Discover Scotland's best lunch spots with all our reviews here

The Herald Scotland

26-05-2025

If you're searching for some fresh lunch break inspiration, you can find all of these reviews ranked from best to worst below:
(Image: Newsquest) Grumpy Pedro's
127 Douglas Street, Glasgow
This city centre spot gets a lot of love on social media as a 'hidden gem'. Deciding to try it out for myself, I nipped over to Douglas Street for a Caesar salad and Cuban sandwich and was thrilled to be met with friendly service, locally sourced coffee and above all, fantastic food.
It remains our highest-rated lunch review to date with a 5/5 score.
Read more: This city centre lunch spot is so good - I almost don't want to tell you about it
(Image: Newsquest) Chez Jules
109 Hanover Street, Edinburgh
Our most recent review wins a lot of points for unbeatable value, with this bistro in Edinburgh city centre offering three courses for just £15.90.
Expect French onion soup, steak frites and a chocolate mousse all for a bargain set price.
But how did it taste?
Read more: At £15.90 for three courses this might be Scotland's best value lunch
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Ho Lee Fook
1 Mcfarlane Street, Glasgow
A tiny hole in the wall street food spot that's said to serve some of the best street food in Glasgow.
An order of the pork Tonkatsu sando, alongside thick ribbons of hand-stretched noodles in the team's signature fiery chilli oil, was a must.
Read more: Looking for the best street food in Glasgow? Head to The Barras
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Paesano
94 Miller Street, Glasgow
Following news of plans to expand the Paesano brand across the UK, I revisited an old favourite to see if it still lived up to the hype.
My colleague reckons this pizza stands up to the ones crafted by pizzaiolos in the Italian city of Naples.
But did I agree?
Read more: Paesano is going UK-wide: Is their pizza still worth the hype?
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The Anstruther Fish Bar
42 - 44 Shore Street, Anstruther
Ah the Anstruther Fish Bar, often hailed as the best chippy Scotland has to offer.
During a trip to the East Neuk in the wake of Storm Eowyn, I made a pitstop at the picturesque harbour location to order a portion of haddock and chips while marvelling at stories of the many famous faces who have done the same over the years.
Read more: Is this the best fish and chips in Scotland?
(Image: Newsquest)
Alby's
94 Buccleuch Street, Edinburgh
Purveyors of 'Big Hot Sandwiches', Alby's, operate two locations in Edinburgh.
I grabbed a seat by the window on Buccleuch Street just as the lunchtime rush began, and ordered the Battered Chicken Thigh filling served on two massive chunks of bubbly focaccia.
If you're looking to do the same after reading, just remember to arrive hungry.
Read more: This might be the biggest sandwich I've ever ordered - is it quantity over quality?
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Sister Midnight
61 King Street, Glasgow
A new outlet from the team behind Southside brunch institution, Cafe Strange Brew, opened just this year.
The chicken caesar sandwich was my winner of the day, but there's also a lot more than meets the eye at this funky little deli, provisions store and hub for glossy magazines.
Read more: They serve some of the best brunch in Glasgow - does the new sandwich shop compare?
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Sprigg
264 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow
Our first ever lunch review came following a festive period of sheer gluttony as I searched for fresh vegetables and saintly kombucha to atone for weeks of cheese eating and red wine drinking.
The £10 price tag is a hefty ask in the current climate, so I set out to answer whether a build-your-own bowl from this titan of city centre lunches is really worth forking out for.
Read more: Are the salads from this Glasgow favourite really worth almost £10 a pop?
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Mootz General Store
62 Raeburn Place, Edinburgh
At this bustling Stockbridge shop, the team favours schiacciata, a Tuscan flatbread that seems a far better fit for sandwich making than its thicker, doughier cousin of focaccia.
It's not all about the carbs though with fillings of mortadella, stracciatella, pistachio pesto and crushed pistachios as well as a Reuben with pastrami, provolone, sauerkraut and pickles winning them some serious rating points.
Read more: I vow never to buy a meal deal again after visiting this Italian sandwich shop
(Image: Newqsuest) Sub126
126 West Regent Street
Just before they took over the kitchen at Max's Bar, I visited Sub126 on West Regent Street to see what all the fuss was about with their Italian-American inspired menu of sandwiches.
I'm still not sure how they manage to pack so much salami, prosciutto cotto, turkey, mozzarella and iceberg lettuce into a soft roll, but man, do they do it well.
Read more: They'll soon run the kitchen at one of Glasgow's busiest bars - but how is the food?
(Image: Newsquest) Falafel to Go
116 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow
This review took me back to my first years in the Glasgow Times newsroom on Bath Street, when at least once a week a colleague would return from their lunch break with a parchment paper wrapped parcel from Falafel to Go.
It's a tiny spot with a tiny menu, which despite a couple of price increases in recent years, remains one of the best value lunches in the city centre.
Read more: It's no wonder this hole in the wall streetfood spot has outlived competitors
(Image: Newsquest) Banh Mi & Tea
401 Dumbarton Road, Glasgow
The service at this student-friendly hangout in Partick was so fast, it had me worrying that it might be a red flag.
Could these BBQ pork Banh Mi sandwiches really be prepared with care if they were served in under two minutes flat?
Read more: This restaurant's service is so quick - I wonder if it's a red flag
(Image: Newsquest) Homemade
11-13 Dowanhill Street,Glasgow
A comment on our newly launched TikTok account led me to Homemade in Glasgow's West End for this lunch review.
They had urged me to check out the shop which serves messy, Sopranos-style sandwiches, and I was more than happy to oblige.
I wanted to love their signature French Dip, but overall, was left with mixed feelings about the meal at this trendy spot that often enjoys sell-out success on the weekends.
Read more: A TikTok tip, Sopranos-style sandwiches and a mixed review in Glasgow
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The McMillan Bar and Chop House
862 Pollokshaws Road, Glasgow
It was a case of Instagram vs reality when putting this Southside restaurant's steak and chips lunch deal to the test.
Sure, steak for lunch will always feel like a naughty indulgence, and that £12 price is impressive.
So why did I walk away feeling a little disappointed?
Read more: A case of Instagram vs reality with this Glasgow steak deal
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Halloumi
161 Hope Street, Glasgow
Hope Street during the day is a funny place, feeling suspended in purgatory as restaurants and bars await nightfall to attract dinnertime diners and post-work pint drinkers.
It wasn't just the atmosphere that was lacking at Halloumi, and in particular the 'Greek mac and cheese' felt like a sad attempt to modify a comfort food classic.
Read more: You deserve better than the mac and cheese at this tired city centre restaurant