Eat and Drink: the best of Glasgow

Glasgow used to be known as the city of deep-fried Mars Bars. But now it’s a bastion of both cutting edge and quirky food. Alexander James tells us where's best to eat and drink in the city.

Kick off with a cocktail

The largest city in Scotland has forged a slogan for the 2014 Commonwealth Games: 'People Make Glasgow'. And it turns out that the people of Glasgow know how to make inspiring food (and drink). For example, to mark the Games one of the country's top mixologists, Mal Spence, embarked on a mission to break a world record by engineering a cocktail using the most ingredients of any drink in history. 

You can try the commemorative 'Commonwealth Cocktail' at Kelvingrove Cafe on Argyle Street. It contains 71 ingredients, one from every country in the Commonwealth, including strawberries from Scotland, red apples from England, wild cotoneaster from Wales, rosemary from Northern Ireland and even potatoes from the Isle of Man. "It's the ideal way to taste the best flavours of Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe and the Americas in one sip," says Spence. 

Finnieston favourites

The first thing that is apparent on the grand streets of Glasgow is how fiercely loyal its people are to their food and drink. It's the only city in the world where Coca-Cola is outsold by the local drink of Irn Bru – this beloved fizz has its own pop-up store in the city on Wilson Street in the Merchant City for the duration of the Commonweath Games. Indeed, Scotland's 13-year-old medal-winning swimmer Erraid Davies declared after her ceremony that she’d be "going home to eat toast and drink Irn Bru".

But in search for great food our next stop is a huddle of grand Glasgow streets that's now one of the city's food quarters – an area west of the city centre known as Finnieston, whose main arteries are Argyle Street and Sauchiehall Street. The latest addition on the latter road is Ox and Finch, the brainchild of a former head chef of the McLaren Formula One racing team. This eaterie thrives off the city's love of socialising by offering tapas sharing plates of Scottish delicacies such as braised ox cheek, roast skate wing and tartare of roe deer. 

George Clooney's favourite

It's testimony to the lure of Glasgow that many of its greatest restaurants have been set up by citizens who were personal chefs to A-list stars but have become so homesick that they came back for good. For example, no dining experience in Glasgow is complete without dropping into Red Onion on West Campbell Street, George Clooney's favourite place to eat when he's in town. It's run by John Quigley (pictured left). Quigley spent his early days going on tour with Tina Turner, Morrissey and Bryan Adams, and was often on-call to whip up a salmon sandwich for Slash from Guns 'n' Roses at 4am, as his 24-hour personal caterer. 

“The city was once the laughing stock of the world when it came to food,” says Quigley. “Our chefs realised if they didn’t change something, not only would our health suffer, but our bid to attract visitors would too. 

“The idea behind Red Onion was to provide dishes for every taste, from filet mignon to an honest French onion soup. Our chefs are skilled in haute cuisine and pub favourites. In Glasgow people expect great food, but they want it without pretension." 

The Ubiquitous Chip

The start of Glasgow's food renaissance was the opening of the eating house known as The Ubiquitous Chip on Ashton Lane (nearest Subway station: Hillhead). It's Scotland's most beloved and quirkiest of eating places. The Chip boasts an enviable record of being in every Good Food Guide since the first edition was published, and is regarded as Scotland's first fine dining establishment, founded in 1971. It's not just a place to eat, but a destination in itself, offering Glasgow's smallest boozer in one corner, a corridor of fine contemporary art, and an atrium of lush tropical plants. It's the only restaurant in Scotland that makes its own haggis as a stalwart addition to its haute cuisine. 

"The key to our survival is that we have always used ingredients found right on our doorstep, and we don't take anything for granted," says Head Chef Andrew Mitchell. "No cut of meat is wasted, but instead turned into a great dish." 

The Chip is located in the West End district of Glasgow, another of the city's food destinations. Some of its greatest finds are hidden down alleys, such as the Hanoi Bike Shop on Ruthven Lane, which serves Vietnamese favourites. 

Quirky curries

Glasgow has always been a centre of food fusion – as a port, it used to be instrumental in the old spice trading roots – and this is exemplified in Jamaica's Commonwealth HQ at the 29 Club on Royal Exchange Square, a restaurant serving Caribbean and Scottish fusions such as a prime cut of jerk steak. 

But the biggest international cuisine in the city has always been curry, and Glaswegians vie with other multi-cultural epicentres such as Bradford, Manchester and Brick Lane for the title of the curry capital of Great Britain.

Here the curry houses come with unexpected twists – the classic curry dishes of tikka masala, bhajis and korma are delivered with a Glaswegian sense of humour. As an example Mr Singh's India on Elderslie Street, just off Sauchiehall Street towards Kelvingrove Park, serves your curry with Sikh waiting staff dressed in kilts, and it's most loved delicacy is ‘haggis pakora’, as well as other haggis infused dishes. 

Perhaps the biggest delight in eating in Glasgow is the good value. One of the best examples of this is the newly-opened Hutcheson's on Ingram Street (pictured left), a restaurant housed in the city's most iconic building, that was once a school, a hospital and a bank. It's undergone a £1.3 million investment to open in time for the Games, yet a three course feast comes in with a bill of under £25. 

Eating on the hoof

For food on-the-go, city explorers refuel at Glasgow's Central Market, which brims with fresh oils, vinegars, breads and lunchtime ideas. Elsewhere, if you're up early exploring out west the branch of American chain TriBeCa on Dumbarton Road (nearest Subway: Kelvinhall) is a favourite for American-sized breakfasts such as five-egg omelettes and bagels – don’t forget to take a photo with the New York taxi parked outside. 

Glasgow's cosmopolitan food culture looks set to stay long after the Commonwealth Games have passed. And with Scotland planning ‘a year of food and drink’ in 2015, things can only get more exciting. 

You can view a larger, printable version of this map here

Have you any other Glasgow foodie places to recommend? We can’t possibly cover everywhere, so please don’t be shy with your suggestions in the Comments box below. 

The best way to get to Glasgow is via Virgin Trains. To find out more about the city of Glasgow, including places to stay and things to see, visit peoplemakeglasgow.com.

You can read all of our wonderful 'Eat & Drink' guides here

Main Glasgow image attributed to John Lindie