Arisaig

Service was fantastic, but afraid that’s the only good thing that I can say about this place though. My partner’s starter wasn’t fully cooked through and her main course was diabolical. My main course, which was steak pie, was served in a bowl. I nibbled the meat, which was nothing but gristle. We refused paying for the main courses and left. I’ve never walked out of any establishment without paying. But if anyone decides to dine at Arisaig, then so be it.

I’m surprised I haven’t yet reviewed this place! That said, I’ve been a bit tardy with my reviews of late. Anyway, I’ve only been to this little gem, tucked away in Merchant Square, twice now, both for the itison Chateaubriand deal. And although it went up £2 and lost 250ml of wine, it was still a top class bargain in my books!
On both occasions we were seated out on the square, all the better for watching and judging passers-​by (you all do it, admit it!), given some menus to peruse should we wish any starters, and had the deal explained by the lovely waiting staff. Honestly, such warm and genuine service from the guys here, I really couldn’t fault it. Then… the main event! A trellis is brought out to hold the tray of steaky goodness (do bear in mind the chateaubriand takes 30 minutes, so if you’re really hungry share a wee starter, but it’s really not necessary as time flies so quickly when you have wine and good chat) and our sides are placed on the table to share between us. With the deal the steak is accompanied by onion rings, salad (mainly rocket if you’re not a fan of the peppery wonder of the leaf. I personally, am) and chunky chips. Really delicious, crispy, chip chips!
Neither time did I manage a dessert, but on my most recent visit we decided to treat ourselves to a wee Irish coffee, which had a right kick to it. So much so that we could barely pay the bill after taking a fit of the giggles.
Most of the diners surrounding us were in for the deal, however we did scope 1 or 2 tables that dined from the A La Carte menu, and the food looked delicious. I will say, if you do go for a dessert it might be worth doing a sharer, because they looked huge!

Super table… Bons produits écosssais.
Je recommande le poulet au Haggis pas trop onéreux et le sticky pudding pour finir le repas!

We saw a good 5pm deal so decided to have our family catch up here one saturday afternoon. We were seated upstairs which unfortunately was like a greenhouse and so bright I struggled to focus! The place was pretty quiet so I wasn’t best pleased by the choice of seating but alas moving a table of 9 isn’t easy! The food on both the 5pm and a la carte was pretty limited which is aways a thumbs down from me. I had the pâté (average), venison sausage (gravy was great but sausages weren’t the best) and cheesecake (cheescake is never bad anywhere, cheescake is magical!). Overall average food but a cheap deal and the waitress we had was great.
Nice for an average chill out meal but nothing to write home about!

Came here through a very decent FB deal, pleasantly surprised by just how much we enjoyed our meal. Scottish menu, haggis had good texture, fish seemed fresh & coconut/​chilli sauce for the chicken was brilliant.
Staff attentive & friendly. We sat «outside», in the main part of merchant square, which was nice, although the tv screen opposite was a little distracting. Overall though lovely, and would be happy to pay full price.

Keeping this one short.
Delicious food. Friendly staff. Great value.
Only downside: The menus were filthy — They need replaced!

Arisaig which is named after the Scottish coastal village is a great restaurant to have a special meal in. I am not a big lover of seafood but I still love this seafood restaurant because the food is just so fantastic.
The menu is based on traditional Scottish cuisine, that’s traditional, not stereotypical. There’s not deep fried Mars Bars to be seen here! You can expect a lot of haggis, salmon and oatmeal based dishes. I have never been disappointed by anything I have eaten at Arisaig but in particular I recommend the smoked brie in oatmeal followed by venison sausages in an ale and berry sauce finished with cream crannachan.
Décor wise the restaurant is modern, sleek and spacious with wooden floors and soft brown furnishings. There is also a charming cobble terrace which is great to sit out on with a glass of wine on those rare warm summers’ nights in Glasgow! The upstairs balcony restaurant is available to hire for private functions and has large windows over looking the very pretty Merchant Square.
I find the prices to be reasonable for the excellent quality of food and service you can expect at Arisaig. Overall Arisaig is a fantastic restaurant for tourists wanting to taste a bit of the «real» Scotland as well as being a firm favourite with local Glaswegians.

Airsaig is a gorgeous fulfilment of Scottish delicacies. Two courses only show an £11.95 dent in your bank balance, which is fine for quality and noteworthy food. I do like the fact that there is eventually a restaurant that has the ability to add the true a la carte meaning to Scottish food, rather than the pubish feel we tend to get.
My table gave my party more than sufficient space to relax and enjoy my eating experience. Then came the delicious home made bread as a free gift from the restaurant to welcome you, it was a delightful beginning to a delicious meal of a rather pricey aberdeen angus fillet at £24 something. Another of my party had the set menu two courses and appart from the portions being a little smaller in size it was much the same so probably good on your first visit to save money. The steak is not on the set menu.

When I saw that Arisaig had vacated their St Vincent St premises, I was deeply saddened thinking they had gone out of business.
How I see they’ve moved to a bigger establishment in the heart of the Merchant City and am relieved to see it still does well. Arisaig is a great way to get a really classy taste of Scottish cuisine. With locally sourced food served up to look like a masterpiece, it’s a great place to eat seemingly simple dishes that have been given a high scoiety twist. Their fishcakes are soft, crumbly and mouthwatering, their spicy sausage is divine and their chicken dishes are succulent. All dishes are sufficiently portioned so they don’t bag you up.
I came here on my 21^st and thoroughly enjoyed it. However, although some dishes can be tweaked to suit children, a classy establishment such as this would be better appreciated by adults. It’s not really a stodgy «haggis, neeps and tatties» kind of place either, but it is an eye opener to the standard that Scottish cuisine can reach, and should be a marker to herald a new, healthier culture for the 21^st century. It’s a bit pricey but definitely a place to wine and dine a lady friend.