Botanical Gardens
730 Great Western Road
Glasgow
G12 OUE
open from 7.00am till dusk daily however the specific facilities within the park are subject to opening times.
Glasshouses: 10.00am – 4.45pm (4.15pm in winter)
Visitor Centre: 11.00am – 4.00pm
Toilets: 10.00am – 5.00pm (this may vary through the year)
The Botanic Gardens sits snugly in the West End, fairly close to Hillhead underground, and boasts a pretty impressive selection of flora from across the world in the large glass houses. Regularly maintained by Glasgow Council, we were impressed to see how much was crammed into such a small area (we walked across right through it before realising we’d come out the other side). Pretty much an ideal place to get away from city life without actually leaving the city, there’s even a nice walk along the River Kelvin where you can try a spot of fishing.
The only down side is when you’ve seen everything, you’ve seen everything. Still, bring a picnic, chill out in the main gardens, and just enjoy the peace and quiet.
Monday, 9 February 2009
Otto Bar and Grill
Otto Bar & Grill
94 Byers Rd
Glasgow G12 8TB
01413347462
www.ottobargrill.com
Mon-Sun 12pm-12am
Food served till 9pm daily
Bottle of house wine - £11.95
Drinks Promos from £1.50
Otto, on Byres Road, used to be a bar called Rubaiyat, which we remember as a bit of an old mans pub with a friendly atmosphere. Newly named, it’s reinvented itself in a wine bar style, without the pretence. Thankfully they didn’t chuck out the atmosphere either.
Otto doesn’t have a “type” of customer, we spotted moshers, professionals, students, normal people… The food probably helps. Sourced locally, well cooked and with decent portions, you could have a meal and hang around after, without feeling you have to move on to a bar/club. They have local well known DJ’s playing a mix of RnB, funk and a little house, so you can easily start your night here.
We’ve no idea why the wine list is in a metal binder, other than its cool, though the Death Star style lampshade was a tad worrying. We’d easily come back though.
http://www.itchyglasgow.co.uk/review.cfm/7/208421/Glasgow-City-Guide/review/Otto-Bar-and-Grill
94 Byers Rd
Glasgow G12 8TB
01413347462
www.ottobargrill.com
Mon-Sun 12pm-12am
Food served till 9pm daily
Bottle of house wine - £11.95
Drinks Promos from £1.50
Otto, on Byres Road, used to be a bar called Rubaiyat, which we remember as a bit of an old mans pub with a friendly atmosphere. Newly named, it’s reinvented itself in a wine bar style, without the pretence. Thankfully they didn’t chuck out the atmosphere either.
Otto doesn’t have a “type” of customer, we spotted moshers, professionals, students, normal people… The food probably helps. Sourced locally, well cooked and with decent portions, you could have a meal and hang around after, without feeling you have to move on to a bar/club. They have local well known DJ’s playing a mix of RnB, funk and a little house, so you can easily start your night here.
We’ve no idea why the wine list is in a metal binder, other than its cool, though the Death Star style lampshade was a tad worrying. We’d easily come back though.
http://www.itchyglasgow.co.uk/review.cfm/7/208421/Glasgow-City-Guide/review/Otto-Bar-and-Grill
Khubla Khan
Khubla Khan
20 Candleriggs, Merchant City
Glasgow
G1 1LD
Tel 0141 5525646
www.khublaikhan.co.uk
Open 7 days 5pm-12am
Lunch 12pm-4pm Fri-Sun
Bottle of house wine - £13.99
Various drinks promos on different nights
We've never been to Mongolia. It's a bit far. If we do go, we're hoping it's a lot like Khublai Khans. You need to be in the mood for something special if you come here. Simply select either rice or noodles then chose from an array of unusual meats. Add your sauce made up from ingredients either from the suggested menu or choose your own style. Then hand it to the ninja chef who cooks it for you. Well, he uses samurai swords. Khublai Khan boasts that you won't leave hungry, and trust us, you won't. We'll be back. If only to stare open mouthed at sword chef again.
