Restaurant Glasgow

Hidden away in what is essentially a very residential street and down some stairs is the cool, and very ‘West End’ bar that is the Lansdowne.

Travelling down the wee stairs to the pub and restaurant you are not prepared for the mass of space and stylish decor that you are met with. With regards to atmosphere, interiors and staff the Lansdowne Bar and Kitchen ticks every box required by the über cool west end crowd to be considerably hip; holding a certain charm that prevents it from being too try hard and more laid back.

Only having drinks, we didn’t actually get to taste the menu, but we certainly enjoyed the atmosphere the only downside being that with it being situated in the west end it charges west end prices. So if you are looking for a cheap night I would suggest you look elsewhere.

Brel is a small Belgian Bar on Ashton Lane, a street that I am quickly becoming accustomed to and falling in love with.

I have enjoyed the majority of the bars I have visited on Ashton Lane so far, the atmosphere in the bars and the lane itself is electric; although it can get incredibly busy in the small bars the variety of people coming and going makes it worth the while. Brel is no exception to this, although, like everywhere else on the lane, it is incredibly small Brel still manages to offer a beautiful interior, complete with conservatory glass area at the back, and brilliant service.

Being a Belgian bar of course they carry an impressive range of Belgian beers and the menu is laden with sausages and frites, all very bistro and delicious when washed down with a Leffe Blonde.

On the day of my visit to Brel, a Saturday, they were hosting 12 hours of back to back live music as part of the West End Festival, so it was absolutely packed to the rafters. This was not a big problem for my group of friends, but I would advise against taking children or large groups of people in, as there are only a handful of tables and the majority of people were standing making it difficult to navigate your way around. However, the live music was brilliant, and even though the weather was miserable, the crowd’s spirits remained high.

I would recommend this Belgian bar to anyone looking for something a little bit different and with a atmosphere as Brel has it in the bucketloads.

You can find the Metropolitan in the very trendy Candleriggs in Merchant City, a converted fruit and veg market that now host stylish bars and restaurants, and is considered one of Glasgow’s many fashionable areas in town.

Given that it is one of their main attractions, I thought it would be cheeky not to have a cocktail, and what a time it took me to decide. Calling the cocktail list large would be an understatement; it is massive, they cover every single cocktail you can imagine with many variations on the classics.

Although, many men may feel cocktails are a girls thing; and with great emphasis upon the cosmopolitan, made famous by Sex and the City, in the menu and with the bar hosting a Cosmo Club every Wednesday it is understandable, but looking through the menu there were many gent friendly cocktails such as the Gimlet, Grand Sidecar, and a new alternative to a classic the Creole Mojito which the boys at our table opted for. Although this may appear like a bad reflection upon the Metropolitan I chose a cocktail not on the menu itself; I requested the barman to make me a French Martini, which funnily enough is never on any menus but on enquiry, if a cocktail maker, or mixologist, is any good then they will know how to whip one up- and boy did the barman at the Metropolitan know how to make one! It was divine!

The cocktails in Metropolitan can be pricey but the mixers and bottled drinks are average price; however, the quality of the cocktails is worth every penny and even if you can only afford one I do recommend visiting the Metropolitan just to treat yourself to one of their delectable cocktails.

Metropolitan Drinks List

Naively thinking that Oran Mor was simply a pub restaurant I was quite surprised to discover that the beautiful Church situated in the very popular Byres Road area actually includes two bars, two restaurants, a nightclub and a private function room; which on our visit was hosting a University Ball.

The bar restaurant areas was beautiful, retaining many of the original features of the church and using furniture that maintains the rustic feel of the area that is further supported by the traditional Scottish music playing in the background. Although this portrays a some what old fashioned image of the location this is a fashionable pub, that, by the humungous inflatable Corona bottle at its entrance, I am positive attracts a young crowd.

The menu had all the classic pub foods; burger and chips, steak pie etc… all reasonably priced. The food itself was good, the burger I ordered I don’t believe was freshly prepared and tasted the same as every burger you get in these pub restaurants across the country which was a bit disappointing. Although the chips that came with the burger were good the accompanying salad was a pathetic offering consisting of a mere two limp leaves of lettuce.

