Glasgow's Best Bars
From our 2017 Food and Drink Survey, your three favourite bars in Glasgow, featuring extensive beer line-ups and outrageous rum selections
Inn Deep
445 Great Western Rd, Glasgow
A riverside pub boosted by a link to one of the country's best breweries, Inn Deep draws on its Williams Brothers connection with great aplomb. The core beer range is from Williams with an ever-changing range of guest cask and keg ales on offer as well as a hefty bottle selection. For first-time visitors, we'd recommend a pint of the Joker IPA, an all-action Williams beer with a big aroma and even bigger flavour, or to simply bend the ear of the bar staff and see what they recommend. Like we said, they know their stuff.
On the food front, think burgers, pizzas, chillis, gumbos – all food that acts as a perfect accompaniment to all that beer from earlier. Oh, and it's dog-friendly to the point of having an Instagram feed on their website solely based around the hashtag #dugsofinndeep. An ideal spot for a lazy afternoon of tasty beers and people/dog-watching.
The Rum Shack
657 Pollokshaws Rd, Glasgow
A slice of the Caribbean in Glasgow's Southside, The Rum Shack has a fair few things going in its favour. First is the 230-capacity Dancehall venue attached to the bar, playing host to everything from live gigs and stand-up comedy to regular life drawing classes. Then there's the food, with the bar's menu featuring everything from Trinidadian doubles (chickpea curry served on flatbreads) to Jamaican jerk chicken, fish and pork.
And then there's the rum list – it runs into triple figures, with sweet, sugary bottles from all over North and Central America, as well as some special picks from as far afield as Japan and India. If you're looking for a rum, any rum, this is one of your best bets. Then there are the cocktails, the Caribbean beer list, and a surprisingly extensive wine list. That rum list though – it's a true liquid library. Best get 'studying', eh?
Trying to get a foothold in the rum game? The Rum Shack's Brian Austin has just the thing: "For anyone trying out the Rum Shack for the first time I'd recommend a Gosling's and Ginger Beer. Why? My 82 year old Dad came over from Tobago in May to see the pub for the first time and had four of them. And he doesn't even drink!" Well, that's us convinced – we'll have four.
The Allison Arms
Just over the road from The Rum Shack, the Allison Arms is a genuine Southside institution having been on the scene since the 1880s. While all around seems to be in constant flux, the Arms' success has been in staying true to itself despite the area's changing vibe.
Around the vast U-shaped bar you'll find a mix of long-time regulars and Southside newcomers mingling around the tables or trying to outdo each other in the hard-as-nails pub quiz every Thursday. Meanwhile, away from the bar taps you'll find a number of vast fridges packed with all sorts of imported beery delights.
That's the Allison Arms' USP – browse the fridges without getting in anyone's way, pick out the delicious German weissbier you've had your eye on all evening, pay for it at the bar, get a glass, enjoy. Having nearly fallen over many a bar trying to see into the fridges, we are wholly in favour of this approach, and recommend you take advantage with a dark and malty Kneitinger Bock or a monk-brewed lager from the Andechs brewery.