Restaurants, Bistros & brasseries

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…

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…

The self-proclaimed oldest gastro pub in Edinburgh is due for a refurbishment in 2011 that will hopefully see the currently rather bland décor raised to the same standard as the really rather good food. The menu mixes pub grub staples with some more…

Laid-back, kitsch and a real hipster heaven, The Drake seems to appeal to a subtly upmarket yet down to earth throng of 30-something professionals. The main attraction is the bar: with its big sofas and bookshelves, it’s as relaxed as a lounge, with a…

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…

Fashionable Indigo Yard in Edinburgh’s West End packs in crowds of after-work drinkers in power suits and clean city Barbours, unwinding over cocktails, champagne, chilled pints and wines in showy shaped glasses. Food-wise, there's a customer-pulling…

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…

As the go-to destination for a drink in South Queensferry, Orocco Pier’s stunning views of the Forth Rail and Road Bridge ensure it’s a popular, stylish haunt. While the Antico bar at Orocco has long been the default destination, its adjacent sister…

Packing a punch at the snoozy end of Byres Road, the Two Figs is a sociable venue to shoot the breeze over double-shot daiquiris, a figgylicious cocktail or continental beer or two. Well-crafted globally inspired dishes focus on fresh ingredients and…

It’s named after a French Alps off-piste ski run, but La Vallée Blanche is very much on the beaten track, with an excellent first-floor location above the summit of Byres Road. An eye-catchingly good value lunch/pre-theatre deal steers a steady stream…

The Battlefield Rest enjoys a high reputation as a reliable local. It has a large and loyal clientele that it has built over 20 years, so at the weekend it can be very busy The menu is thoroughly old-fashioned Scottish-Italian fare, with dishes ranging…

Bibi’s Cantina feels like a friendly, casual neighbourhood bistro geared towards passing Partick and Broomhill locals, but with only 35 covers and some terrific online reviews, getting a table may require a little planning (or at least a phone call).

There is no escaping the Scottish theme in G1's the Bothy, from the kilt-wearing staff to the steak and haggis burgers on the menu. A welcoming space with dark wood walls and soft lighting, it is tucked down cobbled Ruthven Lane in the heart of the…

Brel has been a trusted sport on Glasgow's most famous cobbled lane for as long as most West Enders can remember. Lately it’s moved with the times with a more flexible menu, away from the bistro market and towards being an upmarket bar. There is still a…

Browns is a safe pair of hands in George Square, a busy part of town where food choices can seem overwhelming. It has a French influence in its styling and décor but a very British feel in the food – with a name like Browns it could hardly have anything…

Zinc tables, novelty spirits behind the bar, walls papered with banknotes and postcards from around the globe: at first glance Brutti Ma Buoni has all the trappings of a travellers’ bar rather than a traditional bistro. But it would be a shame to miss…

Despite being festooned with an abundance of fairy lights and flickering candles and boasting a burnished golden ceiling, the dining room of this converted church has an intimate, relaxed feel. Chef Jonathon Macfarlane (formerly Ubiquitous Chip) is a…