GLASGOW
16 Charing Cross
There are 22 pub trails in Glasgow. There are ten trails in the centre of the city, plus five in the West End, two on The Southside across the river and four going East.
Three trails explore three of the main streets in the city centre HOPE St; RENFIELD St and WEST NILE St
Two trails are around Squares; GEORGE SQUARE and the OLD FRUIT MARKET in Merchant City.
Another five, trails take in : QUEEN St & GLASSFORD St, JAMAICA St/ST ENOCH, BATH STREET , WATERLOO St & BOTTOM of HOPE St and CHARING CROSS .
Across the river Clyde, on the South side are PAISLEY ROAD WEST and QUEEN’S PARK trails.
Going east are trails for Around THE TRONGATE, up GALLOWGATE , DUKE STREET, Dennistoun and along to SHETTLESTON
In the West End there are more trails - St George's Cross subway to Kelvin Bridge , BYRES ROAD , KELVINBRIDGE , KELVINHALL TO PARTICK and MARYHILL
Plus the SUBWAY CRAWL - 15 subway stops and the closest bars.
Glasgow pubs around Charing Cross
GLASGOW: CHARING CROSS TRAIL
From Glasgow Central walk out the main entrance and turn left to walk to Hope St. At the lights cross over and then cross again onto the far side of Bothwell St. Walk uo to the corner to find Bavaria Brauhaus. Leaving here turn around the corner and head up the hill to the next set of traffic lights at St Vincent’s St (not the first small lane) and across the road on the righ is The Slug and Lettuce. A refeshment before the walk, 10 minutes, to the first Charing Cross pub.
Now a long walk across Wellington St and up St Vincent St all the way to crossing over above the motorway (M8) . Once the other side of the motorway turn right onto North St towards Charing Cross and a further minute along is The Bon Accord. Walk on towards Charing Cross but turn quick left and find The Maverick at the next corner now return to the main road and continue to Charing Cross and find Chinaski’s and The Locale right next to each other just before the corner.
Leaving these you need to cross back over the M8 and cross diagonally towards Sauchiehall St and the Driftwood Bar is on the corner. From here down Sauchiehall St is across the road The Hall. Further along, passing Nice & Sleazy and The Variety Bar (visiting these depends on day and opening times -see later) is Nico’s. Across the road and up is The Kilt and Kocktails, back across the road is The Hengler’s Circus and round the corner from this is The State
A place this size is bound to have its own guides to illustrate the vast quantity, quality and styles of pubs.
CAMRA in Glasgow
Glasgow guide illustrating top ten pubs in different styles of drinking (and dining) eg Style pubs or Live Music pubs.
Timeout listing of best pubs - controversial
A good proportion of the pubs have real ale but many do not. The west coast still has a bit of a lager flavour - occasionally only lager. Real ale is not limited to trendy style pubs, and not even in many of these.
Glasgow does not have the tourist grouping of pubs as found in Edinburgh - they are mainly aimed at Glasgow folk.
Practically every pub offers food at lunch or all day
Bavaria Baurhaus
Bavaria Baurhaus is Glasgows Munich Style beer hall. Long servery along the right-hand wall with tables filling the room. There is also an upstairs which over looks the main hall with more seating. There is lots of beer on offer – 20 draught and over 40 different bottles. Bavarian food is offered all day and there are evenings with a beer hall brass band.
The beer comes from the big six Bavarian breweries – Hofbrau , Lowenbrau, Paulaner; Spatenbrau; Augustinerbrau; Hacker-Pschorr. Padles of four assorted beers are available for tasting sessions.
Slug and Lettuce closed
Slug and Lettuce has a long thin bar room into the right with more seating going to the left behind the long . The room opens out at the far end of the servery. Opposite the servery are some booths and some seating along side the large windows. there is lots of lighting to aguement the daylight coming in the large windows.
Have a half pint here
Heavy (Bitter): Punk IPA
Lager: Tennent’s; 13 Hop lager; Innes & Gunn lager; Peroni; Esttrella; St Mungo; Blue Moon
Cider: Mortimer Orchard; Rekorderlig Guinness
Pub Jukebox:
Alcohol themed music to listen to while you browse.
strange brew - Cream
Bon Accord ★
Bon Accord is situated alongside the M8 on North St. The entrance at right of building takes you to a thin bar with some basic tables and chairs to the left at window. Then the servery, with stools, is along the left wall. This has a dark wood counter and gantry; the gantry is full of whiskies. There are tall chairs at shelves along the wall opposite servery. Beyond servery and down a few stairs the bar opens up to a large seating area with various sizes of dark wood dining tables and some leather like armchairs. At end of this room is a door to some outside seating.
