Guy’s Restaurant & Bar

Apologies for the slew of 5-​star reviews I’ve written recently, but these are the ones I love writing the most, after all!
I’ve been to Guy’s a few times before and it’s definitely reliable — the food is always great, the staff are always fantastic and it’s somewhere that feels a bit fancier than the usual joints, without being *too* fancy. I think the market menu is great value for the quality of food you get, as sometimes with these kind of menus it’s as if not as much care has been put in — not the case with Guy’s!
One of my favourite dishes here is the Glasgow Tapas — steak pie, mince and tatties, haggis and chips — because first of all, I love any dish that lets me try a few different dishes all at once, but it’s also mega-​tasty! (I don’t even like mince and potatoes that much, but I like this one!) Be warned, it’s also mega-​filling, but I think it’s an ideal thing to choose if you fancy something comforting, or maybe if you’re visiting/​new to Scotland and you’re interested in our more traditional dishes. But I’ve never been unhappy with anything I’ve ordered here.
Service is always excellent and the staff make you feel so welcome, they come across as genuinely friendly and not just doing their job. Guy is usually around and is a really nice guy (sorry, that was awful!) making sure everyone’s having a good time, is being well looked-​after and is enjoying their meal.
For a delicious, classier-​than-​your-​usual meal out, I really don’t think you could want anything more!

In Glasgow on business, Guys was recommended by a colleague. Literally 5 mins walk from George Square Premier Inn. Must have dish — Glasgow Tapas followed by a trio of mixed fruit sorbet — delicious and all for a very reasonable price. Service great and friendly too!

I’d never been to Guy’s before until I went with some lovely Unilocalers so I had no idea what to expect.
It’s a really nice restaurant, and felt very cosy and romantic especially as they had a guy playing piano and a girl singing whilst we ate.
Usually at fancy restaurants I find it difficult to choose something off the menu but here I had difficulty choosing one thing over the other. The menu we had was two courses for £12.95 which I think is really good.
In the end I went for the prawn cocktail starter and their Chinese chicken curry which was really tasty. The prawn cocktail was served in a shell and looked really appetising.
The staff didn’t rush us out and let us sit and chat after our meal and were really friendly and attentive.
Definitely want to go back and have hinted that it would be a great place for a date!

I really enjoyed dinning at Guy’s after I had heard so much about it. First off I was lucky enough to
Be dining alongside 5 other Unilocal elite who were ready to explore the best of what this place had to offer. Let me start by reflecting on what a lovely atmosphere the place has. It’s a small and intimate restaurant where the tables are lit by candlelight and beautifully set with fresh flowers. We were warmly welcomed by Guy himself who is one charming man! He definitely makes everyone feel welcomed and I really appreciated how diner-​focused he was!
We ordered off the set menu which was priced well at 12.95 for two courses. I had he salmon fish cake which had a nice crème fraîche sauce and then the steak. I really enjoyed both dishes. Guy was also kind and offered us limoncello on the house– he really knows how to treat people!
The only reason why I’m not giving this place five stars is that I thought the food was good but it’s not the kind of food that blows your mind! I noticed people at the food commented that the food was nice but it wasn’t one of those meals where people, especially Unilocalers, go on and on about the flavours and textures of the creative dishes. That all being said– my steak was tasty, cooked and presented well.
I would definitely come back here as the good quality food coupled with the excellent atmosphere made for a top notch evening!

Uhhhhh, I don’t really get it. I don’t get what all the fuss is about with Guy’s. There, I said it. There’s nothing wrong with it; in fact, everything is perfectly alright with it, it’s just… I dunno. After reading the other reviews, I was expecting to leave the restaurant barefoot because my socks had been blown right aff, taking my shoes with them. Instead, I left with my feet-​clothes intact, a perfectly satisfied belly, and a creeping ‘what was all the fuss about?’ confusion.
We went for the pre-​theatre menu which, I was happy to note, included the Unilocalers favourite: Glasgow Tapas. Seeing as I’d just returned to my beloved Glasgow from months away, I was eager to hoover that Glasgow shiz up. The little ramekin of mince & tatties was nice (though perhaps the gravy was a bit thin/​not enough mash to mix in so you could eat it with a fork — gimme a spoon!), the little ramekin of steak pie was nice (ditto the fork/​spoon comment), the little stack of haggis/​neeps/​tatties was nice, the chips were nice. It was all very nice. The miniature mac&cheese starter was also nice. And the mango fool for dessert: nice. All very nice, like decent-​gastropub-​nice. But my socks remained on my feet.
Nothing at all wrong with it, hence my 4stars. The pre-​theatre price is about right for this gastropub fayre, but I think if we’d been ordering from the full a la carte menu, it would only be getting a 3star review because I don’t think it is special enough to justify the prices and I’d be feeling a bit ripped off. For the pre-​theatre, though, a perfectly nice 4 stars, with socks on.