http://www.itchyglasgow.co.uk/review.cfm/7/208244/Glasgow-City-Guide/review/Khublai-Khan
20 Candleriggs, Merchant City
Glasgow
G1 1LD
Tel 0141 5525646
www.khublaikhan.co.uk
Open 7 days 5pm-12am
Lunch 12pm-4pm Fri-Sun
Bottle of house wine - £13.99
Various drinks promos on different nights
We've never been to Mongolia. It's a bit far. If we do go, we're hoping it's a lot like Khublai Khans. You need to be in the mood for something special if you come here. Simply select either rice or noodles then chose from an array of unusual meats. Add your sauce made up from ingredients either from the suggested menu or choose your own style. Then hand it to the ninja chef who cooks it for you. Well, he uses samurai swords. Khublai Khan boasts that you won't leave hungry, and trust us, you won't. We'll be back. If only to stare open mouthed at sword chef again.
http://www.itchyglasgow.co.uk/review.cfm/7/208244/Glasgow-City-Guide/review/Khublai-Khan
Variety Bar
Variety Bar
401 Sauchiehall St
Glasgow
G2 3LG
Tel: 01413324449
Mon-Sun: 11am till 12pm
Bottle of wine: £10.99
Various drinks promotions durng the week
It’s easy to dismiss the Variety Bar from the outside as an “old mans pub”. When you get inside, the décor doesn’t do much to change your mind. However the people that drink there are far from the old man type. There’s such a wide mixture of people you’d hate to classify it as one type of bar or another. Everyone we asked raved about the place, particularly the toasties for £1.
The staff were friendly, everyone had their own favourite type of toastie, and the place didn’t pretend to be anything other than a decent local for a pint. Nice.
401 Sauchiehall St
Glasgow
G2 3LG
Tel: 01413324449
Mon-Sun: 11am till 12pm
Bottle of wine: £10.99
Various drinks promotions durng the week
It’s easy to dismiss the Variety Bar from the outside as an “old mans pub”. When you get inside, the décor doesn’t do much to change your mind. However the people that drink there are far from the old man type. There’s such a wide mixture of people you’d hate to classify it as one type of bar or another. Everyone we asked raved about the place, particularly the toasties for £1.
The staff were friendly, everyone had their own favourite type of toastie, and the place didn’t pretend to be anything other than a decent local for a pint. Nice.
West
West
Templeton Building
Glasgow Green
Glasgow
G40 1AW
Tel 0141 5500135
Sun-Thurs: 11am-11pm
Fri, Sat: 11am-12pm
£2.90 for mug of West Beer
£13.99 for bottle of house wine
Sample dish – Fillet of beef, pickled cabbage, dumping - £13.99
West is different. Not only because it’s the first genuine German restaurant in Glasgow, but it also produces and sells its own beer (in litres!), being an independent brewery too. We tried some. It’s good.
This is food from the Old Country – Sauerkraut, schnitzels, bratwurst, and a spiced red cabbage mixed with ginger, all of which bring something unique to the area. You wouldn’t expect a German restaurant/brewery right next to Glasgow Green, but it works, and you certainly won’t leave thinking about a bag of chips on the way home. It may not be to everyone’s tastes, the train line right next to it can get a little distracting, and we also found it slightly odd that they continually played just one music track over and over, but you could do a lot worse after a walk in the park.
Templeton Building
Glasgow Green
Glasgow
G40 1AW
Tel 0141 5500135
Sun-Thurs: 11am-11pm
Fri, Sat: 11am-12pm
£2.90 for mug of West Beer
£13.99 for bottle of house wine
Sample dish – Fillet of beef, pickled cabbage, dumping - £13.99
West is different. Not only because it’s the first genuine German restaurant in Glasgow, but it also produces and sells its own beer (in litres!), being an independent brewery too. We tried some. It’s good.
