Hitlisted, Budget, Pre-theatre menu

38 places

Sorted by popularity

Nonna's Kitchen

45 Morningside Road, Edinburgh, EH10 4AZ

Owner Gino Stornaiuolo named his establishment in tribute to his two grandmothers, whose faces adorn the walls of a room in which space has been well exploited. However, it is the contribution of his parents that brings the restaurant to life. While…

Lamora

1166–1170 Argyle Street, Glasgow, G3 8TE

Although the menu is a touch conservative, classics are well executed with the kitchen showing care and keen attention to detail. Air-cured bresaola is taken to room temperature before serving and sharpened by generous shavings of parmesan. A special of…

Mezbaan South Indian Restaurant

14/14a Brougham Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9JH

South Indian restaurants offer a refreshing change from the Punjabi-based menus normally on offer in Edinburgh. Old favourites are still available for the less adventurous, but for anybody looking to experiment, Mezbaan is a great place to start. Wheat…

Stravaigin

28–30 Gibson Street, Glasgow, G12 8NX

Stravaigin feels as fresh and inventive as when its doors first opened back in 1995. The emphasis on local, seasonal produce combined with a global approach to flavour means even the most jaded palate should find something to please. Look beyond the…

Hellers Kitchen

15 Salisbury Place, Edinburgh, EH9 1SL

Don’t be fooled by the modest frontage: Heller’s is bigger on the inside. Like the surprisingly open and spacious interior, the menu expands from lighter daytime café options to a full evening’s culinary revelry, and the daily changing specials board…

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Chinaski's

239 North Street, Glasgow, G3 7DL

Patrons here live it up while the bar’s inspiration Charles Bukowski looks disdainfully down from a portrait on the wall. Mind you, even the hedonistic Buk would have struggled to work his way through the extensive range of quality rums and bourbons.

Spoon

6a Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9DH

Rocking the boho bedsit chic, with elegantly mismatched retro furniture, lampshades and crockery, this is one Spoon that’s unquestionably more loving than greasy. The menu’s packed with wholesome, healthy options, a decent proportion of which are…

Rishi's Indian Aroma

61 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 2DG

Enticing smells waft from city centre newcomer Rishi’s Indian Aroma. Present in Aberdeen for the past four years, the Glasgow branch launched in January 2013 following a hunt for the right premises – and an Edinburgh restaurant is in the pipeline for…

Tanjore

6–8 Clerk Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9HX

When you head to Tanjore, and it’s heartily recommended you do, there are two reasons to bring an appetite. First, this is where to sample the finest Southern Indian cuisine in Edinburgh. Second, you’ll be tempted to order everything on the enticing…

The Cabin

996–998 Dumbarton Road, Glasgow, G14 9UJ

What the Cabin lacks in location (a rather uninspiring spot on the Whiteinch-end of Dumbarton Road) it makes up for in quality cooking and bags of character. The outside is decorated with sophisticated art deco-style lettering, but inside it is…

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Celino's

620–624 Alexandra Parade, Glasgow, G31 3BT

Despite holding residency in Alexandra Parade since 1982, Celino's has only just entered its fourth year of seated dining. Over the past three decades, it has, arguably, established itself as Glasgow's chief Italian delicatessen, meaning the transition…

Cail Bruich

725 Great Western Road, Glasgow, G12 8QX

Cail Bruich’s menu so eschews the fashion for flowery descriptions it could have been written by the Plain English Society. The polite list of ingredients doesn’t even hint at the theatre and dazzling artiness of delivered dishes. Chef Chris Charalambus…

Charcoals

26A Renfield Street, Glasgow, G2 1LU

Charcoals has been lavished with awards in the past year, picking up a Best of Glasgow title in the Scottish Curry Awards and Outstanding Maitre d’ in the Glasgow Restaurant Awards. It is immediately apparent why manager Ali scooped the accolade as he…

China Town

3 Atholl Place, Edinburgh, EH3 8HP

Talk about bad timing. For most of its short life, China Town, on the corner of Atholl Place in Edinburgh’s West End, has been sitting slap bang in the middle of the capital’s notorious tramworks. It’s been something of a struggle for owner Thomas Chan…

Loon Fung

417–419 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, G2 3LG

This Cantonese restaurant, the oldest in Glasgow, reopened in early 2013 and has deservedly held onto its great reputation, especially for seafood and dim sum, despite a two-year closure following a fire above. Particularly, but not exclusively, popular…

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WEST Brewery

Building 4 Templeton Building, Glasgow Green, Glasgow, G40 1AW

New breweries are springing-up across Scotland amid the craft beer revolution, but the country’s only German-style microbrewery sits apart from that trend, by drawing its inspiration from centuries-old Bavarian traditions. WEST can be found in most good…

Assaggini

132–142 Dumbarton Road, Glasgow, G11 6NY

The newest member of the Tony Macaroni family, Assaggini follows the trend of Italian food as tapas, but it is no mere bandwagon jumper. Each small plate leaves the diner wanting more, from veal meatballs in a velvet basil sauce, to focaccia with sticky…

Black Sparrow

241 North Street, Glasgow, G3 7DL

The Black Sparrow attracts sophisticated patrons to its ornate and über cool abode. It has an old-fashioned bourbon bar look, with smoochy jazz/ambient beats mellowing the airwaves. It’s actually quite romantic. Dark burgundy leather studded booths…

La Brava

679a Clarkston Road, Glasgow, G44 3SE

It’s of very little surprise to find this small local restaurant packed out whatever time you visit. Over the last three years, owners Aris and Rico have built a reputation that would make them the envy of many city centre Italians. Having begun life as…

Centotre

103 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3ES

The pillars holding aloft the Georgian ceiling at Centotre and clever use of booths provide nooks and crannies for romantic tete-a-tetes and broader spaces for parties and business lunches. There is a clear focus on the ingredients here: mozzarella…

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La Famiglia

111 Cleveden Road, Glasgow, G12 0JU

The status of Nico Simeone, head-chef and proprietor at La Famiglia, is such that the restaurant’s entrance on Cleveden Road bears his name. Add to this the fact Nico’s 2009 award for Young Seafood Chef of the Year sits proudly within the restaurant’s…

Guy's Restaurant & Bar

24 Candleriggs, Merchant City, Glasgow, G1 1LD

Set in the heart of Candleriggs, Guy's is an unusual find, it has the feeling of a place where something extraordinary could happen. Eclectic décor reflecting the owners fun-loving tastes – film posters, white wood paneling hung with paintings, china…

Nur

22 Bridge Street, Glasgow, G5 9HR

Chef Ali Hammudah may be the only Egyptian restaurant owner to lose his kitchen to a Scottish hurricane (Bawbag) but the reopened Nur is well worth the weathering of a storm. You can taste the passion for food when tucking into fava beans in garlic and…

Petit Paris

38–40 Grassmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 2JU

If Petit Paris aspires to be a little piece of the French capital, it’s not the city’s grand boulevards or imposing squares, but the winding cobbled streets where time seems to stand still and there’s an old-fashioned bistro on every corner. The place…

Saramago Café Bar

CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, G2 3JD

Housed in the CCA, this spacious café-bar attracts a predictably bohemian clientele in evenings, with workers and young families hanging out during the day, especially on Saturdays. Despite the cavernous space and clean, modern lines, there’s a sense of…