Food and drink trends for 2023
LOCAL hospitality continues to be buffeted by an astonishing array of circumstances. Glasgow was resilient last year with neighbourhood businesses insulated by community support.
There’s a significant roster of new openings, yet soaring inflation will curtail ambitions for the year ahead.
There will be more closures, yet there remains ambition and determination and delicious things to celebrate.
Against that backdrop, here are the trends to look for in Glasgow food and drink.
1. Welcome to Margaritaville
Tequila’s progress in Glasgow has been limited by lack of access to credible brands and memories of harsh student shots on Sauchiehall Street.
Restaurants are increasingly sourcing supplies of prestige tequila and its agave based relative mezcal.
Steady progress reaches the mainstream this year with margarita menus and other authentic Latin cocktails set to flourish – see also more interesting options on rum, both foreign and domestic.
El Santo, the new restaurant and bar on Miller Street, takes the lead.
I visited for my final review of 2022, a fun and surprising medley of dishes including lobster, crayfish and salmon roe on Venezuelan cornmeal cakes; crispy pork tacos with apple and coriander pesto; king prawn ceviche with tiger milk and prawn crackers before a 45 day dry- aged rib- eye steak cooked over charcoal and served with chimichurri sauce.
It seems trite to suggest that the tacos and steak were the best dishes amongst such a parade of international culinary prowess, yet they do these core dishes so well. Order a Tapatio Blanco tequila margarita, lime juice, triple sec, orange salt rim with wasabi and apple.
2. 9pm is the new midnight
The Alchemist is proof there is life in the city centre yet, a new arrival ready to spark your night out into gear at any time of day. After work, the lights are low, there’s propulsive dance music as your meal is served in an environment approaching a sophisticated lowkey nightclub with views out onto George Square. It fits the theatrical
presentation of drinks that are potent and playful.
Bubbling tequila in a test tube with a fiery introduction, whisky served in a dainty glass pipe, pressurised chocolate negroni. For an early evening meal with late night atmosphere order tempura prawn lollipops, pan- fried vegetable gyoza, Korean- fried chicken, salt and pepper fries. Salt and pepper everything will continue to be a trend.
While Glasgow city centre bar hours are set to be extended to 1am, the momentum is towards daytime socialising and evenings that start early and finish with any mode of transport that will get you home before midnight. Taxi chaos is a determining factor in weekend plans even for the adventurous. The Alchemist, like Kong on Royal Exchange Square, Moskito on Bath Street and Vega on Argyle Street are ready for this trend. Radisson Red will serve you pizza and cocktails while DJs set the tone. Squint at the view of the Clyde for something approaching Balearic vibes. If you are semi- retired from techno at Sub Club, consider disco brunches and restaurant evenings where food and cocktails have an upbeat soundtrack. Just make sure you finish up before the last train home.
3. Chains are back
After what felt like a retreat, there’s new franchises arriving in town. Expect additional names in the year ahead with food and drink brands expected to take prime positions on the high street. Some will be better than others. Beyond variations on fast food, high end operators in London are looking at opportunities in Glasgow. No doubt they will be available on your preferred food delivery app.
4. Short menus
Nobody has enough staff. Nobody. It’s less of a trend, more of an enduring fact of life. Kitchens will cull the number of dishes on the menu this year. Except Ho Wong, they’ll still have a novel to flick through. Difficulty securing deliveries and the absurd price of ingredients loom on the horizon. Food will be increasingly seasonal and only the greatest dishes will survive.
Expect all killer, no filler.
5. Sugar
Cake has been the growth food group of the decade so far. Bakeries and sugar will continue to sustain us through hard times.
Expect those short menus to have some showstopping sides as the coveted items you will see featured on TikTok. Photogenic toppings will be available, but you’ll need to pay for extras to get the right level of shot for social media.
7. Comfort food and nostalgia
Retro desserts and nostalgic treats are making a comeback – see The Alchemist’s candy floss baked Alaska and excitement around scones, custard, sticky toffee pudding and empire biscuits. Also, 2023 is the year when Glasgow will celebrate a big comfort food revival.
8. Vegetarian mainstream
At the same time as we eat our feelings and sink into the warm embrace of carbs, there will be light relief in the fact that vegetarian dishes are increasingly accessible and indulgent. There will be a plant- based presence across more of the city’s best venues, with more foraged ingredients.
9. Seafood and seaweed
Seaweed is an ingredient that has a global buzz and we have a lot of the best in the world available on nearby shores. You will see more kelp on local plates. There’s a realisation that sourcing a reliable supply of ingredients with a short supply chain is a preferable way to run a business, so freshly landed west coast seafood will increasingly be the starting point for new restaurants in Glasgow.
10. Scottish fusion
Scottish recipes will be spiced up with more international influences, staples of the Glasgow diet will have a more exciting future with kitchens taking a global approach and mining cooking styles and recipes from increasingly exotic locations. Expect more Middle Eastern, North African, Taiwanese and Southern European influences in food and drink.
11. New York style pizza
Fluffy, damp overproduced Neapolitan pizza that has dominated the Glasgow market will be overtaken by a wave of thin, crispy no- nonsense pizza in the American tradition. See Errol’s Hot Pizza Shop on Victoria Road and Frank’s in Finnieston for examples.