Student cafes, Ashton Lane cobbles and the city's oldest curry houses around Byres Road and Great Western Road.
Mother India has served home-style Indian cooking in Glasgow's West End since 1990, a warren of small rooms famous for its sharing plates and slow-cooked dal.
Signature: Sharing thali, Lamb karahi
Order: Build a table of small dishes to share; the aubergine and the karahi lamb are long-time regulars' picks.
Tip: The tapas-style spin-off, Mother India's Cafe on Argyle Street, is the cheaper way to eat the same kitchen's cooking.
Stravaigin has cooked 'think global, eat local' in Glasgow's West End since 1994, a Gibson Street basement pairing homemade haggis with pan-Asian plates.
Signature: Homemade haggis, neeps and tatties, Buttermilk fried chicken
Order: The homemade haggis, neeps and tatties, on the menu since the restaurant opened.
Tip: The ground-floor cafe-bar takes walk-ins and shares the kitchen; the basement restaurant is the sit-down booking.
Ka Pao serves Southeast Asian sharing plates in a buzzy former garage off Byres Road in Glasgow's West End, all fish-sauce heat and charcoal smoke.
Signature: Fried chicken with green nam jim, Beef short rib curry
Order: The fried chicken with green nam jim and a coconut-heavy curry to share.
Tip: Sit at the bar for walk-in space and order the shorter lunch menu if you want a lighter, cheaper visit.
Shish Mahal is the West End curry house that claims to have invented chicken tikka masala in Glasgow in the 1970s, still packed for its Punjabi cooking.
Signature: Chicken tikka masala, Lamb karahi
Order: The chicken tikka masala, the dish this kitchen is said to have created.
Tip: The claim is contested but the cooking is genuinely good; book ahead at weekends when it fills with regulars.
Eusebi Deli is an award-winning Italian deli-restaurant on Park Road in Glasgow's West End, serving fresh pasta, Roman-style bakes and Calabrian home cooking.
Signature: Fresh pasta of the day, Arancini
Order: Whatever fresh pasta is on the daily board, plus an arancini from the deli counter.
Tip: Grab focaccia and cannoli to go from the deli even if you are not staying for a full sit-down meal.
Wudon is a sisters-run pan-Asian noodle bar on Great Western Road in Glasgow's West End, ladling ramen, katsu and Thai curries from family home recipes.
Signature: Ramen, Katsu curry
Order: A steaming bowl of ramen; the katsu curry is the other regular order.
Tip: It gets busy with students on weekend evenings, so book or come early for a table.
Bar Soba is a dark, music-led pan-Asian spot on Byres Road in Glasgow's West End, plating wok noodles and Southeast Asian curries beside strong cocktails.
Signature: Wok noodles, Thai green curry
Order: A bowl of wok noodles and one of the punchy house cocktails.
Tip: The kitchen runs later than most on Byres Road, useful when other rooms have stopped serving food.
Number 16 is a tiny, long-running bistro at the foot of Byres Road in Glasgow's West End, cooking tight modern British menus across a two-storey room.
Signature: Set lunch menu, Seasonal Scottish mains
Order: The set lunch is the value play; the seasonal mains change with the market.
Tip: There are only a dozen or so tables over two floors, so book ahead rather than chancing a walk-in table.
The Left Bank is an all-day Gibson Street room in Glasgow's West End, mixing global brunch, Scottish dinners and vinyl in a relaxed, plant-filled space.
Signature: All-day brunch, Seasonal small plates
Order: The weekend brunch, or a spread of seasonal small plates in the evening.
Tip: It runs from morning coffee through to late cocktails, so it works whatever time you turn up.
Cail Bruich holds one of Glasgow's two Michelin stars, a West End room on Great Western Road where Lorna McNee cooks a produce-led Scottish tasting menu.
Order: The full tasting menu; the langoustine and Perthshire venison courses are the reason to book.
Tip: Book the earlier weekday sittings, they release before the Friday and Saturday slots that vanish first each month.
Brett is a Michelin-listed modern European room on Great Western Road, Glasgow, where a compact kitchen sends out a seasonal chef's menu worth the lead time.
Order: The Chef's Menu at £98; it is the fullest expression of what the kitchen is doing that week.
Tip: The small dining room and terrace book out fast, so aim for a midweek dinner and confirm dietary needs when you reserve.
The Ubiquitous Chip has anchored Ashton Lane, Glasgow since 1971, a cobbled West End courtyard institution serving modern Scottish cooking and venison haggis.
