Cullen skink is a thick Scottish soup of smoked haddock, potato and onion in milk, silky and smoky. It travelled from the Moray coast to become a Glasgow menu staple.
The soup takes its name from Cullen, a fishing town on the Moray Firth, where 'skink' meant a shin or a broth. Built to use the local cold-smoked haddock, it spread across Scotland as a warming first course. In Glasgow it became a fixture on Scottish-menu tables such as Cafe Gandolfi, which has served it since 1979, made with undyed smoked haddock, potato and milk.
3 editor picks for Cullen skink in Glasgow, ranked by editorial score. All Glasgow signature dishes · Cullen skink across every city.
Stravaigin ★ 4.4
west-end · 28 Gibson Street, Glasgow G12 8NX
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.
Cafe Gandolfi ★ 4.3
merchant-city · 64 Albion Street, Glasgow G1 1NY
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.
Two Fat Ladies at The Buttery ★ 4.3
finnieston · 652-654 Argyle Street, Glasgow G3 8UF
Two Fat Ladies at The Buttery is Glasgow's oldest restaurant, an 1870 Argyle Street room panelled in dark wood and built around Scottish seafood and game.