Big Counter in Glasgow City

Poor service, waitress was quite cold and rude. Food was average.

Based on great reviews from friends we were really excited to eat here for the first time but unfortunately it was the biggest disappointment and way over priced. Starters were ok, nothing amazing and we opted for the £100 steak to share between us, at that price you’d expect to be blown away, sure it tasted fine, quite a lot of fat and half the weight you’re paying for is the bone. It would be a decent steak for one but for that price you gotta be kidding. The service also made us feel unwelcome, we were polite and friendly so were taken aback, knowledge of the wine list was non existent which is bizarre for a place that seems to have a reputation for food and wine. Happy to spend this kind of money when it’s amazing food and service but sadly this really wasn’t. I really don’t get the hype.

I so love this place. You walk in and straight away you feel at relaxed, like a big hug, with its homely vibe and warm staff. This extends to the fare, comfort food done well (and plenty of it)We had the ox cheek croquettes, duck ragu and mussels which were excellent! Top marks to the chef, who prepared a meal for my partner’s kid. She raved about it all the way home. Thank you so much! Will be back!

Gem of a place in Glasgow, great food and very welcoming and reasonably priced, especially to Edinburgh prices!

Great food! Highly recommend the Burgers, utterly delicious!

really gorgeous simplistic diner with impressive menu. all dishes were delicious, especially loved the lemon skate wing. 🫶

Banging food and service! I will be back!

Hands down my favorite restaurant in Glasgow

Wonderful food, great staff... it's expensive, but worth it. Really enjoyable experience.

My first visit to this restaurant. Has loads of character and serves good food.

The service is gorgeous and the food is better. Perfection.

Big Counter is my favourite restaurant in Glasgow

Wonderful meal, everything was delicious and service fabulous

The absolute best in Glasgow. Such high quality food, incredible flavours. Menu changes each week so check their Instagram to find out what’s on.

Another insane meal from big counter. Consistently great stuff from here. Great vibes in the restaurant, great service. Menu varied and prices very good for portion sizes. Dying to come back.

Probably the best food I’ve had in Glasgow. The mussels were TO DIE FOR and the big steak was cooked to perfection we nearly had to lick the plate. Will definitely be back

Relaxed and welcoming place serving really tasty, hearty food. The small menu seemingly changes regularly (we've only been once). Would recommend it for a meal on the Southside. The bar next door does some potent cocktails too and is well worth a visit before or after.

Had a big, filling, girthy, satisfactory meal here. The fish of the day was yuge, and softer than I could have imagined (and my imagination is pretty efficient). The ingredients were fantastic and the dishes had a rustic diner charm, and worked the eat-me-if-you-really-are-serious-about-eating vibe. The decor, for me, reminded me of a very homey and content setting. Oddly comforting. We had mentioned our dietary restrictions during the reservation, and the place called us to make sure they understood what we wanted, and if we were happy with what they could offer - which is an extremely nice touch. Good hearty stuff, not cheap, but a great meal.

Sometimes a place is so good you have to go back twice. Just to check the first time wasn't some sort of fluke. Big Counter is one such place. You may not have heard of it, there's no big showy signs, no opulent interiors and its not in a listed building in the heart of the city. And it's better than so many places with all three of those. The hospitality is genuine, the staff all seem delighted to see you, they chat lovingly and knowledgeably about the food and the wine. They want you to have a great dining experience, not because they hope you'll leave a good review or a good tip, but because they seem to genuinely care about their customers. The vibe is laid back, they recognise if you've been before, it feels like a supper club or visiting that one mate that can actually cook and so you and your pals hang out there a lot. The ingredients and the dishes are traditional, tongue, liver, mussels, the best steak Tartare I've had outside of Paris. But this isn't how you'd granny would make it, the dishes have more twists than a Guy Ritchie movie. They are consistently brilliant, with the quality of the ingredients shining through. Bread & butter has never been so exalted. The plate size is all about sharing, three people really should just order every dish on the menu, you'll be nice and full and won't have missed out on anything. The same approach to desserts is absolutely the way forwards. You're looking at around forty to fifty pounds a head if you do this, but with some really good wine available you'll probably spend more. This may well be my favourite restaurant of the last year. But I should probably go back one more time, just to make sure…

Big Counter came highly recommended by several hospitality friends in Edinburgh, and they were absolutely right – it's 100% worth a visit. Its simplicity is refreshingly delightful, and everything we tried was excellent. I will be back soon!

Best restaurant in Glasgow. The guy who left a poor review of the salad below is a lunatic. It's a huge cloud of parmesan on lettuce and dill and shallots pickled in red wine vinegar and it's the best thing for dinner in the city. Dinner here is always a fab meal and very reasonably priced for the amazing quality.

One of the best meals I've had. no criticisms at all.

Best restaurant in glasgow. Server John has the best patter about. 10/10 always

The best service and atmosphere! Food is without a doubt 10/10, wish we had been sooner!

