If you want to know what and where to eat in a city, who better to ask than a local chef? Peter McKenna is the chef-patron of Eleven Fifty Five in Glasgow’s Finnieston, a cosy neighbourhood bistro and an evolution of his much-loved fine-dining restaurant, The Gannet, which operated for over a decade on the same site. Here, McKenna picks his favourite dishes in Glasgow right now, so you can spend time eating in his shoes.
Clams and txistorra at Bar Dani
"The Scottish surf clams with txistorra (sweet chorizo), cooked in dry Asturian cider, finished with butter and soft herbs and served with a crusty baguette from Bar Dani is a dish that bridges northern Spain and Scotland with ease. Briny Scottish clams meet smoky-sweet Basque chorizo, brought together by dry cider and butter. Even the baguette is from a local baker. It’s simple, soulful, clever cooking that tastes like it belongs exactly where it is."
Beef tartare at Eleven Fifty Five
"The barrel-fillet beef tartare with roast brined bone marrow, pickled shallots, parsley, and sourdough crisps at Eleven Fifty Five is a seemingly simple dish, but every single bite delivers. The meat has a real depth of flavour, lifted by a housemade hot sauce that cuts through the richness. You get layers of texture – silky tartare, crunchy shallots, crisp shallots and that unctuous bone marrow ties it all together. An elevated classic done beautifully."
Photo credit: Sonya Walos
Tuna crudo at Corner Shop
"This dish is absolutely delicious, so fresh and light. It seems simple, but there are lots of clever flavour combinations and techniques – lacto-fermented yellow tomato, gazpacho gel, trout roe, shisho. Each ingredient sings individually, but together they’re a harmonious plate of food that is ideal for the summer months."
Keralan lamb biryani at Swadish
"This biryani at Swadish is rooted in the Malabar coast's layered culinary traditions, built around jeerakasala rice – a small-grained, highly aromatic variety that soaks up spice like no other. Slow-cooked for depth, it's all about subtle fragrance and careful balance rather than heavy richness. Served with crisp papad, cooling boondi raita, sweet date pickle and spiced salan, every accompaniment plays its part. It's not just a standout dish – it's a real taste of Kerala's history, shaped by trade, migration and generations of impeccable home cooking."
Mushroom XO linguini at Brett
"The mushroom linguine at Brett is a masterclass in flavour. It takes humble ingredients – hand-rolled linguine with an aged mushroom XO emulsion, a big plump Cantabrian anchovy, crispy leeks and a light but intense 36-month-aged Parmesan velouté – and turns them into something deeply savoury, elegant and completely moreish. It’s the kind of dish that reminds you that great cooking isn’t always about luxury ingredients – it’s about understanding flavour. I order it whenever I can."
Credit: Anni M Photography
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