111 by Modou

Nico Simeone hired Modou Diagne as a kitchen porter at 111 by Nico in 2014, and in March 2020 he handed him the restaurant.

Why go

Diagne was born in Senegal, raised in Spain, and landed in Glasgow in 2013 with GBP 200, sleeping rough for about ten days before a charity church took him in (The Scotsman). He worked the Cleveden Road kitchen from porter to head chef under Simeone, and reopened the room under his own name on 21 August 2020. What that training bought is discipline about format: everything here is a set menu, priced by the night, and the seasonal one turns over every couple of months. In 2023 he built INSPIRE, a five-course autobiography that ran courses called "Fishing with Andy", "Coffee" and "Nico's Rabbit Dish" (DRAM Scotland). He has since added TRUST in Finnieston and Studio Modou on Nithsdale Road, so this is now the flagship of three.

Order this / avoid

Order: the Thursday TRUST ten-course at GBP 30, which is the most food per pound anyone in Glasgow is putting on a tasting menu, or the Sunday five-course at GBP 25 ref. The weekend seasonal menu runs GBP 50 and changes with the calendar. Add the wine flight if you want the pairings done for you.
Avoid: Monday to Wednesday, when it does not open. On the game menus, Rosalind Erskine found the rabbit ballotine the one course she could not get behind, so if you are lukewarm on game, go in a season that is not autumn.

What locals & experts say

The Scotsman (Rosalind Erskine, 2022), Food 8/10, Ambiance 7/10: "Modou and Nico used their skill to really let the seasonal flavours of these autumnal meats and veggies shine," though she added that "the rabbit was a step too far for me." ref
Modou Diagne to SLTN (Gordon Davidson, 2023): "Expect a fusion of aromas from my Senegalese roots as well as my talents and progress as a cook as I continue to learn more on my chef journey." ref
Diagne on the handover (2020): "Having moved here in 2013, I would never have dreamed that I would be in this position 7 years later." ref
Food hygiene: Pass, inspected 11 August 2025. ref

Good to know

Timing: closed Monday to Wednesday. Thursday evening only, Friday to Sunday from midday.
Booking: essential. It is a 46-cover room running set menus on fixed nights, so the format decides your evening before you arrive.
Getting there: Cleveden Road in Kelvinside, north of Byres Road and away from the West End restaurant strip. The FSA register lists the premises as 109 Cleveden Road; the restaurant is at 111.

Jeff's take (his words)

Note: none recorded. The saved row carried a merge-generated line and an empty description field, so nothing has been attributed to Jeff. Open questions are in research/111-by-modou.md.

Verdict (Chef Jeff ladder)

should-visit — A ten-course tasting menu at GBP 30 from a chef-patron who was gifted the restaurant he had swept the floor of is a genuine standout on two axes, craft-per-pound and singularity, and the INSPIRE format proved he can build a menu that means something instead of just tasting good. It is held off must-visit deliberately: no Michelin entry, no award from any body, and the one full critic review is from 2022 and stopped at 8/10 for the food with a course she did not enjoy. Book the Thursday ten-course and judge for yourself.