Tusco

West End, Glasgow
88 Dumbarton Rd, Glasgow G11 6NX
<90 for one glass wine, 5 small plates, one larger dish, and two desserts
Visited Spring 2026

Tusco is a new opening from the Hinba Group, taking over the old site of Eighty Eight. We were really keen to try it, and when we arrived and spoke to the hostess, we found out it is essentially the same restaurant with the same team, just refreshed with a new concept.

The space has had a bit of an update, but it is still very small. Tables are close together and it does feel quite cramped. It has that European style where everyone squeezes in, and you do have to navigate around people to move through the restaurant. The lighting was also not our favourite. It is was difficult to pin down exactly what didn't feel right, but we thought it was too dark and without enough sources of diffuse light, which did not really create a relaxed atmosphere.

The concept is Italian inspired small plates designed for sharing, and the menu changes fairly frequently from what we could tell.

We started with the focaccia and herb butter. The bread itself was slightly under, which we did notice as we are very particular about bread, but the herb butter was honestly so good that it did not matter. Basil kept saying it was the best butter he had tasted in months and would not stop talking about it for the rest of the meal.

Next we had roasted red peppers with ricotta. Basil was a bit sceptical at first, but it ended up being a really strong dish. Simple but very well done.

We also had a fresh tomato salad which was such a nice surprise. It was light, fresh and full of flavour.

The tortellini was cooked really well and held its own with the rest of the dishes. Then we had the lamb with stuffed Italian sausage, which Basil absolutely loved. I genuinely had to stop him from licking the plate.

We finished with the tiramisu which was so good and definitely worth ordering. The blood orange panacotta was delightfully sweet, but with a hint of citrus that balanced it perfectly.

Overall the food was a real success. The dishes were well executed and there were a few standouts across the meal. The setting is a bit tight and the lighting could be improved, but the quality of the food carries the experience.

Would we go again?

Yes, definitely. It is somewhere I would come back to, and it feels like a place you could return to regularly given how often the menu changes.