The Fish People Cafe

Most random location, however fantastic food and service.
I booked up pretty last minute on the Saturday night for an early evening meal on Sunday. Luckily I managed to get a table, of which are limited. We drove to the restaurant, however it is unbelievably handy at Shields Road Subway. There is not much else on offer near the restaurant, so if you wanted pre drinks or to meet with friends before hand I would say head into town and get the subway at St Enochs as its only 2 stops to shields road.
The Fish People Café appears to have max 10 tables, with the option to eat at high chairs at the small bar area. They have 1 starter special and main dishes on offer daily, which both sounded lovely, however I had my heart set on oysters as a starter.
The waitress was very attentive, and appeared to know the menu well. There is not a vast choice of dishes, however I generally find this as positive as all is fresh and well honed.
I had 6 Cumbrae oysters to start. They we beautifully presented, served with fresh lemon slices, tobacco and onions in red wine vinegar. I do always end up with half the content running down my chin, so note to self not the best option for a date! However my friend was well warned and they tasted fantastic!
Then had the baked sole fillets wild mushroom, peas, vermouth, and a puff crust. The fish was tender, moist with 3 fillets stacked. Sitting on top was a massive circular puff pastry. It was perfectly light and crispy with a bit of chew at the bottom. The peas brought a lovely sweetness to the dish, and there was just enough sauce that it wasn’t heavy or overwhelmingly creamy. The mushrooms complemented the dish.
My friend had the Paper baked stone bass, king prawns, wilted green, soya, ginger and lime. I had this dish previously and really wanted to have it again, however I forced myself try something new. It comes in a circular paper dome package which allows the flavours to really penetrate the fish and steaming the fish inside results in it being very moist and succulent. (I videoed her opening this, to her mortification!) The soy sauce makes this a pretty salty dish, which I do enjoy however may be too much for some. The hits of ginger, lime and crunchy pac choi work really well together.
I would highly recommend this restaurant it is expensive, however well worth splashing out. The staff are very helpful and the whole atmosphere is relaxed and intimate. I cant wait to return!

Sorry to the people who rave about this place, my first visit was less than overwhelming. I found the Cullen Skink to be quite watery and tasteless.
My Main was ok but nothing i couldn’t get elsewhere.
I was disappointed at the selection on the menu, their website shows a photo of the bar with lobster and langoustine written along it… none of these were on the menu, along with the mussels, i’m sure they change the menu regularly but there are some things i expect to see on a seafood menu.
Don’t let me put you off the staff are wonderful and I expect this was just a blip for them

Loved this place. The staff were amazingly friendly and accommodating too of our newborn baby.
The food was as good as it gets. The oysters were fresh and creamy. My main of the fish stew was delish. If you love seafood then go.

This restaurant surely should get an award for weirdest location in Glasgow — I struggle to think of anywhere else that could even challenge it (your suggestions on a postcard, please). It’s tucked in the corner between Shields Road Subway and the car park, and you could easily dismiss it on that basis — but don’t! This restaurant offers up some of the tastiest seafood I can remember eating in Glasgow in a long time.
First up, you’ll need a booking. Don’t turn up without one on a Saturday night, they probably won’t be able to fit you in. The restaurant space is small and there are a few seats along the bar. We arrived with a booking and I panicked that they’d forgotten it as the restaurant was totally full. Thankfully the people seated at our table were finishing up and there was only a delay of a few minutes, to which the staff were very apologetic.
I ordered the tuna sashimi to start (special of the day) and the fish stew for mains. The waiter was very helpful when I asked for the wasabi to be left off and he even offered to have the kitchen add it into my husband’s dish which I thought was pretty funny. For £8.50 the sashimi was one of the most generous portions I can remember getting — there was about 6 – 8 slices of tuna which were absolutely heavenly.
The main didn’t disappoint either. The fish stew came with a side plate of crusty bread and cheese, and the stew itself was full to the brim with mussels, prawns, fish, cockles etc. It was so delicious and a real delight to eat. Stew isn’t something I’d normally order but now I’ve tried this, I’d struggle to order something else next time I return!
I decided to have dessert and the waiter helpfully presented me with the allergen information so I could choose something suitable (I can’t have cream/​ice cream). I ended up choosing the cheese plate as this had a goats cheese on it and the waiter was very helpful at offering to make sure with the kitchen that it would be ok which I appreciated. This was a great finish to the meal and very reasonable at only £5 for a plate with two cheeses.
All up, we ended up paying £50pp for three courses (with wine) which is definitely a pricier meal but it was totally worth it. Service throughout the night was flawless — warm, friendly, lots of banter and super helpful. There’s nothing I can criticize about the food, it was all delicious and at the end of the meal we didn’t feel rushed even though we were the last people in the restaurant. It would make a great spot for a romantic dinner for two, or a quick meal on your way home from the subway. It’s definitely worth going on a shoogle to visit here (and if you’re driving, there’s parking out the front so you shouldn’t need to park in the paid car park in the evening).

