Venues, Budget

For such grand subterranean dimensions, Bunker does an impressive job of always feeling busy. Even during quiet afternoons a healthy young crowd fills the bright, airy space. When lights go down and the indie/chart music gets louder, it’s busier still…

Microbrewery appreciation starts early at Mono, where vast silver vats line one wall, piping homemade lemonades directly to the bar for a refreshing alternative to the usual drinks, which are of course also available. Young parents bring their kids to…

A true chameleon, this innovative community enterprise café and arts venue attracts a varied clientele. The kitchen offers breakfasts, lunchtime specials, soup, sandwiches and unusual cakes including sweet potato and white chocolate. Familiar breakfast…

A competition saw this bar named after the decadent 17th-century poet, the 2nd Earl of Rochester, but here’s nothing debauched about this Libertine, which neatly balances daytime bistro and night-time bar. Tall windows line both aspects, allowing diners…

Sleazy’s, as the city’s hipsters so fondly call it, is a Glasgow institution as far as music/arts venues go, and among those rarities with a 3am licence all week. The interior may feel like a well-worn leather jacket, dragged through the bowels of…

In Glasgow’s trendy Merchant City the competition among restaurants to attract discerning diners is high. Artà stands out architecturally. Once the location of a medieval cheese market this listed building was developed Baroque style in 2000 into a…

If you were ever in any doubt that this is a Scottish bar, a warm greeting from a rugged gent in a rugby-style shirt awaits. Surroundings are of a distinctly rustic and wooden nature while a piano sits desperately wanting to be played, all of which…

An unlikely yet welcoming setting for relaxed Italian/Scottish dining, this cosy spot offers delicious cake, pasta and seafood house specials and a wealth of sandwiches made with freshly baked bread. There is a definite quirky charm to the premises…

City Centre alleyways are generally best avoided but Renfield Lane makes a rare exception with its pair of laid-back hipster hangouts – the Old Hairdressers for small artsy events and big sister Stereo in the Mackintosh building across the road for…

The question that springs to mind on entering the Arches underneath the Heilanman’s Umbrella does not concern its myriad of titles – bar, nightclub, theatre, live music venue, restaurant – but why one of the most relaxing spaces to drink and eat in…

While The Glasgow School of Art is renovated, the union has made its home here in the Beresford building. It’s suitably scruffed up –- creative doodles on the wall, candle-lit tables, and lots of students (though all are welcome). There’s a friendly…

The warehouses and recycling yards of South Street hardly make for the most glamorous environment in Glasgow, but this is where Dance With Attitude teaches tango, flamenco, belly dancing and other styles to adults and children in a converted industrial…

From the name, there’s a certain expectation about what’s going to lie behind the gantry and with over 300 whiskies on offer it doesn’t disappoint. There’s a decent array of ales too, and the warm setting – created with wood and exposed brickwork…

A mecca of healthy organic delights since 1991, this shop is the inviting home of a vegetarian deli full of freshly made salads, wraps and pastries. The daily specials, a wealth of ethical, carefully sourced produce lining the shelves and the…

Everyone in Glasgow and beyond knows the live venue regularly voted one the of the UK’s best. Less well known is that Tut’s goes beyond simply having a bar for the nightly gigs. Food is surprisingly good and makes it a good option for a bar meal in…

This bar offers a reliable, attractively priced menu in a part of the city where quality is not always guaranteed, and situated just off the city’s busiest streets it’s popular as a break for weary shoppers and a stop-off for pre-club crowds. The…