Restaurants, Italian within 5 miles of Glasgow

Glasgow's love affair with buffet-style dining is boundless, and it has found the ultimate mistress at this popular buffet-orama in the midst of Sauchiehall's staggering nightlife district. In the premises formerly Slumdog, Cook and Indi have managed to…

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…

Regulars order without glancing at the large menu which covers everything from steak pie to fillet steak, from chicken curry and chips to pastas, and from pizzas and fish. The atmosphere’s buzzy and busy and you should probably book – even mid-week – to…

Di Maggio’s have a reputation for no nonsense US-Italian fare, big flavours and generous portions. Though each branch shares the same evening menu, the Southside branch, its canopied windows overlooking Shawlands Cross, opens earlier at weekends…

A smart, light, bright dining room with a stylish champagne bar attached, the place has an open kitchen where the chefs can be seen preparing dishes from the large menu. Deep-fried calamari are tasty and tender as are the prawns in the same…

The growing trend for sharing plates is capitalised on at this Byres Road venue. It is well suited to larger groups making a meal part of their night with popular Italian cuisine laid out in miniature over four pages of a vast menu. The monkfish and…

Relatively hidden down a side street between Kelvingrove Park and Sauchiehall Street, this friendly family owned outlet offers home cooked Italian food in a café setting. With its focus on a daytime and early evening clientele, Arcaffe attracts mainly…

From the street Bella Napoli looks like a run-of-the-mill Italian deli, but discerning food lovers know that through the back, past the racks of wine and tins of olives, is a reliable restaurant of some worth. While the front cafe offers casual…

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…

There is a standard of service and meal in Café Antipasti that is reassuringly consistent if hardly exciting, although this reflects its location at the busy and less-than-intimate end of Sauchiehall Street. The waiting staff are invariably polite…

While the origin of the name may have been lost in the mists of time, the team at Firebird are certainly taking the ‘fire’ part seriously. A wood-fired oven bakes the signature sourdough pizzas to a pleasing crunch, while a blazing stove keeps the…

There is an expectation with Italian restaurants that the experience be one of feeling loved and entertained as well as fed, yet few manage to pull off the feat with such aplomb as Fratelli Sarti. There's a uniformity of excellence across all three…

With its reputation for authentic north Italian cuisine and rich seafood served in elegant surroundings, dining at Fratelli Sarti’s Renfield Street branch is meant to be a special occasion. Peruse the leather bound Tuscan specials and enjoy the light of…

There are many restaurants serving Italian food for the masses, what singles Tony’s out is the service.. It’s polished and on a par with more expensive establishments. The food is not bad either and ribs dish to start is a substantially meaty choice.

With the opening of Piccolino e Vino in Newton Mearns, the La Vita ‘family’ now includes four restaurants across the country. This expansion is indicative of the popularity of its operation in George Square, which can serve upwards of 1000 diners on a…

Scallops wrapped in pancetta is a good way to start in this large, airy and stylish basement dining room. The portion is generous and the scallops not overcooked. The antipasto misto is described as a signature dish, but is a little disappointing. It…

In Glasgow’s trendy Merchant City the competition among restaurants to attract discerning diners is high. Artà stands out architecturally. Once the location of a medieval cheese market this listed building was developed Baroque style in 2000 into a…

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…

Barbarossa comes in two parts – a wine bar downstairs and a chic restaurant upstairs – and thanks to a very committed chef, a host of regulars have been dining here for more than 10 years. The wine bar has a reasonably priced selection of pasta, pizza…

This restaurant has little in common with its better known older sibling Di Maggios. The décor is contemporary and stylish featuring leather booths for intimate dining as well as a larger space for bigger parties. The menu includes Italian classics with…

Having changed its name from Bath Street Pony thanks to legal intervention from a London bar operating under the same equine name, Palomino remains uncomplicated and relaxing, serving cocktails and a decent pre-theatre and lunch deal to office workers…

The Bella Italia Glasgow Braehead restaurant is located within the exciting Xscape Centre in Braehead, one of Scotland's premier entertainment complexes. You'll find a real snow slope, cinema, laser games, bowling alley and lots more at this fun…