Although my visit to Oran Mor wasn’t perfect I had only ended up eating by accident, having visited with the original intention to have a few drinks in the last hours of the day, therefore my sole intention wasn’t to eat. I would definitely return for a drink as it had a brilliant atmosphere, I would also like to check out what else the venue has to offer; the Concert, A Cocktail and A Canapé nights sounds right up my street; and the Play, Pie and Pint sounds like the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. So, as a pub I would say two thumbs up, but as a restaurant I am undecided… another visit is already being arranged.

Buff Club is open seven days a week and claims to offer the ‘connoisseur’ clubber an eclectic mix of vintage disco, funk and soul music; with several theme nights throughout the week, for instance the Electro Trash night on a Tuesday.

There is a charge at the door which ranges from £4 – 5, but if you are a student or work in a licensed premise you can get discount on certain nights, however this fee is offset by the cheap drink offers going on.

If your bored hearing all the usual dance and pop fluff then Buff Club is definitely worth a visit and makes a refreshing change on a Saturday night.

Vodka Wodka bar is a tiny little bar on the popular Ashton Lane in the West End. The bar is very popular with students and on the Thursday night I visited it was packed to the rafters with everyone out enjoying the last remnants of the warm and sunny day. The bar and outside seating area was buzzing with chatter set to the typical background music of RnB, cheese and pop, however there is no dance floor nor any seating areas.

The bar stocks a range of Polish, Russian and Scandinavian spirits alongside a comprehensive list of drinks and a sizeable cocktail menu. My Long Cosmopolitan was enjoyable, and given the busyness of the bar I was appreciative that it was served in a tall glass rather than the normal Martini; chances are if it had came in a Martini glass I would have either spilt it over the person standing next to me or whilst trying to negotiate the stairs up to the outdoor seating area!

The outdoor seating area was basic, just a series of walls with a few outdoor heaters but it served its purpose or allowing us to sit down outside. The outside area, given the nice weather, was as equally busy as the inside bar sharing its same lively atmosphere, and given that the bar doesn’t serve food it was not cluttered up with tables allowing for more room.

Vodka Wodka is perfect for a pre nightclub drink; and as the name would suggest it is high on vodka and low on children which in my mind makes for a brilliant bar.

Opening Times:

12pm till late.

Located in the prestigious Princes Square I visited November with high expectations of understated glamour and style. However, I was left somewhat disappointed; I cannot put my finger on what exactly I did not enjoy about the bar but I think that it was the inability to mix the bar and nightclub elements together successfully. I know that this is an entirely personal opinion, and that November is a very popular haunt, but with it being 10-11pm mid week and the bar in full ‘nightclub’ mode with lights turned down low and dance beats turned on high, with no one dancing and the bar itself being half empty, I felt it was trying a little bit too hard.

Looking for a place where we could talk my friends and I chose to sit on the ‘outside’ balcony overlooking the shopping centre, the downfall of this being the doors were kept shut by the bouncers and we were left without out any music at all which I found rather unsociable.

Although I was less than impressed with the bar interior and atmosphere I was delighted with the drinks list which was weighed down with choice, cocktails prices ranging from £3 – 6; the Apple Martini was incredibly moreish, and I was mesmerised by the black Ink Martinis I saw a group of girls tucking into.

I can tell that November works much better as a nightclub, and I am making a note to revisit it during the normal nightclubbing hours to get a full perspective, but it lacked the warmth, bustle, and atmosphere I enjoy in a bar which really let it down, its only saving grace was its selection of cheap yummy cocktails.

Never before have I been in a bar and marvelled at it beauty; its décor is so undeniably sexy, its chandeliers, 17^th Century architectural charm and retro detailing ooze glamour: I am not surprised to learn that One Up has won Theme Magazine’s The UK’s Most Beautiful Bar2006, as it is truly magnificent (although I have just came from the somewhat dull Aberdeen- so perhaps I am easily impressed).

