40 editor picks in Glasgow.
40 mid-range places in Glasgow, editor-picked. the comfortable everyday-good restaurants in Glasgow, with real cooking and no surprise on the bill. All Glasgow food.
The Pot Still is a fourth-generation whisky bar on Hope Street in Glasgow, pouring from more than 1,000 bottles under the eye of the Murphy family.
TipAsk the staff for a recommendation by flavour rather than name; they will find you a dram to suit and a pie to match.
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.
Dear Green is a pioneering speciality coffee roaster in Glasgow's East End, running an SCA training school and supplying cafes across the city since 2011.
TipIt is a roastery and coffee school rather than a walk-in cafe; its beans turn up in the best independents citywide.
El Perro Negro is a multi-award-winning burger joint on Argyle Street in Glasgow's Finnieston, fusing American and Korean flavours into dirty, messy patties.
OrderAmerican-Korean smashed burgers
TipThe Top Dog is the signature; it started as a market stall before landing this permanent Argyle Street site.
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.
OrderBuild a table of small dishes to share; the aubergine and the karahi lamb are long-time regulars' picks.
TipThe tapas-style spin-off, Mother India's Cafe on Argyle Street, is the cheaper way to eat the same kitchen's cooking.
Julie's Kopitiam brings Malaysian hawker cooking to Glasgow's Southside, a tiny Shawlands room where the laksa and beef rendang sell out most nights.
OrderA bowl of laksa; the rendang and roti canai go fast, so order early.
TipSeats are few and it does not take large groups, so aim for an off-peak sitting or expect to wait.
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.
TipGet there early for the laminated pastries; the almond croissants and cruffins tend to sell out by lunchtime.
Freedom Bakery is a Glasgow social-enterprise bakery that trains prisoners in the craft, slow-fermenting sourdough sold through cafes and shops citywide.
TipThere is no shopfront at the bakery itself; look for Freedom loaves at Glasgow delis, cafes and farmers markets.
Riverhill Coffee Bar is a tiny, ethical cafe on Gordon Street in Glasgow's city centre, pouring proper coffee and stacking generous sandwiches and cakes.
TipIt is small and busy at lunch, so grab a sandwich to take away if the handful of tables are full.
Laboratorio Espresso is an Italian-style coffee bar on West Nile Street in Glasgow, pulling some of the city centre's best espresso in a snug room.
TipOrder at the counter and take a stool; it is a coffee-first room, not a laptop-all-day cafe.
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.
TipThe Great Western Road site pairs a busy brunch cafe with the roasting; the separate Eastvale Place arch is the roastery.
The Ben Nevis is a snug whisky and folk-music bar on Argyle Street in Glasgow's Finnieston, with over 100 malts and traditional sessions most weeks.
TipTurn up for a midweek folk session; the bar works first-come-first-served rather than taking bookings.
TipGo early or off-peak; the rendang and roti canai go fast and the room is small.
Julie's Kopitiam ladles cheap, brilliant Malaysian hawker food in Glasgow's Southside, where a bowl of laksa or beef rendang costs little and satisfies a lot.
OrderLaksa and rendang
TipSeats are few and it does not take big groups, so aim for an off-peak sitting.
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.
Sugo is a fast, loud fresh-pasta room on Mitchell Street in Glasgow's city centre, from the Paesano team, serving handmade pasta in the Lighthouse building.
OrderWhatever ragu is on that day, twirled through fresh pappardelle.
TipLike its sibling Paesano, it is walk-in only and turns tables quickly, so expect a short wait at peak times.
Outlier is a coffee shop, bakery and gallery on London Road in Glasgow's East End near the Barras, known for cinnamon buns and almond croissants.
TipIt sits by the Barras, so pair a morning pastry here with a wander round the weekend market next door.
Tantrum Doughnuts hand-makes small-batch doughnuts on Gordon Street in Glasgow's city centre, from brown-butter glaze to seasonal filled rings.
TipThe flavours rotate weekly and the best sell out fast, so go in the morning rather than late afternoon.
Deanston Bakery is a neighbourhood micro-bakery in Shawlands, Glasgow, baking sourdough, viennoiserie and cakes fresh each morning on the Southside.
TipIt is a small Southside counter that bakes daily; go before lunch while the pastry shelves are still full.
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.
TipThe window seats overlooking Byres Road are the prize spots; the cake counter is the reason to queue.
