The rooms worth a reservation in Glasgow, from neighbourhood bistros to the new classics.
The restaurants worth the trip in Glasgow. bistros, neo-classics, neighbourhood favourites, and the rooms locals book first.
Ox and Finch put Finnieston on Glasgow's food map, a buzzy Sauchiehall Street room of ever-changing small plates built for sharing across the table.
Signature: Pressed lamb shoulder, Twice-baked cheese souffle
Order: Order five or six plates between two; the pressed lamb shoulder is the long-running favourite.
Tip: Walk-in seats at the open kitchen counter turn over faster than the booked tables on a busy night.
Crabshakk is the tiny Finnieston seafood bar that sparked Glasgow's Argyle Street boom, a marble counter of langoustine, oysters and fried haddock.
Signature: Langoustine, Fried haddock and chips
Order: A plate of langoustine with garlic butter and a glass of the house white.
Tip: The upstairs mezzanine and the counter both take walk-ins, so try your luck if the booking diary looks full.
Gloriosa is Rosie Healey's bright Argyle Street room in Glasgow, cooking wood-fired, vegetable-led Mediterranean plates and one of the city's best wine lists.
Signature: Wood-fired flatbreads, Whole roast fish
Order: Whatever is coming off the wood fire, plus a glass from the low-intervention wine list.
Tip: Healey founded the much-missed Alchemilla, and this is where her cooking now lives; book the counter for the fire view.
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.
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.
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.
The Finnieston is a snug former drovers' tavern on Argyle Street, Glasgow, pairing sustainable Scottish seafood with more than 60 gins in a candlelit room.
Signature: Grilled langoustine, Beer-battered fish
Order: A gin and tonic from the long list, then whatever shellfish is freshest that day.
Tip: It is as much a gin bar as a restaurant, so come early for a drink before the kitchen gets busy.
Nanakusa is a City Centre Japanese grill on Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, turning out ramen, sushi and robata skewers to a steady after-work crowd.
Signature: Tonkotsu ramen, Robata skewers
Order: A bowl of tonkotsu ramen and a few charcoal robata skewers to share.
Tip: It is one of the few kitchens on this stretch open through the afternoon, handy for a late lunch.
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.
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.
Signature: Laksa, Beef rendang
Order: A bowl of laksa; the rendang and roti canai go fast, so order early.
Tip: Seats are few and it does not take large groups, so aim for an off-peak sitting or expect to wait.
Ranjit's Kitchen is a family-run Punjabi vegetarian counter in Glasgow's Southside, serving fresh, meat-free thalis and samosas for under a tenner.
Signature: Punjabi thali, Samosa chaat
Order: The thali of the day, whatever the family has cooked fresh that morning.
Tip: It is cash-only with a handful of tables; takeaway is the reliable option when the room is full.
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.
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.
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.
Nippon Kitchen is a City Centre Japanese restaurant in a grand West George Street building in Glasgow, running teppanyaki grills, sushi and bento at lunch.
Signature: Teppanyaki grills, Sushi platters
Order: A teppanyaki set from the grill, or a mixed sushi platter at lunch.
Tip: The lunchtime bento boxes are the best-value way into the menu before the pricier evening service.
Amber Regent is a white-tablecloth Cantonese restaurant on West Regent Street, Glasgow, open since 1988 and known for Scottish seafood cooked Hong Kong style.
Signature: Cantonese seafood, Aromatic crispy duck
Order: Steamed seafood from the day's market list, cooked in the classic Cantonese style.
Tip: This is old-school linen-and-service dining; the pre-theatre menu is the smart-value order before a show.
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.