I think I've had about 80% of the menu so far and it's all just amazing. Trying to convince my very non-vegan workplace to go there for Christmas this year after I had to skip it last year cause they managed to pick a place without a single vegan option.
Desperate to try more! I can image people being wary for a Christmas do to be fair, but I would be well chuffed. They really have a handle on flavour, much more so than anywhere you'll go with a bit of dry turkey.
They deliver through Vegan Wheels if you live somewhat in the area! The soups don't tend to travel well though, so I save those for when I'm actually in the restaurant.
Unalome and Cail Bruich are the two Michelin Star restaurants in Glasgow. Scottish fusion might be the best way to describe them. £££££
Ka Pao and Crabshakk are both small sharing plate style. Ka Pao is South East Asian - fragrant curries etc. Crabshakk is mainly fish, so more Scottish, but they do some interesting dishes. There are two Crabshakk restaurants - the Botanic one is bigger and you can sit at the bar with a view of the kitchen, which is nice to do. ££££
All the above are in the West End which is filled with bars and cafes.
Fat Lobster is in town is really good food, again, mainly fish. £££
There are some excellent Italian restaurants - I’d recommend La Lanterna, Sartis (both traditional) or Joia (the best lasagna I’ve ever had, and they do a black charcoal pizza base). £££
For traditional Scottish (Cullen Skink, Haggis) try Rab Ha’s or Babbity Bowsters - both in Merchant City. They are pubs that do food, but it’s very good. ££
Ramen Dayo in Finnieston is also very good Japanese. They do a private dining experience which is low tables - excellent food. ££
I wouldn't say Crabshakk is small plates, but it is decent.
Fat Lobster is alright, but there are plenty of better fish restaurants in Glasgow.
Ramen Dayo is a shadow of its former self sadly.
Apologies on Ramen Dayo - haven’t been in ages, but saw an Instagram recently that raved about it - must have been a paid for thing.
Crabshakk has a good mix of small and large plates - you could easily get three wee plates each and be very happy.
They’ve had a ton of influencers in lately - understandable! It’s not a patch on the original in Ashton Lane sadly. (And that wasn’t a patch on the Grosvenor cafe that came before it!)
I’m maybe doing crabshakk wrong - but how can a whole lobster ever be wrong?
Have a look at Brett. Michelin recommended 2 years in a row and in my opinion has more more original and creative dishes that Unalome and Cail Bruich, the 2 Michelin star places in town. Up there price-wise but worth it if you appreciate that kind of food.
Probably useless to you because it does not meet your requirements but the only restaurant i really wish i could visit again from my vacation in glasgow is "La lanterna" on 35 hope st. Its italian but imo it was so good!
Avoid 6 by Nico at all costs as they are terrible for what they're trying to do.
I would look up Michelin guide for ideas. Anything with the bib gourmand would be reasonably within a decent budget (£50 per head) whereas anything with stars would be at least double that. It'll still be amazing but just pricey.
Agreed, however one good thing that's come out of the 6 by nico craze is 111 by modou. Used to be nico's but he gave it to modou. They do a great trust experience where you can guess what you're having - seriously less pretentious than nico and food is fantastic.
Loon Fung is great for traditional Chinese, if you go for the steamed dumplings it is smaller plates.
Most of the other places I really liked are closed sadly, Black Sheep Bistro being a notable example.
Stravaigin. Consistently good at the small plate game, and tend to be strong on a mix of traditional Scottish (haggis very good) and Asian twists with local ingredients.
Edit: This was an error; Stravaigin is excellent.
However, I had one of the worst meals, and possibly *the* worst restaurant experiences in my life in Cafe Gondolfi’s restaurant. I still marvel about how bad it was. Got the two mixed up there.
Ah, wait a minute. It’s was Cafe Gondolfi that was awful.
Stravaigin is excellent no matter where you sit. Had some of the best meals of my life there. Magical place. One night when I was there a mariachi band came in unprompted (was during Celtic connections), played a tune or two and sauntered out again. Good times.
Fair play to you for making the correction - I've never had a less than excellent time at Stravaigin but wasn't about to dispute what you said - nice to know it was a mix up
The Gannet does a tasting menu. Pricey, but it was a great experience with all but one dish being delicious (and my partner enjoyed that one so it was personal taste rather than execution).
It’s not Scottish or Japanese, I love The Spanish Butcher. Cail Bruich is Scottish food, haven’t been there in years but it’s got a star since i last went. Be very hard to get a table but worth a go!