Having heard so many good Glasgow folk raving about Guy’s I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to give it a try! I was not disappointed and in fact my expectations were absolutely exceeded. Go Guy’s!
What a super romantic and intimate wee restaurant. White linen tablecloths, candles in little heart shaped holders, flowers and mood lighting — it was almost too much for my wee Wednesday night constitution!
The customer service is fantastic — with complimentary freshly baked bread on offer, really attentive and friendly staff and a fantastic buzz. Every table was occupied — on a Wednesday night before pay day that’s really something.
The food totally lived up to the hype — I had an out of this world smoked haddock risotto — the special of the day which was absolutely perfect followed by a delightful chocolate fudge cake with ice cream.
The menu is extensive with a Scottish contemporary feel with a real focus on accessible comfort food prepared with attention to detail and highly quality produce. My cup of tea at the end even came with a wee Guy’s chocolate and the bill came with an illustrated postcard of the interior. It;s so clear that Guy’s is a labour of love.
Other diners included families, friends, business people and couples — although Guy’s bestowed my evening with a romantic tone, anyone looking for excellent food, service and surroundings would struggle to find a better place in all of Glasgow.

Fantastic place, one of the best in Glasgow with great food, nice setting and friendly staff. Just so so good. Go already!

Only visited this place once, but felt welcome as soon as walked through the door. The meal (lunch) and wine were fantastic, although a tad on the expensive side, but if you’re looking to impress someone, then I recommend this place. I will be visiting again.

This restaurant is phenomenal. In some ways I don’t think it gets as much coverage as it should, it does its thing exceptionally well but with out the huge blingy fanfare you get from some others places. This means at times it perhaps get ignored, but take it from me you need to get to Guys now!
Starter was a tasty poached egg on top of black pudding with crispy muffin under that. Over the top there was plenty of hollandaise. It tasted bloody epic.
Main course was mash, veg and the most amazing Aberdeen Angus sirloin steak I have ever had. Cooked to perfection and huge to, for me it is a top contender for the best steak in Glasgow. It blows the competition out of the water!
Dessert was a delicious panna cotta. It was my first try of this dessert and it was ace. After that there was some lovely cheese, the cheddar was supreme, the smoked cheese was great and it was all served with lovely oat cakes.
Huge portions. Top class food. Served in quirky but really nice surroundings. The atmosphere is great and was helped when I was there by the singer softly knocking out some mellows tunes. Not cheap, but really worth it. This is a place you want to visit soon, VERY SOON!

I had a really good time here. The food was excellent, the staff managed to be really attentive without being pushy or annoying about it, which is a great trick when you can pull it off, and the place itself has a really welcoming feel to it. It’s hard to quantify, but it’s there.
I took my sister out for dinner as a treat but it would be an excellent place to come for an occasion, or with a date you wanted to impress. The market menu is very reasonably priced too.
They were out of the £27 bottle of pinot noir I asked for, so offered a bottle of the £39 pinot noir for the same price (I said yes, unsurprisingly). It was entirely unnecessary and a really nice touch.
I love a good bread and butter pudding — and Guy’s does a really good bread and butter pudding. Not the most enormous portion, but that was probably for the best after my meal otherwise they’d have had to roll me home.
Oh, and the (caramelised? balsamic?) onion with my steak has a strong claim on being the best onion I have ever eaten.
Guy’s is definitely on the List Of Places To Come Back To.

I’ve walked by here many, many times and wondered what’s behind the door… Well, I knew it was a bar and restaurant, but not just the *kind* of bar restaurant!
So last week I found myself here for dinner, at short notice — and wow, what a great little place!
On entering, there were classical musicians by the door playing background music — it really created a lovely atmosphere, a calming enclave in the bustling Merchant City. My dining companion was waiting at the bar, and we were shown to our table by the barman, but only when we were ready to do so. Our server was quickly to our table with menus and letting us know the specials. Friendly, professional, but in no way stuffy. Our chosen bottle of red wine was unavailable — however the barman came to our table and suggested a more expensive option, but at the price of the sold out bottle — a nice touch.
An interesting a la carte menu features Scottish staples like mince and tatties, venison, fish, steaks, rabbit, duck, mussels, and plenty other choices.
I chose the monkfish, and my dinner partner the steak. Both came with vegetables, and a choice of hand cooked chips or mash. we opted for one of each and shared. The portion sizes — both the mains and the accompaniments were generous. Both our meals were outstanding; completely empty plates were left. Desserts sounded lovely but we just didn’t have the stomach capacity!
The décor is tasteful, but not formal. I really liked the balance of relaxing surroundings with excellent food and extensive drinks bar.
A little pricier than my usual dining haunts, but well worth the extra. Highly recommend Guy’s for an unstuffy «nice meal» in the city centre.

