One of Glasgow’s top dining destinations wasn’t always that way. Up until a dozen or so years ago, only a few intrepid owners ventured out among the house-clearance shops and caged off-licences of Finnieston. Mother India was the trailblazer, opening up their curry house in 1990 in a multistorey tenement. The 2000s saw Fanny Trollopes arrive, dishing out classy Scots-Euro bistro dishes from their compact art deco-style restaurant. Crabshakk arrived a few years later, changing the way people ate seafood in the city with their casual cocktail-and-crab approach to our ocean harvest at their stylish diner.

The big burgeoning of Finnieston’s dining reputation can be traced back to the arrival of The Gannet in 2013 (who shocked fans with the announcement that their last service would be on Hogmanay 2025, though other plans are afoot). From its arrival, things took off. Ox And Finch continues to delight diners with casual and creative small-plate offerings and clever cocktails, setting the culinary bar high for more than a decade now. Fans of prime cuts can enjoy a steak and cocktail at Porter & Rye or at The Butchershop close to Kelvingrove Art Gallery And Museum.

Michelin came to Finnieston when Unalome By Graeme Cheevers picked up a star at his attractive corner tenement in 2022. It was the Glaswegian’s first solo venture after winning the award at other people’s establishments. Up a side street closer to Charing Cross is Five March, a contemporary bar-diner serving inventive small plates and equally imaginative cocktails. Expertly crafted dishes are generally European in outlook with flashes of global flavours, served in a calming, simple Scandi-like interior. There’s a similar vibe at Gloriosa, where chef Rosie Healey always impresses with her plates of fresh, vibrant Mediterranean cuisine.

A recent incomer is Trust By Modou, offering diners a very reasonably priced five-course meal, albeit without any menu whatsoever; it’s a matter of putting your trust in the head chef. For a Japanese take on dining, check out specialists Pickled Ginger for a casual sushi and noodles menu, and Hanami whose signature dishes include various ways with wagyu beef. In a tin-roofed shack down The Hidden Lane is Rafa’s Mexican-inspired, south-western US food, where experienced hands build tacos, burritos, quesadillas, plus twists like nacho cheese birria pizza.

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.