Milk Cafe is a social-enterprise cafe on Victoria Road in Glasgow's Southside, run by refugee and migrant women serving brunch, bakes and Levantine plates.
TipProfits support the women who cook here, so the daily specials, often home-country dishes, are worth asking about.
Thomson's Coffee is Scotland's oldest coffee roaster, tracing back to 1841 in Glasgow and still roasting on the Southside for cafes across the country.
TipThe Giffnock site is a production roastery; look for Thomson's beans and blends in cafes across Glasgow.
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.
TipThe pizza kitchen is a genuine draw, not an afterthought, so come hungry as well as thirsty.
Drygate is a craft brewery, bar and kitchen beside Tennent's on Glasgow's east side, with 23 taps, a view into the brewhouse and an upstairs beer hall.
TipThe upstairs beer hall and terrace are more relaxed than the ground-floor brasserie; both look into the brewery.
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.
OrderKorean fried chicken and bibimbap
TipIt opened in 2015 as Scotland's first Korean fast-food spot; the kimchi burger is the cult order.
TipIt was Scotland's first Korean fast-food spot; regulars keep coming back for the cult kimchi burger.
TipAsk about the daily home-country specials; profits support the women who cook and run the room.
Cafe Strange Brew is a much-loved Shawlands brunch spot in Glasgow's Southside, pairing inventive plates with serious speciality coffee near Queen's Park.
OrderThe rotating brunch specials; Stornoway black pudding and crayfish bagels are regulars.
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.
OrderThe chicken tikka masala, the dish this kitchen is said to have created.
TipThe claim is contested but the cooking is genuinely good; book ahead at weekends when it fills with regulars.
Bread Meats Bread is a St Vincent Street burger joint in Glasgow, stacking award-winning patties, poutine and vegan options for a hungry city-centre crowd.
OrderA dirty-style cheeseburger with a side of poutine.
TipThe vegan menu is more than an afterthought here, with dedicated plant-based burgers and poutine.
Chaakoo Bombay Cafe channels the Irani cafes of old Bombay on St Vincent Street in Glasgow, serving small-plate Indian street food and railway-station snacks.
OrderA spread of small plates: the okra fries and the keema pau are regulars' picks.
TipOrder in rounds like tapas rather than one big curry; the small plates are where the kitchen shines.
Namak Mandi cooks Peshawari and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa food in Glasgow's Southside, a Norfolk Street room known for its salt-cooked namak mandi lamb.
OrderThe namak mandi lamb, cooked on hot salt stones, is the dish that gives the place its name.
TipIt is a halal, alcohol-free kitchen, so come for the food and the freshly baked naan rather than a drink.
The Wee Curry Shop is a tiny, much-loved curry room on Buccleuch Street in Glasgow, cooking a short, fresh Indian menu at a handful of tables since the 1990s.
OrderThe set thali is the classic order; the menu is short and changes with what is fresh.
TipThere are only a few tables in the Garnethill room, so booking ahead is essential most evenings.
Sweet Jane Bakehouse is a weekend-only bakery on Duke Street in Glasgow's Dennistoun, selling out its cakes, breads and pastries most days it opens.
TipIt only opens Thursday to Sunday and bakes to sell out, so arrive early in the day for the best choice.
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.
TipIt carried on as a bakery after Zique sold up, so old Zique fans will recognise the counter under the new name.
The Singl-end is a basement cafe and bakehouse in Garnethill, Glasgow, a big all-day brunch room with strong gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan options.
TipIt is a wide, accessible basement good for groups; the bakehouse counter is worth a look on the way out.
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.
TipThe brunch menu runs all day, so it works as much for a late breakfast as a mid-morning flat white.
The Steamie is a coffee roaster and neighbourhood cafe on Argyle Street in Glasgow's Finnieston, a laid-back spot for filter coffee and cake.
TipIt roasts its own beans, so ask what is on filter that day and buy a bag on the way out.
Ovenbird is a small-batch speciality coffee roaster on Glasgow's Southside, roasting single-origin beans for cafes across the city and for online order.
TipThere is no walk-in cafe at the roastery; order beans online or find Ovenbird pouring in independent Glasgow cafes.
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.
TipThe covered, heated beer garden means it works year-round; it is one of the few Ashton Lane spots with real outdoor space.
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