Glasgow for Foodies: Where to Eat & What to Eat Food Guide!

Best Restaurants in Glasgow, Scotland: Top Food & Drinks For Hungry Travellers

Monty’s

We found this place by chance after visiting the University of Glasgow and we ended up having a delicious brunch. First up, the interior was super fun with a giant map of the world on the ceiling.

Sam had the Scotch pancakes with maple syrup and smoked bacon and it was a match made in heaven. The combination of the salty, crispy bacon with the sweetness of the maple was just perfect. Smoked bacon should always accompany pancakes! 

I had the toasted sourdough with avocado smash and a poached egg (my go-to breakfast order), and nothing was left on the plate.

Address: 9 Radnor Street, Glasgow

Cafe Gandolfi

Another great breakfast spot is Cafe Gandolfi. We ate there on our last day in Glasgow and I wish we’d come across it sooner because not only was their breakfast amazing, but the place also had a super warm and cozy vibe that made me want to linger long after I’d finished my food.

For my breakfast, I ordered the Gandolfi Vegetarian Breakfast, which came with fried halloumi, field mushrooms, tomatoes, potato scones, beans and eggs, with a side of sourdough toast. It was a fun twist on the traditional Full Scottish Breakfast, and I loved the combination of mushrooms and halloumi. It was so tasty!

To be honest, I could have ordered anything off their menu and been happy; they had french toast, pancakes, omelettes, muesli, and everything sounded amazing. I was that person glancing over at other people’s plates thinking, “Mmmm, I wouldn’t mind having a bite of that!”

Address: 64 Albion Street, Glasgow 

A’Challtainn

Another favourite restaurant of mine was A’Challtainn, located inside Barras Art and Design (BAaD). The restaurant is set in an old market turned multi-functional space, which is home to cool murals, independent shops and a nice selection of eateries, but aside from that, the venue also hosts flea markets, concerts, and other events.

But going back to the restaurant, A’Challtainn means “the hazel wood” in Gaelic, and they specialize in Scottish fish and shellfish dishes, as well as a few meat and vegetarian dishes.

For my starter, I went with the dish of the day which was a squid ink risotto with sea bass. Their risotto was simply divine – rich and creamy, the way it should be! It almost made me wish they served it as a main because I would totally devour a plateful of that.

Then for my main, I had the lamb leg steak with baby carrots, beetroots, turnips, and seared tomato; the meat was tender, juicy, and flavourful.

And because the beauty of being married is that your husband has to share his meal with you, I also tried some of Sam’s roasted red pepper pearl barley risotto, which was served with zucchini, eggplant and the catch of the day – sea bass.

You’d think we’d be full after a meal like that, and we were, but their desserts sounded so delightful that we decided to share one. We got the lemon posset (creamy and similar to a custard) with a strawberry and pink peppercorn salsa. Again, simply wonderful!

Address: 54 Calton Entry, Glasgow

The Drugstore Social

If drinking your way to health is a thing, The Drugstore Social is the closest you’re going to get to this. This bar is all about experimenting with natural sweeteners, herbaceous garnishes, and ingredients that have medicinal properties. Their motto is “live well”, not only through food and drink in its nutritional sense, but also by bringing people together.

Also, coincidence or not, this bar is set in an old-fashioned pharmacy, which seems very fitting!

We had fun sampling a few different drinks; I started out with Heart Beet, a beetroot infused mezcal with Italian bitter liqueur and sake. It was a bit strong for my taste (I should have known this after doing a mezcal tasting session in Mexico last year!), but the drink lived up to its name – the giant block of ice in my glass really made it look like a heart!

Sam went with the Goodnight Kiss, which had pisco with coconut liqueur, honey water, lavender, lemon, whites and Prosecco. This one was an instant hit! After several trips to Peru, we’ve both grown to love our pisco sours and this was a fun twist on the drink, so I drank most of his.

If I were a local, I’d be hanging out at this bar all the time; the drink names were all so enticing and the combinations so unusual and fun.

Address: 67 Old Dumbarton Road, Glasgow

The Finnieston

Another Glasgow restaurant I really enjoyed was The Finnieston, a seafood restaurant and gin bar.

The restaurant itself felt very historic; the building dates back to the early 1800s when it was used as a drovers’ tavern, and over the course of two centuries it has housed a cabinet-making workshop, a hotel, and even a dairy farmer and his cattle.

