Restaurants, BYOB

171 places

Sorted by popularity

Shilla

1138 Argyle Street, Glasgow, G3 8TD

Shilla is the sole Korean restaurant in Glasgow and the sister venue to the Edinburgh venture of the same name. This small unassuming space is located in the perennially up-and-coming cool neighbourhood of Finneston. A handful of tightly packed beech…

Bijou

2 Restalrig Road, Edinburgh, EH6 8BN

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…

The Wee Curry Shop

7 Buccleuch Street, Glasgow, G3 6SJ

The Wee Curry Shops, mini-offspring of the mighty Mother India, have lost a sister branch on Ashton Lane – which has become the Glasgow Curry Shop, displaying something of the history of this city's love affair with all things spicy. The remaining two…

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…

Bonsai Bar Bistro

14 Broughton Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3RH

Bonsai on Broughton Street only opened for business in February 2013 but this new branch has retained much of what makes its Southside sister restaurant so popular. The menu of tapas-style sharing plates is identical and there are even some familiar…

back to top

L'escargot Bleu

56 Broughton Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3SA

The humble snail is a byword for French cuisine and the symbol of the international Slow Food movement, both of which are well represented by this popular Broughton Street restaurant. There’s a real French ambience in the high-ceilinged dining room with…

The Forest Café

141 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh, EH3 9JN

The Forest vegetarian café is known less for its coffee and more as a shared space for like-minded people. The dusty, glass-fronted former shop unit is perhaps a surprising haven for the city’s artists and creative types. It is nevertheless buzzing with…

Nile Valley

6 Chapel Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AY

Nile Valley has remained almost completely unchanged for years. The posters wallpapering the stairs down to the dingy basement dining area rotate, advertising new club nights and student drama productions. It’s a Sudanese restaurant, with popular Middle…

The Boat House

22 High Street, South Queensferry, City of Edinburgh, EH30 9PP

The gem in South Queensferry’s culinary crown, The Boat House has great views, relaxed surrounds and a confident, creative pair of hands in the kitchen. Split into two main areas, with a cocktail bar thrown in for good measure, the bistro and restaurant…

Brooklyn Café

21 Minard Road, Glasgow, G41 2HR

A visit to the Brooklyn Café, the 83-year-old godfather of the Shawlands all-day café scene is a real Glasgow treat. There's a steady production of breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner dishes including creamy risottos or the recently introduced grill…

back to top

Broughton Delicatessen

7 Barony Street, Edinburgh, EH3 6PD

With deli goods and takeaway sandwiches to the front, and 24 covers of eclectic furniture to the rear, Broughton Deli does not concern itself with vanities. The international menu has a surprising mixture of platters, burgers and noodles available all…

Leven's

30-32 Leven Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9LJ

A marriage of Scottish and Thai cuisine might seem a doomed alliance, and some of the menu options sound more like a drunken scramble around the kitchen than haute cuisine (lasagne chicken curry, anybody?), but don’t be fooled – this contemporary outfit…

MacCallum’s of Troon Oyster Bar

Harbourside, Troon, Ayrshire, KA10 6DH

Sited in an old pumping station, this harbourside seafood restaurant run by fishmongers, with a much-loved fish and chip shop (the Wee Hurrie) next door. Expect an array of fruits of the sea, unload straight from a boat on the establishments door step…

The Purple Pig Café

12 Leven Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9LG

The Purple Pig is perhaps the only pig you can trust around food. This bright, white Tollcross café, run by a green but keen brother-and-sister team, is as steadfast as a bacon roll. Fresh, local ingredients, chosen for taste, are simply and competently…

Thai Lemongrass

24 Renfrew Street, Glasgow, G2 3BW

Worth seeking out at the top of Renfrew Street, Thai Lemongrass offers an oasis of calm from the hustle and bustle of City Centre life. Dark wood and warming gold dominate the intimate space with luxury red-upholstered booths, canopied with heavy…

back to top

A Room in the West End

26 William Street, Edinburgh, EH3 7NH

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…

Gaia Delicatessen

32 Crighton Place, Leith Walk, Edinburgh, EH7 4NY

A bustling and friendly family-run café and deli, Gaia boasts a proudly Sicilian influence over everything it does. The coffee is excellent although very strong, the noises from the open kitchen lend a lively air as you enjoy one of the homemade paninis…

Ristorante Gennaro

64 Grassmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 2JR

The Glasgow Curry Shop

29 Ashton Lane, Glasgow, G12 8SJ

Previously a branch of Mother India Monir's three Wee curryhouses, the renamed, revamped Glasgow Curry Shop is a haven for casual dining within the hustle and bustle of Ashton Lane. Celebrating the entrepreneurs who positioned curryhouses as an…

Go Slow Café

452 Victoria Road, Glasgow, G42 8YU

Six years of taking it easy at Go Slow Café (to paraphrase the blurb), but the place is thriving and popular, so it’s no mean feat that during the busiest times owner/factotum Rose manages to keep the happy, calm vibe alive. Like most places run with…

back to top

The Hidden Lane Tearoom

8 Argyle Court, 1103 Argyle Street, Glasgow, G3 8ND

The Hidden Lane Tearoom is hidden only in name. Despite being just a couple of years old, it has clearly established a serious following, which means that at weekends, it can often get pretty busy – despite having two levels. Somehow though, owner…

Ivory Bar & Restaurant

2–4 Camphill Avenue, Glasgow, G41 3AY

Mithas

7 Dock Place, Edinburgh, EH6 6LU

London may have a number of fine-dining Indian restaurants but Khushi’s offshoot Mithas is the only place in Edinburgh offering such a high-end experience. The beautifully lit dark wood interior is divided into three sections, one offering a view of the…

North Star

108 Queen Margaret Drive, Glasgow, G20 8NZ

An unlikely yet welcoming setting for relaxed Italian/Scottish dining, this cosy spot offers delicious cake, pasta and seafood house specials and a wealth of sandwiches made with freshly baked bread. There is a definite quirky charm to the premises…

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…