The pub has little natural light and has dark wood floor with white ceiling and walls; with wood panel third of way up walls. Food is served all day.
Regular in Good Beer Guide, including 2023, 2024
Real ale: usually 10 pumps - nice to see real ale handpumps outnumbering keg taps Stout Jock; Balmy days (Adnams); Ritual Pale (Alchemy); Glasgow Cross (Broughton); Thekstons Bitter; Inferno (oakham); Edinburgh gold (Stewarts) Born Brewery IPA
previous visit - Duchess; Malt bomb (Alechemy); Happy Chappy (Cromatory); Pedigree; Northwest Pale (Runaway); Ritual (Alechemy); Top Out; Chocolate Armoretto
Heavy/Pale Ale: Beaverton Neck Oil
Lager: Heineken Silver; Birra Moretti
Cider: Old Rosie Inch’s Guinness
The Maverick
The Maverick, Glasgow
The Maverick, Glasgow - corner door
The Maverick, Glasgow - left of entrance
The Maverick, Glasgow - servery ahead
The Maverick, Glasgow - right of entrance
The Maverick, Glasgow - through to lounge area
The Maverick, Glasgow - lounge
The Maverick, Glasgow - looking up to door
The Maverick is a pleasant corner bar with the corner of the L-shaped servery straight ahead of door. Left and right have banquette seating under the windows with dining style tables and chairs. Wooden counter has some stools along it. the counter stretches longest to the right and through a door it also serves a lounge area with banquette seating on three sides
heavy/Pale Ale: Bombay Bicycle Pale Ale;
Lager: Tennent’s; Stella; Sapporo
Cider: Magners; Kingfisher Guinness
Chinaski’s ★
Chinaskis, Glasgow
Chinaskis, Glasgow
Chinaskis, Glasgow
Chinaskis, Glasgow - to front door
Chinaskis, Glasgow - balcony
Chinaskis, Glasgow
Chinaskis, Glasgow - from front door
Chinaskis, Glasgow - outside seating
Chinaskis, Glasgow - balcony, looking over The Locale's balcony
Chinanski’s - strangely there is no name outside, merely a board proclaiming information that could as just as easily belong to the pub next door. This is a gem that hides itself away.
The door takes you to a long thin bar with seating either side of door and servery, with stools, starting half way along the right-hand wall. Stools along servery. There
A dark room dark brown wooden floor, dark wood fixtures black tall servery though glass mirror gantry.
A small covered and heated outside seating area of table and benches which acts as a balcony to look over a larger beer yard with orange umbrellas. The balcony also overlooks The Locale pub next door
Heavy/Pale ale: Chinaski’s Pale Ale; Ice breaker Pale Ale
Lager: Tennent’s; Furstenburg; Weihenstephan; Estrella Gallia; Peroni; Chinaski’s Lager
Guinness
The Locale
The Locale, Glasgow
The Locale, Glasgow
The Locale, Glasgow
The Locale, Glasgow
The Locale, Glasgow - looking over balcony of Chinaskis
The Locale, Glasgow - balcony
The Locale, Glasgow
The Locale, Glasgow - outsdie seating below balcony
The Locale, Glasgow
The Locale is an interesting bar. The long servery is along left wall while beyond the servery is an outside balcony overlooking a large beer garden.
Opposite the servery are tall tables with stools and banquette seating. The mezzanine area has dining table and chair seating. On the balcony are tables and bench seating overlooking Chinaski’s next door. While below the balcony is a large “beer garden”, no grass; just one of the largest outside drinking yards in Glasgow are long tables and benches covered with large umbrellas – almost a marque. There is also a downstairs ‘Dive’ available for private parties. Good food available.
Lager: Locale lager; Estrella Galicia; Pravha
Wheat Beer: Blue Moon
Cider: Aspall Guinness
PUB QUIZ
Which Cluedo suspect is known as Dona Violeta in Brazil?
Answer at foot of page
Driftwood Bar
Driftwood Bar is a student party night and quiz venue. Tall servery with stools on left side immediately inside the door. To the right are some stools and booths.
Beyond the servery is a larger round area with a domed ceiling which has lots of seating. Wooden furniture is a white distressed wood look throughout.
Lager: Amstel; Heineken Silver.
Cider: Strongbow
The Hall
The Hall entrance is into middle of very large room with full length windows on either side and with a tall servery along the back wall. A place targeted for lots of customers -students, craft beer drinkers, food, sports on TV and pool players.