The restaurant had a small yet focused menu, and since seafood is their specialty, we went with that. I actually tried oysters for the first time and I don’t know what took me so long! I was making all these faces at Sam thinking I wouldn’t like them, but I did. In fact, I enjoyed my first oyster so much, I didn’t even remember to add lemon or tabasco sauce or anything they had brought to the table.

And since gin is their other specialty with more than 60 gins on offer, we had to get a little tipple to go with the oysters!

Address: 1125 Argyle Street, Glasgow

Porter & Rye

There’s one thing you come to Porter & Rye for and that is steak! Now I like to think I know my steak pretty well, especially considering I’m half Argentinean (meat is a religion in that part of the world), but I actually got to try something completely new: aged steak.

But why would you want to eat aged beef, you ask? Well, beef ageing is a process that results in the concentration of the meat’s natural flavour, plus you achieve a very tender cut of meat. It’s quite the process, so it’s not a very common practice outside steakhouses, but the results are undeniable.

Sam and I sampled two different steaks for dinner that night: one that had been aged 50 days and another that had been aged over 120 days.

Having heard other people talk about their experiences eating aged steak, I was expecting it to have a very strong flavour, almost a little too overpowering, but on the contrary, I found the intensification of flavours present but subtle enough.

As for sides, I tried another new-to-me dish that night: bone marrow macaroni and cheese. People have been telling me to try bone marrow forever and I finally know what the fuss is all about! The result was a dish with a creamy and slightly buttery texture. Another fantastic meal!

Address: 1131 Argyle Street, Glasgow

Gamba

Now going back to seafood, another restaurant I really enjoyed in Glasgow was Gamba.

This restaurant is located at basement level right in the heart of Glasgow’s city centre and they specialize in fresh, local and sustainable seafood.

For my entree, I had the yellowfish tuna sashimi, which was served with filleted king scallops, wasabi, pickled ginger, and a tamarind dipping sauce. And having already tried the scallops, I knew what I was getting for my main: the seared king scallops with celeriac puree (it looks like a cross between a celery and a turnip!), Stornoway black pudding and pancetta crumbs. It was a bit unexpected to have black pudding in a seafood dish, but it added a nice saltiness to the meal, plus how very Scottish.

And to drink, of course, I got some more gin (my gin obsession began on last year’s trip to Scotland). This time around I tried Daffy’s with a fresh mint and lime garnish. Refreshing!

Address: 225A W George Street, Glasgow

Drygate Brewery

I’ve been talking lots about food and gin, but what about Glasgow’s craft beer scene?

That’s where Drygate Brewery  comes in!

This is a place that Sam had been to on our last trip to Glasgow and he had nothing but praise for the beer, so I too was excited to visit.

We did the ‘Through the Glass Tour’, where you get to learn about the whole brewing process from behind the glass, just like the name suggests. Since we were going to be sampling some beers, we also turned this into a lunch and ordered some food to go along with our drinks, but let’s start with the beers.

First of all, I have to say, I loved the names of Drygate’s beers! They were quirky and inventive, and it turns out most of the names had a story behind them; the Disco Forklift Truck involves a little incident at the brewery, but you’ll have to take the tour to find out the story.

We sampled 4 of Drygate’s core beers including:

Chimera – an India Pale Lager that was light but a little bitter at the end.

Disco Forklift Truck – A pale ale that was fruity and tropical thanks to someone’s genius idea to add mango juice. This one was my favourite of them all!

Ceol Mor – A Scotch ale that had a bit of sweetness that reminded me of baked bread and toffee.

Orinoco – A breakfast stout with coffee and chocolate hints, which I think makes it socially acceptable to drink for breakfast.

And to go along with my 4 beers, I ordered the jerk ox cheek sandwich with smoked cheddar, the house slaw, and watercress. I first tried ox cheek in Laos and I hadn’t seen it on a menu since, so it was time to order it again! The meal was served as a fix it yourself sandwich board with sourdough bread, so I made mine an open face sandwich and happily feasted.

I also ordered a side of truffle mac and cheese which was amazing! Seriously, Glasgow is on a roll with its gourmet mac and cheese dishes – my KD dinners are forever ruined.

Address: 85 Drygate, Glasgow

The Bungo

Glasgow’s Southside may not be a tourist hot spot, but the beauty of having local friends is that they can introduce you to some great local eats. One such find was The Bungo Bar & Kitchen.

