Restaurants

Bistro Eleven Fifty Five.

Scottish-Irish bistro · Finnieston · $$$ · Newcomer · should-visit · verified

Elevent Fifty Five Argyle Street 1155

The onglet comes from Hannan's in County Down, aged in a Himalayan salt chamber, which is the clearest sign on the menu that Peter McKenna is cooking his Irish side and not just talking about it.

Jeff's note

Bistro Eleven Fifty Five

The onglet comes from Hannan's in County Down, aged in a Himalayan salt chamber, which is the clearest sign on the menu that Peter McKenna is cooking his Irish side and not just talking about it.

Why go

The Gannet ran twelve years at 1155 Argyle Street and closed on New Year's Eve. McKenna and his maitre d' Kevin Dow reopened the same room on 26 February 2026 with 52 covers, the old brickwork reclaimed onto the new walls, and a name taken straight off the door number (The Caterer). The supplier list survived the change: Greenheart Growers, St Brides Poultry, George Mewes cheese, Simpson Game and Coeur Sauvage mushrooms (Scotsman Food and Drink). What changed is the register. Dow's wine list runs Old World with staff recommendations instead of fixed pairings, there is a whisky room, and the kitchen sends whole cuts of aged beef and fish on the bone rather than plated tasting courses. MICHELIN added the restaurant to its guide about five months after opening.

Order this / avoid

  • Order: the milk bread first. Cate Devine found the rolls "fluffy, light, sweet and with a salty soy crust" ref, and a soy glaze on an enriched dough is the kind of small technical decision that tells you who is running the section. Then Barra cockles with Cafe de Paris butter, or the salt-aged onglet with fries and chimichurri. The MICHELIN inspectors suggest starting "at the bar with a martini, Manhattan or, as you're in Scotland, a Rob Roy" ref.
  • Avoid: turning up Sunday or Monday. The room is dark both days, and lunch runs Wednesday to Saturday only.

What locals & experts say

  • Cate Devine (Bite Magazine, 18 March 2026), on the dish that carried her meal: the braised lamb, "a bowl of potato, carrot, turnip and the softest, tastiest cuts," was "the star of the show," and the Himalayan salt-aged ribeye came "meltingly pink inside." She read the whole exercise as one that "takes a hefty dollop of courage." ref
  • MICHELIN Guide (added July 2026), on where it comes from: "this friendly bistro comes from the team behind The Gannet, which previously occupied this site," with the inspectors calling out "snacks (look out for oysters served multiple ways) and lightly glazed milk bread with whipped butter." Read through Glasgow Live, since the guide's own pages are unreachable to us. ref
  • SLTN (Gordon Davidson, 4 Feb 2026), quoting McKenna on the change of gear: "Everything's going to be a bit more playful, a lot more warm." He also says the room will not be "the most expensive restaurant in the city either." ref
  • Rosalind Erskine (The Scotsman Food and Drink, 25 Nov 2025) broke the plan under her own byline, with McKenna calling it "a natural evolution." ref

Good to know

  • Timing: dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 5pm, lunch Wednesday to Saturday noon to 2.30pm. Closed Sunday and Monday, as posted by the venue in July 2026.
  • Booking: reserve online. A private room seats up to 12 for a plated dinner or a shared banquet.
  • Price: a two-course set menu ran at GBP 25 to Easter 2026. Whether it still runs is unconfirmed, so check when you book.
  • Drinks: Old World wine list, a whisky room, and a bar built for classics.
  • Hygiene: no FSA or FHIS record could be retrieved for 1155 Argyle Street under either trading name on 29 July 2026. That is a missing record rather than a bad one.
  • Provenance: added by curation, not from Jeff's own list.

Verdict (Chef Jeff ladder)

should-visit — Peter McKenna shut The Gannet on New Year's Eve after twelve years and reopened the same address eight weeks later as a 52-cover bistro, reusing the brickwork. The cooking kept the supplier list and dropped the formality: Barra cockles under Cafe de Paris butter, salt-aged onglet from Hannan's in County Down, whole cuts of aged beef and fish on the bone. MICHELIN added it to the guide about five months in. It is a serious kitchen deliberately operating below its own ceiling, which is usually where the eating is best.

