The Finnieston

Stopped by The Finnieston before and after dinner, still trying to make our way to the Italian restaurant we were headed too, but since we just had appetizers, we decided to stop for a drink, had a great time and told the bartender we will back, which in fact we were!
Can’t testify about the food, but I can talk about the drinks, because I did have a few! I do recall ordering The Fifty Fifty Martini and Bijou cocktail, and I had a few others ones too. The bartenders were friendly and even if the bar was crowded, you really didn’t have long to wait for your next drink.
The Finnieston will be one of my favorite bar hoping stops, looking forward to making my way back!

Had several lunches and a couple of dinners here and have never been disappointed. Love the ambiance, friendly yet very proper service and the food — clever combinations of simple tastes and textures.
Today looking for a brunch venue on the second of January in Finnieston, and finding many places closed, we entered this warm welcoming bar/​restaurant. There was a free booth in the window but we were taken through to the restaurant area at which point we realised the usual lunch menu of soup, sandwiches and other less formal dishes was not available — oops.
Our waitress wasn’t convinced that the small plate each we’d ordered would be enough but we were very happy with our Valencian paella featuring rabbit, and a bowl of mussels.
Three stars is a bit mean considering how tasty our food was but we did feel a bit awkward not ordering a full meal and it might have been helpful to have the menu situation pointed out when we entered. Ach well I’ll add another star for simply being open.

One part boat, one part country pub, this place is super cosy and could lead to a sneaky shandy or three. Or better still a bottle of wine and a whisky an, whilst we’re at it, a cold refreshing beer.
Come here for the above mentioned drink and some very delicious seafood. This place has some seriously good oysters; creamy and textural. If you’re an oyster fan I would highly recommend starting with them, to go with the long list of perfectly suited white wines.
Then, the small plates/​starters lineup make it very hard to choose as they all sound and look great. There’s an asian inspired stuffed squid (like a squid sausage roll really), or a broken down pumpkin lasagne, there’s sole and there is some scallops in langoustine bisque. I don’t think that you can go wrong. I think they change the menu regularly.
Main plates are cleverly set up so you choose a fresh fish of the day (there’s usually 3 or so different types to choose from), pan fried, with your choice of two sides and a sauce. Lots of opportunity to get your greens or have some large, hand cut chips. Or, you can have good olé fashion fish and chips.
Very friendly, lovely staff. Service with a very large smile.

Went here with three friends while at a conference. We got seated in a booth at the windows facing out to the street. Our server was very nice and they came by often enough to keep our drinks well refreshed. The drinks here are excellent, especially if you like gin. I tried one of their gin and tonics, The Scientific, to see what they could do with a basic drink and was impressed, so I tried one of their more elaborate cocktails, the Corcovan?, and was very, very pleased. Great drinks!
The food was wonderful too. They specialize in fish and all of it had a nice freshness. Three of us split a dozen oysters as an appetizer, while the fourth had the mussels. Everyone was very happy. Then we all ordered the market fish for the main course, with an assortment of side dishes. The fish was light and a good portion, so that we all left the restaurant comfortably sated. It was a good, satisfying meal.

