Ox and Finch named best restaurant in Glasgow

Ox and Finch is the best restaurant in Glasgow, according to The Glasgowist. 

The local guide, published in partnership with The Herald and collated using a mix of public, critic and industry members' reviews, lists the city's top 100 restaurants. 

Next in line after Ox and Finch is The Gannet, with head chef Peter McKenna at the helm, followed by Cail Bruich (who ranked 43rd in the Good Food Guide 2020), Six by Nico and, in fifth position, modern seafood restaurant, Gamba.

Describing Ox and Finch's food offering - modern small plates - the guide says the menu "covers a lot of culinary ground," with "a myriad of influences and ingredients, some familiar, others surprising."

It adds: "The fact the kitchen can maintain impeccably high standards across such a selection is the greatest achievement of the restaurant team." 

It's been a good year for Ox and Finch: in addition to the top position in the Glasgow guide, the restaurant retained its Bib Gourmand in the 2020 guide and was named best special occasion restaurant by Glasgow Live readers.

The acclaimed team - Jonathan McDonald, head chef Daniel Spurr and FOH manager, Andy MacSween - recently announced plans to open a second restaurant in the city, Ka Pao, which will draw on Jonathan McDonald's knowledge of and fondness for South East Asian flavours.

Meanwhile, Finnieston restaurant The Gannet has won many awards since it launched in 2012, including Condé Nast’s Gold List 2018, the AA Guide and a Michelin Plate - which in Michelin jargon means it offers a good meal consisting of fresh ingredients, carefully prepared.

The awards will be seen as a victory for all those it features, as guides offer a boost to individual restaurants but go a way to promote the wider industry and encourage local tourism, arguably raising the bar by showcasing the best places to eat. 

Glaringly absent in Glasgow, however, is a Michelin star - which some argue is long overdue.