Glasgow’s best eats on a budget

Buried at the end of Ruthven Lane, just off the very hip Byres Road, The Hanoi Bike Shop is Glasgow’s very first Vietnamese restaurant. Different ‘Street Foods’ – each priced below £10 – are extremely popular, with banh baos (filled with shredded pork, salt and chili shrimp or chargrilled chilli tofu) a firm favourite. Vegans rejoice – a large vegan menu is on offer, where highlights include soya bean and daikon cakes as well as coconut, kaffir lime and turmeric hot-pot. Old bike parts are scattered alongside Vietnamese furnishings inside the bistro, affording it a relaxed and characterful atmosphere.

Though perhaps a touch more expensive than your average fish and chip shop, Old Salty’s is well-worth the extra pennies. Prices are still extremely reasonable: between £5.95 and £7.95 for take away fish and chips, with other meals available at a lower price point (from around £4.45). Plus – you get what you pay for here. The fish is delightfully fresh and the batter light and crispy. The chips are thick and caramelised: perfect dipped into Old Salty’s homemade tartar sauce, packed to the brim with piquant capers.

Glasgow’s Singl-end café is a bit of a brunch institution. With everything home baked on sight and a focus on fresh, seasonal produce, it’s no wonder that the café is so well loved. Despite the quality of the ingredients used in each dish, prices are reasonably low, and the portion sizes are generous. There are real decadent treats on offer – like French toast with maple syrup and bacon, or a melty croque monsieur – but also lighter offerings, like falafel salads and poached eggs with sweet potato. There’s a dish to suit everyone at the Singl-end café, and to suit all budgets too!

Conveniently located on the very central St Vincent Street, Chaakoo Bombay Café is all about classic Iranian cooking. The menu is centred around small sharing plates, with larger curries and Irani Kebabs also thrown into the mix. Expect punchy flavours at minimal prices: the ‘light lunch’ menu offers a starter (tandoori chaat, smoked chicken tikka, tandoori spices wings) – and a main course (Daal makhana, channa mushroom, butter chicken) for only £9.95 per person. If you feel like treating yourself, opt for one of their indulgent desserts, like the Gulab Jamon: a warming dish of cardamom sugar dusted donuts served alongside honey rose syrup.

Book Pizza Punks for Cheap Date Mondays where you can get two pizzas and two beers for £26, or Thank Fck It’s Thursday to snaffle up two sides, two pizzas and two drinks for £36. This is the Punks flagship eatery which launched in September 2016. All the pizzas are handmade onsite using a sourdough starter from the famous Boudin Bakery in San Francisco (world-famous for its sourdough) and double fermented for a minimum of 48 hours. The result is flavoursome and unique. It’s made even better value for money in that you can have as many toppings as you want, without the pennies stacking as thick and fast as those toppings. Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal options are all provided, making this an inclusive and super funky joint to grab a bite on a budget. 

Just because you don’t want to spend a fortune on your lunch or dinner, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to enjoy contemporary and refined cooking. Thankfully the Ox & Finch serves up affordable small plates – each priced somewhere between £4 and £10. Veggie and vegan menus are available, most coming in under £8. Don’t expect hefty portion sizes though – you’ll need to order quite a few plates to satisfy any deep hunger. However, if you’re after a light snack or lunch that is both reasonably priced and thoughtfully prepared, look no further.

The first restaurant on our list takes us to the far reaches of Glasgow and the district of Burnside (indeed many of the best meal deals are to be found on the outskirts of the city and in residential areas, as opposed to the pricier famed foodie parts of town). This chic contemporary trattoria works especially well for a value — yet tasty and atmospheric — date night or a fun family lunch. Take advantage of Luciano’s deals; the two or three-course Market Menu (£15.95/£18.95) is available Monday to Thursday noon to 7:30 pm and Friday to Sunday noon to 4 pm. You can also get pizza, pasta or risotto for two with a glass of prosecco each for £29, and two courses for two with a glass of wine each for £39. The ambience is distinctly Italian and a little bit retro with contemporary aesthetics.

A new kid in town, Rickshaw & Co. popped up at the crossroads of Partick and the West End in 2022. Set over two floors and with a small al fresco terrace, it’s evocative of the street markets of India and Bangladesh, both in its quirky poster-covered interior design and the cooking. A rickshaw sits in the foyer, a colourful greeting to guests and a reference point to the restaurant’s name.

Order as many or as few small plates as you wish at Rickshaw & Co., according to your budget. Have them with cocktails, a mango wine, or a delicately flavoured lassi (the latter being a cheaper beverage alternative that’s just as inviting, but won’t give you a hangover). There’s a lunch special — a veggie or meaty tiffin, that’ll give you more for less. The tin box meal concept was originally created for the hungry working classes of the 19th and 20th centuries but still serves as a wholesome midday meal. The food here is fit for a wallah (the name for a rickshaw puller), so is sure to satisfy.