I got the Goan seafood thali which had fish, mussels and prawns in a delicious masala curry, with saffron rice, papads (thin, crispy wafer), spiced onions, mint raita (yoghurt-based sauce), and garlic pickle. Aside from the great food, the restaurant had a very lively atmosphere and it was packed, so it’s a nice place to go with friends.

Also, I should mention that they have set menus every night of the week (except weekends) and Mondays are beer and curry night, so all the more reason to go!

Address: Nithsdale Road, Glasgow

The Crafty Pig

And I’ve saved a super casual one, but one of our favourites, for last: The Crafty Pig!

We discovered this spot on our very first visit to Glasgow and it instantly became one of our go-to restaurants. It’s one of those places where we tried one dish, it was amazing, and we just kept coming back for more of the same. The culprit: their pulled pork sandwich. So tender, so juicy, and slowly cooked to perfection. What’s not to love?

Throw in some chilli cheese fries and their massive milkshakes, and there was basically no getting rid of us for the duration of our time in the city.

But seriously, if you go, also try the cookies and cream milkshake with vanilla ice cream, oreos, chocolate chip cookies, and whipped cream. It may result in a temporary food coma, but no regrets.

Address: 508 Great Western Rd, Glasgow

Planning Your Glasgow Food Day: A Few Things Worth Knowing

What Makes Glasgow Such a Good Food City

The thing I love most about eating in Glasgow is how unpretentious the whole experience feels. You can dress up for aged Scottish beef and a proper gin list, or you can rock up in jeans for pulled pork and chilli cheese fries. Nobody blinks. The city seems genuinely comfortable with both versions of itself, which makes it a very easy place to eat well no matter what kind of traveller you are.

There’s also real range here — alongside Scottish classics you’ll find Goan curries, Vietnamese noodles, vegan restaurants that actually earn the trip, and craft beer pubs with menus that take the food as seriously as the beer. And because a lot of Glasgow’s best spots are neighbourhood places rather than tourist-facing operations, the prices tend to stay honest.

Things to Eat Before You Leave

If you’re keeping a list, here’s what I’d put on it:

• A Full Scottish Breakfast — potato scone, square sausage, black pudding, eggs, toast, mushrooms, grilled tomato. Bonus points for haggis.
• A fish supper from a proper chippy, with salt and vinegar.
• Mac and cheese at a gastropub — Glasgow does extraordinary things with this dish. Truffle, bone marrow, smoked cheddar. I am ruined for KD forever.
• Aged Scottish steak at Porter & Rye — they earned their first AA Rosette in 2025 and have appeared in the Top 101 Steak Restaurants in the World for three consecutive years. Sam and I tried the 50-day and the 120-day on the same night. Highly recommend.
• Oysters — I tried them for the first time at The Finnieston and I don’t know what took me so long.
• Cullen skink — a smoky haddock chowder that is exactly what you want on a grey Glasgow afternoon.
• The pulled pork sandwich and chilli cheese fries at The Crafty Pig. And then the cookies and cream milkshake. You’ll thank me later.
• A Scottish gin flight — Glasgow has an excellent gin scene and The Finnieston alone has over 60 on their list.
• The Drygate beer flight — specifically the Disco Forklift Truck. I still think about it.

Neighbourhoods Worth Eating Your Way Through

Glasgow’s food scene is spread across the city rather than concentrated in one tourist zone, which means planning a little by neighbourhood goes a long way:

West End (Hillhead and Kelvingrove): Brunch territory. Cafe Gandolfi, The Crafty Pig, Monty’s, and Ashton Lane are all here. Good for a slow morning that turns into a long afternoon.

Finnieston: The foodie strip. Porter & Rye, The Finnieston, and Crabshakk are all on or near Argyle Street. One of the best streets in Scotland to eat on, honestly.

City Centre: Gamba for seafood. The Pot Still for one of the best whisky selections in Scotland. Good for a quick lunch or a pre-theatre dinner.

East End (The Barras): A’Challtainn at BAaD for Scottish fish dishes in a genuinely cool setting — worth checking their current location before you go as they’ve been in transition. Van Winkle for BBQ nearby.

Southside: Less tourist-facing but that’s exactly the point. The Bungo is down here and it’s the kind of local gem you only find when a friend takes you. Lively atmosphere, great food, and a beer and curry night on Mondays that’s worth planning around.

