The Glasgowist this week names the 10 Best New Restaurants of 2022 in his weekly column.
The year started with stars. Cail Bruich on Great Western Road retained a one star rating in the Michelin Guide and that accolade was also awarded to Unalome by Graeme Cheevers. The announcement set the tone for new achievements in local food and drink under challenging circumstances - remember wearing masks in restaurant was mandatory until mid-April.
There was space for variation on a theme. Govan's Big Feed market found a new place in Princes Square, Ramen Dayo introduced a Yakitori Shack to the Southside while Grain and Grind opened new cafes in Cathcart and the West End. Hutch arrived as a roll shop in the Barras from the team at The Gate, the bar where memorable cocktails can be paired with a belter of a cheese toastie.
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There was more cocktails at Devil of Brooklyn, the new bar from the people behind Tabac, who will introduce a restaurant at Hutchesons Hall in the Merchant City next year. El Jefe found a home in Finnieston. Glasgow's best Greek restaurant, Halloumi, brought Gyros to Byres Road. The owner of The Locale will open West Side Tavern this weekend.
Change was underway for some of the established pillars of Glasgow hospitality as both Ubiquitous Chip and Oran Mor were subject to takeovers while Rogano, the city's oldest restaurant, remains boarded up and facing an uncertain future.
After reopening in a stylish new dining room, Ho Wong has regained its place as Glasgow's best Chinese restaurant. Elsewhere, Gaga Kitchen on Dumbarton Road have a fun and surprising Southeast Asian menu that found its stride this year. Panther Milk, the alcohol infused oat drink, appeared on Dragons' Den and won over new fans on the local festival circuit. Blue Lagoon beside Central Station surprised everyone with their oceanic restaurant makeover.
New bakeries proliferated and Hillhead went pastel de nata daft at Pasteis Lisboa. Meanwhile Stockholm Pizza takeaway introduced Nordic pizza to Bridgeton and Outlier joined East End coffee culture.
Amidst all the chaos and creativity, determination and reinvention, these were the ten best new restaurant openings for 2023.
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1 Gost
Beef from ex-dairy grass-fed Friesian stock, Mangalitsa pork chops and decadent sides caught the attention when Gost opened in April this year. Chef John Molloy's menu filled a gap in the market for a high-end steak restaurant offering distinctive cuts in the city centre.
Order: Cote de boeuf; garlic butter deepwater prawns; roasted beets, truffle and hazelnut.
gost.co.uk
2 El Santo
An ambitious and accomplished Latin American bar and restaurant. It comes with a spectactular margarita speakeasy cocktail menu and a barbeque charcoal grill.
Order: Cod cheek, guacamole, mango gel, jalapenos and caviar tacos; halibut ceviche.
elsanto.co.uk
3 Murphy’s Pakora Bar
Sanjay and Jiggy Majhu ran late night Finnieston spot Murphy’s Pakora Bar in the late nineties. Their son Nitish brought the restaurant name back to Argyle Street this year. Murphy’s Pakorka Bar, the next generation, start service from 4pm each day and stay open till 1am on weekends, reviving the family tradition of serving food to the post-pub crowd.
Order: Haggis, neeps and tatties pakora; punjabi sandwich; tandoori salmon with curried celeriac.
murphyspakorabar.co.uk
4 Crabshakk Botanics
A dazzling new addition to the Botanic Garden Garage building, which also houses Ka Pao. A name synonymous with quality seafood, Crabshakk's second location opened over the summer with a sense of purpose. Sam Heughan is a fan.
Order: Crab cakes with lemon mayo; seared scallops with anchovy butter and sage.
crabshakk.co.uk
5 Mowgli Street Food
Nisha Katona's quirky, family-inspired Indian street food restaurant opened in a landmark location on St Vincent Street in April and has developed a devoted fanbase in the city. An excellent choice for vegan and vegetarian dishes.
Order: Red lentil temple dahl; Manchurian sticky chicken; Goan fish curry.
mowglistreetfood.com
Hyndland's Pizza Magic was transformed into Nostrana Italian restaurant by owner Marco Stevenson, opening in September. He has been making pizza here since 1989. The new venture has quickly become a neighbourhood favourite.
Order: Rustic style Sicilian pizza with fior di latte, zuchini, artichoke and black olives.
nostrana.co.uk
A seafood bar from Cail Bruich and Bar Brett owners Paul and Chris Charalambous, in partnership with Oil Norman, the founder of itison. It opened in March. Head Chef Shaun Haggarty takes an international approach to preparing Scottish produce with Japanese and Southeast Asian influences.
Order: Stone bass fillet; Viet-Cajun shrimp crumpet.
shucksglasgow.com
The independent restaurant expanded from Edinburgh to the city centre, opening on West Nile Street before finding a corner of Byres Road. Ting and Ae Tapparat have turned their previous experience cooking in Bangkok's luxury hotels into an accessible street food concept that was a welcome addition to the local food firmament in 2023.
Order: Massaman ped confit duck leg; khao moo daeng slow-cooked pork loin.
tingthai-caravan.com
9 Kelp
From Barra to Ardnamurchan, Kelp source sustainable Scottish produce to prepare and serve in a modern dining room on Cowcaddens Road, across from the Theatre Royal.
Order: Shetland coley green curry; slow roast leek, almond ajo blanco; duck rillette.
kelp-restaurant.com
A new arrival last month in Shawlands, this restaurant is chef Jimmy Lee's confident and cool riff on Hong Kong street food staples, served with Glasgow attitude. Their dishes are already talk of the town.
Order: Peking ribs; pulled aromatic duck bao; salt and chilli chicken.
salt-chilli.co.uk
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