This is food from the Old Country – Sauerkraut, schnitzels, bratwurst, and a spiced red cabbage mixed with ginger, all of which bring something unique to the area. You wouldn’t expect a German restaurant/brewery right next to Glasgow Green, but it works, and you certainly won’t leave thinking about a bag of chips on the way home. It may not be to everyone’s tastes, the train line right next to it can get a little distracting, and we also found it slightly odd that they continually played just one music track over and over, but you could do a lot worse after a walk in the park.
Slaters Menswear
Slaters Menswear
165 Howard Street
Glasgow, G1 4HF
Tel: 0141 552 7171
Opening Hours
Mon-Sat 0830-1730
Thur 0830-1930
Sun 1130-1630
Slaters was recently nominated for the Evening Times Favourite Business Award (a fact they ram home with the many posters about the store) but spend a bit of time there and you can see why. Selling everything from causal wear to formal suits, the staff are friendly and professional while giving a personal service not often in seen in Glasvegas. We went in for a causal shirt and trousers and were made to feel quite at ease, and were even recommended to not wear the shirt we chose because it didn’t look right – definitely a case where the customer may always be right, but they shouldn’t look silly while they are.
Alterations are free too (we needed the trousers taken up), and you leave feeling you’ve made the right purchase, though its not the cheapest place we’ve been to, but you’re paying for the quality and service. Recommended.
165 Howard Street
Glasgow, G1 4HF
Tel: 0141 552 7171
Opening Hours
Mon-Sat 0830-1730
Thur 0830-1930
Sun 1130-1630
Slaters was recently nominated for the Evening Times Favourite Business Award (a fact they ram home with the many posters about the store) but spend a bit of time there and you can see why. Selling everything from causal wear to formal suits, the staff are friendly and professional while giving a personal service not often in seen in Glasvegas. We went in for a causal shirt and trousers and were made to feel quite at ease, and were even recommended to not wear the shirt we chose because it didn’t look right – definitely a case where the customer may always be right, but they shouldn’t look silly while they are.
Alterations are free too (we needed the trousers taken up), and you leave feeling you’ve made the right purchase, though its not the cheapest place we’ve been to, but you’re paying for the quality and service. Recommended.
Maggie Mays
Maggie Mays
60 The Trongate,
Glasgow
G1 5EP
Tel: 0141 548 1350
Mon-Sun: 11am till 12pm
Bottle of wine: £13.99
Various drinks promotions during the week
Maggie Mays has fast become one of the hottest places for bands in Glasgow, so much so they won “Scotlands Best Music Bar” at this years Theme Awards in Edinburgh. Oddly it doesn’t look like a gigging pub, more of a trendy wine bar place, but the amount of bottles behind the bar was bloody impressive. We made up a drink for a laugh and actually got a cocktail back.
The first ten minutes or so you get the feeling the place is a bit pretentious, but we soon warmed to it and headed for that nights gig – gotta hand it to the place, the sound is awesome. Gig over, we left feeling we had a decent evening. Oh, and they have 986 Myspace friends. They asked us to mention that.
60 The Trongate,
Glasgow
G1 5EP
Tel: 0141 548 1350
Mon-Sun: 11am till 12pm
Bottle of wine: £13.99
Various drinks promotions during the week
Maggie Mays has fast become one of the hottest places for bands in Glasgow, so much so they won “Scotlands Best Music Bar” at this years Theme Awards in Edinburgh. Oddly it doesn’t look like a gigging pub, more of a trendy wine bar place, but the amount of bottles behind the bar was bloody impressive. We made up a drink for a laugh and actually got a cocktail back.
The first ten minutes or so you get the feeling the place is a bit pretentious, but we soon warmed to it and headed for that nights gig – gotta hand it to the place, the sound is awesome. Gig over, we left feeling we had a decent evening. Oh, and they have 986 Myspace friends. They asked us to mention that.
