Photo of
April 18, 2019

Covering a whopping thousand restaurants, bistros, bars, cafés and markets across Glasgow and Edinburgh, it is the most comprehensive guide to eating and drinking venues in the Central Belt.

Having played a small role in its creation many years ago, your blogger knows how much work goes into producing it and how hard everyone strives to make it as accurate and as fair as possible.

This year, a team of 75 reviewers anonymously visited all the venues listed and wrote about what they found.

The best places in each section are rounded up in Hitlists. These are supplemented by more than a hundred Tiplists for categories such as Most Romantic, Unusual Dining Experiences and Outdoor Dining.

More than 150 new restaurants

The guide includes some 150 new restaurants which have opened since last year's guide as well as listing many of the businesses which have closed their doors.

Each entry is short but packed with info including average prices, websites, phone numbers and locations on the maps at the back of the guide. The reviews are concise and generally accurate.

I'm biased but I think it is the best and most comprehensive guide to eating and drinking in Glasgow and Edinburgh. And yes, I do write that every year.

Eating & Drinking Guide Editor Jay Thundercliffe commented on the launch of the new edition, saying 'While we cover what's happening in the local dining scene right through the year, the publication of our print guide each April is always a chance to celebrate the dynamic, diverse and ever-evolving food and drink scene in Scotland's two main cities.

Recent trends

'With an average of three new openings every week it's a fast-moving picture, and the arrival of the guide each year is a chance to sum-up some of the trends we see taking shape not just in the newcomers, but also how longer-established favourites are evolving and adapting. Some of the things we're noticing this year are the rise of community-interest companies and social enterprises in the food and drink area, what seems like the high tide for recent trends of street food and small plates, and how the expansion of artisan distilleries is offering a dedicated local dimension to cocktail menus, following in the wake of local food offerings and craft beer.'

Book online with 5pm Dining

Each year, the guide dishes out awards and you can look up the Edinburgh and Glasgow winners online.

We'll make special mention of Tapa. A firm favourite with 5pm Dining customers, the Leith tapas restaurant won the Reader Award in Edinburgh.

In Glasgow, Battlefield Rest, a long established Italian in the Southside, was voted top by readers.

Both can be booked via 5pm Dining. Battlefield Rest have an offer where two people can enjoy two courses each from the pre-theatre menu with a bottle of wine to share.

The List Eating and Drinking Guide can be bought in bookshops, newsagents and other retail outlets or online.