The Skillet
Contemporary / European, 70-72 Hyndland Street, Glasgow G11 5PT
£73.81 for two courses, beer and mocktail
It’s not often we stop mid-drive and say, “That place looks cool, let’s go in.” But The Skillet, set in amongst west end tenements, drew our eyes with its moody, stylish exterior. Having heard good things (particularly whispers of its brunch), we headed in for dinner, high hopes in hand and appetites at the ready. Sadly, while the evening began with promise and some of the best service we’ve had in ages, the food struggled to keep pace with the restaurant’s good looks.
Atmosphere & Service
Inside, The Skillet is very much a place that gets the Glasgow West End vibe. It’s split level, with a sleek bar below and an airy upstairs dotted with indoor plants and dramatic, dark-toned walls. The whole effect is inviting, a bit sultry and cool without overdoing it. We nabbed a table upstairs, giving us a bird’s-eye view of the activity below, the restaurant was just the right mix of buzzy and relaxed.
But the real star of the show? The service. Our server was the kind of person who just understands people: attentive without hovering, genuinely warm, and almost exceptionally good at putting us at ease. A top example of why service can elevate a meal, even when other things fall short (more on that shortly). We left genuinely impressed, reckoning it was the best service we’d had in Glasgow for months.
The Food
It’s hard to write this part, as we’d wanted to rave about it, but the food simply slipped through the cracks of being memorable.
Starters set the tone; the “Greek fava dip” was serviceable - a slightly tangy, creamy dip with a bread or flatbread vehicle, but little personality for a dish with such an ambitious name. The “Carolina chicken” felt similarly forgettable: cooked competently, but lacking the punch or zip you’d expect from supposed Southern flavours.
For mains, one of us went healthier with the roasted chicken leg, thyme, and tarragon glaze with hasselback potatoes and roasted veg (leeks, carrots, the like). The chicken was tender enough, but where was the tarragon, where was the punch of thyme? We don't know. The entire plate asked us politely not to remember it… and, try as we might, we didn’t. At £18, the dish just didn’t deliver.
The burger across the table fared similarly; nothing wrong, nothing right, just resolutely fine. The hasselback potatoes and vegetables joined in their quest to disappear from memory, and the overall impression was of food playing it far too safe.
Drinks did perk things up; a house beer and a well-made mocktail reminded us The Skillet can do some things right, even if the kitchen was having a quiet night.
Final Thoughts
We wanted to love The Skillet. The space is a winner: moody, modern, and very West End. The staff were the highlight of the evening, creating the kind of experience that had us rooting for the kitchen to deliver something memorable. Sadly, the food, while perfectly adequate, just didn’t live up to either the promise of the menu or the standard of service and atmosphere. In a city with this many great places to eat, “fine” just isn’t enough to bring us back.
Three Things to Know
- Brilliant service: Genuinely some of the friendliest, most competent serving staff we’ve encountered in Glasgow.
- Stunning space: The split-level layout, smart design, and moody vibe hit all the right notes for a West End night out.
- Food doesn’t deliver: Everything tasted…fine, but nothing wowed; with Glasgow’s dining scene as competitive as it is, the Skillet is a miss for us.
We’ll remember the welcome, the drinks, and the décor, but next time we’re hungry in the West End, we’ll keep driving.