Restaurants, Bistros & brasseries

Over the past few years Urban Angel has established itself as an essential part of the vibrant dining scene around Broughton Street. The uncluttered and inviting main room is well run by simultaneously enthusiastic, relaxed and efficient staff. The…

To travel beyond the front desk of this neon-lit 1920s landmark you must first join Gala Casinos, surrender an ID, register your name and address and look into one of the many wall cameras for a photograph. Now free to roam, diners walk up the art deco…

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…

Still leaning to the bohemian with its mismatched wooden tables and bright Spanish tiles, the Metropole now aspires to a smarter bistro feel, both in decor and with its menu. This is a cafe that certainly covers all bases and would be equally at home…

Entering Rogano – one of Glasgow’s best-known restaurants – is like stepping onto a Cunard liner circa 1930. This 80-year-old institution and its Art Deco stylings are well documented but there’s nowhere else in the city remotely like it. The experience…

Very few places attract queues, and those that do are usually trading on being the hot new cocktail spot in town. A weekend brunch at modest, unpretentious Toast, on the other hand, really is worth the wait. A haphazard parade of paintings jostle for…

Now well into its third decade in business, the much-loved Blue Moon on a Broughton Street corner must be doing something right. Maybe it’s the friendly, laidback atmosphere and genuine sense of welcome. Maybe it’s the low-key decor and gay-friendly…

One way to sum up the contrast between this Stockbridge version of the Bon Vivant and its Thistle Street sibling is that there are no weekend DJs but instead there is brunch. Such are the priorities beside the Water of Leith. Otherwise it follows a…

For exactly a decade, First Coast has been an oasis of tasteful cheer in the relatively under-served area of Dalry. Prices have remained almost static for years, with the result that now they offer eye-poppingly good value for thoughtful, reliably good…

It may look like a black office block, or perhaps something to do with MI6, located at the side of the motorway at South Queensferry, but the Dakota Hotel houses a stylish bar and restaurant that is far removed from traditional interpretations of hotel…

Hotel du Vin has always sought to rise above its peers in the often-dubious chain-hotel restaurant business. Here, snuggled between the National Museum of Scotland and Edinburgh University’s central campus, it succeeds. Upon leaving the hectic churn of…

As a young chef you could beaver away in a crowded kitchen being bossed around by someone else, hoping you’ll make it big one day. Or you could just boldly open your own restaurant and strike out alone in the heart of tourist Edinburgh. Which is what…

Mother India's original restaurant, opened in 1990, has a reputation that keeps the place filled most days. This Glasgow favourite has played a major part in pushing the boundaries of Indian cuisine in the city in those intervening years. It has…

This lively Italian family-run bar/bistro takes its name from the street running through the heart of New York’s Little Italy. It’s not themed, but subtle shots of Manhattan break up otherwise minimalist décor. The venue is split, one half casual bar…

Formally, Mise en Place, Rhubarb is situated on the edge of Pollokshields and the Strathbungo's village triangle of shops and cafés. It is a stylish café/restaurant serving breakfast, snacks and light lunches in the daytime, including soup, salads…

To be accurate, A Room in the West End is four rooms in total. Beneath Teuchters Bar on William Street sits a low-ceilinged and lively large one, as well as three snugly private alcoves, perfect if you fancy trysting the night away. Lovers of classic…

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…

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…