Fantastic place great food and very personable chef owner. Simple but well executed menu. Remember and book we saw 8 tables turned away as was full all evening. Table by door very drafty especially when idiots hold or wedge door open.

Visited tonight and cannot rate it highly enough. Tiny menu and small setting which gave very relaxed experience. Everything was delicious (get the house salad for SURE) and the service was so friendly. The owner(?) was noticeably chatting to every table and the whole team delivered a lovely, friendly experience. 10/10 thank you so much :)

One of the best meals we have had in Glasgow.

Lovely place , great food and wine, would highly recommend

Had a pretty terrible experience here in October 2023. There's a few things to cover so I'm going to leave bullet points: - Service was poor and we were left for ages before ordering and menu wasn't explained - when it was, was explained poorly and wasn't clear how much food we should order (they have some small plates and some larger ones but the prices are not clear). - Certain things on the menu are extremely over priced. We were told that their offal bolognese was a small plate, but was £14, turned out not to be small but a normal portion, however was really nice. - They have a "sharing steak" and fries for £55 however the steak is not large and had fatty bits on each end, the fries were also terrible and tasted/had the texture like they had been sitting out and re-heated. For £55 it was unbelievably poor. - They have smaller plates of vegetables and salad things that start at £8 I think, and it was either £8 or £9 for some salad leaves with parmesan grated over it - insanity. - Cheapest bottle of wine was £38 - just madness considering the type of place - it's not a fine dining French restaurant, just seemed really out of touch and almost arrogant. - We had to wait ages for our steak, which arrived last after others had finished eating, we were told they were a chef down however the chef that told us this had been sitting with other tables drinking wine whilst we were there. Overall, the experience was poor and the prices were just outrageous. We spent £140 for 3 people and we barely ate anything. It's hard to believe they also own Errol's Hot Pizza nearby, which serves, in my opinion, the best pizza in Glasgow and is not over-priced.

What a lovely experience. So welcoming and probably the best food I've ever had. Highly reccommend!!

I've been a few times now and it's easily my favourite restaurant in Glasgow. Food is always different and completely delicious, service is always with a smile, it's not cheap but prices are really reasonable for how good it all is. It is really not worth coming if you're vegetarian but otherwise if you like oily, fresh food done perfectly it's for you ! The salads are always my favourite part.

Always a great pleasure to eat at this gem of a place. The service is completely delightful, and even as a vegetarian I highly rate their enthusiastic, muscular kind of cooking.

Fantastic dinner with 5* food, drinks, service & atmosphere. We tried a bit of almost everything and each bite was a pleasure - inventive but satisfying, expert home cooking that was indulgent in the very best way. Would recommend to anyone and everyone. Wines were delicious and service was super friendly and attentive. Restaurant is really cosy, too, and the staff took every care to accommodate our requests. We all agreed it was a big success. Thanks so much for a lovely pre-birthday meal! We'll be back!X

Perfect neighbourhood restaurant.

The food is delicious, service is friendly, beer is great, the wine we had was pretty awful (and very expensive). Would deffo go back for food but not if I wanted wine with our meal.

Food is great, people care about what they're doing and it's not all that expensive for what you get.

Great potential but a slightly disjointed menu when we visited and portion size vs value isn't what it should be. I liked it but not enough to rush back.

The food was incredible, the atmosphere was great, and the staff was even better. Loved every second!

Beautiful food and such friendly staff - loved the experience. The steak and the green salad were highlights.

The best dinner we had in Glasgow. Such a gem of a restaurant, I wanted to try everything on the menu (which changes daily) and everything was superb. Highlights for me were the potatoes with cod roe (what an incredible invention) and the salad (a thing of pure joy). Thank you so much for all the friendly staff and preempting our every need. I can't wait to come back.

Fantastic food and will definitely be coming back especially with a changing menu.

Absolutely the best restaurant in Glasgow in my opinion - the perfect mix of delicious food with a frequently changing menu, reliable dishes but with the odd unusual thing thrown in to try something new, and a relaxed atmosphere. More than that though the service is excellent. The chef/head guy is really lovely, the first time we went he brought us some extra chunks of bread to mop up some leftover sauce, the second time we completely lost track of time and suddenly realised we were 5 minutes late for the ballet. He cancelled our desserts (which were already made!) and rung through our bill really quickly and was so nice about it too (sorry again!) Can’t recommend it enough.

Delicious. Steak cooked to perfection, rich sauce, fascinating sides, great beer.

Delicious food, lovely wine and great service. Just go!

Top notch! Menu was really different from other places in Glasgow and the food and service was superb. Also had a very nice wine list with a few beers to compliment the food.

I love this place so much, it's such a unique place in the Southside! The food was so good and the menu seems to be really thought through, everything worked so well. We had the burratta with mushrooms, the parmesan salad, the bread and these amazing cheese choux pastries, and clams with Spanish sausage. Everything was amazing in itself!