I think there’s something really tricky about seeking out somewhere for a special occasion that’s going to please everyone involved. The requirements for me are: 1) comfortable and 2) ooooh, a little bit fancy. But this isn’t always an easy feat. You don’t want it to be an uncomfortably fancy affair, leaving some feeling out of place or underdressed. I always fear I’m not fancy enough for the really, really fancy restaurants and upon entering, one of the most regular diners will yell ‘INTRUDER!’ The eternal question looms; is there such a thing as too fancy? Personally, I think there’s something nice about modesty and darn good food. The other danger is that it’s much, much too comfortable to be fancy. In this instance, the restaurant in question is a cosy favourite but just not up to the ever-​approaching special occasion.
Worry no more, ladies and gents. — I think I found the answer and it was right in front of me. Guy’s is fancy and comfortable; comfortable and fancy. The age-​old puzzle of where, oh, where to book when fancy, comfortable times ensue in Glasgow is answered.
Everything was so very delicious from start to finish. From the tuna sushi special starter to the haddock main. Guy’s is atmospheric with a long narrow bar, illuminated by chandeliers, leading to the dining area. The art on the walls. The warm evening Glasgow chatter resonating. The fact that you can get a mini Glasgow tapas, with steak pie and haggis. My, oh, my!
Everybody was satisfied; clean plates, smiles on faces. — Guy’s made the occasion in question truly special indeed. I’m rather looking forward to my next special occasion.

Its my favourite restaurant in the neighbourhood, and probably also one of the best in the city centre. It is small, but it has intimate coziness that just snuggles you up with its candlelight glow. I had a glass of a delectable Spanish red with my T– bone veal, served medium rare. The juices well saturated the meat so as to not run when cut. Its partner of delicious spinach was brushed to one side, with a lightly sweet sauce drizzled over the entire plate to pull the flavours together. I also had a taste of the Aberdeen Angus sirloin, ordered blue. While retaining the natural sweetness of the meat, its sear gave it a slight char on the outside for a coveted smokiness.
Guys seems to know their flavour profile, they do classic dishes with a fresh modern edge, all the while remaining in line with seasonal items. One of those places where what is on paper doesnt fully make sense until you have it working in your mouth. Its brilliant and beautiful. Happy portions with apt service. Love the ambiance and will be back for cocktails on Jazz night, not to mention trying to make this a weekly dinner.
It really is as good as it gets in Glasgow.

One of my all time favourite restaurants in Glasgow is Guys Restaurant in the heart of Candleriggs, so I of course had to include it in my new blog!
A tiny but beautiful restaurant, Guys has such a homely relaxed feel, and the dim lighting adds to the cosy feeling. Small candles on the tables add to the atmosphere and the photographs of celebrity visitors past and present are testament to how good the food really is here.
We were given vouchers for Guys for Christmas and had been trying to squeeze in a spare minute to visit. Although we prefer to dine at the weekend, the only night we could squeeze in was a Wednesday evening and the staff were happily able to squeeze us in for a last minute table.
As soon as you are seated in Guys, they cannot do enough for you. Water (free of charge!) is brought to the table, your choice of still or sparkling. They also offer complimentary bread in a range of flavours which is absolutely delicious. We had some Sundried tomato bread and it was the perfect start to our meal.
I started with the Bang Bang Chicken, which is like a small Asian style salad. Shredded, juicy chicken is topped with shards of cucumber, spring onion and sesame seeds and drizzled in a nutty, satay style sauce. The freshness of the cucumber with the creamy sauce was absolutely delicious and its a starter I would definitely get again.
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Martyn went with the Prawn Cocktail. Huge, juicy Prawns in a tangy Marie Rose sauce served in a half scallop shell, it was absolutely divine. Served traditionally with brown bread and butter it was simplicity at its best.
For Mains, we both could not resist the Wild Highland Venison Fillet with Orange Teriyaki Sauce and Spicy Puy Lentils. Served medium rare with Mediterranean vegetables, this really was one of the best main courses I have ever had. Although Orange Teriyaki sounds slightly unusual, the fruity tanginess of this sauce against the succulent meat was an excellent flavour combination. I also opted for a portion of chips on the side (which were barely required!), and they were fresh and crispy yet fluffy on the inside.
Completely stuffed by our previous 2 courses, we did have to take a breather before ordering pudding. However due to the quality of food, not ordering a pudding was never an option! We both went with the Summer Pavlova with Vanilla Cream, Fresh Berries and Maple Syrup. Sweet, fruity and deliciously crisp meringue really made for an excellent pudding. I’m normally a fan of stodgy, cakey type puddings but this was a great choice and something I’d definitely recommend.
An absolutely incredible meal was sweetened further by the fact that we were able to use our Tastecard, meaning we got 2 for 1 on every course! I challenge you to find better weekday value in the City Centre! Including drinks (a lovely local cider called Thistly Cross), and tea at the end of the meal we paid a measly £45! Guys is now our ‘go to’ restaurant for special occasions and I would highly recommend you try it if you haven’t already.

