Battlefield Rest

Southside restaurant serving modern Italian dishes with a Scottish slant, in iconic and elegant surroundings.

The 2017 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

An elegant tram station in the early 1900s, the free-standing building housing Battlefield Rest remains a cornerstone in Langside. Marco Giannasi has personally run things at the restaurant from the start, and his loyalty to the business and the locals has evidently paid off. There are consistently queues at the door even midweek, but diners are more than happy to wait for a table in the cosy restaurant that has kept its quirky interior since opening in 1994. The extensive but thoughtful menu features creative Italian dishes, some with a Scottish twist using excellent local produce. Despite its unabating popularity, the cooking is anything but rushed, and all the dishes arrive vibrantly fresh – crostini bonco, a rich starter of juicy smoked mussels, crispy lardons and just-cooked prawns coated in a silky white-whine sauce, is balanced by sharp and fragrant coriander making it very addictive. The lightly battered and tender pork fillet in the pork milanese cuts as if it’s a far pricier piece of meat, and is a rustic treat served with spaghetti amatriciana and enjoyed alongside a glass of their Chianti DOCG that is bursting with ripe cherries and strawberries.

• High point: Brilliant value for money
• Low point: Service a little stretched when very busy
• Notable dish: Crostini bonco