Cloisters

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

Occasionally, there's a short wait for chips at this Tollcross pub. It's nothing to do with bad service, though: the chef just needs freshly to peel more spuds. Great care is taken over the daily changing bar meal menu, which now includes extra dishes laid on at dinnertime. Huge piles of beef nachos smothered in cheese; battered haddock and chips or chunky bacon and cheese burgers are reliably tasty, while additions such as steak with chorizo and onions or venison with sun-dried tomatoes and basil butter keep the flavours interesting. Drinks-wise, Cloisters is a must for lovers of whisky and real ale. Mainstream bottled beers are nowhere to be seen, and the same goes for cheap, bland spirits. Instead, expect single malts, premium vodkas and three Scottish brewery beers on tap, plus five guest ales that change regularly. Unsurprisingly, the bar often gets crowded during weekends, when students and regulars pack out the wooden pews, leaving standing room only. Sunday brunches are calmer, and the full fry-up breakfast with a pile of newspapers and a pint in front of the log fire is a real treat.

• High point: A laid-back boozer doing quality pub food
• Low point: No desserts for the sweet tooth