Metropolitan

Swish cocktail bar and restaurant, with food from the grill and balcony views over Merchant Square.

The 2019 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

Metropolitan’s website proudly talks about ‘cocktails with the girls’, and you can book a table or booth in the piano bar just for drinks here, perhaps enjoying a Glasgow Iced Tea (Auchentoshan, Glasgow gin, Mandarine Napoleon, rhubarb, lemon and Irn-Bru). With an open courtyard, a see-and-be-seen balcony and a huge list of inventive cocktails, this place does seem to be more about partying than dining, though there’s plenty of choice available from the kitchen. Burgers, steaks and pasta dishes rub shoulders on the menu with more exotic options, including beef rendang and chicken with harissa and couscous. Classic fish and chips delivers a huge fillet of haddock in a light and crunchy batter with peas and tartare sauce, for under twelve quid. Despite the hedonistic feel, daytimes are family-friendly, and a 60-seater private dining room is a favourite for multi-generational birthday parties.