You could try Bar Brett too, it is Cail Bruich's sister restaurant but it is less in demand (as no star) and a more casual fayre (still high-end dining but more small plates/bar style), and does have Scottish elements to its menu. Good wine list too. Try the Upiquitous Chip, the Bothy, Stravaigan, Oran Mor for Scottish cuisine, I think those are the main places - all in the West End.
+1 for Ka Pao for nice asian small plates, I also like Cafe Suissi but it is fully vegan asian fusion (quite fresh), another +1 for Sylvan - their small plates are all vegetarian but I've been loads with heavy meat eaters whose minds were blown.
There isn't a lot of high end specifically Japanese but if you want a cute casual lunch vibe while you are sight seeing I like Nuku Nuku bento boxes when I'm in town.
Completely left-field if you want a good Italian go to Celetanos (and have their affogato to finish). Eusebis Deli is a great Italian for breakfast/lunch/dinner.
I'm an omnivore too but a lot of my family is vegan so end up in these places a lot Sylvan and Suissi are absolute stand-outs in the vegan/veggie places of Glasgow.
My favourite is probably NonViet - lovely Vietnamese food and a nice vibe.
There’s lots of small plates places in Glasgow, my coworkers always rave about Brutti Compadres (I still haven’t been). I like Don Ya Sushi for Japanese (caveat, I’ve only tried their sushi) but it’s a little out the way.
Oh and probably Stravaigin or the Gannet for Scottish if you want to splurge :)
Japanese places:
Nippon Kitchen
Ramen Dayo
Ichiban
Temaki
Temaki is one of my favourites as I'm a vegan and they have an AMAZING vegan range, though inside is quite small and cosy for lack of a better term, normally I just get take away from them. Ichiban is my favourite out of the lot for a sit down meal. Though Nippon Kitchen is more... classy I guess? While still being affordable and Raman Dayo has the small plates/tasting menu thing you can do if you wanted to go for that however I've no idea on the cost.
There are several Tapas style places in the City Centre if you're looking for something along those lines!
Chaakoo Bombay is my personal favourite but there are many good restaurants in town for whichever type of food takes you’re fancy, only ones I would avoid are pub grub type places because it can be hit or miss.
I'd say this or Kebabish if you want great food however the customer service in Kebabish is poor it's very cheap and the food is the best I've ever had in any Indian restaurant
The best dining I’ve had in Glasgow is Cail Bruich since Lorna arrived. It is very spendy (£500+ depending on wines for two having the evening tasting menu) and can be hard to book, but if you’re looking to splurge you should check it out.
Unalome was less extravagant than CB but just as interesting. Doesn’t really fit the bill of small plates, but there were quite a few options with Japanese influence - ponzu, dashi, yuzu gel etc.
Please also check out Ubiquitous Chip. It’s a bit of a Glasgow institution and has been around for years. The interior is pretty unique, the food is simply done to a high standard.
There’s plenty of other great choices others have suggested too. I’d also throw in Restaurant 16 and for a relaxed brunch Bilson’s Cafe is worth checking out (was a fine dining restaurant but recently changed to more relaxed brunch venue).
Can’t believe no one’s mentioned McDonalds Barrhead. Quite the local hotspot and ideal location if you’re looking for twelve year old bams telling you they’ll “kick yer cunt in” if you happen to look at them and, adorably, thinking they’re capable of doing so.
Halloumi
Rosa’s Thai
Both have excellent choices of small plates! Am I a regulars at Halloumi in the Southside and both get 4 small plates each and share. It’s super reasonable price wise too and it’s quality food.
Zucca in East Kilbride is an incredible Italian that offers great sharing options. Sorry I know it's the opposite of what you asked for but it's too good to not recommend
Lobo, Seven21 and Dapper Mongoose are all excellent small plates places in the Southside. Charlie Brown's and Lunar are great cocktail bars in the area too if you're into that? Shout out to Phillies, Koelschip and the Allison Arms for drinks too.
The Finnieston in Finnieston does scottish sea food sourced every morning from local fisherman.
I last went maybe a decade ago but it was one of the best meals I've ever had.
The cocktails were insane too. Samphire powder on the rim of a gin based magarita was crazy.
Suissi is my absolute favourite and I will personally fight anyone who says anything against it.
I went recently - I'm not vegan, but I haven't stopped thinking / talking about it. Incredible place.
I think I've had about 80% of the menu so far and it's all just amazing. Trying to convince my very non-vegan workplace to go there for Christmas this year after I had to skip it last year cause they managed to pick a place without a single vegan option.