Order

  • Lightly glazed milk bread with whipped butter, the crust taken dark with soy
  • Barra cockles with Cafe de Paris butter
  • Hannan's salt-aged onglet with fries and chimichurri
  • Braised lamb over potato, carrot and turnip
  • Oysters, done several ways, eaten at the bar with a Rob Roy

Good to know

  • Booking: recommended
  • Timing: closed-sun, closed-mon, lunch, dinner-only
  • Best for: dinner, lunch, date, big-night, groups-ok
  • Avoid: Sunday and Monday, when the room is dark, and Tuesday lunch, since Tuesday is dinner only; Counting on the two-course set menu. It ran to Easter 2026 and has not been confirmed since, so ask when you book
  • Expert picks: Rosalind Erskine
  • Verified 2026-07-29

Where

city map →© OpenStreetMap © CARTO

Elevent Fifty Five Argyle Street 1155

Sources & mentions

  1. [1]
    The Scotsman Food and Drink (Rosalind Erskine, 25 Nov 2025)

    announcement piece. Peter McKenna and maitre d' Kevin Dow to reopen the Gannet site as Eleven Fifty Five in early 2026; named suppliers Greenheart Growers, St Brides Poultry, George Mewes cheese, Simpson Game and Coeur Sauvage mushrooms; Old World wine list, classic cocktails and a dedicated whisky room; McKenna quoted on refocusing toward comfort

  2. [2]
    SLTN / Scottish Licensed Trade News (Gordon Davidson, 4 Feb 2026)

    trade piece on the handover. Address 1155 Argyle Street; the name is the street number; bistronomy framing; a la carte with daily specials, Scottish produce topped up with Irish; front of house grows from 20 to about 26; Dow builds an Old World list with staff recommendations rather than fixed pairings; McKenna quoted on playfulness and energy and on not being the most expensive restaurant in the city

  3. [3]
    The Caterer (Jungmin Seo, 26 Feb 2026)

    opening-day report. Opened 26 February 2026, 52 covers, Parisian-Irish bistro on the former Gannet site; dishes listed include porchetta with green sauce and confit ratte potatoes, Hannan's salt-aged onglet with fries and chimichurri, baked beetroot with Golden Cross, and whole cuts of aged beef and fish on the bone; private dining room for up to 12; furniture locally made and brickwork reclaimed from The Gannet

  4. [4]
    Bite Magazine (Cate Devine, 18 March 2026)

    post-visit review. Two-course set menu GBP 25, running Monday to Wednesday 5-7.30pm and Thursday to Sunday 12-2.30pm and 5-7.30pm until Easter; braised lamb called the star of the show; Himalayan salt-aged ribeye meltingly pink inside; milk bread rolls fluffy, light, sweet with a salty soy crust; no numerical rating; review is wholly positive

  5. [5]
    Glasgow Live (Sean Murphy, 21 July 2026), read via Yahoo UK syndication

    reports the restaurant added to the MICHELIN Guide about five months after opening, and carries the inspectors' text on the bistro, the oysters and milk bread, Barra cockles with Cafe de Paris butter, and the suggestion to start at the bar with a martini, Manhattan or Rob Roy

  6. [6]
    Bistro Eleven Fifty Five (venue site, read 29 July 2026)

    current hours: dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 5pm, lunch Wednesday to Saturday noon to 2.30pm; bookings via the venue's online system; private dining, events and catering offered

Record

slug
bistro-eleven-fifty-five
city
Glasgow
group
Restaurants
category
Restaurant
cuisine
Scottish-Irish bistro
area
Finnieston
price
$$$
editorial class
Newcomer
ladder verdict
should-visit
provenance
verified
confidence
high
status
Open
address
Elevent Fifty Five Argyle Street 1155
coordinates
55.864951, -4.285367
last verified
2026-07-29
curated page
places/bistro-eleven-fifty-five.md