Birds Fried Chicken
1179 Pollokshaws Road
Food is unapologetically rich at this fried-chicken concept from the El Perro Negro burger team, which takes up the left hand side of Phillies bar. A vigorously seasoned and crunchy coating, home-style chicken gravy and a house dressing spiked with anchovies are the hallmarks. 

Chaw Pet Noi
1109 Pollokshaws Road
Thai street food as you watch the world go by. Hallmarks are thick, sticky mains where fish sauce, chilli paste and tamarind punch their weight and red chillis and crispy onions are in abundance.

The Jolly Tamil
95 Kilmarnock Road
The sign playfully evokes a country pub in rural Britain, but inside, this multi-generational family affair is a love letter to Sri Lankan and Tamil cooking, and its influence on other cuisines. There’s mutton rolls (little golden, breadcrumbed flutes of fiery meat) or Devil Ah, a tangy, spicy fusion of Indian and Chinese styles. Dishes have personality and space: space to enjoy the textures, taste the fruitiness, feel the slow burn of chilli.

Old Fish Bar 
74 Coustonholm Road
A neighbourhood fish restaurant where the menus and concept rotate every five or six weeks. The common thrust is always imaginative riffs on seafood backed up by solid cocktails. That, alongside charming attentiveness and service. Its go-backability is pretty impressive

Paesano Pizza Southside
1038–1040 Pollokshaws Road
The newest outpost of the Neapolitan pizza empire is also the most homely, a stylishly upcycled corner unit on Shawlands Cross. Paesano’s well (EVO)-oiled combo of slick service, ever-changing specials, and fat, chewy crusts that cede into a paper-thin foldable centre mean it’s always an enticing option.

Partenope
75 Hector Road 
Hiding amongst the flats on Tassie Street, Partenope is an airy lunchtime spot where it’s all about strong coffee and fantastic, bubbly focaccia that they bake in-house. 

Also try... Café Strange Brew, where there’s been a queue for about six years now. Be prepared to wait in line at the Deanston Bakery as well, because those cinnamon rolls are legendary. And Lychee Oriental’s Southside sibling to the ever-popular city centre original gives the area a bit of classy, old-fashioned style Chinese dining

This TipList is taken from Eat & Drink 365 Glasgow, our sister mag recommending the best in restaurants, bars, cafés and more. Want a copy? It’s available online or across all good stockists in Glasgow.