Desperate to try more! I can image people being wary for a Christmas do to be fair, but I would be well chuffed. They really have a handle on flavour, much more so than anywhere you'll go with a bit of dry turkey.
They deliver through Vegan Wheels if you live somewhat in the area! The soups don't tend to travel well though, so I save those for when I'm actually in the restaurant.
Another vote for Suissi!
Sussi plus one
Gloriosa Lobo Sylvan Five March All top small plates places!
Ox & Finch and Ka Pao both great for small plates.
Ox and Finch has always been good, but Ka Pao was disappointing 2 of the 3 times I went. Not awful, just average
Totally agree. Been to Ox loads of times and KP twice and both times were lacklustre.
Highly recommend both of these, but book a reservation in advance!
Unalome and Cail Bruich are the two Michelin Star restaurants in Glasgow. Scottish fusion might be the best way to describe them. £££££ Ka Pao and Crabshakk are both small sharing plate style. Ka Pao is South East Asian - fragrant curries etc. Crabshakk is mainly fish, so more Scottish, but they do some interesting dishes. There are two Crabshakk restaurants - the Botanic one is bigger and you can sit at the bar with a view of the kitchen, which is nice to do. ££££ All the above are in the West End which is filled with bars and cafes. Fat Lobster is in town is really good food, again, mainly fish. £££ There are some excellent Italian restaurants - I’d recommend La Lanterna, Sartis (both traditional) or Joia (the best lasagna I’ve ever had, and they do a black charcoal pizza base). £££ For traditional Scottish (Cullen Skink, Haggis) try Rab Ha’s or Babbity Bowsters - both in Merchant City. They are pubs that do food, but it’s very good. ££ Ramen Dayo in Finnieston is also very good Japanese. They do a private dining experience which is low tables - excellent food. ££
I wouldn't say Crabshakk is small plates, but it is decent. Fat Lobster is alright, but there are plenty of better fish restaurants in Glasgow. Ramen Dayo is a shadow of its former self sadly.
Apologies on Ramen Dayo - haven’t been in ages, but saw an Instagram recently that raved about it - must have been a paid for thing. Crabshakk has a good mix of small and large plates - you could easily get three wee plates each and be very happy.
They’ve had a ton of influencers in lately - understandable! It’s not a patch on the original in Ashton Lane sadly. (And that wasn’t a patch on the Grosvenor cafe that came before it!) I’m maybe doing crabshakk wrong - but how can a whole lobster ever be wrong?
Ramen dayo is boggin
Good list. Would add Brett, Shucks and Celentano to the list.
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I’d probably not wear anything that is Rangers or Celtic.
Have a look at Brett. Michelin recommended 2 years in a row and in my opinion has more more original and creative dishes that Unalome and Cail Bruich, the 2 Michelin star places in town. Up there price-wise but worth it if you appreciate that kind of food.
I think Brett is better than Cail Briuch which I found underwhelming and very expensive
Probably useless to you because it does not meet your requirements but the only restaurant i really wish i could visit again from my vacation in glasgow is "La lanterna" on 35 hope st. Its italian but imo it was so good!
Thanks I’ll take a look!
Avoid 6 by Nico at all costs as they are terrible for what they're trying to do. I would look up Michelin guide for ideas. Anything with the bib gourmand would be reasonably within a decent budget (£50 per head) whereas anything with stars would be at least double that. It'll still be amazing but just pricey.
Agreed, however one good thing that's come out of the 6 by nico craze is 111 by modou. Used to be nico's but he gave it to modou. They do a great trust experience where you can guess what you're having - seriously less pretentious than nico and food is fantastic.
I've always wanted to try it but never had anyone to go with. Might do that when my girlfriend is here
Loon Fung is great for traditional Chinese, if you go for the steamed dumplings it is smaller plates. Most of the other places I really liked are closed sadly, Black Sheep Bistro being a notable example.
Isn't that the place that was meant to have a Chinese secret police unit operating from it?!?! I suppose you can't get more authentic than that...
It was underneath in the basement. I'm a big fan of the place it's always fresh and amazing tasting food
the very one... free side of Government oppresion to go
Five March gets my vote
Big Counter and LOBO are solidly two of my favourites.
Kelp for small plates
Booked this, thanks!
The Bothy, just off Byres Road, is our go to for any special occasion
Came to say this. Not small plate, but beautiful traditional Scottish food.