Lisa E., aka The Baroness brought me here to kick the start of my last drinking night in Glasgow and I have to say I was hella impressed. I WISH we hadn’t had a late hangover lunch because I would LOVE to have eaten here because the food smelled AMAZING. But alas, all that I had room for in my belly was hand-​crafted cocktails, and our bartender Cal served up just what the doctor ordered.
After ordering our first cocktail off the menu, Cal took the liberty of whipping up something unique based on our personal tastes. Not ONLY was my second cocktail served in a tea cup, but he kept the extra in a little kettle for me. GENIUS.
This place is nice and classy so you’ll want to start your night here while you’re still feeling respectable. You’ll leave here nice and buzzed and ready to move on to the next place.

It was one of those nights where things didn’t exactly go as planned, and I stumbled upon something wonderful. I was searching for jazz and the place I went was a bust! So, I continued walking down the street and saw a restaurant with a Piano and singer near the entryway and figured I should check it out. I must add, I also noticed the well-​appointed bar in the background.
I parked myself at the bar with a good view of the duet bringing the nice tunes. The restaurant was decently busy for a place around 10pm at night, with a few large parties still going strong. The handsome bartender came over with a cocktail menu, which I am not sure that really helped because I wanted to try them all. The drink menu is quite impressive and you can tell why Guy’s has won so many cocktail awards! I finally told him (sorry I don’t know his name),“I like gin drinks that are a bit tart or tangy, definitely not sweet.” I ended up with a smooth elderflower liqueur martini, that was very refreshing and quenched my thirst!
While sipping my cocktail, chatting up the bartender, who made some impressive drinks, I felt inspired to be more adventurous for my next drink. I let the bartender take control and make what he thought I would want! I officially think I drank the best sazerac of my life. It was so good, from this point forth, I am going to have a hard time buying a different concoction when I go to Guy’s!
I looked over the food menu, but unfortunately I had already eaten. The food going by on plates appeared lovely and smelled delicious! For all the vegetarians out there it is worth mentioning, the menu is definitely more on the carnivorous side. For me that means it will be hard to make a decision! Mussels, beef, venison, or lamb, oh my! Also, the handsome bartender told me the sushi is surprisingly amazing, and that Japanese patrons come in specifically for it! What??? I never would have even thought twice about it compared to other things on the menu, but considering how good that bartender’s sazerac was, I may have to give that sushi a go!

I blame Anthony Bourdain. His recent visit to Guys to film for his CNN foodie series Parts Unknown reminded me that a visit here was overdue.
Guys Restaurant in Glasgow’s Merchant City is a personal favourite of mine, but I hadn’t been for a while. Its adviseable and pretty easy to book a table online, and the set lunch and pre-​theatre suppers offer good value for money, especially when compared to the a la carte.
The staff at Guys are a friendly bunch and the set menus small but perfectly formed. I chose the Sicilian caponata which is an interesting vegetarian dish packed with flavour — it tastes a whole lot better than it looks, trust me! On the subject of vegetarian food, Guys always has something on the menu for non meat-​eaters and they are happy to oblige with more options if you give them advance notice.
My lovely dining companion thoroughly enjoyed the stornaway black pudding on thin potato latke in apple with roast pepper sauce, but wished it had been accompanied with some vegetables rather than a dressed salad similar to the one that came with her starter. That said, every morsel of our meal was delicious.
Dessert was sticky toffee pudding with ice-​cream, and it was as good as any I’ve tasted! The portions were modest in size which made it possible to get through three courses at lunchtime — not something we’d normally manage. At £10.95 for 2 courses and £13.95 for 3 courses its no surprise that Guys is packed at lunchtime.
Definitely one to try if you haven’t already done so, but do book ahead. Thanks for the reminder Mr Bourdain!