A Few Practical Notes

• Book ahead for dinner at Porter & Rye, Gamba, and The Finnieston — especially Friday and Saturday. Glasgow fills up.
• Lunch is often brilliant value. Many of these restaurants offer set lunch menus or daily specials that are significantly cheaper than dinner.
• BYOB curry houses are a Glaswegian tradition. Several good ones on and around Sauchiehall Street — just ask when booking whether they allow it.
• Talk to the staff. Glasgow hospitality is genuinely warm and servers love talking about the menu. Ask what they’d order and trust them.
• The vegan scene is seriously good. Even if you’re not vegetarian, places like Mono and Stereo in the city centre are worth a visit — the food is creative and they have excellent beer lists.

Quick Reference: Glasgow Food by Meal

Getting Around

• On foot: Central Glasgow and the West End are very walkable — comfortable shoes are all you need for most of these restaurants.
• The Subway (“Clockwork Orange”): Handy for quick hops between the city centre and West End. Cheap and reliable.
• Buses and trains: Useful for the Southside, East End, and anywhere you’re heading after a longer evening.
• Taxis and Uber: Easy to get and the right call after a gin tasting session at The Finnieston.

Where to Stay

For a food-focused trip I’d aim to stay in the city centre, West End, or Finnieston — you want to be able to walk to as many of these places as possible rather than taking taxis everywhere.

Luxury: Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel & Spa by IHG is the standout — a stunning Georgian townhouse conversion that was named Scotland’s Leading Hotel at the 2024 World Travel Awards. The spa is excellent and the location puts you within walking distance of most of the city centre restaurants.

Mid-range: Dakota Glasgow is a smart, modern option with a strong in-house restaurant and a great Finnieston location. Grasshoppers Hotel is a charming boutique option right in the city centre with breakfast included — very well-placed for an early start at Cafe Gandolfi.

Budget: citizenM Glasgow is the best of the budget options — stylish, social, central, with a 24-hour canteen for late-night returns. Great value for what it is.

Glasgow Food Guide — FAQ

What makes Glasgow such a good city for food?

The combination of unpretentious atmosphere and genuinely high quality. You can eat aged Scottish beef at a Rosette-awarded steakhouse or pull up a stool at a craft brewery for jerk ox cheek and truffle mac and cheese — and both feel equally Glasgow. The prices are also friendlier than Edinburgh or London for comparable food, which helps.

Where should I go for brunch?

Cafe Gandolfi for the full Scottish vegetarian breakfast riff — halloumi, field mushrooms, potato scones, eggs and sourdough. I wish we’d found it earlier in our trip. Monty’s is also excellent for Scotch pancakes with smoked bacon and maple syrup. Both are in the West End and both fill up on weekends, so arrive early or be prepared to queue.

Which seafood restaurants are worth booking?

The Finnieston for oysters and a gin list that takes genuine expertise to navigate. Gamba for sustainable local seafood — my seared king scallops with black pudding and pancetta crumbs were outstanding. A’Challtainn at BAaD for atmosphere as much as food — it’s a cool space and the squid ink risotto was one of the best things I ate on the whole trip. Do check A’Challtainn’s current location before you go as they’ve been in transition.

Where should I book for steak?

Porter & Rye, without question. They’ve earned a first AA Rosette and appeared in the Top 101 Steak Restaurants in the World three years running. Sam and I tried a 50-day and a 120-day aged steak on the same night — the concentration of flavour is real and the bone marrow mac and cheese on the side is something I still think about. Book ahead for weekends.

Where’s the best place for cocktails and craft beer?

For craft beer, Drygate Brewery is a must — the behind-glass tour is a fun way to spend a lunchtime and the flight of four beers pairs beautifully with the food. The Disco Forklift Truck pale ale with mango juice is exactly as good as it sounds. For whisky, The Pot Still in the city centre has one of the finest selections in Scotland. For gin, The Finnieston’s bar list is the one. A note: The Drugstore Social, which Sam and I loved when we visited, has since permanently closed — a real shame, but those pisco lavender cocktails live on in memory.

Do I need to book ahead?

For dinner at Porter & Rye, Gamba, and The Finnieston on a Friday or Saturday — yes, absolutely. For brunch at Cafe Gandolfi or Monty’s on a weekend morning, arriving early is the better strategy than booking. Drygate and The Crafty Pig are more casual and easier to walk into.

What’s a good one-day foodie route?

Breakfast at Cafe Gandolfi, then walk through Merchant City. Lunch and a beer flight at Drygate. Afternoon oysters and gin at The Finnieston. Dinner at A’Challtainn or Porter & Rye. Nightcap at The Pot Still with a dram you’ve never tried before. That’s a very full and very good day.