Two pool tables are off to the right attracting older clients in afternoon, though not many.
Lots of dining style tables with chairs and some tall tables with chairs, with some long tables to encourage large groups.
Craft ales: Yeastie Boys; Jari; ; Caesar Augustus; Hazy Jane; Vermont ( Tempest); Elvis Juice; Punk IPA; Planet Pale; Neck Oil
Lager: St Mungo; Tennent’s; Innes and Gunn lager
Cider: Strongbow Guinness
Nico’s
Nico’s has some outside seating either side of the door. Inside the servery with marble topped counter and stools along front, is along the right hand wall. There is modern banquette seating down left hand wall with dining height tables and chairs. Beyond servery are two booths on right and seating beside glass shelves. Décor has lots of mirrors on walls above the seating and then white walls to ceiling. Middle of the room has an archway .
Pale Ale: Lagunitas Daytime
Lager: Heineken; Heineken Silver; Amstel; Birra Moretti; Staroperama; Corona
Cider: Strongbow; Strongbow Dark Fruit Guinness
Kilt and Kocktails
Kilt and Cocktails The Kilt and Kocktails is a cocktail bar designed as an evening venue. Either side of entrance are booth areas and then a tall black servery is against the left wall. Opposite the servery is dining style area. The areas beyond servery to the right and left have tables for two or booths for party groups for nights out.
Lager: Tennent’s (four fonts!); Bud Light; Stella
Cider: Magners Guinness
The Hengler’s Circus
The Hengler’s Circus is a corner Wetherspoon’s pub with large windows allowing light coming in from two sides. L shaped corner room with L shaped corner servery on back wall. Mix of tall and dining tables and chairs and stools. To the right of servery is a more secluded area with booths and more seating.
Regular in Good Beer Guide, including 2023, 2024
Real Ale: Belhaven 80/- Shilling; Doom Bar; Dark side of the Moor; Jaipur; Directors; Iceberg (Titanic); Passion Fruit Pale Ale (Redcastle); Stairway to Heaven (Burton Bridge) ; Abbot
Heavy/Pale Ale: John Smiths; Punk IPA
Lager: Tennents; San Miguel; Corona; Leffe; Stella; Coors
Cider: Strongbow; Stoward Press; Stoward Press dark Fruit; Kopparoberg
Guinness
The State ★
The State is a traditional old pub with large etched windows to the front and doors at each side leading to an oval island bar with marble counter and brass foot rails. The counter has fancy wooden posts around it holding up a curved gantry for glass storage. The main area is dominated by the bar and its fittings. Old photos and theatre posters fill the space in the walls not covered by large mirrors. 4 TVs and modern toilets keep you in the present. Wood, mirrors and counter all sparkling clean. There is some seating to back and to the right-hand side (seating at left has been removed for modern toilets although cornicing and wall have been preserved.) Attractive old fireplace in righthand corner (although not a real fire) with banquette seating and tables to either side. Only midweek lunchtime meals. Blues music on Tuesday night. history
CAMRA Glasgow pub of the year 2018
Regular in Good Beer Guide, including 2023, 2024
Have a pint here
Real ale; Winter Wonderloch; Southern Summit (both Loch Lomond); Highlander (Fyne Ales); State No. 3 (Stewart); Squawk (Pica); Maple Porter (Tryst); Green Devil (Oakham)
Heavy (Bitter): McEwan’s Export; John Smiths
Lager: Tennent’s; Estrella; Innes & Gunn; Staroperaman
Cider: Strongbow
PLACES TO VISIT WITH PUBTRAILS
The towns and villages highlighted on this web site have a wide variety of pubs and beers in them. All of the places are great to visit, whether for a day or longer, and most have tourist attractions for all of the family.
There is a large variety of pubs throughout the different towns shown below. Some you may wish never to visit again but even discovering these can be interesting. There are pubs that you would not take your wife into. While some you could not take your girlfriend into. A few you would not take either into. However, most of the pubs are very pleasant.