The vibe in The Finnieston is a trendy west end version of ye olde world fishing tavern I think — lots of wood and exposed brick walls. It was cool and I liked it.
I do however have a couple of issues with where we were seated, which was in the extremely busy — standing-​room-​only bar. The biggest issue with where our table was located was the noise, which was incredible… I actually couldn’t hear my sis-​in-​law half the time.
This was on top of random people sitting at the end of our booth without asking, which was beyond rude and made things really uncomfortable for a less than ideal Saturday night dinner.
I am sharing this — not to put you off going — but rather to flag up that when you make a booking (if you are looking for a more relaxed chilled dinning experience (like we were)) you may want to ask to be seated in the restaurant tables at the back rather than the tables in the bar.
The staff were excellent, very attentive, helpful and friendly. Couldn’t fault them even slightly.
The menu is super fish heavy and so I was in pescetarian heaven. I ordered the scallops to start, described as: Hand dived scallops, Pork cheek tortellini, wilted spinach & cauliflower foam. This dish was spectacular and my favourite of the night. The scallops were large, lush and cooked to perfection. The tortellini really enhanced the dish by giving it a delicious fresh but meaty taste. A brilliant dish bursting with big flavours.
I decided to go for the Market fish for my main, which was Coley with sides of Truffled Mash, Kale & Sugarsnap peas with a Rosemary & smoked garlic butter. The food arrived reasonably quickly considering how busy the restaurant/​bar was.
The dish looked beautiful — the large piece of light flaky fish had a perfectly crispy skin. The mash was okay, it was tasty enough but I definitely ordered wrong because my sis got chips and they were INCREDIBLE! I enjoyed the kale and sugarsnap peas — they were seasoned nicely and added bite to the dish. The flavoured butter added a subtle zing to the dish and wasn’t over powering in anyway.
It’s not a Saturday night if there’s not dessert and I couldn’t resist the Pistachio Bakewell Tart this normally comes with Rhubarb ice cream but since rhubarb is one of my food nemeses, I had it with vanilla instead. Served warm, the tart was light and slightly doughy, which for me was perfect. The pistachio added a lovely nutty flavour to the Bakewell tart. A beautiful dessert, which I would happily order again.
The bill came to £83.20 for 2 three-​course meals and some drinks. I was really pleased with the value for money.
In all honesty, I wouldn’t go back to eat at the Finnieston on a Saturday night as it was more of a bar than a restaurant and I found the general bustle of a busy Finnieston bar on a Saturday too noisy to enjoy it. I would however happily visit during the week

It had been over 2 years since I’d eaten at the Finnieston, and we headed along on a Friday night for some food. We’d made a booking in advance which I’d assumed would be essential, but actually the dining space was mostly empty when we were there and only started filling up when we were leaving closer to 8pm.
Firstly, I’m *pretty* sure they had put my booking under Barney instead of Briony which is hilarious and yet a little bit WTF.
As a group of 5 they seated us in a high booth table which was comfortable for the first 15 minutes and then you just can’t actually find somewhere to put your legs and it was all a little bit cramped. Actually, quite a few features of the Finnieston are that little bit too cramped — the loos, in particular. You need to be a bit of a contortionist to get yourself in them. Your knees will probably be touching the door, that’s how small they are.
Onto the food. We decided to skip starters and just go for mains. I like the menu here — it’s very fishy, so if that isn’t your thing you might not find something to your tastes. The staff really know their stuff about the fishes on offer which is great to see, our waitress was really helpful at explaining the difference and the more unusual offerings. That being said, the menu changes as to what’s available on a daily basis so it would be really helpful to have a printed menu with options as we had to get her to repeat herself a few times. I ordered from the specials and got cod with mint & coriander, dhal, yoghurt and pickled carrot. This was a lovely dish with hints of Indian spices throughout, and a nice sized portion. I can’t fault the dish as it was really tasty and packed a nice punch.
For dessert I got the cheeseboard which was £9.95 but had enough cheeses on it for everyone at the table to share. It was a perfectly reasonable cheeseboard but nothing really stood out as exceptional or interesting on it, just the usual cheeses you’d expect.
As I said, service was good and very knowledgeable, and I don’t remember any delays or issues with our orders. We split the bill up between the 5 of us and I think it was around £35 each which is on the pricier end of a meal out (others at the table were drinking, sadly I was driving) and I just didn’t leave feeling all that wowed. That being said, The Finnieston is still one of my picks for places to drink along this strip so if you’re interested in a fun gin selection, you should pop along here.

Following a long lazy lunch at Ox & Finch (see my other review), we stumbled round the corner, plonked ourselves on bar stools in the window and started working our way through the cocktail menu.
The bar wasn’t packed but sufficiently busy to create a nice mellow and buzzy atmosphere.
I probably won’t list all the cocktails we had… let’s just say we had quite a few. We pretty much tried all of the gin cocktails, and a couple of the others. The Seafarer, Finnieston Club and RAC Club were stand outs. Service was fantastic, with each cocktail lovingly prepared and served to our table with a smile.
I love this place.

