Restaurants, Bistros & brasseries, Hitlisted, Child friendly

With its handsome interior, chunky Tim Stead furniture and globe lights, Café Gandolfi is the granddaddy of Merchant City bohemianism. Serving a mix of clientele from shoppers to concert-goers, it’s been dishing out high-end bistro food for more than 30…

A good local eatery can be hard to find but not in Partick. Cafezique is attached to a delicatessen. Inside, simple décor and a mezzanine level is enjoyed by elegant young ladies chattering over wine with nibbles (olives and cheese fondue). And…

No place captures the energy of the Finnieston renaissance better than Crabshakk, a few years old but still packed to the rafters most evenings. At the bar and on the mezzanine, diners sit beside, opposite – practically on top of each other. Brushed…

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…

MJ’s gold-embossed frontage justifiably claims that it is a brasserie. It also has an appropriately Scottish twist and a daytime alter ego as a popular café. Customers are offered a cocooning and enjoyable experience, for which they usually return.

It takes confidence to add fixed specials that are creatively different every day. But it works…. to try a MIC fish biryani then you have to get down there on a Friday and one Friday, that’s exactly what you might do. With the ability to turn tables…

It's a simple concept – a café style venue, a kitchen for all to see and a head chef not bound by a printed menu. Since its opening Cookie has succeeded in being a bit different. It is home of Chef Wars, where once a month chefs from around the city…

Don’t be put off by the nudge-nudge, wink-wink name – when it comes to food, there are lots of good things going on in this compact little neighbourhood bistro. With a reputation largely built through word-of-mouth, locals and tourists alike flock to…

It’s what everyone wants to find, local or visitor: the hidden gem that, through clever use of ingredients, manages simultaneously to guarantee you a good meal, offer something a bit unusual, and do it for blindingly good value. Since taking on this…

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…

A short stroll from Leith’s busy Shore area, the Water of Leith Café Bistro enjoys a bright corner site and offers one of the most relaxed and friendly dining experiences around. Classically trained French chef Mickael Mesle prepares a menu that’s a…

Bijou came under new ownership in 2011 but both head chef Alastair Berry and the quirky but useful menu formula of offering most items in bijou, medium or large size have remained. The low-key interior features a sprinkling of café-style tables, a small…

What’s on offer in this upmarket eatery is far removed from the rustic style of cooking you’ll find in any roadside café after which it is named. The chefs have previously cooked for India’s rich and famous bringing with them a majestic, refined…

A neighbourhood restaurant thrives on local custom but pulling in extra punters from further afield is the best way to stay in business over the long term so it’s good to see Aisla and Rupert Staniforth making the most of Wee Lochan’s growing reputation…

A collection of 4x4s parked outside and diners that look like Moira Anderson fans – it must be Bearsden. Situated at the heart of the village, Brasserie 19 is busy even mid-week. Inside the décor is modern but a bit dated, dark wood and leather, chrome…

This quirky Victorian-styled West End venue is decked out with vintage tables and chairs, making a visit feel a bit like going round to friend’s for dinner – when your friend is a skilled chef who can knock out blissful burgers. Staff complete the…

There’s always a lively buzz around this ground-level section of the popular restaurant where staff move with a studied air of relaxed professionalism amid babbling West Enders. Although it’s lighter in spirit and intentionally less formal than the room…

It’s nice to see roast salmon on a Glasgow menu, and even nicer to have thoroughly crispened, blackened skin that gives way to robust flesh with heaps of flavour. It’s typical of the Two Fat Ladies restaurants, where produce is high quality and cooking…