The Original Shoe Company
The Original Shoe Company
162 Buchanan St
Glasgow
G1 3JX
Tel: 0141 332 7628
Mon-Wed & Sat, 9am-6pm;
Thu, 9am-7pm; Sun, 12pm-5pm
The Original Shoe Company is obviously trying to shed it’s ned attraction ,and it’s not really working. Largely we found the store’s neon white shelving and decoration wasn’t the inviting cream colour found in, for example, the Apple Store, but was clinical and cold. The staff seemed largely uninterested and we got a slightly confused look when we asked about Etnies for men. Not a major surprise when the men’s section was as small as it is.
Perhaps we’re being harsh, and all the scaffolding outside is going to give the place a face lift, but we doubt it’s the place to find the latest trendy footwear.
162 Buchanan St
Glasgow
G1 3JX
Tel: 0141 332 7628
Mon-Wed & Sat, 9am-6pm;
Thu, 9am-7pm; Sun, 12pm-5pm
The Original Shoe Company is obviously trying to shed it’s ned attraction ,and it’s not really working. Largely we found the store’s neon white shelving and decoration wasn’t the inviting cream colour found in, for example, the Apple Store, but was clinical and cold. The staff seemed largely uninterested and we got a slightly confused look when we asked about Etnies for men. Not a major surprise when the men’s section was as small as it is.
Perhaps we’re being harsh, and all the scaffolding outside is going to give the place a face lift, but we doubt it’s the place to find the latest trendy footwear.
The Bothy
The Bothy
11 Ruthven Lane
Glasgow
G12 9BG
Tel: 0141 334 4040
Mon-Sun 12pm-10pm
Bottle of house wine - £12.95
Sample dish – Oven roasted chicken, with rumbledethump, crispy bacon, and thyme jus - £13.95
Walking into The Bothy, you almost feel like you’ve just returned home. We mean this in both atmosphere and decoration, there are sofas and arm chairs everywhere, and a fireplace in the corner. You half expect to see the wife has just finished making the dinner.
It’s only been open just under five years, but the Bothy has already made a bit of a name for itself, serving classic Scottish food that doesn’t pretend to be what it’s not, at a decent price. Ok, the names are sometimes a bit odd (rumbledethump? It’s spud, turnip and cabbage mashed apparently) but after eating it you feel like you’ve had an honest meal after an honest days work. Staff are friendly and happy to have a bit of a chat, and the place feels cosy and warm, which is nice when you come home, isn’t it?
11 Ruthven Lane
Glasgow
G12 9BG
Tel: 0141 334 4040
Mon-Sun 12pm-10pm
Bottle of house wine - £12.95
Sample dish – Oven roasted chicken, with rumbledethump, crispy bacon, and thyme jus - £13.95
Walking into The Bothy, you almost feel like you’ve just returned home. We mean this in both atmosphere and decoration, there are sofas and arm chairs everywhere, and a fireplace in the corner. You half expect to see the wife has just finished making the dinner.
It’s only been open just under five years, but the Bothy has already made a bit of a name for itself, serving classic Scottish food that doesn’t pretend to be what it’s not, at a decent price. Ok, the names are sometimes a bit odd (rumbledethump? It’s spud, turnip and cabbage mashed apparently) but after eating it you feel like you’ve had an honest meal after an honest days work. Staff are friendly and happy to have a bit of a chat, and the place feels cosy and warm, which is nice when you come home, isn’t it?
