The oldest restaurants in Glasgow are spotted all over the city - with some standing for well over 100 years!
Glasgow has long been on the forefront of Scottish cuisine - while the supposed capital of Edinburgh has plenty of Michelin-starred fine dining restaurants - Glaswegian food institutions in the West of Scotland do it best, producing some of the tastiest, well-loved menus in Britain.
One only need to look at modern Glasgow restaurants to see this, the like of Six by Nico, Ox and Finch, and other new popular eateries, offering incredible cuisine - their presence was only made possible by standing on the shoulders of Glaswegian gastronomic giants like the sorely missed Dino Ferrari’s or Koh-i-Noor.
Whether it be Indian, Asian, Middle Eastern or Scottish - all cultures of Glasgow are represented in the city’s culinary scene. In this article we wanted to look at the oldest restaurants in Glasgow, some of which are well over 100 years old, that you can still dine in today!
1. Sloan's (1797)
Before Sloan's was a pub, it was a coffee house and café, if you can believe that. They still serve food, so technically it's Glasgow's oldest restaurants as well as one of the oldest pubs, who would've thunk it eh? Hidden away behind the jewellery shops of Argyle Arcade on a site that dates back to 1797. David Sloan bought the venue, known as the Arcade Café at the turn of the 20th Century, and renamed it the Sloans Arcade Café before transforming it into an opulent venue with a lounge bar, several dining rooms, a cocktail bar, an aquarium and the jewel in the crown - the Grand Ballroom - a stunning space featuring a magnificent vaulted ceiling, period marble fireplace and intricate stained-glass windows | Google
2. The Buttery (1870)
The Buttery, or Two Fat Ladies at The Buttery as of 2007, is believed to be Glasgow’s oldest culinary institution, established in 1870 - over 150 years ago. | Contributed
3. University Cafe (1918)
The University Café - beloved by Glaswegians and outsiders alike - so much so that Anthony Bourdain featured the café in his Glasgow edition of Parts Unknown. University Café was first opened by Pasquale Verrechia on September 1918, and the man’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren are still serving up chips and ice cream to this day. | Canva/Getty Images
4. Shish Mahal (1964)
Opened by Ali Ahmed Aslam, Shish Mahal is a historic Glaswegian restaurant. It was one of the very first to introduce Glaswegians to food from the sub-continent, and in the 70s, proprietor Mr. Aslam created the Chicken Tikka Masala when a customer asked for his Chicken Tikka to be 'less dry'. | Shish Mahal