; good for a solo steak without a reservation.
Paesano is a wood-fired Neapolitan pizzeria on Miller Street in Glasgow's Merchant City, turning out blistered, cheap and excellent pizza to constant queues.
OrderThe Paesano with n'duja, or the simple margherita to judge the char on the crust.
TipIt does not take bookings and the queue moves fast; go early evening or off-peak to skip the wait.
The Dhabba has served North Indian cooking in Glasgow's Merchant City since 2002, a smart Candleriggs room strong on tandoor breads and Punjabi curries.
OrderA tandoor bread basket with a slow-cooked lamb rogan josh.
TipThis is North Indian, so ask staff to steer you away from the Glasgow-Punjabi standards toward the regional dishes.
Spitfire Espresso is a Merchant City coffee bar on Candleriggs in Glasgow, roasting its own beans and serving a full brunch in a bright, tiled room.
DrinkHouse-roasted espresso
TipThe brunch menu runs all day, so it works as much for a late breakfast as a mid-morning flat white.
The Wilson Street Pantry is an all-day brunch cafe and deli in Glasgow's Merchant City, serving breakfast, sandwiches and coffee seven days a week.
DrinkBrunch coffee and cocktails
TipBrunch runs all day, every day, so it is a reliable late-morning bet when other kitchens have stopped.
Vin Cru is a natural wine bar in Merchant Square, Glasgow, pairing low-intervention bottles with fresh tacos in a cobbled Merchant City courtyard.
PourA low-intervention red by the glass
WineNatural, organic and low-intervention wine
FoodFresh tacos
TipThe taco-and-wine pairing is the format here; go for a few glasses and a round of tacos rather than a big meal.
Brutti Compadres is a candlelit tapas and cocktail bar hidden in cobbled Virginia Court in Glasgow's Merchant City, set in the old tobacco exchange.
DrinkHouse cocktails and sherry
FoodMediterranean small plates
TipIt is tucked down a lane off Virginia Street and easy to miss; look for the courtyard entrance.
The Spiritualist is a grand cocktail bar and dining room on Miller Street in Glasgow's Merchant City, set in a former bank with a long list of drinks.
DrinkLong list of signature cocktails
FoodSmall plates and boozy brunch
TipThe Thursday-to-Sunday bottomless brunch is the busy shift; weekday evenings are calmer for the cocktail list.
The Absent Ear is an award-winning hidden cocktail bar on Brunswick Street in Glasgow's Merchant City, a Van Gogh-themed speakeasy with a hidden door.
DrinkVan Gogh-themed signature cocktails
FoodBar snacks
TipReservations are strongly advised and are taken through the bar's own site; it is closed on Mondays.
Babbity Bowster is a Merchant City institution on Blackfriars Street in Glasgow, a French-Scottish bar, inn and eatery pouring cask ale since 1985.
DrinkCask ale and Scottish whisky
FoodFrench-Scottish pub menu
TipIt is a rare Merchant City pub with a beer garden and folk sessions; the upstairs eatery does a fuller menu.
The Wilson Street Pantry is an all-day brunch cafe and deli in Glasgow's Merchant City, serving breakfast, sandwiches and coffee seven days a week.
OrderEggs and sourdough with a flat white; brunch runs all day, every day.
Saints of Ingram fills a restored Hutcheson's Hall room in Glasgow's Merchant City, serving coffee and brunch by day, cocktails and plates by night.
OrderA brunch plate with a signature brunch cocktail from 11:00.
Rose & Grants is a friendly all-day brunch cafe on the Trongate in Glasgow's Merchant City, running omni, vegan and gluten-free menus on a walk-in basis.
OrderA full brunch plate; omni, vegan and gluten-free menus all run.
The Absent Ear is an award-winning cocktail bar on Brunswick Street in Glasgow's Merchant City, a Van Gogh-themed speakeasy entered through a hidden door.
TipReservations are strongly advised; book through the bar's own site, since it takes no bookings on DesignMyNight, and note it is closed on Mondays.
Polo Lounge on Wilson Street in Glasgow's Merchant City is a gay club set over two floors with four rooms, playing pop, disco and chart hits.
TipSaturday opens earliest, from 14:30, and Wednesday, Friday and Saturday run to 04:00.
Delmonica's on Virginia Street in Glasgow's Merchant City has been the heart of the city's queer community since 1991, with a weekly drag show called GAG.
TipGAG, the weekly drag show, runs on Wednesday nights; the bar opens at 12:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
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