Number 16

Our second visit to Number 16, this time for the set lunch menu. The lunch menu offers the same high quality at a lower price, making it excellent value and worth every penny for 2 / 3 courses! Great service, relaxed atmosphere, and overall it’s became a new favourite of ours.

We dined at 6.30 pm on Saturday evening. I'm slowly working my way through Glasgow's most talked about restaurants & pubs (so we can recommend them to our clients) and No.16 is a Byers Road haunt that's been recieving quite a bit of pressure coverage lately. It's also mentioned in the Michelin guide so it should be right up there as a dining experience. I booked in person a couple of days ago. Then I received a text confirming the reservation. Then I got another call to check we were still coming. I get restaurants get no-shows (I've worked in hospitality for 30+ years) and guarantting bookings is important. Personally, I'd rather book online and leave a deposit than being made to feel like I'm going to be a potential no-show. Upon arrival, we were seated immediately and service was efficient & attentive. It was busy as expected. The server offered us drinks and upsold their wine specials. We soon received a jug of the chosen wine and table water. We ordered olives, parmesan shortbread and sourdough bread to start. That was followed by the duck breast, carrot puree and parsnips. For dessert we ordered the chocolate fondant and Ice cream. The bill came to £117.00, before we added a 15% gratuity. The service was quick and efficient but something was lacking. Upon reflection and after some thought, I didn't feel particularly welcome. At no point was there any extra chat or conversation. The was no attempt to particularly engage with us, maybe they were just too busy. After requesting and paying the bill, there was no encouragement to return. For me (on this occasion) hospitality came up short. I've concluded its just not especially friendly. When I walked in a few days before to make the reservation, it was exactly the same. As diners, we didn't feel special or like we were valued. Overall, the experience wasn't bad but it seemed to come up a bit short compared to other places we've dined recently. The food was well executed and enjoyable. So if you're just going for the food, you'll be fine. Will I return... probably not. I've felt much more welcome at Skillet, Ubiquitous Chip or Stravaigin all nearby. These places make you feel valued and like a local. At No.16 (one of my local restaurants) that wasn't the case this evening. Overall, 4 stars and that's mainly for the food.

From the outside, it looked small and an unlikely place to find such outstanding food. Inside it was empty! but the manager made us welcome and offered the house wines( pictured). Both were excellent and we enjoyed the first glass with the sourdough bread and olive oil,although both were much more than that. We shared the sweet potato soup which was excellent. Our mains were the halibut and the lamb( pictured). Both were cooked perfectly and their presentation was spot on. Just to see if there was a weakness here,we shared a lemon curd based dessert, again beautifully presented. It came to £100 for the two of us which given the quality we thought was well worth it.

It has been a wonderful dinner, in addition to the two waitresses who have served us who have been pleasant and very professional at all times! The two waitresses who attended us Rowan and Eilidh were pleasant in the attention and professional, they were also aware of us at all times, it is wonderful to come to another country and be able to enjoy the food. And of course the cooks who prepared some exquisite dishes for us the kitchen team: Kate, Stuart and Declan!!! Thank you all very much for this wonderful experience!!!! We'll be back 🥰

The most delicious Scottish produce cooked and plated in the most refined manner. An absolute must in the Glasgow fine dining scene. Great service and atmosphere too.