Dine in a BYOB establishment and straight away you bring your price per head right down (assuming you plan on including alcohol with your meal). The Real Wan is just one of these BYOB venues and provides excellent value in its food too. The cafe is found considerably off the beaten track, where Cathcart, Newlands and Langside meet. Tucked away in an unassuming, mostly residential and industrial zone, the cosy, street-style Chinese restaurant offers home-style cooking. Try some of Chef Lea’s aunt’s recipes (like pork ribs coated in caramel and flash-fried in aged dark vinegar), or one of her unique cold veg dishes to accompany your meal. Main courses start from a mere £7 and are sure to fill you up with goodness. Make a reservation from 5 pm to 10.30 pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays, or between 4 pm and 11 Friday to Sunday.

The ethos here focuses on fresh, healthy and hearty authentic cooking for a fantastic price. The rustic and colourful independent cantina is open from Wednesday to Sunday, noon onwards. It is found at the Thornwood end of Partick, so there’s plenty of free on-street parking close by, as well as a good bus service. There are some cash-saving offers to be swooped up if you’re happy to dine off-peak. The Early Bird menu is available Wednesday to Saturday, 12 pm to 6.45 pm and all day on Sunday, costing £15.50 for two courses and £18.45 for three.

A Midweek Deal takes those savings even further, giving you three courses from the Early Bird menu for the price of two, on weekday afternoons from 3 to 5 pm. Tuck into some of your Mexican faves such as quesadillas, croquettes, baked enchiladas, sizzling fajitas or an oven-baked burrito, followed by something like cinnamon tortilla chips drizzled with honey and lashings of ice cream. Margaritas start at £2.95 (without alcohol).

Dog-friendly with a beer garden, big screens for match days and a Monday night quiz, The Old Smiddy has all the trappings of a reliable traditional local. Plus it’s just steps from the picturesque Linn Park and Snuff Mill Bridge for a pretty stroll after your scran. So whether you live nearby, or fancy a perambulate around the Southside with some well-priced eats, The Old Smiddy is ideal. Grab a burger and a soft drink from just £8.29 all day, every day — this can be a cheese and bacon, a burning hot, or a three bean chilli, served in a soft glazed bun with iceberg lettuce, chopped onion, gherkin and a side of chips. Or you can get two mains for £13.99 Monday to Thursday, or order a la carte dishes like a small rump steak with beer-battered onion rings for a snip at £10.49.

While this may not be the cheapest place to eat in general, it offers the most budget-friendly multi-course tasting menu in town. So if you’re in the market for fancy fare at a fraction of the price you’d pay in some of the more central competitors, book a table on a Monday night at 111 by Modou. For just £30 per person, you’ll get 10 beautifully crafted courses. Matching wine is available for £30 each and snacks at £7.

The experience requires total trust, as you won’t see a menu before, or during your meal. But you’re in the most talented of culinary hands, with Chef Modou Diagne. The inspiring chef patron has an inspiring story and has earned glowing reviews from top critics since opening the restaurant. It’s found in the unlikely residential location of Kelvindale, a sleek venue in which the most impressive artistry unfolds.

Start or end your day with food at The Montford. Close to Hampden Stadium, it’s a go-to for match days but is worth seeking out at other times too when it’s not so busy. Morning rolls start at £2.50, with a kids cooked brekkie for £3.50. For lunch, go for a toastie for £4.50 or a baked tattie, and for dinner, there’s a range of classics and gastropub faves. The kids’ a la carte all-day menu begins at a fiver for one course. Save more on the weekday deals, with two classic meals for £17 (these range from curries to pizza, pasta and burgers, depending on the day).

From the south to east, Fullarton Park Hotel offers a good meal at any time of the day. Pop by for The Full House (bacon, sausage, egg, black pudding, tomato, beans and potato scone) for £4.95; a Spanish omelette, with potatoes, tomatoes and onions for £4.95, a two or three-course lunch, or a pre-theatre menu (£15.50/£18.50 all night Sunday to Thursday and Friday 5 pm to 6 pm). An international array of dishes take their inspiration from near and far, with Thai, Indian, Italian and Scottish cuisine in the mix. There’s also a kids menu for under 12s.

Serving kuchnia Polska (Polish food), this bistro will satisfy your hunger pangs without draining your purse. You can get a soup here for £3.50 (chicken with noodles, tomato with rice, cucumber or sorrel leaf), or five dumplings for a fiver. And all of the very reasonably priced main course dishes come with potatoes and salad as standard. Foodie Bistro and Cafe has been a presence in the East End since it opened in 2015, offering breakfast through to family-friendly dinners. It’s popular with the Polish community who enjoy the nostalgic flavours and a wider audience who revel in the comforting mix of ingredients and attractively presented home-style cooking.