EATING & DRINKING GUIDE
THE GOOD FOOD ARCHIVE
This April, The List publishes its annual guide to the restaurants, cafés and bars of Glasgow and Edinburgh for the 25th consecutive year. Over that time, we’ve seen plenty come and go from the dining scene. Food and Drink editor Donald Reid delves into some back copies
1ST EDITION
5TH EDITION
10TH EDITION
15TH EDITION 20TH EDITION
1994
1998
2003
2008 2013
Our i rst effort was simply called the Eating Out Guide. It ran to 36 pages, was printed in black and white, and covered around 400 venues. At the classical L’Auberge on St Mary’s Street in Edinburgh, a three-course lunch with wine cost £10 while at The Shish Mahal on Glasgow’s Park Road you could pick up two courses for £6. Among the venues we covered in Edinburgh were The Shore, Grain Store, Witchery, Vittoria, Viva Mexico, Henderson’s and Bell’s Diner, along with City Merchant, Fratelli Sarti, The 13th Note, Baby Grand and Café Gandoli in Glasgow: all of which we’ve covered every year since. In 1998, the guide included over 700 venues for the i rst time. Edinburgh’s Balmoral Hotel unveiled its new Hadrian’s Brasserie with head chef Martin Wishart. In Glasgow, the exciting new opening was Nairns on Woodside Crescent, run by the eponymous Nick. One Devonshire Terrace basked in the glory of Glasgow’s only Michelin Star (backward Edinburgh had none) while the Ubiquitous Chip was celebrating its 25th anniversary. We noted Pierre Victoire’s 100 restaurants around the UK (there were seven in Edinburgh) and you could get coffee at one of three branches of the Seattle Coffee Company: rebranded later that year as Starbucks.
By 2003, the guide had bulged to 160 pages and was available online for the i rst time. We told readers of restaurants that were completely non-smoking and introduced awards for the i rst time: best newcomers were Thai Lemongrass in Edinburgh and The Dhabba in Glasgow (both still going). Readers’ favourites included David Bann’s (then on Hunter Square) and the newly opened Café Andaluz on Cresswell Lane. Other new Edinburgh openings included First Coast, the Forth Floor Restaurant and Brasserie, The Outsider and the i rst incarnation of Spoon Café, while Glasgow was familiarising itself with Mono, Stereo and The Sisters.
Ten years ago we were covering over 100 new openings and over 800 venues in total. Our celebrated newcomers were The Dogs and Wedgwood in Edinburgh, Two Fat Ladies at The Buttery and Nanakusa in Glasgow. Among other new Glasgow arrivals were Lebowskis, Alla Turca and Sonny & Vito’s, while in Edinburgh Peter’s Yard, Monteiths and Porto & Fi all appeared on the scene. On the same list were Edinburgh spots Blue Glass, Churbara and Mouton Noir, and Bolshie, One Ten and Striped Bass in Glasgow. Nope, me neither. By our 20th birthday we were warming to the idea of celebrating anniversaries, which back then included i ve years with sponsor Birra Moretti. Taking in over 950 places, the guide was now accessible on smartphones. Best Newcomer gongs went to The Gardener’s Cottage and The Hanoi Bike Shop, while venues such as The Hanging Bat, Lovecrumbs, The Scran & Scallie, The Gannet, The Glad Café and Inn Deep popped up. Lots of places were serving craft beer but gin was a bit of a novelty.
25TH EDITION 2018
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2 5 ANNIVERSARY ISSUE
That’s out on Wednesday 18 April. See you there. To all the readers, restaurateurs, hospitality staff, reviewers, editors and supporters who ve been with us for all or any of the journey, thanks for being part of it. Keep on Eating & Drinking!
EDINBURGH & GLASGOW EATING & DRINKING
1 Apr–31 May 2018 THE LIST 17