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ScottishMerchant City
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.
OrderA bowl of Cullen skink followed by the smoked venison with gooseberry.
TipThe upstairs Bar Gandolfi is a quieter spot for a cocktail before or after your table downstairs.
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Southeast AsianWest End
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.
OrderThe fried chicken with green nam jim and a coconut-heavy curry to share.
TipSit at the bar for walk-in space and order the shorter lunch menu if you want a lighter, cheaper visit.
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SeafoodFinnieston
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.
OrderA gin and tonic from the long list, then whatever shellfish is freshest that day.
TipIt is as much a gin bar as a restaurant, so come early for a drink before the kitchen gets busy.
££££
JapaneseCity Centre
Nanakusa is a City Centre Japanese grill on Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, turning out ramen, sushi and robata skewers to a steady after-work crowd.
OrderA bowl of tonkotsu ramen and a few charcoal robata skewers to share.
TipIt is one of the few kitchens on this stretch open through the afternoon, handy for a late lunch.
££££
IndianWest End
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.
££££
MalaysianSouthside
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.