Order: The venison haggis with clapshot and whisky sauce, on the menu in some form for decades.
Tip: The upstairs Brasserie is cheaper and takes walk-ins; the ground-floor Restaurant is the full-dress experience.
Bibi's Cantina is a daytime Mexican cafe on Dumbarton Road in Glasgow's West End, serving huevos, tacos and hearty stews with a bright, homely welcome.
Order: The huevos rancheros at brunch, or a plate of tacos at lunch.
Tip: It is a daytime spot that closes in the late afternoon, so plan it for breakfast or lunch, not dinner.
Cottiers is a bar and restaurant inside a restored 1865 Daniel Cottier church in Glasgow's West End, pairing Scottish plates with a grand stained-glass room.
Order: A Scottish steak or the catch of the day under the church's painted ceilings.
Tip: The building is also a theatre and beer garden; check what is on before you book a table.
Little Italy has fed Byres Road since the 1980s, a bustling Glasgow West End counter for pizza by the slice, fresh pasta and strong Italian coffee.
Order: A hot slice of pizza from the takeaway counter, or a plate of fresh pasta at a table.
Tip: The takeaway counter at the front is the quick option; the seated area behind is calmer for a full meal.
Partick Duck Club is an all-day bistro on Hyndland Street in Glasgow's West End, cooking brunch, duck and market plates from a snug Partick corner.
Order: The duck, in whatever form the kitchen is running it that week.
Tip: It keeps eight bar counter seats back for walk-ins, so try the counter if the tables are booked out.
Kember and Jones is a deli-cafe and bakery on Byres Road in Glasgow's West End, roasting its own coffee beside tarts, sourdough and cheese counters.
Signature drink: House-roasted coffee
Tip: The window seats overlooking Byres Road are the prize spots; the cake counter is the reason to queue.
Tinderbox is a long-running espresso bar on the Byres Road corner in Glasgow's West End, a buzzy people-watching spot for coffee and cake since 1998.
Signature drink: Espresso
Tip: The upstairs window seats over the Byres Road and University Avenue junction are the best in the house.
Offshore is a relaxed, dog-friendly coffee shop on Gibson Street in Glasgow's West End, a student favourite for flat whites, vegan bakes and free wifi.
Signature drink: Flat white
Tip: It is a no-fuss study spot near the university; the vegan selection is bigger than most cafes on this street.
Meadow Road is a bright artisan coffee shop on Dumbarton Road in Glasgow's Partick, pouring speciality coffee alongside vegan-friendly brunch plates.
Signature drink: Speciality filter coffee
Tip: It is a dog-friendly Partick corner spot; go for the weekend brunch and a pour-over rather than a quick takeaway.
Roots, Fruits and Flowers is a wholefoods grocer, deli and cafe on Great Western Road in Glasgow's West End, an organic Kelvinbridge institution since 1980.
Signature drink: Organic coffee
Tip: It is a grocer, deli, florist and cafe in one; grab lunch upstairs then shop the wholefoods and veg below.
Cottonrake is an artisan bakery on Great Western Road in Glasgow's West End, baking sourdough, laminated pastries and cakes for a loyal Kelvinbridge crowd.
Tip: Get there early for the laminated pastries; the almond croissants and cruffins tend to sell out by lunchtime.
Worth the queue: Almond croissant
The Bakery Hinba, formerly Zique, is a Hyndland bakery in Glasgow's West End, baking bread, pastries and cakes now under Hinba Coffee's ownership.
Tip: It carried on as a bakery after Zique sold up, so old Zique fans will recognise the counter under the new name.
Worth the queue: Cruffin
Papercup Coffee Company is a Glasgow roaster and cafe on Great Western Road, roasting beans on-site that supply its own room and cafes across Scotland.
Tip: The Great Western Road site pairs a busy brunch cafe with the roasting; the separate Eastvale Place arch is the roastery.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Kenya, Colombia
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Cuvée is a champagne and fine-wine bar upstairs on Lynedoch Street in Glasgow's West End, a small drawing-room lounge for fizz, cocktails and tapas.
Signature pour: A flute of grower Champagne
Wine focus: Champagne and fine wine
Food: Tapas
Tip: It is a walk-in-only, 30-cover lounge; go early evening midweek for a seat at the bar.
Corke and Caske is a wine bar, shop and tasting room on Hyndland Road in Glasgow's West End, pouring bottles from around the world with charcuterie.
Signature pour: A wine flight with a charcuterie board
Wine focus: World wines by the glass and bottle
Food: Charcuterie and cheese
Tip: Buy a bottle off the shelf to drink in for a small corkage; the flights are the way to explore the range.
