Glasgow

So for various reasons our wedding anniversaries have gone New York, Havana, Sheffield, Huddersfield, Venice, Verona and now...Glasgow. We've booked in at the CitizenM hotel for a couple of nights at start of August. Never been before. Definitely going to go to the Gallery of Modern Art but the primary aim is to find little craft beer bars.

Anyone been or live(d) there and have any recommendations?

Cheers

 

Went there for a couple of night in February.

Lots of things to see and do. I'd recommend a place called Pelican (Argyle Street) for something to eat, really enjoyed that. There's also a Brewdog pub 2 mins up the road.

 

LD Red might be able to help you mate. Also Burgundy Red lives in the Glasgow area so again he might have a bit of knowledge.

Noticed your hotel is slap bang centre. Good show, everything near at hand. I'm sure you will have a great time. Glasgow is a great place outwith the football.

Plenty art galleries and museums. Check out SSEC and Hydro Arena for concerts on your dates. BTW start of August the Edinburgh Tattoo should be on these dates. Only a short train ride away. Tickets might be a problem.

 

Cheers, will definitely be going to Brew Dog so will have a look

 

Yeah, hoping they have some tips. Toyed with getting a train out to Coatbridge where my grandad was from but I don't think my wife sees it as the ideal anniversary destination...

 

FFS Coatbridge? Don't bother getting return tickets......you won't be coming back. LOL

 

Just gutted season hasn't started so I could take in an Albion Rovers game!

 

Our season has started with the League Cup.
August 9th Albion Rovers play Celtic in something called The Jock Stein Friendship Cup. No idea what that is all about but does that tie into your dates?
Albion Rovers 1st League game is August 13th Home to Brechin.

 

Nah, Monday 1st August to the Wednesday. Again I'm not sure my wife would see a football game in Coatbridge as her ideal mini-break. I think Frankie Boyle described Coatbridge as like Blade Runner without the special effects...

 

Yeah looks like you are a wee bit unfortunate with your dates.

Well that is a spot of luck. LOL

They tell me that the Coatbridge Primark is their answer to Harrods.

 

Lived in Glasgow for five years some time ago, and have visited it over the years. There's some good eating places on Byers Road, the Art Gallery is definitely worth a visit, and if your wife likes shopping (and whose wife doesn't) Buchanan Street is the place to be.

 

Pubs around Merchant City are good (Blackfriars my fav) and West End/Partick/Dumbarton Rd is pleasant.

 

Lived in Glasgow for 24 years. I'm just at work but I'll ping you some suggestions over the weekend.

 

You should enjoy your stay at the Citizen M - it's pretty central. A few of my pals have stayed there and have really enjoyed it.

Suggestions:

Culture
The Gallery of Modern Art is okay, if art is your thing. In addition there are a few smaller artist run galleries around King Street that might wet your whistle: Transmission, The Print Studio, Street Level and the Modern Institute are all in close proximity. In addition, I would recommend visits to Kelvingrove Art Gallery (worth visiting for the building alone as the collection is a little mixed), the Burrell Collection (a great collection of artefacts though it would mean a 10 minute train journey to the South side) and the Peoples Palace in Glasgow Green. Also the CCA (Centre for Contemporary Arts) on Sauchiehall Street could be worth a visit as could the Lighthouse just off Buchanan Street.

Bars
If you're looking for crafty beer places then going along to Finniestoun (about a 15/20 minute walk from your hotel) is probably your best bet. This area is Glasgow's 'hipster central' and will have it's fair share of craft beer and artisan eating places. I don't tend to frequent this neighbourhood myself but I can recommend the Crabshak for food. Fanny Trollops also has a good reputation. Other suggestions are Drygate which is a craft brewer situated in the shadows of the Tennents brewery (which is a 15 minute walk towards the East end). Another suggestion would also be the West Cafe at Glasgow Green. This is more a micro brewery which follows the guidelines of the German purification laws - they serve good German food and have a nice outdoor seating area.

There is a Brewdog place opposite the Kelvingrove Art Gallery which is alluded to in one of the posts above and they have just opened a new place near in the Merchant city which will be much closer to your hotel. There are plenty of other Craft beer type bars about but none that are worth a mention. If you like more 'alternative' places then Mono (which contains a good alternative record store run by Steven Pastel), Stereo, the Flying Duck and the Old Hairdressers are worth a shout. They also serve Vegan food if that's your bag. Other bars that could be worth a visit are Tabac and Bar Soba next to the Lighthouse.

Overview of the Bar and food areas:

Merchant City - decent area
City Centre - Mainly a decent area though avoid Renfield Street unless you want a Yates type experience.
Bath Street - okay for 'cool' type places
Sauchiehall Street - avoid the majority of it though there a few decent bars down the bottom half but it usually resembles Bosnia.
Finniestoun - the current 'in' place to hang out
West End - main student area, a few okay places

Food
Gamba, Cafe Gandolfi, Two Fat Ladies and the Red Onion are all recommended. There is a mixture of food in the city centre though it's currently being inundated by Burger places but you should find that there is enough variety.

If anything else comes to mind then I'll drop you a message but obviously there are resources online that you can refer to. The local listings magazine is 'The List' which has it's own website and is a Time Out style content which should give you more information on these places and give you an idea of any events that are happening when you're in town.

Enjoy your stay.

 

This is belting. Thank you very much, it really is appreciated. I'd read about Drygate Brewery so will definitely give that a try, and some of those other suggestions sound ideal. I want to head down to see the regen and architecture down on the Clyde so Finniestoun looks good for some drink and food after that - is there a specific street/area?

Cheers!

 

Top notch breakfast,

 

Drum & Monkey is the best pub in Glasgow.

 

I still remember the club you dragged me in to on Sauchiehall Street, previously known as The Moon. Rough as ****.

 

Finniestoun is pretty much just Argyle Street from the M8 going West up to where it meets Sauchiehall Street at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery. Most of the bars etc will be lined on that or just off. There is a bit of regeneration around that area and down on the Clyde though you may want to venture further West to Glasgow harbour as that was the 'flagship' regeneration area a few years. There is a certain irony in Glasgow building high rise private new build flats as it systematically demolishes the social high rise flats from the 60 / 70's though I'm sure you can draw your own conclusions from this dichotomy.

I echo Loco's sentiments regarding the Drum and Monkey in town (St Vincent St) and I forgot to mention the best or a least my favourite real ale place the Bon Accord. You'd probably past this on your way to Finniestoun - it's has a good selection of guest ales and they also do some good folk nights.

Finally, if architecture is your bag then there are several Mackintosh buildings to investigate. The Art School being the best known and I think they still do tours on Saturday mornings though half the building is still being renovated following the fire a few years back. It's worth having a look even from the outside.