I think this place is great.
First, the unbelievable location: next to the motorway, nearly under it, between a tube station and a car park, in the western fringes of the Tradeston hinterland. There is really nothing else here you would be coming for at 7pm on a Wednesday. Absolutely nothing.
Then, you walk in from the bracing cold. You’re expecting the restaurant equivalent of the Pompidou centre, but it’s not. It’s warm and cosy without being cheeezy. In fact, anything but. There is a studied elegance at work here, with highlights of insouciance. The black and white framed photos on the wall are not landscapes, architecture or portraiture. Rather, they are renditions of the everyday business conducted in the fishmonger’s twenty feet away that was the genesis for this establishment.
But this is not a fishmonger’s. A marble oyster bar with the produce spelt out on it in bright brass lettering. Brass elsewhere, from the diving helmet motif to the portholes on the doors. Muted lighting, old school Broadway music. A warm welcome and attentive service that manages to be interested without being intrusive.
Then the food. Fresh fish simply cooked would be sufficient. But that is insufficient here. The chef knows what he’s doing. And he wants you to know it.
A sampler:
— the fishcake: smoky, almost liquid, savoury inner unctuousness in a crispy, springy crumb crust begging to be divided
— very rare tuna with a sesame crust and pickled ginger: sashimi for the uninitiated, subtle
— Shetland cod baked en papillote: a hefty wedge of fish served on a bed of green lentils and red peppers
— turbot with broccoli, prawns and a saffron butter: implausible but brilliant. Honestly, broccoli?
Desert? I was tempted to decline but resisted resistance.
The passionfruit posset with stewed blood oranges and a smattering of basil — intense, sweet, tangy, floral. Something to be pondered. And obliterated.
Bring your wallet. This place is not cheap. £30 per head for 2 starters, 2 mains and one dessert between two. And tap water to wash it down.
If you’re going to spend your money, spend it well. This will do very well indeed.

I have to give this place the prize for ‘most incongruous location for a restaurant’. Scotland Street these days is a bit of backwater, sandwiched as it is between the motorway and the commuter rail lines and consequently populated mostly by commercial properties. Yet here we find not only a top-​class seafood café, but also their shop next door.
On emerging from Shields Road subway station, you are confronted with a pair of small buildings nestled up against the motorway embankment between the subway and a multi-​storey car park. It’s hardly the centre of civilisation and there isn’t much else of interest around apart from the C. R. Mackintosh-​designed Scotland Street School just across the road. But then again… transport links are first-​class with the adjacent subway, and there’s car parking right next door, so why not have a restaurant here?
The café itself is a strange wedge-​shape and is not large so booking is advisable.
I liked the clean décor and the marble-​topped bar, which would be great to sit at at lunchtimes.
I was pretty impressed with their wine selection, and ordered a Picpoul de Pinet Languedoc, which was really crisp and dry, just perfect for the fish.
For starters, I tried the masala dressed crab with avocado, mango and lime. I really wasn’t sure what to expect with this, but it was a lovely shaped mousse-​like patty with a stack of mini-​round crispy things to spread it on — words are failing me here as I really don’t know what they were; not crisps, not oatcakes… whatever, it was all delicious and very crabby, that’s the main thing!
Herself was in an indulgent mood and went for the Cullen Skink, which she assured me was excellent. Too much cream for me however.
We swiftly moved on to mains, and Herself ordered the special of whole lemon sole; plain and simple just the way it should be, and cooked to perfection. Conversation ceased for the next 10 minutes or so as she scoffed that down.
Feeling a bit more adventurous, I opted for the monkfish pepper stew with mussels and capers, with a side of rosemary potatoes (although I had to remind them about that as they forgot). Whilst very tasty, maybe this is a dish designed to cater for Glasgow tastes as I found it a little bit too rich and wished I had tried something else.
We both declined dessert as we were pretty stuffed after that; but I did have a small espresso that was suitably strong enough to get us back home.
Overall, an excellent seafood place if that’s your thing. I don’t know if I’d go as far as saying it’s the best in Glasgow, but it’s the best seafood place I’ve tried on the south side (read: the ONLY seafood place I’ve tried on the south side!), and it has the great advantage of being super-​convenient for the subway so you can leave the car at home. Thumbs up from us!