Popped in for some dinner before a gig at the hydro. Was unsure how busy it would be on a Sunday night so booked a table on their handy booking form via their website. Lucky we did as people were being turned away left right and centre when we arrived at 6:45pm. We all opted for the fish of the day with a choice of cod or hake, battered or breadcrumbed. I had battered hake and really enjoyed it. Lovely and crisp and served piping hot. Home made tartar sauce really stood out. Huge wedges finished it off nicely. Serving staff were really friendly and happy to zip back and forth to the kitchen with any enquires they didn’t know the answer to. The reason for a 3 star rather than a 4 is those god awful toilets! Although pleasantly decorated and very clean, those stall doors were far too tight even for me (and I’ve been known to be proclaimed as build like the side of a fiver by friends). On both times entering the bathrooms I almost floored other women when I opened the ladies room door into their path. I foresee black eyes when a few pints of Finnieston Ale have been consumed! All in though an enjoyable meal

Very nice vibe within the bar area. Strong smell of fish can be a little over powering though. Cracking Bar.

Popped in for a couple of cocktails after dinner at the Ox and Finch. Lovely place, packed out on a Wednesday evening but we got seats at the bar. Cocktails are very nice — there’s a wide selection and apparently they will also make you stuff that isn’t on the menu if you ask. Great atmosphere, sat for a couple of hour chatting to my friend and any other random people who stood beside us at the bar for long enough. I’ve heard good things about the food and would like to give that a go at some point, but it’s definitely a nice spot for a post-​dinner cocktail :-)

As we were doing, this is a great place to meet out-​of-​towners to give them a flavour of the «new» West End ie Finnieston and Yorkhill. It is, I reckon, the best of the bars in the area, it feels casually sophisticated in service and in look, it’s traditional wood-​panelled interior, old books, fishy ornamentation, it’s beer garden and huge range of beers and cocktails all impress, but equally important is the food.
Of course the menu is mostly fishy too, and a bit pricey, but is it worth the expense? Well, on this visit I had the Pan-​Seared Wood Pigeon (with celeriac and potato rosti, beetroot purée and pickled giroles) and for the main Double Hand-​Dived Loch Sligachan Scallops (with Louisiana style crab cakes and sweetcorn relish). The waitress was dead friendly and explained to us all what the specials were in detail, and to me specifically what «double» hand-​dived means — I’ll let them tell you that.
My pigeon was brilliant, the whole ensemble worked perfectly, it looked great and the pigeon was soft and rich. My scallops were also top, even the rather off-​putting sounding sweetcorn relish was consumed with gusto. I’ve eaten here a few times, and never had anything close to an average meal. Not everyone loves it it seems from other reviews, but the four of us did on that day, and for me it’s consistently high standard makes me wonder if it may be the best bar restaurant in the city!

