Restaurants, Pre-theatre menu within 5 miles of Glasgow

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.

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…

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…

From the owner and the staff, to the olive oil from the family vineyards, Elia’s unaffected charm lies in an unashamed celebration of family roots. Combining the unfussed approach of a traditional Greek taverna with Scottish produce to create an…

Situated in the fashionable Merchant City area, Qua likes to think of itself as a stylish place to eat quality Italian food, the way they do back home. The décor is minimalist, with red and black furniture dominating the large dining area which is…

This multi-level eating, drinking and gambling emporium is one of the G1 group’s flagship enterprises, with attention paid to creating a dazzling venue. The main dining room is astonishing; everything is on a huge scale, from the enormous glazed dome…

Named after the famous ‘Glasgow Glutton’, Robert Hall, who made a living from eating contests, this restaurant and bar (with four hotel rooms) is tucked down one of the Merchant City’s quieter streets. You enter through the cosy bar with a glowing open…

Established in 1988, City Merchant's reputation as one of the best fish restaurants in Glasgow is as much down to owners who pride themselves on the freshness of their seafood as it is to the resulting cuisine that is undeniably impressive. A decadent…

Dakhin’s green and black décor oozes style. Wooden ceiling slats draped with plants create an Oriental feel in the spacious venue, while album-like menus and crisp linen napkins add a touch of class to otherwise bare black tables. Located upstairs, a…

One of the more self-consciously ‘Scottish’ of the restaurants in this section (it defines itself as such on the signage and on its website) Ingram Wynd is a good bet for traditional dishes such as skirlie, stovies or cranachan – which can be…

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…

In the heart of the merchant City, which is particularly good looking at night these days, Berits & Brown offers a small taste of a New York style neighbourhood diner. It is a big draw for wine buffs – any bottle on sale in the off license can be…

Windows bills itself as 'Glasgow's only rooftop restaurant', but to be honest it's more 'top floor' than 'rooftop' as the view is good but not quite knock-out impressive. Located on the seventh level of the Carlton George, it feels just like many…

Café Andaluz has been in business for ten years, opening first in the West End before adding a City Centre branch in 2006, and then a third outpost in Edinburgh. Sharing menus, prices, deals and décor (Spanish ceramics and Moorish lighting) makes for an…

The downstairs bar at Metropolitan has been on the city’s 'places to be seen' list since it opened in 2002 and still caters to a highly coiffed, middle-aged Glasgow crowd. The upstairs restaurant is a suitably swish, glam and surprisingly huge. The…

It can seem a bit lonely sitting in the plush but slightly soulless Merchant Square, but Fanelli’s has a very warm welcome. On offer here are Italian staples with a Scottish influence creeping in. This is evident in pizza combinations such as haggis and…

Housed in the former Sheriff Court there are few building fronts as impressive anywhere in the city. Gone are any remnants of law court life. Split between a ground floor with a massive glitzy cocktail bar, and an upstairs restaurant that has a more…

You’d think Arisaig’s location around that climate-free covered-style courtyard would pull in weather-beaten punters all day long, but although evening crowds throng, the cobbled delights of Merchant Square are a tad more sedate around lunchtime which…

The quiet assuredness and sensible prices of Seumas MacInnes’s fish venture mean it does more than just bask in the nearby glory of its much older brother, Café Gandolfi. Scotland’s waters provide the produce but it’s the continental ‘fritto misto’ that…