BAR GUIDE 2010
GLASGOW WEST END
FINNIESTON / PARTICK
THE 78
10–14 Kelvinhaugh Street, 576 5018. www.the78cafebar.com Mon–Fri 12.30pm–midnight; Sat & Sun noon–midnight. Basic pint: £2.50
Sister venue of city centre hipster haunts Mono, Stereo and The Flying Duck, The 78 – successor to the much-missed old Stereo – is the Craig Tannock empire’s outpost of boho cool in the West End. A strict vegan policy means an out-of- the-ordinary stock of booze – Sam Smiths wheat beer and stout on draft for instance, plus a variety of organic ales. Entertainment ranges from an open mic night on Wednesdays to Dub’n’Grub on Thursdays and DJs at weekends. Between the open fire ringed by battered comfy couches and the row of big glass doors, which swing open in summer time allowing the revelry to spill out onto the pavement, it’s a hangout for all seasons. High point: Ultra-cheap meal deals on Meat Free Monday
THE LISMORE 206 Dumbarton Road, 576 0102. Mon–Sat 11am–midnight; Sun 12.30pm–midnight. Basic pint: £2.75
This self-styled ‘Highland pub in the middle of Glasgow’ resists the trend for gentrification in West End watering holes by keeping it old-school: good whisky, good atmosphere and a little folk music (there are sessions every Thursday). The Lismore’s friendly, if earthy, atmosphere makes it popular with intrepid students as well as hardy silver-haired drinkers. High point: Over 160 whiskies, many of them specialties
COTTIERS 93–95 Hyndland Street, 357 5825. www.cottiers.com Mon–Sun noon–midnight. Basic pint: £3.20
Good food, an always relaxed atmosphere and a roaring open fire conspire to make Cottiers, housed in a converted church, as pleasant and popular a daytime haunt as it is a nightspot. The high-ceilinged bar retains an ecclesiastical feel with its wooden pew seats. Restoration work is ongoing in the theatre space, closed since 2005, though a reopening date remains over the horizon. High point: Big beer garden and BBQ in the summertime
RIO CAFÉ 27 Hyndland Street, 334 9909. www.myspace.com/theriocafe Mon–Sun 9am–midnight. Basic pint: £3
It’s styled like a 1950s Scots-Italian café, serves 16 THE LIST 2–16 Dec 2010
everything from pints to hard-boiled sweeties, milkshakes and cakes, and lays on entertainment ranging from poker nights to cabaret sessions. To say the retro, colourful, cosmopolitan and family-friendly Rio Café has character would be an understatement. High point: A play area for kids by day and adults by night ALSO RECOMMENDED: The Goat & Grill (1287 Argyle Street) for good food and late-night DJs.
GLASGOW SOUTHSIDE
CLOCKWORK BEER CO. 1153–1155 Cathcart Road, 649 0184. www.clockworkbeercompany.co.uk Mon–Wed 11am–11pm; Thu–Sat 11am–midnight; Sun 12.30–11pm. Basic pint: £3.05
Glasgow’s oldest microbrewery, the Clockwork Beer Co. brews its five beers inside the pub, including an amber ale and a powerful concoction called Hazy Daze Ginger, plus there are six guest ales and several premium lagers. Close to Hampden Park, it is a great spot to soak up the matchday atmosphere while the beers soak into you. A rare oasis in a relatively dry part of town for good bars. High point: Watching your beer brew ALSO RECOMMENDED: The Bank (443 Clarkston Road) for Sky Sports watching and foreign beer tippling.
RECENT OPENINGS
Glasgow bars open in the last 12 months An uncertain economy and twitchy lenders may have put the brakes on, but a handful of notable ventures have appeared. The biggest by far is the G1 Group's flagship The Corinthian Club (191 Ingram Street, pictured). Millions transformed the Grade A building into a multi-floored palace of style and bling, housing restaurants, bars and a casino. Its opulent flamboyance seems to have rubbed off elsewhere, with boudoir and boutique bars opening, not least the Boudoir Wine Bar (Merchant Square, Candleriggs) – inspired by sumptuous continental bars, it has a huge selection of wines and champagnes. The boutique hotel Saint Judes gave its basement a makeover and opened The Saint on Bath Street (190 Bath Street), serving cocktails in its 1930s-influenced interior. Further down the road is Slouch (203–205 Bath Street), with links to Maggie May's; it has a similar rock'n'roll ethos with live music in its smart basement bar. New West End ventures include The Long Way Home (2 Byres Road), a bohemian gin bar featuring two dozen gins, and The Curlers Rest (256–260 Byres Road), with its restoration into traditional ale house. (Jay Thundercliffe)