Top Rated Restaurants & Cafes in Glasgow

The jungle-like cobbled courtyard of this converted mews stable provides the most atmospheric dining area in Glasgow. The Chip has been a landmark in contemporary Scottish cuisine for almost 40 years without ever falling out of fashion or actually serving chips. The awards this place has won are too numerous to delve into, but it would be a sin to ignore the Red M bestowed by Michelin. The wine cellar is astounding, as is the choice of 150 malt whiskeys. The seafood is exemplary, and it would be difficult to find a better restaurant for game.

Cail Bruich is a family-managed restaurant that has bagged the honor of Best Restaurant at the Scottish Entertainment Awards in 2013. It offers a charming ambience with hanging flower pots at its dark wooden entrance and interiors replete with red lamps and cream-colored walls adorned with gilded mirrors and artwork. Its dishes are prepared using ingredients sourced from artisan farms, as well as rare fruits, vegetables and herbs found in the wilderness of the countryside. Start your meal with appetizers like Sea Trout, Quail and Foie Gras or Pumpkin and Parmesan, followed by a main course such as Wild Mushroom and Spelt. Try the Dark Chocolate or Exotic Fruit for dessert. Guests can also avail of a range of five and seven-course tasting menus with wine and cheese or purchase gift vouchers for the same.

There is an endearingly informal air at Cafe Gandolfi and this despite its considerable popularity. The smooth, polished-wood decor helps to lend a calming ambiance; add to this a bohemian aspect and you are approaching the friendly, rule-phobic charm of the place. Breeze in, ponder over a coffee, or sit down to a serious discussion over a serious meal. They do not mind what kind of punter you are here, and there's no rush. The menu is essentially Scottish, although the variety and contemporary stance of the place is such that its cuisine frequently steps outside the borders of such a cumbersome label.

Seafood is the specialty of the day at Fanny Trollope’s Bistro, located between the West End on your way to City Center. Featuring delicious seafood dishes at affordable prices, a selection of appropriate wines and other drinks, plus British staples from haggis to steak pies, all made from local ingredients, Fanny Trollope’s has something to fit everyone’s tastes. The wait staff is helpful and willing to advise you on your choices, no matter what your price range. Truly, Fanny Trollope’s is a hidden gem that must be experienced for yourself!

A somewhat unprepossessing exterior conceals the fact that, in Glasgow, restaurants do not come much posher than this. Once inside, the impressive decor replicates the Queen Mary cruise liner, both in fittings and ambiance. Rogano specializes in seafood, and is arguably the best place in town for it. Prices in the main restaurant suggest that it attracts an exclusive clientele with bottomless expense accounts, whilst Cafe Rogano downstairs offers a cheaper and slightly less formal alternative with almost as much style.

A mellow, tastefully decorated basement restaurant, Gamba is a fashionable choice for enjoying seafood. Chef Derek Marshall is building quite a reputation for his creations, mixing local ingredients and methods from around the world with an emphasis on Asian flavors. Gamba has been the recipient of several awards. The wine list is predictably laudable and special offers on pre-theater menus give everyone a chance to sample superb seafood, even if they're on a budget. Two daily shipments ensure that the fish are fresh from the water and there are always one or two meat and vegetarian options.