HOME MAP of places visited
Alnwick Ambleside Anstruther Bakewell Bamburgh Barnard Castle Bath Berwick upon Tweed Birnam & Dunkeld Bourton on the Water Bowness on Windermere Bridge of Allan Chester Chichester Dunblane Dunoon Edinburgh Ely Fort William Glasgow Gourock Greenock Helensburgh Inverness Kelso Keswick Knaresborough Largs Linlithgow Lyme Regis Melrose Montrose Newton Stewart North Berwick Norwich Oban Pebbles Penzance Portree Pitlochry Quorn Richmond Rothesay St Andrews Seahouses Seend Shrewsbury Skipton Stirling Stratford-upon-Avon Stockton Heath Whitby Windemere Whitstable York
Links for Glasgow city centre Pubtrails
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Trail 1 - Around George Square
(blue with black dot icon)
Waxy O’ Connors
Dow’s
The Vale (now closed)
Camperdown Place (closed)
Georgics
The Ark
The Piper
Committee Room No 9
Katie’s Bar
Drouthys
The Counting House
The Anchor Line
The Citizen (was The Trading House)
The Auctioneers
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Trail 2 - HOPE STREET
(light blue icon)
Stereo
The Old Hairdressers
The Society Room
The Pot Still.
Molly Malone's.
MacConnell's
Ardnamurchan (was Trader Joe's)
Rufus T Firefly
NYC Bar
Ad Lib
The Toby Jug
The Smokin' Fox (formerly The Hope)
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Trail 3 RENFIELD STREET
(green icon)
The Merchant
The Maltman
The Raven
Lauders.
The Atholl Arms
Walkabout
The Renfield Bar
Revolution
Missoula
Revolucion De Cuba
The Drum and Monkey
The Horseshoe.
Dury Lane Bar & Kitchen
Yes Bar - closed
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Trail 4 - WEST NILE St
(red icon)
Vroni's Wine Bar
The Shilling Brewing Co.
The Iron Horse - closed
The Station Bar
The Intermezzo
Alfie’s (was Alfredo's)
Cul Cuil (was The Courtyard)
All Bar One
Innes & Gunn Talroom
Los Iguanas
Revolution
Ross's Original Bar
Tabac
August House
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Trail 5 - AROUND THE FRUITMARKET
(grey icons)
Bar 91
Beer Cafe
The Metropolitan
Marmalade Skies (was Boudoir Wine Bar) - closed
Bar Square
The Tap Room (was Steak, Rattle and Roll which was Bar Espagnol Mercado)
O'Neil's
Bar Soba
Bar Gandolfi.
Bar Home
Babbity Bowster,
Strathduie (was Macgregor's Pie & Ale Howf and before that Strathduie !)
The Black Bull
McChuills
Connolly’s LIQR (was LIQR and before that The G-Lounge)
Blackfriars of Bell St
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Trail 6 -A circle around Waterloo St & Hope St
(yellow icon)
The Smokin’ Fox (was The Hope)
Kitty O'Shea's
El Camino (was The Drop)
Rhoderick Dhu
The Woods
The Waterloo
The Duke’s Umbrella
Sir John Muir
Oswald’s (was Kellys ;was Quarter Gill)
No 16 Bar & Kitchen (was Sotto; was The Two Heided Man)
Denholms
Solid Rock Cafe
The Alpen Lodge
The Park Lane
26 Hope St
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Trail 7 - Queen St and Glassford St
(purple icon)
Biere Halle
The Lab
Wonderbar
Sloans
Rocky O' Sullivans CLOSED
Strata CLOSED
Max's Bar & Grill
Thundercat
The Spiritualist
Cairns
Steps Bar
Blane Valley
Bacchus
Rab Ha's
The Pavement CLOSED
The Doghouse
The Gallery Bar
The Amsterdam
The Oriental (closed)
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Trail 8 - Jamaica St- St Enoch
(brown icon)
O'Neil's (was The Royal Scott)
The Grant Arms
The Crystal Palace
Macsorley's
The Imperial
The Mint & Lime CLOSED
Lauristons
Gallagher’s (was Kelly’s and was Coyote)
Hootenanny
Times Square
Crafty Joe's (taken over by Times Square)
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Trail 16 - Charing Cross
(yellow with small square)
Bavaria Baurhaus
Slug & Lettuce CLOSED
Bon Accord
The Maverick
Chinaski’s
The Locale
Driftwood
The Hall
Nico’s
Kilt & Kocktails
The Hengler’s Circus
The State
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Trail 10 - Bath St
(red with small square)
Golf Loung
Buck’s Bar
Bloc+
The Butterfly and The Pig
Palomino
Slouch
The Griffin
Tiki Bar and Kitsch Inn
St Judes
Howlin’ Wolf
Malones
The Bay Horse
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Trail 19 - Paisley Rd West
(dark blue teardrop)
Lauriston Bar
The Quayside bar
The Union Bar
The Old Toll Bar
The Viceroy
The Bellrock
Grapes
The District bar
Kensington Bar
Park Bar
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trail 22 -Queen's Park
