Madurai

South India's food traditions are rooted in centuries of trade, agriculture and regional identity. Madurai brings that inheritance to St Vincent Street in Glasgow City Centre, with a kitchen that works from rice, lentils, coconut and spice with the confidence those foundations deserve. The cooking is contemporary South Indian in the fullest sense: a breadth of regional reference, handled with precision, rather than a single state or style.

The menu moves between the familiar and the less expected. Starters range from inji puli wings glazed with tamarind and jaggery to lamb ularthu, tender cubes stir-fried with black pepper, green chillies and curry leaves. Mains take in fragrant biryanis, grilled dosas rolled with spiced lamb or coastal seafood, and curries that draw on coconut, tamarind and curry leaf with equal fluency. Chutta monkfish and pollicha salmon sit alongside lamb mappas and poondu chicken, dishes that reward curiosity without requiring it. Desserts range from the traditional to the contemporary and are no less considered for it.

The bar follows the same logic, with a cocktail list built around the flavours of the kitchen: tamarind, ginger, curry leaf and spice finding their way into drinks that complement the food as readily as they stand alone.

South Indian cuisine is naturally gluten-free, and Madurai cooks within that tradition. The kitchen holds Coeliac UK accreditation.

Open Monday to Saturday from noon, Sunday from one, and suited equally to a working lunch or an evening without a clock.