This is one of the best meals I have had (and I have eaten out a lot). I have been meaning to go the the Fish People Café for a long time but was never organised enough to book in advance — it is quite small, so I would recommend booking. After couple of drinks in the city centre, we hopped on the underground and arrived at Shields Road within 8 minutes. The staff were friendly and amusing creating a very welcoming atmosphere. The food was absolutely fantastic. We could have practically eaten anything from the menu, it all looked so tempting. We started with mussels in a spicy tomato sauce and shrimp cocktail — they were both delicious. My husband could have eaten the mussels all over again as they were so good. Next we had hake and cajun tiger prawns with a honey and ginger sauce, which was a daily special and whole tandoori sea bass. Again, both were flawless. My mouth is watering just re-​living this. We finished with Coconut tart and the cheese — yum. The portions were just right, satisfied but not stuffed. If I was to try to pick fault it would be paying for bread — but in was totally delicious and the wine list seems expensive. However we had a top quality 3 course meal for 2, with lovely wine, bread and coffee for £90 and went home very happy. Can’t wait to go back.

I really enjoyed my visit here immensely. I ordered the fish stew and upon tasting it, asked if the chef was single. Alas he was not. My friend and I were actually on our way to a concert but were enjoying ourselves so much we were loathe to leave and were 45 minutes late for the show! Ooopsie!
What a lovely restaurant. We turned up without a booking and were offered a seat at the oyster bar which was just perfect. Food was excellent, staff were friendly and very daring. My friend had the sea bass and asked what the recommendation was for a glass of wine, the waitress suggested a red which turned out to be absolutely perfect. I really want to go again and think I will just fly solo on my way home from work one night.
Marvellous

I cannot recommend this place enough. It is a little out the way but well worth seeking out if you’re after some delicious seafood.
The restaurant itself is very small, with not a lot of tables but it didn’t feel too cramped. We visited at lunchtime but quickly discarded the set lunch menu as it didn’t offer a great deal of choice. Luckily the a la carte menu fared much better. To start we decided to share a portion of mussels and fresh homemade bread. The mussels were in a broth flavoured with bacon and cauliflower — a combination I was unsure of but it was delicious, with a real smokey flavour. To follow I had grilled fillets of sole served with a crab, tomato and coriander salsa. The fish was perfectly cooked and the salsa was a great accompaniment. My dad had the daily special of battered haddock and chips and it too looked amazing and was quickly demolished. I also have to compliment the service — the waiter was incredibly attentive and nothing seemed too much hassle.
If you’re after some good seafood you really have to take the time and seek this place out — you won’t be disappointed.

I’ve been to the Fish People Café twice now and it’s an absolute winner. As another reviewer has said, the location is a bit out of the way but it’s right next to their fish shop so it makes sense on that front. There is also plenty of parking and it’s right next to Shields Road underground, so it’s easy to get to.
The staff are incredibly lovely — and probably also incredibly patient as I have a sneaking suspicion that my FIL doesn’t believe in tipping and comes here regularly.
The food is, of course, the star of the visit. The dishes are simple, portion sizes are perfect, and flavour is gorgeous. Everything is super fresh and perfectly cooked.
I honestly can’t fault it for a thing.

Have been here twice now and still cannot fault. Best seafood restaurant in glasgow! Amazing food, highly recommend the fish stew. The fish was succulent and there was also loads of juicy seafood in the broth too. This comes with little croutons to did in which are nice. My boyfriend is not a fish lover but is dying to go back for the seafood pasta. Both dishes were packed with seafood which tasted fresh and good sized portions. We shared a chocolate dessert which was moist and gooey in the centre.
We went when it first opened so it did not have a alcohol licence but did have a byob policy which was great. Unsure of the wine prices now but would say they would be average as the prices of the food were not unreasonable. especially for seafood.
Perhaps the prices are so reasonable as the location is not great for people unwilling to jump on the subway. Luckily it is directly across from Shields Road subway station so it is very easy to find.
The place is quite small so would recommend booking in advance. They have an oyster bar where you can sit on stools. Think I will be back to try this out!
Second time I went here I ordered the stew again! Others had scallops, hake, Cullen skunk, oysters. Everyone loved the food. Lovely wine and prosecco too. And to top it off. buttery tablet served with coffees. delicious!

The location is a little strange — nestled between Shields Road and a four storey car park you very quickly realise that the interior outshines its surroundings.
The place has a modern, clean design but is centred around a classic marble sided Oyster Bar with lots of dark wood, perfect if you just want to sit up and get some Oysters and a Bloody Mary.
In general, the food and service are both pretty damn fine — there’s a simple two course lunch menu for a tenner or the main a la carte which isn’t cheap but it’s not out of the ballpark considering the quality of what’s on offer.
I had a superb Fish Strew — literally heaped on the plate with perfectly cooked chunks of white fish, salmon, cockles, mussels and prawns and served with croutons, gruyère and saffron mayo. The missus had a fantastic haddock and chips — incredibly light batter, almost like tempura.
This was just a quick lunch, will definitely come back for a proper dinner