Incredible food, excellent service, highly recommended!

So memorable, seriously good cooking. Thank You Paul and Marcia

Ugly, bland and extremely overpriced food. I had a whole artichoke that seemed to have just been boiled whole, completely unseasoned, and the saddest looking plaice with some melted butter and green olives scattered around. Seemed like an experiment to see how far hipsters can be pushed. I cannot believe the amount of great reviews in here.

Wonderful hearty dishes that you can tell have been made with passion and care

The ideal place to come with a friend, or some friends, for a relaxed catch up over food you are going to like and wouldn't have prepared at home. The food and wine is simple and perfectly done, and the atmosphere is friendly and informal, leaving you able to focus on the important part; good company and great cooking.

Went with two friends and ate one of everything. Food was exceptional and everyone working there was just bloody lovely. Good vibes and awesome food - small but well thought out wine last and just a cracking time to enjoy some food and watch the world go by. Already planning the next visit

The food is fantastic and I would definitely pay another visit when I am back in the country.

Delicious meal - all the plates were so well balanced & conceived. So recommend this small gem & will definitely come again.

Absolutely stunning food. Everything we had was a taste bud sensation!!! Loved the clams and the coconut cream pie. Really friendly staff too. Can't wait to come back for more.

Absolutely superb !!!!! Service, food and wine first class. Booked again for tomorrow

This is what I imagine East Germans used to eat before the wall fell

Excellent and creative food in an unpretentious atmosphere.

£40 for a half chicken and chips in one of Glasgow's most deprived area's is beyond the pale. Impossible to tell if this is an art installation or something, but it's gone too far.

We absolutely love this wee gem, couldn’t recommend it enough. The menu changes regularly but we love that every time we come we try something new. Also the menu is that perfect combination of things that are familiar and then dishes or ingredients you haven’t tried before. Fresh, delicious plates and a yummy wine list.

love it, love it, love it. Been 4 times, the menu is always different, original, simple and very, very delicious. Great service too

Had a fantastic lunch here. Every bite was delicious. Friendly staff who knew the menu inside out and really fresh, well prepared, delicious food. Would definitely recommend.

Have now eaten when it was a selling sub sandwiches, burgers and most recently it's dinner service. All 3 have been absolutely excellent and well worth walking down to the bottom of Victoria Road for. Great food, drinks and attentive staff.

The best dinner we have ever had John is an incredibly talented chef and the staff are wonderful amazing service. Can't recommend highly enough really good value for money can't wait to go back

Some of the best food in Glasgow right now, cracking rotating menu. Natural wine sourced locally from made from Grapes. Staff and chef looked after us and explained each menu item. We'll be back and making a regular thing of it.

Great meal with fantastic service from all the guys working there. Will definitely be back and highly recommend!

I never stopped to take any pics of my food here because everything was so tasty it was gone before I could get to my phone. We had several (small plates) dishes to share of which the gougeres (like delicious cheesy profiteroles) and the stilton and walnut salad stood out as firm favourites. We each had a different larger plates, the duck leg was cooked perfectly with lovely crispy skin, and the whole witch (brown sole) with lemon butter was the perfect example of a well balanced dish. The wine selection was very well curated and reasonably priced by the glass. All the staff are so lovely and we even had a chance to speak with the owner, this added to the overall very chill and welcoming vibe.

The food was so tasty and such a good variety of fun things to try! Lots for your money!

This is how a restaurant should be. When the waiter is also the person who cooked the food and wants to explain his ideas for the weekend menu, it gets you excited for your lunch. The aspic was both delicious and something I haven't seen on a UK menu in a long time. I really hope they continue their menu rotation and trying out different things because it means I'll be going back regularly.

One of the best restaurants in Glasgow right now. Amazing modern dishes.

Robust Iberian style cooking in a cheerful cantina style restaurant. Cheerful, friendly service and a very relaxed atmosphere. One star off for the only non-alcoholic drinks being water or coke. There are really good non-alcoholic beers available and a boom in other alternatives. You wouldn't serve dessert wine with the food so why would you want to drink Coke?

The food is amazing here. Had the oysters, pork terrine and blue cheese walnut salad. Super friendly staff and the place has a great feel to it

Possibly the worst pivot in history? Burgers to what seems like food that would be served in a gulag?

Big big love for Big Counter. Simply amazing food, wine, and staff.

One of the best burgers in Glasgow, the fries are awesome as well. Staff are always super friendly and helpful as well. Some people might think that it has a limited menu, when it's this good though you don't need anymore.

Delicious burger. Definitely the best in Glasgow. Amazing chips as well. Just go! Just bloody go!

Best reasonably priced burger I can think of in the city. Very nice selection of wine and produce

Amazing. If you like burgers - specifically of the cheese variety - you must check it out.

If u need that burger fix in your life this is definately the place for it !!!! Well when u have the first bite u will know what I'm talking about :) staff is really really nice :)