The husband and I were very lucky to win two places on the «Best of the West» 7 course tasting menu from Unilocal.I’d not been to The Finnieston before (husband had been for drinks) and was really looking forward to it. With me being heavily pregnant and us having a 4 year old we’d not been out for a nice dinner just the two of us for a while.
I have to start by saying the evening didn’t start as we planned. My mother-​in-​law (our babysitter) broke down on the Kingston Bridge on her way to pick up my son from school. My husband had to run from his work to get her and then go with tow truck to the garage and I had to run and pick up my son. I called and said is there any chance of a later booking (there wasn’t) but the staff told me as long as we made it by 6:15 (booking was 5:30) it would be okay. We arrived pretty much bang on 6:15 so stressful start for us but staff were very accommodating.
First thing I love anywhere where the bartender will make me a mocktail no bother – and a pretty one at that! Just because I can’t drink alcohol doesn’t mean I don’t deserve and yummy and pretty drink :)
Our first course was Peterhead Mackerel, beetroot, gooseberries, basil. I’m not a big mackerel fan but this was really yummy; I ate everything on my plate except the skin. Sorry I just can’t eat fish skin! Husband agreed – the beetroot granita and gooseberries were a really nice contrast to the mackerel.
Next we moved on to Scottish Goats Cheese, horseradish, heirloom tomato and dehydrated olive. I LOVED this. I love tomato and goat cheese so it was perfect for me. Husband was surprised to see he liked dehydrated olives (he doesn’t eat normal olives) and I’m pretty sure I would have licked the plate if I was allowed.
Third course was Wild Loch Clipped Trout pâté, with homemade bread and butter. We were told one of the owners caught the trout himself. It was REALLY good. It came in a cute little faux tin and was my husband’s favourite of the night. The preserved lemon on top of the pâté was lovely and my only criticism is that I could have used more of the yummy tiny homemade bread.
Fourth course came and was an Orkney Crab cake on pea soup with squid ink. My husband is a huge fan of pea soup and this was bright and fresh and really worked well with the crab. The crab cake itself was very simply coated in panko and really let the delicious crab meat shine. I don’t often get fish/​crab cakes because they are too mayonnaise-​y or have coriander so this was a treat.
Fifth course was the main course, but probably the most disappointing for us. Organic Sheltland Salmon, cucumber, baby gem, anchovy. The wee cucumber balls were our favourite thing on the plate. For me the salmon was just too fishy – maybe a pregnancy thing, maybe just I’m not the biggest fan of cooked salmon. The cooked lettuce was bland and in general the dish was just really underwhelming especially following the four previous courses. If I’m honest I hid all my salmon under the lettuce to make it seem like I ate it.
Our sixth course and first dessert course brought things back again. Wild Scottish Strawberries, white chocolate, cheese, vanilla. We both really enjoyed it and thought it was a good dessert choice for someone (we assume) isn’t a pastry chef. You know when you watch reality cooking shows and the contestants always balls up the dessert challenge? This is the sort of thing they should do — great technique and flavour.
To close out the tasting menu our seventh and final course was Coconut, pineapple, lime which was a wee cake, some pineapple meringues and dollops of lime. The cake was moist and nice and as our son has an egg allergy I was really intrigued by the egg-​free meringues. It was a nice way to finish off the meal although I’m not sure how pineapple and coconut are the best of the West!
As far as the theme of «Best of the West» it did seem quite a few of the ingredients were not actually from the West Coast. All the seafood was Scottish so maybe just a broader name for the tasting menu would have been a bit more accurate.
We had a lovely evening and I would definitely be back again. The staff were friendly and accommodating and everything was cooked extremely well. They had an extensive cocktail and wine list so I think we might hold off until I’m back on the wagon again!
Thanks Unilocal and Thank you to The Finnieston for a great night.

I love this place. And I so wish I could give it five stars, but there’s just one thing holding it back.
The food is amazing. The cocktails are delicious — and though it’s often busy, it’s now expanding into the premises next door so that should ease things a little.
Yes, some things on the menu often run out, but I’m happy with that in a fish restaurant — I’d rather things were turned over fast and remained fresh, as long as a decent amount remains on the menu. (Though this is so common an occurrence at the FInnieston, it’s something that could be improved).
But… but… the service. I’ve eaten here several times now and not once has the service been up to scratch. The first time, I thought it was because we were in an ‘out of the way’ table. The second time, it was really busy. The third time we were the only ones in there at lunch and the waiter was overbearing to the point that we would have complained if it hadn’t felt so awkward. The fourth time, we were ignored again. And eating there again last week, we were left waiting 40 mins for starters. It turned out our order had accidentally been binned.
I can’t quite work out how they can’t nail the service. It’s not a huge restaurant by any means. But the service means it’s always last on our list of places to call if we’re eating in the area — if Ox and Finch and Crabshakk are full, then we try again. And every time, the service is a let down.
However — drinking there, and especially the garden, is always a pleasure. But the food service really needs fixing.

My first experience of The Finnieston was enough to have me declaring my love for the place to my pals and colleagues, but it was only the tip of the iceberg. Speaking of icebergs, my next trip here began with a pretty glass of water, containing an iceberg of Titanic proportions, which impressed me, but the best was yet to come.
I had come along on the evening of The Finnieston’s Best of the West Tasting Menu and Wine Dinner. I was keen to get involved although, as a vegan diner, I didn’t expect to be fed as well as those here for the main attraction, but oh how wrong I was! I was amazed to arrive to my very own vegan menu, which was above any beyond any expectation or requirement but for which I was so grateful.
My considerately catered menu was marvellous and each course was complemented by an accompanying wine. It was a glorious experience of perfectly paired drinks and dishes, with a wine expert keeping the bottles and banter flowing.
From the delighted squeals of my dining companion, I gathered that the main menu was also amazing and he assured me that everything was cooked to perfection. Every dish was precisely and perfectly presented.
I left, not stuffed and steaming, but perfectly balanced like the food itself and I floated home on a cloud of contentment after such a wonderful evening of being looked after by the lovely folk at The Finnieston. It makes such a difference when a place is run by and filled with genuinely decent people who are happy to gab away to you like an old friend, while exuding passion and enthusiasm for what they do.
I know this is such a gushing declaration of adoration, but trust me and book a table if you haven’t already been to The Finnieston as it really is the finest in town, best of the west and is unparalleled in its excellence.