The Left Bank pours natural wine and Scottish craft beer on vinyl-soundtracked Gibson Street in Glasgow's West End, turning wine bar by night.
Signature pour: A natural wine off the changing list
Wine focus: Natural wine and Scottish craft beer
Food: All-day plates and small plates
Tip: It runs from morning coffee to late-night wine, so it works whether you want a glass at lunch or after dinner.
The Kelbourne Saint is a neighbourhood bar on Queen Margaret Drive in Glasgow's West End, mixing craft beer, cocktails and a well-regarded pizza kitchen.
Signature drink: Rotating Scottish craft beer
Food: Wood-fired pizza
Tip: The pizza kitchen is a genuine draw, not an afterthought, so come hungry as well as thirsty.
Brel is a Belgian beer bar in a converted Ashton Lane mews in Glasgow's West End, pouring Trappist ales and mussels with one of the city's best beer gardens.
Signature drink: Belgian Trappist and abbey beer
Food: Moules-frites and Belgian dishes
Tip: The covered, heated beer garden means it works year-round; it is one of the few Ashton Lane spots with real outdoor space.
Inn Deep is a craft-beer bar in the railway arches beside the River Kelvin in Glasgow, pouring 33 taps and Sub Rosa pizza on a canalside West End terrace.
Signature drink: Rotating craft beer from 33 taps
Food: Sub Rosa pizza
Tip: On a warm day the riverside steps down to the Kelvin fill up fast; grab a pizza and a can and head outside.
Òran Mór is a bar and arts venue in a converted church at the top of Byres Road in Glasgow's West End, famous for its lunchtime plays and painted ceiling.
Signature drink: Whisky and Scottish beer
Food: Scottish brasserie menu
Tip: A Play, a Pie and a Pint runs weekday lunchtimes; you get a short play, a pie and a drink for one ticket.
Kimchi Cult is Scotland's original Korean street-food counter, a tiny room off Byres Road in Glasgow serving bibimbap, bao and Korean fried chicken.
Try: Korean fried chicken and bibimbap
Tip: It opened in 2015 as Scotland's first Korean fast-food spot; the kimchi burger is the cult order.
Suissi Vegan Kitchen is a plant-based bao and street-food counter on Dumbarton Road in Glasgow's Partick, best known for its crisp tofu and rendang baos.
Try: Tofu and rendang bao buns
Tip: It is fully vegan and small; the Rendang bao with lion's mane mushroom is the standout order.
Grunting Growler is a craft-beer bottle shop and taproom on Old Dumbarton Road in Glasgow's West End, stocking 300-plus beers, natural wines and ciders.
Tip: Fill a growler to take away or drink in; the rotating tap list leans hard into Scottish and independent breweries.
Overtone Brewing is one of Glasgow's most prolific modern craft breweries, running from a westside industrial unit and pouring hoppy beers in bars citywide.
Tip: There is no full taproom bar, but you can order online and collect cans direct from the brewery shop.
Mansfield Park Market is a makers and food market in Glasgow's Partick, drawing independent traders and street food to Mansfield Street twice a month.
Tip: It combines crafts with food stalls, so it is worth a browse as well as a bite on a Partick Saturday.
University Cafe has fed Byres Road since 1918, a fourth-generation family cafe in Glasgow serving cheap fry-ups, fish and chips and its own ice cream.
Try: Fish and chips, pie and beans, ice cream
Tip: It is a proper old-school Italian-Scots cafe; save room for the double-cream ice cream at the end.
Suissi Vegan Kitchen sells cheap, filling plant-based bao and street food on Dumbarton Road in Glasgow's Partick, a great-value stop for meat-free eaters.
Try: Tofu and rendang bao
Tip: Two or three baos make a full meal; the rendang with lion's mane mushroom is the pick.
Partick Duck Club is an all-day bistro on Hyndland Street in Glasgow's West End, serving one of the Southside-of-the-river's best brunches from a snug corner.
Order: The brunch menu before it rolls into the all-day bistro list.
Bibi's Cantina is a daytime Mexican cafe on Dumbarton Road in Glasgow's West End, serving huevos, chilaquiles and hearty brunch plates in a bright room.
Order: Huevos rancheros or chilaquiles with a strong coffee.
The Left Bank is an all-day Gibson Street room in Glasgow's West End, a vinyl-soundtracked spot for a long weekend brunch before it turns wine bar by night.
Order: The weekend brunch spread with a coffee or a morning natural wine.