McNeil’s
The Regent
Titwood Bar
TheBbungo
Allison Arms
MJ Heraghty
Victoria Bar
Ryan’s bar
The Bell Jar
The Rose reilly
Queen’s Park Cafe
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Trail 9 - Around The Trongate
(orange with large square icon)
Grace’s Irish Sports Bar
Buck’s Bar
Boteco do Brazil
Maggie May's
Avant Garde
13th Note -(closed)
Old Empire Bar (closed)
Whistler on the Green
The Old Ship Bank Bar
The Winds
The Victoria & Clutha
The Scotia
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Trail 17 - up the Gallowgate
Chrystal Bell & Co
MacKinnon’s
The Gate (check opening)
Bar ‘67 (check opening)
226 Gallowgate
Hielan Jessie
The Wee Man’s Pub
The Drover
Van Winkle (check opening)
Luke’s & The Flying Ox
Traders Lounge
The Old Burnt Barns (check opening)
Braemar
Tollbooth Bar
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Trail 18 - Duke Street, Dennistoun
The Bristol bar
The Louden tavern
The Duke Bar
the Crown Creighton
The Alexandra Bar
The Snug
The Palais
Redmond’s of Dennistoun
The Drover
The Wee Man’s Bar
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Trail 21 -Shettleston
Snedden’s Inn
The Palaceum
The Town Tavern
The Cottage Bar
The Marquis
The Drum
The Portland Arms
The Railway tavern
The Kirkhouse
Miller’s
Links for Glasgow West End & Subway Pubtrails
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Trail 11 - St George's to Kelvinbridge
(lime green with tick icon)
The Castle Vaults
The Hug and Pint
The Scallion (was Munro's then The Bull and now ..)
Wintersgills
The Lansdowne - closed
Webster's
Inn Deep
Cooper’s
Bakehouse
The Left bank
Stravaigin
The Doublet
Old Schoolhouse
Dram!
FF West End
Arlington
The Drake
Camerons (was The Carnarvon Bar)
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Trail 12- Byres Rd
(light blue icon)
Curler's Rest
the Wee Pub/The Pub
Innes & Gunn Brewery Tap
Brel
Vodka Wodka
Jinty McGinty’s
Hillhead Book Club
The Parlour
Oran Mor
BeGin
Tennent's Bar
Bar Soba
The Aragon
The Hill - closed
Gumbo - closed
The Record Factory
The Three Judges
Bag O'Nails
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Trail 13 - Kelvingrove
(red with tick)
Dirty Duchess
Lebowskis
Taphouse
The Grove
The Big Slide
The Snaffle Bit
The Butchershop
BrewDog
Dukes Bar
The Islay Inn
The Park Bar
No 78
Kelvingrove Cafe
The Ben Nevis
Finnieston
Brass Monkey
Strip Joint
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trail 15 - Kelvinhall to Partick and back
(maroon circle with square or tic)
To To
Kelvinhall Patrick Stumps Bar Three Judges
The Fiddlers The Dolphin
Victoria Bar Bag O’Nails
Quarter Gill Storm Queen
The Linsmor Smiddy Bar
Sparkle Horse Tenement Bar
Bauhaus Windsor Tav.
Record Factory Rosevale Tav.
Gallus Deoch An Dorus
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trail 20 - Maryhill
LOWER
The Castle Vaults
The Tower
the Star & Garter
Munn’s
The BrewHaus
The Botany Bar
The Woodside Inn
The Royalty Bar
UPPER
The First & Last
Kelvin Dock
The Punch Bow;
The Viking Bar
The Lockhouse
Harvey’s Bar
The Ram’s Head
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Trail 14 - Glasgow Subway
Waxy O'Connors
Jackson’s
Castle Vaults
The Hug
The Doublet
Curler’s Rest
The Bag O' Nails
Deoch and Doris
Brechin's
The Louden Tavern
Kensington
The Bellrock
Stanley Bar - closed
The Old Toll Bar
The Lord Nelson - closed
Laurieston
Times Square
Links to pages and sites
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Books on Beer
A variety of recommended books to improve your knowledge of beer and brewing
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Stevenson & MacKay
Craig Stevenson and John MacKay use their bus passes to visit pubs the length and breadth of Scotland.
They have recorded their adventures in seven books.
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Books on Pubs
A veriety of recommended books that describe the history and development of the public house.
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CAMRA
The Campaign for Real Ale
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Places visited by Pubtrails
Villages, towns and cities which appear on this website.
The Vale is now closed
You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline — it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.
Frank Zappa
ANSWER: Mrs Peacock