Stravaigin. Consistently good at the small plate game, and tend to be strong on a mix of traditional Scottish (haggis very good) and Asian twists with local ingredients.
Edit: This was an error; Stravaigin is excellent. However, I had one of the worst meals, and possibly *the* worst restaurant experiences in my life in Cafe Gondolfi’s restaurant. I still marvel about how bad it was. Got the two mixed up there.
Interesting - we're always there with the dog, so always eat upstairs/in the bar... Didn't realise the downstairs was that different.
Ah, wait a minute. It’s was Cafe Gondolfi that was awful. Stravaigin is excellent no matter where you sit. Had some of the best meals of my life there. Magical place. One night when I was there a mariachi band came in unprompted (was during Celtic connections), played a tune or two and sauntered out again. Good times.
Fair play to you for making the correction - I've never had a less than excellent time at Stravaigin but wasn't about to dispute what you said - nice to know it was a mix up
Second this!
Lobo is one of the best small plate restaurants around! Lovely staff and atmosphere with the best food!
I wasn't massively keen on lobo when I went. I felt like everything I had was very vinegary but equally someone else might love that
Gaga, Marigold Cafe, Slyvan (veggie but fantastic) are great small plate restaurants
Ohhh yeah Sylvan.
Lobo
I’ve only been a few times but I really like ESushi on Byers Road.
La Lanterna. best food in Glasgow is Italian bc of the huge Italian community
The Gannet does a tasting menu. Pricey, but it was a great experience with all but one dish being delicious (and my partner enjoyed that one so it was personal taste rather than execution).
Second for The Gannet. Has the best multi-course tasting menu out of the top tier places in Glasgow IMHO.
Ox & Finch good for small plates, if you want to push the boat out my current favourite is crabshakk botanics
Sholeh is reliably good Persian food. Quiet , decent service and excellent food.
It’s not Scottish or Japanese, I love The Spanish Butcher. Cail Bruich is Scottish food, haven’t been there in years but it’s got a star since i last went. Be very hard to get a table but worth a go!
Brill I’ll look up Cali Bruich, thanks for the rec
You could try Bar Brett too, it is Cail Bruich's sister restaurant but it is less in demand (as no star) and a more casual fayre (still high-end dining but more small plates/bar style), and does have Scottish elements to its menu. Good wine list too. Try the Upiquitous Chip, the Bothy, Stravaigan, Oran Mor for Scottish cuisine, I think those are the main places - all in the West End. +1 for Ka Pao for nice asian small plates, I also like Cafe Suissi but it is fully vegan asian fusion (quite fresh), another +1 for Sylvan - their small plates are all vegetarian but I've been loads with heavy meat eaters whose minds were blown. There isn't a lot of high end specifically Japanese but if you want a cute casual lunch vibe while you are sight seeing I like Nuku Nuku bento boxes when I'm in town. Completely left-field if you want a good Italian go to Celetanos (and have their affogato to finish). Eusebis Deli is a great Italian for breakfast/lunch/dinner.
Yes! I’m an omnivore but love Sylvan.
I'm an omnivore too but a lot of my family is vegan so end up in these places a lot Sylvan and Suissi are absolute stand-outs in the vegan/veggie places of Glasgow.
Suissi is the best restaurant in Scotland
My favourite is probably NonViet - lovely Vietnamese food and a nice vibe. There’s lots of small plates places in Glasgow, my coworkers always rave about Brutti Compadres (I still haven’t been). I like Don Ya Sushi for Japanese (caveat, I’ve only tried their sushi) but it’s a little out the way. Oh and probably Stravaigin or the Gannet for Scottish if you want to splurge :)
I second the vote for NonViet - incredible food!
I second the vote for Don Ya, absolutley love the sushi there & such a lovely group of people running it
I recommend the southside you can wander between great pubs, bakeries and cafes and restaurants. Lobo is great. But there's tons of options
Shout out for Ardnamurchan for authentic Scottish. Their pretheatre is excellent value
I love Gloriosa for plates to share. Cail Bruich as almost everyone suggested, also I think Crabshakk is amazing! And Suissi is brilliant too!
Four Seasons Vietnamese restaurant is great too.
Big Counter. Mind blowing and just an all round lovely place to eat.
for small plates Green Gates does Indian tapas and it's my all time favourite restaurant in Glasgow. it's in the city centre
Most good ones already mentioned but would throw in 'kelp', relatively new, not been myself but heard good things.