Had the most delicious food here and that’s where my stars come from.
The room was freezing, the food is overpriced and they had run out of quite a few things on the menu.
They can’t cater all that well for a large group in the restaurant. There were seven of us and we were placed in a corner where two tables for four sit. It was ok but you don’t really feel altogether. We were pre-​warned about this in advance but want to flag it up for anyone organising a large party.
After nearly falling off my chair when I was told the lemon sole would be £22 I chose a dish baked in paper for a more reasonable £14 and it was so tasty. The portion size was fine but noticed that this wasn’t uniform. However, the size of the date pudding with toffee sauce and ice cream was huge and it was very good indeed.

Over priced? Very!
Out for an afternoon in Finnieston we started with lunch in this place! It was a hard decision on what to select but I seems I made the right choice. To start I had Peroni red! For starters I went for the mussels! It was a small portion but just right for a starter size. Then for mains I went for the beer batter special fish and chips! Firstly the fish came two big portions and then came the batter it was cooked in! Wow! Crispy and full of flavour. The fish of the day was Coly, cooked perfectly! The chips were small but it was just the right amount (for me). Overall I really enjoyed my food however extremely expensive!

We met up with some family for lunch yesterday and decided to give this place a go. I had read good reviews online and heard via friends that the food was excellent.
The food is ok, however in my opinion it’s very small portions and way to expensive.
For starters I had Cullen skink. It was ok, a bit bland, but not bad. It also came in the smallest bowl they could have found, not the usual for this starter and I was very disappointed.
For mains I had a special for that day. Octopus, clams and chorizo stew with bread. This came in the biggest bowl I have ever been served in a restaurant. However when I opened it there was hardly anything inside! The stew itself was nice, but with a stew in my head you get a hearty large portion. This was a tiny portion. For both starter and mains I got bred on the side and again they were definitely trying to make sure my calorie in take was kept to a minimum.
I did try a bit of T’s beer battered fish and chips and they were lovely. I think if I ever had to go back, that is what I would get.
One plus point was I got to try a new beer. Bellerose is a French beer and it was a decent tasting dry beer.
So in sum, it was ok, but expensive. Don’t go if your very hungry, as you will need to eat again pretty soon afterwards!

Came here for Sunday lunch today which was £15 for one course and a drink (house wine or Sam Smiths beer). Wasn’t that impressed with the meal as it was quite a small portion, especially for the price. The beef was pretty tough too, I ended up finishing some of Julie’s which she had given up on due to an aching jaw from too much chewing.
The range of beers is OK but it would be good to see a real ale or two added, and some proper craft beers too.

Wonderful food and really friendly service.
I’ve eaten here three times in the past year or so and I’ve always been struck by how nice and helpful the waiting staff are. The food is of a very high standard but the atmosphere is laid back. A lot of places in the West End claim to serve high quality food when it’s actually pretty average (or worse) but the Finnieston actually lives up to it.

God, I love it here. LOVEITLOVEITLOVEIT annnnnd that about gets it out my system!
So much to love under one cosy roof. Rustic and like an old worldly tavern from the north of Scotland, it’s got so much to offer. Smashing food served up on wooden platters — the melt in your mouth fish and chips is a winner — and any fish on the menu, come to think of it. As far as I can tell they use locally sourced produce and promote Scottish businesses. great selection of ales and beers (and gin which has proven dangerous in the past). The staff know their stuff and can give you a hot low down on what beers and wines might interest you. They’ve got a secret beer garden at the back for summer nights, and a roaring wee fire for winter evenings.
Spent a lot of great nights in here, and it’s always one of the pubs I show people if they’re visiting Glasgow for the first time. The bar staff are friendly and actually have hilarious banter with you if it’s quiet. They should think about doing their own stand up in here, great chat. The bar is always busy which is a sign of a thriving livelihood. Can’t sing its praises enough.