Chips and dips
Margo (Glasgow)
GETAWAYS • Scotland
Glasgow’s food scene has been on the up for a while, but one restaurant has accelerated the city’s appeal since opening at the end of 2024. From the team behind popular sharing plates spot Ox & Finch, Margo showcases seasonal produce, Scottish seafood, house-made pasta and bread, and in-house butchered meat.
Start with soft, warm, malted focaccia with salty, whipped butter and a portion of the signature chipsticks. These chunky, rectangular hash browns come with a choice of two dips: taramasalata, or an intensely umami-laden smoky red pepper and seaweed dip.
On our visit, the star small plate was West Coast crab on toast, with layers of fresh, juicy crabmeat, crunchy apple slices, dill and a spicy kick of green chilli pepper. Similarly refreshing was cured chalkstream trout in a Peruvian-style tiger’s milk marinade with salted melon, sorrel and radish. Grilled mackerel barely needed its accompanying rouille sauce and puttanesca. A side of ratte potatoes was rich and crispy, while charred broccoli with romesco and smoked almonds was wonderfully nutty and textured. For pudding, brown butter almond tart with poached pear and crème fraîche was a gooey-middled, sweet-and-sour masterpiece.
There’s a real range of seating in this vast former warehouse, including family-sized booths and huge banquettes. Some of the counter seats drift into a thoroughfare at the very end of the bar, with no real kitchen view. We found the mezzanine level warmer and more vibey, while service was super-friendly throughout.
Below the restaurant is Sebb’s, a popular cocktail bar from the same group, with wine on tap, food on fire and rotating music and DJs – a great place to bookend your meal at Glasgow’s most exciting restaurant.
FOUND Pro: If you’re travelling up from London, get the Caledonian Sleeper, which whisks you to Glasgow in less than eight hours for a dose of proper adventure. We were greeted on the platform at Euston by a cheery chap who instantly got us in the Scottish mood, and staff on board were similarly chirpy. It’s not glamorous – we had a laugh navigating our cramped bunk room – but there’s nothing like being gently rocked asleep to the light of the moon and the gentle swish of the train. From our experience with breakfast on board, food is not its strong point, so save your appetite for Margo. –Laura Price
→ Margo (Glasgow) • 68 Miller St • Mon-Thu 12-3p & 5-10p, Fri-Sun 12-10p • Book