Crabshakk Botanics

The Botanic Gardens Garage went up on Vinicombe Street in 1912 with Venetian window arches and a green and white tiled front, and since 22 April 2022 it has held over 100 covers of Scottish shellfish.

Why go

John Macleod is an architect, which explains both the 2009 original in Finnieston and the decision to take a restored listed garage for the second site (Harden's). Branch manager Lily Brown put the difference plainly at opening: "It's going to be much bigger, over 100 covers, so it's quite a big step for us. We're going to very much take the same core values and menu." The kitchen buys Scottish and cooks it short, and the room reads as steel and exposed brick rather than a fish shack (Scotsman). The drinks list was the deliberate addition here, an extensive wine list and cocktails the original never had space for.

Order this / avoid

• Order: the seared scallops, sent out "sizzling on a hot cast iron skillet" with "anchovy and butter and sage, which gave the sweet scallop meat a deep umami flavour" ref. Monkfish scampi in a "crispy light batter" is the house fried plate, and the roast hake came "delicate and flaky" under a butter sauce with peas, silverskin onions and pancetta. Oysters and grilled langoustines carry over from the original, where Glasgowist rated the langoustines "one of the finest dishes you can order in the city of Glasgow" ref.
• Avoid: Monday, when the room is dark. If you have a group, book here rather than the Finnieston original, which Time Out described as cramped ref.

What locals & experts say

• Scotsman Food & Drink (Rosalind Erskine, 2022): the Botanics room has "the feel of a sleek New York bar/restaurant with lots of steel, exposed brick, and a mix of high stools and booth seating." ref
• Glasgowist (five best seafood restaurants, 2020, on the Finnieston original): "This is the fish place that inspired other chefs to look to Finnieston. It had a transformational effect on the area and remains a lynchpin for the local scene." ref
• Time Out Glasgow (Malcolm Jack, four stars, on the original): "Look to the specials board for the most interesting dishes." ref
• Julie Lin, chef and co-owner of Ga Ga Kitchen + Bar, on what she comes here for late: "My secret place to go for late-night cocktails is Crabshakk Botanics. I like popping in there at about 10 o'clock to get a wee nightcap on the way home. They do a good Midori sour, it's delicious - love it." ref
• Colin Campbell, co-owner of Sylvan, naming the format as well as the fish: "Crabshakk Botanics is a winner for its selection of fish and seafood, great wine list and the opportunity to walk in and grab a seat at the bar - the latter also makes it a welcoming place to eat solo." ref
• Local rec: Jeff's own save, filed as his top pick for seafood in the city.

Good to know

• Timing: noon to midnight Tuesday through Sunday, closed Monday, so it covers a late dinner after the theater or a long lunch off Byres Road.
• Booking: walk-ins are taken, reservations run through the site or 0141 286 4507, and the Green Room handles private dining.
• Price: mains sat at GBP 16.95 for the monkfish scampi and GBP 24.95 for the roast hake when the Scotsman reviewed in 2022; budget upward.
• Sites. Two rooms trade as Crabshakk, each with its own FSA record. This one is 18 Vinicombe Street G12 8BE, opened 22 April 2022, over 100 covers, the room for a group or a late nightcap. Crabshakk (Finnieston) is the 2009 original at 1114 Argyle Street G3 8TD, a handful of tables and unreserved bar seats, and it is the room for two people eating at a counter.
• Hygiene: Food Hygiene Information Scheme Pass, Glasgow City Council, inspected 17 February 2026 (FHRSID 1471989). The Finnieston original holds its own separate Pass from 29 January 2026. ref
• Which site: this is the Vinicombe Street room in Hillhead, two minutes off Byres Road. The original, which the group calls the Wee Shakk, is Crabshakk Finnieston at 1114 Argyle Street.

Jeff's take (his words)

• The verdict: "Top pick for seafood. Bigger version of the original location in finnieston."

Verdict (Chef Jeff ladder)

must-visit — Plan around it. Two independent industry interests name it, and Colin Campbell's line lists exactly the things Jeff sends people for: counter seating, a real walk-in, and a room that works for eating alone. Shellfish cooked simply, priced for a normal night, in the format that beats a dining room.