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.
Signature: Cullen skink, Smoked venison
Order: A bowl of Cullen skink followed by the smoked venison with gooseberry.
Tip: The 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.
Signature: Masala dosa, Chettinad chicken
Order: A crisp masala dosa with sambar and coconut chutney.
Tip: The 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.
Order: Aged Galician rump steak and a plate of hand-carved Jamon Iberico to start.
Tip: The 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.
Order: The Paesano with n'duja, or the simple margherita to judge the char on the crust.
Tip: It 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.
Order: A tandoor bread basket with a slow-cooked lamb rogan josh.
Tip: This 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.
Signature drink: House-roasted espresso
Tip: The 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.
Signature drink: Brunch coffee and cocktails
Tip: Brunch 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.
Signature pour: A low-intervention red by the glass
Wine focus: Natural, organic and low-intervention wine
Food: Fresh tacos
Tip: The 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.
Signature drink: House cocktails and sherry
Food: Mediterranean small plates
Tip: It 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.
Signature drink: Long list of signature cocktails
Food: Small plates and boozy brunch
Tip: The 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 that takes bookings only.
Signature drink: Van Gogh-themed signature cocktails
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Entry is by reservation through a hidden door, so book ahead via their website rather than turning up.
Babbity Bowster is a Merchant City institution on Blackfriars Street in Glasgow, a French-Scottish bar, inn and eatery pouring cask ale since 1985.
Signature drink: Cask ale and Scottish whisky
Food: French-Scottish pub menu
Tip: It 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.
Order: Eggs 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.
Order: A 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.
Order: A full brunch plate; omni, vegan and gluten-free menus all run.