What an awesome place with a very unassuming and simple street front. We had the daily special duck ravioli which was wonderful with a hint of sweetness. The bang bang chicken is a faithful twist on good thai food with excellent peanut sauce. My wife got a selection of starter salads and loved them both. Reasonable prices for what it is and great food with wonderful service. What more could you ask.
They did have a reasonable lunch menu.

Guy’s is one of those places I always recommend to people who are visiting Glasgow, or locals who are looking for a nice meal out. Especially if you’re new to Scottish food — they have dishes like the Glasgow tapas sampling plate with a mini steak pie, mince and tatties and haggis and chips.
You can get the pre-​theatre menu until 9pm Sunday — Thursday, two courses for £13.95. I tend to stick with this as there’s a good range of dishes on it, and the a la carte can be a little pricey with mains around £15-£20.
We booked a table for four on a Thursday night and actually struggled to get a reservation — if you’re booking online, be sure to select both «restaurant» and «bar» for seating areas. Even though we selected a bar reservation we ended up at a table in the restaurant. The bar area is fine for eating in, although it’s more of a walkway so the restaurant is preferable if you can get it.
I’d had a massive, late lunch that day so was really struggling to choose what to order from the pre-​theatre. I thought the prawn cocktail would make for a light start, and then a steak for main (I know, total glutton). The steak has a £4 supplement on the pre-​theatre.
The prawn cocktail comes served on a scallop shell with delicious brown bread as a side. You won’t find any measly sized prawns here — these were huge by Scottish standards, but didn’t lack any flavour. Just delicious.
The steak was beautifully char-​grilled and cooked a little under medium rare (fine by me, I’d rather undercooked than over!). I ordered a serve of béarnaise on the side (£2.20) which was like a wee bowl of heaven, and made the perfect accompaniment for the steak and chips.
Service was warm, friendly and helpful and it made for a lovely Thursday evening meal out in Glasgow. The bill came to around £80 for four people which included drinks. When you’re booking a table, you might have a «back by» time given to you but we had no trouble ordering and eating within this time.
Guy’s is one of those must-​visit places in Glasgow. Be sure to book ahead and try the pre-​theatre if it’s your first visit!

I’ve heard a lot about Guy’s, but this was my first visit and mostly definitely not my last. From start to finish the meal, and the service, was top notch.
I was a little earlier than my companions so I plonked myself at the beer and ordered a pint of St. Mungo’s, although after perusing the bar I soon realised I’d been a little rash, what a great selection of quality spirits! Oh well, lesson learned for next time (Caorunn or Sipsmith, always the hardest of decisions).
Once everyone had arrived we were taken to our table and the extent of the menu revealed itself to me, what a fantastic choice. A very Scottish affair but with a good range of options from the basic (mince and tatties) to the indulgent (rabbit, or fillet steak), and because everything was very fairly priced you could choose enjoy the excellent service and calming atmosphere of professionalism without paying through the nose.
I started with the poached duck egg and black pudding. A perfectly poached egg, all oozing deliciousness, with a good quality black pudding on a toasted muffin. The hollandaise sauce was a little on the bland side but I’d rather that than it be overpowering. The only other starter ordered was the bang bang chicken, which looked delicious and is probably what I’d choose next time.
After a respectful pause the main courses arrived, between us we had the lemon sole, steak pie, rabbit (shank), and the mince and tatties for me! Ohhh what a wonderful plate of food it was, a rich bed of succulent mince that melted in the mouth topped with a mound of smooth, creamy and very moreish mash (ohhh I do like a good mash, I weep for the long since departed Monster Mash!). Whilst it’s a pretty simple dish to make, there was definitely a depth of flavour the comes from a good cook.
Round the table the silence and appreciative noises told me the other dishes were just as good, they certainly looked and smelled great.
We skipped dessert which I’m glad of as I was already comfortably full, but I’ll plan to leave a little more space for the next time I’m there.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I really can’t fault anything. The service was excellent, the friendly staff busy but never rushed, there was always someone available, and the food was great, the varied menu will make repeat visits a necessity!