The clientele was an odd bunch, I think I was expecting footballers wives and celebrities (rumour has it that Gordon Ramsey has drank here before) but all I got was an ‘officey’ crowd, fair enough they were all drinking very expensive champagne but Gordon Ramsey they were not. The bar seemed to be split into two sections, one area full of men watching the football on big flat screens and the other area more of a ‘cocktail’ area with views of the Square, this of course being where we chose to sit.

As much as I did enjoy my surroundings there was an overwhelming aura of pretentiousness which was confirmed by the very rude bar man (or ‘mixologist’ as they like to be referred to now) who after seeing us waiting at the bar for several minutes still had to be instructed to serve us. Yet, fair play to him the cocktails we ordered, French Martinis, were delicious and very potent. Be warned though, they were not cheap, around £5.50 with the Champagne cocktails priced at £8.50, but in this instance I do believe the high price was justified by the quality of the products used.

I enjoyed One Ups beautiful décor and yummy cocktails but it can be pricey and depending on which night you come I can imagine it could be quite pretentious- I have my doubts as to how welcoming the bouncers would be on a Saturday night, this is a place to avoid if your in a big group I think. If, however, you want to be seen in one of the most fashionable bars in town and enjoy sitting in beautiful surrounding sipping on a Cosmopolitan then this is the place for you!

Gastropub

Opening Times:

Food Served
Mon – Fri: noon - 8pm
Sat – Sun: 11am - 8pm
Bar Open
Sun – Thu: 11am - 2am
Fri – Sat: 11am - 3am

Royal Exchange Square is buzzing with bars and fashionable spots, and from what I gather it is the ‘in’ place to be. As the name suggests the bar is buzzing with people, both inside and out, given the drizzly weather we opted for a table inside.

The interior décor is very upmarket- all dark wood and red walls, the beautiful exotic flowers at the bar gave it a nice touch that made it feel more bistro and less pub. Yet you are very much reminded that The Social is in fact a pub by the slightly stale alcohol smell lingering in the air, a pet hate I have with these types of places- air freshener would not go amiss. However moving on to the clientele, being that it was around 7.30pm there was a good mix of people in the bar, some following up their shopping with a cocktail, groups of young twenty-something’s kicking off their night and others just looking for a chinwag and something to eat.

There was a wide range of food on choice; I was pleasantly surprised to find little gems such as the haggis and sweetcorn pizza on the menu. The prices were not bad either the majority of meals just under the £10 mark. Being a cocktail enthusiast I was very impressed not only by the extensive cocktail menu but also because the majority of them were only £3; including my favourite- the Cosmopolitan, now having just moved from Aberdeen where you are hard pushed to find a cocktail under £5 in most bars I was in my element!

Getting back to the food our table service was good; my presumption that the staff would be pretentious was completely dispelled by our polite waiter who on request even recommended several dishes. Taking his advice we ordered a pizza each, they quickly appeared before us and were thoroughly enjoyed by both- the toppings were very generous.

Overall The Social is (and I hate to use this word, but in this case it is true) a ‘cool’ place to go, both for food and drinks, the clientele is varied and the music is good- at 8 o’clock the lights dimmed and it became very pop, R&B etc which suited myself perfectly. Our bill, considering we also ordered a bottle of wine, was fairly low at £30.

My final note would be that my visit to The Social was on a Wednesday night, so I cannot comment on what it would be like on a Saturday day or night, but I am told that it is super busy and the service is not quite as good as what I received on this occasion. Regardless of this, The Social is in a vibrant area of the city centre that attracts a fashionable crowd, if you enjoy that kind of atmosphere along with good food then this is the place for you, and I would definitely recommend it.

Being a comedy club I visited the Stand with a few expectations and it did not disappoint. The club its self was fairly small in size, which on a Thursday night wasn’t a problem, but on a busy Saturday night I could image many people left standing, or even worse being forced to sit in the front row of tables within the scrutinising range of the comedian.

On the whole the drinks were cheap and laughs were a plenty, yet given the bar is small and a bit non-descript I feel your enjoyment of the night rests on who you are going to see, there are acts on almost every night of the week but it is worth checking out the line-up before turning up and for popular acts it is advised to buy your tickets in advanced.

- Check out the line up on The Stand..