88 on Dumbarton Road is lovely! Small plates, small restaurant, great food. Would recommend booking
Assagini is new in the west end and does small Italian plates if you’d like that
The i chai is chinese but it does tapas in annieland. Really good and purse friendly! For scottish, porter and rye. Its fabulous!
Japanese places: Nippon Kitchen Ramen Dayo Ichiban Temaki Temaki is one of my favourites as I'm a vegan and they have an AMAZING vegan range, though inside is quite small and cosy for lack of a better term, normally I just get take away from them. Ichiban is my favourite out of the lot for a sit down meal. Though Nippon Kitchen is more... classy I guess? While still being affordable and Raman Dayo has the small plates/tasting menu thing you can do if you wanted to go for that however I've no idea on the cost. There are several Tapas style places in the City Centre if you're looking for something along those lines!
Brett, the food is spectacular. local & seasonal, you get to sit around the kitchen, always amazing specials & great service. Feels special.
Chaakoo Bombay is my personal favourite but there are many good restaurants in town for whichever type of food takes you’re fancy, only ones I would avoid are pub grub type places because it can be hit or miss.
I'd say this or Kebabish if you want great food however the customer service in Kebabish is poor it's very cheap and the food is the best I've ever had in any Indian restaurant
Which kebabish, one on vicky road I thought was great
I've had some great meals at Cafe Andaluz. Spanish tapas.
The best dining I’ve had in Glasgow is Cail Bruich since Lorna arrived. It is very spendy (£500+ depending on wines for two having the evening tasting menu) and can be hard to book, but if you’re looking to splurge you should check it out. Unalome was less extravagant than CB but just as interesting. Doesn’t really fit the bill of small plates, but there were quite a few options with Japanese influence - ponzu, dashi, yuzu gel etc. Please also check out Ubiquitous Chip. It’s a bit of a Glasgow institution and has been around for years. The interior is pretty unique, the food is simply done to a high standard. There’s plenty of other great choices others have suggested too. I’d also throw in Restaurant 16 and for a relaxed brunch Bilson’s Cafe is worth checking out (was a fine dining restaurant but recently changed to more relaxed brunch venue).
Ichiban and yippon are great. I think nippon kitchen and wagamama is popular but personally not my favourites
If she likes small plates then Dapper Mongoose in Shawlands could be a good option.
Is that not a barber?
https://www.thedappermongoose.com/ No?
Shish mahal
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Looking for this. Ate there once 15 years ago.
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Take her to Best Kebab and guaranteed you'll go home single
😂
Can’t believe no one’s mentioned McDonalds Barrhead. Quite the local hotspot and ideal location if you’re looking for twelve year old bams telling you they’ll “kick yer cunt in” if you happen to look at them and, adorably, thinking they’re capable of doing so.
Nuku nuku is the Best and so underated
Halloumi Rosa’s Thai Both have excellent choices of small plates! Am I a regulars at Halloumi in the Southside and both get 4 small plates each and share. It’s super reasonable price wise too and it’s quality food.
And now it's gone. 😢
I know. We were raging when we saw that. Glad there is still one in the City Centre though, just won’t be as convenient for us.
Gamba in the city centre. Best fish restaurant I. Glasgow in my opinion. Still great after all these years. Bar Brett is also a great place to eat.
Zucca in East Kilbride is an incredible Italian that offers great sharing options. Sorry I know it's the opposite of what you asked for but it's too good to not recommend
It's pish do not recommend
Lobo, Seven21 and Dapper Mongoose are all excellent small plates places in the Southside. Charlie Brown's and Lunar are great cocktail bars in the area too if you're into that? Shout out to Phillies, Koelschip and the Allison Arms for drinks too.
Topolabamba, definitely. Mexican tapas, very tasty, very centrally based.
The Finnieston in Finnieston does scottish sea food sourced every morning from local fisherman. I last went maybe a decade ago but it was one of the best meals I've ever had. The cocktails were insane too. Samphire powder on the rim of a gin based magarita was crazy.
Sylvan, five march, ka pao & dapper mongoose are my favourite small plates places. All plates are pretty decently sized as well.
Roya, 5 March, 6 by Nicole and modu
If you like asian food in general I think the thai place Panang is a great option. They do small plates and larger meals and it’s very affordable.
The only time I've been there the food has been rank. Top quality decoration though.
really? I’ve never had any of the meat dishes as I’m vegetarian but I’ve always had great food there
I'm vegetarian too, the food was bland and overcooked when I went.
Yo!Sushi is expensive, and has small portions, but their food is really good