Ubiquitous Chip
Ubiquitous Chip
12 Ashton Lane
Glasgow
G12 8SJ
Tel 0141 3345007
Mon-Sat – Main Restaurant: 12pm-2.30pm, 5.30pm-10.45pm
Brassiere: 12pm-10.45pm
Sun – Sunday Lunch: 12.30pm – 2.45pm
Main Restaurant: 6.30pm-10.45pm
Brassiere: 12.30pm-1.0.45pm
Bottle of house wine – £16.95
Sample dish – Orkney Organic Salmon, lime and vanilla mash, red pepper and vermouth sauce and salmon beignet
This is it. Fine dining, without being stuck up its own arse. The Ubiquitous Chip (aka UB28, aka Wee Chippie, and twenty other names) sits nestled away and serves some of the best food this side of the Clyde. The staff are friendly, personal and happy to chat about anything from the décor to the wine list, and though portions seem small (perhaps it’s the big plates?) you won’t want a snack on the way home. Actually, after a couple of pints of their own ale (called Chip 71, after the year they opened, natch) you’ll probably want a roaring fire and a bit of a snooze. We loved decor, with its own water feature, and the place has a bit of fung shway about it, everything just flows. It’s softly lit, without being dark, and it buzzes with energy. Want to impress someone? Take them here. Fantastic.
http://www.itchyglasgow.co.uk/review.cfm/7/208979/Glasgow-City-Guide/review/Ubiquitous-Chip-
12 Ashton Lane
Glasgow
G12 8SJ
Tel 0141 3345007
Mon-Sat – Main Restaurant: 12pm-2.30pm, 5.30pm-10.45pm
Brassiere: 12pm-10.45pm
Sun – Sunday Lunch: 12.30pm – 2.45pm
Main Restaurant: 6.30pm-10.45pm
Brassiere: 12.30pm-1.0.45pm
Bottle of house wine – £16.95
Sample dish – Orkney Organic Salmon, lime and vanilla mash, red pepper and vermouth sauce and salmon beignet
This is it. Fine dining, without being stuck up its own arse. The Ubiquitous Chip (aka UB28, aka Wee Chippie, and twenty other names) sits nestled away and serves some of the best food this side of the Clyde. The staff are friendly, personal and happy to chat about anything from the décor to the wine list, and though portions seem small (perhaps it’s the big plates?) you won’t want a snack on the way home. Actually, after a couple of pints of their own ale (called Chip 71, after the year they opened, natch) you’ll probably want a roaring fire and a bit of a snooze. We loved decor, with its own water feature, and the place has a bit of fung shway about it, everything just flows. It’s softly lit, without being dark, and it buzzes with energy. Want to impress someone? Take them here. Fantastic.
http://www.itchyglasgow.co.uk/review.cfm/7/208979/Glasgow-City-Guide/review/Ubiquitous-Chip-
The Tron Theatre Bar
The Tron Theatre Bar
63 Trongate
Glasgow
G1 5HB
Tel: 0141 552 3748
Monday 10am - 9pm
Tuesday - Thursday 10am - late
Friday & Saturday 10am - late
Sunday 11am - 6pm
Bottle of wine: £13.99
Various drinks promotions through the week
The Tron Bar has won the Glasgow Bar Of The Year twice now, and it’s quite easy to see why. You’ve got a varied range of clients, from student-y types out to see a show, to young professionals who’ve popped in after work, and the older patron who fancies a quick half. The place is broken up into three – the kiddies area (nice touch), the older style Victorian Bar, or just stand around the regular front bar. It’s all wonderfully decorated and the staff are chipper too, which can be unusual in a bar these days. Prices are what you’d expect in a theatre bar and its got a nice energy to it, which would keep you coming back
63 Trongate
Glasgow
G1 5HB
Tel: 0141 552 3748
Monday 10am - 9pm
Tuesday - Thursday 10am - late
Friday & Saturday 10am - late
Sunday 11am - 6pm
Bottle of wine: £13.99
Various drinks promotions through the week
The Tron Bar has won the Glasgow Bar Of The Year twice now, and it’s quite easy to see why. You’ve got a varied range of clients, from student-y types out to see a show, to young professionals who’ve popped in after work, and the older patron who fancies a quick half. The place is broken up into three – the kiddies area (nice touch), the older style Victorian Bar, or just stand around the regular front bar. It’s all wonderfully decorated and the staff are chipper too, which can be unusual in a bar these days. Prices are what you’d expect in a theatre bar and its got a nice energy to it, which would keep you coming back
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