This is a really swanky place with fantastic steaks. You can get special pre-theatre menus, however, there isn't a great deal of choice and you do feel that if you are there you really need to have the steak which has a supplement of about £7. On the day we went they served freshly baked bread with walnuts which was lovely.
The service was very good but possibly verging on the trying too hard to please.
It's worth giving a go but wait until you're feeling quite flush!
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Step back in time
This 70-year-old Glasgow institution is fitted out with Art Deco fixtures modelled on the original Queen Mary ocean liner which was built in the Glasgow docks on the river Clyde. This is a wonderful place to eat and drink and you'll find the bartenders add to the atmosphere of twenties decadence, with perfectly mixed cocktail classics. The restaurant is particularly renowned for delicious oysters and fish dishes and its clientèle are mainly 40-50 something divorcees, business-people and people who lunch, who are all impeccably dressed.
If you want this sort of class, however, then you have to pay for it. It has the reputation of being one of the best but also one of the most expensive restaurants in Glasgow. If you're not looking to splash out so much on a meal, however, it's worth popping in during the day for a cappuccino which is served in a large cup with a piece of tablet and at a more reasonable price and in much more luxurious surroundings than the Starbuck's next door!
There is also a terrace bar outside which is popular with smokers and non-smokers alike and a good place to be seen right on the edge of the Merchant City.
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The Arches is located in spare ground in the railway arches right across from Glasgow Central railway station and the building is pretty big, accommodating a couple of thousand people on club nights.
The Arches cafe is located at the front of the building which has a decent selection of dishes that are mainly of Italian and Scottish origin and you can pick up some fairly decent deals through 5pm.co.uk website.
The building hosts many different events ranging from visual arts, contemporary theatre as well as the extremely popular 'Celtic Connections' Scottish music festival.
The club is best known for holding dance music events and frequently attracts world class DJs. It has been one of the hippest venues in the city for quite a number of years and the spaciousness of the building being built around the 6 railway arches make it unique in itself.
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The Willow Tea Rooms
+44 014 13320521
217 Sauchiehall Street G2 3EX
saved by one person: there is one review
This tearoom is located right in the heart of the city centre and was designed by the city’s most popular architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1903. Not only did he model the exterior but also the interior right down to the tea spoons and the waitresses’ dresses. You get a true feeling of a bygone era in here and the clientèle includes just as many locals as tourists.
Mirrors reflect tall silver chairs, white table cloths, lilac cushions and petals of stained glass. The waitresses dressed up in French maid outfits adds to the whole ambience and the menu gives a wide choice from such things as ham toasties to smoked salmon and prawns. You can also treat yourself to afternoon tea with sandwiches, scones and cakes.
If you don’t make it along to any of the Mackintosh museums then this is a perfect place to drop in for a cuppa and try a bit of the Mackintosh experience.
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Tusk is pretty stunning as it is located in a former cinema and pool hall, the ground-floor bar is decked out with mirrors, flowers and reflective lighting and it’s pretty special to set eyes on for the first time. It’s Asian-themed and includes a massive Buddha statue as well as Thai lanterns and long mirrored tunnels. It’s one of those places that you just have to see at least once. The folk who go here are more your Shawlands types rather than more pretentious types that you may encounter in the city centre, and the atmosphere is really good.
The music can be a wee bit hit and miss though. They can play some good dance tunes and R'n'B but it just depends how many cheesy tunes you want to hear on a night out and you sometimes feel like you’re attending a wedding rather than a cool club at the weekend.
It’s a pretty good night out though and this place can definitely hold it's own against many of the clubs in the city centre. The only down side is the drinks are pretty expensive but what you would expect from somewhere that is as stunning as here.
There is also a restaurant which offers Asian style cooking.
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This isn't just a vegetarian restaurant; it's a vegan restaurant, which means it serves no animal products whatsoever. The restaurant is, however, fairly laid-back so there's no need to fear any one pouncing on you trying to ram down their extreme vegan views on you.
It´s got a fairly bohemian atmosphere which is a nice change from the prolifera of chain restaurants and pubs that are a feature of Glasgow city centre. Stereo's premises are a one-off as well as they are located in the lower floor of a less well-known Charles Rennie Mackintosh building with an unusual tiled exterior.
The menu is fairly small with typical veggie things like tofu, although it does include items like cheesecake so they manage to find adequate substitutes for the animal products and I couldn't knock the fajitas as they went down a treat.
It's a nice unpretentious relaxing environment though and you do feel that you're eating that bit more healthily than you normally when you pop out to lunch elsewhere in town.
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This is good solid cooking at a decent price in a friendly atmosphere right in the Merchant City across from Merchant Square. You'll be served locally sourced food and local artists' work adorn the walls.
It is the ideal place to go to sample the local cuisine with haggis, neeps and tatties on the menu, in addition to cullen skink and Stornoway black pudding as well as many other traditional Scottish delights. They have also added a bar area in the attic where you can go for a drink before or after your meal if you fancy which has a relaxing atmosphere. The furniture is also quite unique and made by local craftsmen which you can also purchase for your own home if you so wish.
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Pancho Villa's is a fairly decent Mexican chain pub and is the best-known Mexican cantina in the city. It's very colourful and has a lively atmosphere and is a popular place to go for work nights out. The decor and clientele are lively and loud, creating a friendly and vibrant mood both on the ground floor and down in the basement. Right in the heart of the Merchant City, it is part of a new old-style indoor market, which itself adds a bit of fiesta atmosphere.
All the favourites are present in the menu such as fajitas and burritos and the chillis for starters are recommended. Like most Mexican restaurants, you can also treat yourself to a jug of cocktail during the meal. The staff normally cope fairly well with the large groups that normally visit the restaurant and the food is of decent enough quality with reasonable-sized portions for this type of restaurant. There are also good deals on at lunchtime.
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Stravaigin's motto of think global, eat local is certainly a true reflection of how the restaurant works. Dining in the bistro is a pleasant experience and the food is of excellent quality. It's in a handy location right across from Hillhead underground. They base traditional Scottish ingredients such as salmon and haddock and add a twist of citrus and chilli to give it a special tang or some coconut to give a more eastern flavour. This is a good example of fushion cooking at its best. In true Scottish style though you can try a deep-fried jeely piece (jam sandwich) which, like the mars bar version, I've never tried but folk always tell me that it tastes really good!
The 2-course set lunch or pre-theatre menu is good value and is priced around £12 and 3-courses for £14. The original Stravigin is just around the corner and is slightly more upmarket if you're looking for something slightly more formal although this place has never let me down.
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If you're in the centre of Glasgow then the Corinthian is certainly worth a visit. It is a stunning building which is set in a former Bank of Scotland complete with a massive glass dome and crystal chandeliers.
The building is fairly large and has various rooms including a cocktail bar, restaurant, club and a cosy lounge bar. The restaurant serves high quality food I believe although I've never tried it. The club tends to be frequented by slightly older people than the normal Merchant City crowd but worth popping along to even for a quick drink before going on somewhere else. The cocktail bar, called the lite room, is also open to 3 in the morning so if you don't fancy paying to go in somewhere and feel like staying out a bit later than you are able to in the majority of city centre pubs then it's always an option.
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