Budget, Pre-theatre menu

It can seem a bit lonely sitting in the plush but slightly soulless Merchant Square, but Fanelli’s has a very warm welcome. On offer here are Italian staples with a Scottish influence creeping in. This is evident in pizza combinations such as haggis and…

Popular with tourists, shoppers and business people, the ‘up the toon’ branch of Fishers aims to offer something for everyone and mostly succeeds. The menu is a game of two halves: Fishers classics focus on comfort food like fish-cakes, fish and chips…

The Glass House is a Salvation Army church hall that has been transformed into an airy, contemporary open eating space, mostly using glass: on the facade from the roof down through a glass-fringed mezzanine, along with modern glass installations and…

In 2012 Howies was bought back by the original owners, who now own three restaurants in Scotland – two in Edinburgh and one in Aberdeen. They are keen to show that the original ideas and standards are back in operation: simple cooking of seasonal…

It would be a mistake to judge India Quay by its shiny, corporate appearance. It is a family-run concern from the people behind the Himalaya restaurant in Paisley Road West – which claims to have served the first staff curries and home-style dishes in…

Ascending the staircase from the Hawaiian-influenced Tiki Bar downstairs, the aptly named Kitsch Inn is awash with 1950s artwork and memorabilia. The menu is reassuringly small in comparison to similar outfits, containing some of the most popular Thai…

This third-generation business, started in 1964, is the longest-serving curryhouse in the city. If anything represents Glasgow, the curry capital, it is surely the Koh-i-noor. Its sign shines out at Charing Cross like a beacon and it is completely and…

Massimo's popularity seems as much to do with its location, opposite King's Theatre, as the typically Italian fare served up in this basement venue. Modern stylings such as wooden floors and glass partitions give the space a surprisingly light and airy…

Despite its position adjacent to one of Glasgow’s busiest thoroughfares, O Sole Mio provides far more than a pit-stop for hungry shoppers. The restaurant lays claim to introducing the first real wood-fired pizza oven to Scotland, and is somewhat of a…

1 Bistro is a 'basement extension' to the popular Alla Turca. The basement itself is not always open but the downstairs (discount) menu will be available by reservation. If that sounds confusing, the layout of the menu requires patience too: there is a…

Pulcinella radiates tradition – checked table cloths, walls crammed with souvenirs – which you’ll either find charming or a bit tired, but the friendly staff chattering away in Italian certainly add to the ambience. The menu offers a range of familiar…

You can tell this was once a pub, with its traditional banquette seating and tables – not to mention the incongruous shelf of history books (the owner picks up unused stock from nearby Mitchell Library). This recent spin-off from the long-established…

It may not be the most distinctive, and it has a corporate whiff about it, but this restaurant blends wood, leather and glass to create a smart, contemporary yet comfortable diner – well suited to business lunches, shopping bites, office nights out or a…

There are a few menu options here over and above the à la carte and the pre-theatre is probably the most popular, given Teatro’s name and proximity to the Kings. There are other good value options available, however. The tasting menu features a few…

This small restaurant tucked away off Nicolson Street has retained its all-round quality through a recent change in ownership, with an extensive list of curries from a variety of Indian regions. To start, chicken chat is a substantial dish of spicy…

For out-of-towners it’s a find, for locals it’s a given. Regardless of the factors involved in getting there, the Sorn Inn is well worth the trip and the numerous awards that adorn its walls. Chef and owner Craig Grant has put together a menu that…

There are many restaurants serving Italian food for the masses, what singles Tony’s out is the service.. It’s polished and on a par with more expensive establishments. The food is not bad either and ribs dish to start is a substantially meaty choice.

Prior to Tony Macaroni’s arrival, successive operations have failed to find the correct formula for a tricky spot at the bottom of Byres Road. Affordable dining, coupled with the quality concurrent in its five other restaurants across Scotland, has…

With the opening of Piccolino e Vino in Newton Mearns, the La Vita ‘family’ now includes four restaurants across the country. This expansion is indicative of the popularity of its operation in George Square, which can serve upwards of 1000 diners on a…

Al Dente is a small, rustically decorated venue that boasts two draws: country-wide Italian cooking from Chef Antonio and an enthusiastic Italian welcome from patron Graziano. The menu is seasonal and aspires to give the diner the whole of Italy, with…

You’d think Arisaig’s location around that climate-free covered-style courtyard would pull in weather-beaten punters all day long, but although evening crowds throng, the cobbled delights of Merchant Square are a tad more sedate around lunchtime which…

[May 2013 Update: Now under new management and called the Plum Tree Deli - similar menu to old Berits at present]. In the heart of the merchant City, which is particularly good looking at night these days, Berits & Brown offers a small taste of a…