GLASGOW’S 100 Best Restaurants book brings together the culinary highlights that define the local hospitality scene and enliven local neighbourhoods.
Within the new guide, the top ten restaurants in the city were decided by votes from Glasgowist.com readers.
We introduce the first part of the countdown last week, now here’s more local food inspiration with a countdown of Glasgow’s five best restaurants.
For the full story, buy the book at heraldscotland.com/100Best
- 5. GAMBA
225A W George St, G2 2ND
0141 572 0899
From the East End of Glasgow, Derek Marshall left school with no qualifications and joined a youth training programme.
It was the start of a culinary journey of discovery that would take him to the Channel Islands, the French Alps and Spain. Gamba turned 21 this year. It has held a 2 AA Rosettes rating since the first oyster was shucked.
Our own routine when visiting for dinner is to start with a bowl of foup - what Gamba call their fish soup, a finely balanced blend of Portland crabmeat, stem ginger, coriander and prawn dumplings. Monkfish and scallops for main course, cooked with ginger, spring onions, fish sauce and lemon.
Desserts are spectacular, so order the wild honey and ginger cheesecake with dark berries. Ask about their gin cocktails. Readers say: “My absolute favourite for seafood”, “dinner is always a pleasure”.
Best Dish: Isle of Gigha Halibut with Brown Shrimps (£24)
- 4. SIX BY NICO
1132 Argyle St, G3 8TD
0141 334 5661
Judging by the naming convention at chef Nico Simeone’s restaurants, he likes numbers. Six by Nico is a hit. Here’s how it works: a six-course tasting menu for £29, with a wine pairing option for £26 is created around an idea, place or memory.
Experimental preparations cue nostalgic emotions, deconstruct a particular cuisine or pepper a series of small plates with pop culture references. Enthusiastic staff introduce each dish.
Pictures are taken for Instagram. This has become a Glasgow success story, with Six by Nico opening in Edinburgh, Belfast, Manchester and most recently Liverpool. Readers say: “Our Finnieston favourite”, “special every time”, “can’t get enough of these tasting menus”.
Best Dish: Six course Tasting Menu (£29)
- 3. CAIL BRUICH
725 Gt Western Rd, G12 8QX
0141 334 6265
Cail Bruich is known for beautiful food and an innovative approach to fine dining.
The family-run restaurant and bar currently holds a 3 AA Rosette status and was included in the latest Michelin Guide, although they are inexplicably reluctant to present brothers Paul and Chris Charalambous with a star. When the Good Food Guide 2020 announced the best places to eat in the UK, Cail Bruich was included in the top 50 restaurants in the country.
Last year the dining room was given a new look to mark the tenth anniversary of the Great Western Road stalwart. Menus rotate in harmony with the seasons.
Produce arrives daily from local suppliers including Loch Fyne Sea Farms, Highland Game Company and Isle of Skye Shellfish, combined with ingredients provided by the kitchen’s own garden and a team of foragers. Glasgowist readers compliment their confident cooking and attentive staff.
Best Dish: Seasonal Tasting Menu (£65)
- 2. THE GANNET
1155 Argyle St, G3 8TB
0141 204 2081
A highly-regarded leader of the Glasgow restaurant new wave, The Gannet has attracted international attention for fine dining in a modern, casual setting.
Ivan Stein and Peter McKenna are working chefs and owners: preparing dishes, organising ingredients, devising menus. Ivan is from London, Peter is Irish. Both gravitated towards Glasgow.
They couldn’t see a restaurant they wanted to work in. So they created their own in a vacant tenement building that had been derelict for almost a decade.
With the help of architects and a significant amount of hard work, a stylish bar and restaurant was fashioned from the space.
The relationships the chefs have with local producers, combined with significant flair in the kitchen, is the basis of their success. Some of our favourite Glasgow meals have been enjoyed at The Gannet.
Best Dish: Seasonal Tasting Menu (£45)
- 1. OX AND FINCH
920 Sauchiehall St, G3 7TF
0141 339 8627
Glasgowist readers have voted Ox and Finch as the best restaurant in the city right now.
You come here for modern small plate dining. Assemble a selection of dishes, divide and conquer. The menu covers a lot of culinary ground. A myriad of influences and ingredients, some familiar, others surprising.
The fact the kitchen can maintain impeccably high standards across such a selection is the greatest achievement of the restaurant team. Some of our favourite dishes: venison, juniper and peppercorn carpaccio, hazelnuts and crowdie.
Thai fish cakes, prik nam pla, lettuce wrappers and pickled salads. Slow-cooked lamb shoulder, bulgur wheat, apricots, almonds and mint yoghurt. It’s a lively neighbourhood restaurant that celebrates food with an inspiring approach to cooking. Visit often.
Readers say: “Delicious dishes. Always presented beautifully. Fab cocktails”, “the food is always fantastic and great value”, “amazing staff”, “the menu is a tribute to Scotland”.
Best Dish: Cod Cheek, Morcilla, Chorizo and Tomato (£7.50)
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Savour each page of the new food guide
GLASGOW’S 100 Best Restaurants is an exciting new book introducing the city’s top food places.
The Herald is partnering with the Glasgowist website to introduce the new book ahead of Christmas as a celebration of food and drink stories across Scotland’s largest city.
The book is based on four years of constant research by Glasgowist’s editor Paul Trainer, combined with public votes, plus opinions from food writers and figures in the local hospitality industry.
The book has you covered for breakfast, lunch, dinner and chips on the way home.
Order today and you will be introduced to the top restaurants in Glasgow right now, the best dishes to order around the city, alongside leading cafes, bistros, craft beer pubs and cocktail bars.
It’s your own personal restaurant tick-list for 2020.
Order your copy online now at heraldscotland.com/100best and have it delivered to your door.
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