10 Best Pubs in Glasgow

Waxy O’Connor’s is Glasgow’s largest Irish bar, a rabbit warren of a place set over 3 floors of interconnected snugs and passageways. Ornate coffered ceilings and wood-panelled walls accented with stone create a bold backdrop. Within these spaces, clusters of leather armchairs and pub tables have been laid out with camaraderie in mind.

All the elements you’d expect of an Irish pub are here. Live music acts fill the space with the sounds of pipes, whistles and fiddles. Special events mark every occasion from St Patrick’s Day to the highlights of the Irish sporting calendar. Raise a glass of Guinness and celebrate.

The Pot Still in Glasgow began its journey as a pub back in 1886 when Glaswegians knew it as McCall’s. After several changes of ownership, it took on its present persona in 1981 and those at the helm laid the foundations for its future as an award-winning whiskey bar.

These days, there are more than 800 different whiskeys behind the bar. They’re all here: single and blended malts, single and blended grains, whiskey liqueurs, Scottish, Welsh, Irish, Swedish, Dutch, American, Canadian, Indian, Kiwi and Japanese. Figure out where to start by booking a private whiskey tasting.

The Horseshoe Bar is a Glasgow institution that first opened in 1884. It’s popular, but even on the busiest of Saturday nights, you shouldn’t have a problem getting served at the bar. That’s because they claim it’s the longest in Europe, measuring 104 feet and 3 inches – over 31 meters – from end to end.

Alongside Scottish beers and ales are more unusual tipples like grapefruit radler. There’s also a good selection of spirits including Engine Gin with notes of rose, juniper, lemon, and sage. You can come here for karaoke but the biggest draw is the sport feeds, broadcast on 11 screens.

Sloans isn’t your usual, run-of-the-mill Glasgow pub. It’s been serving refreshments since 1797, initially as a coffeehouse catering for those who boarded the daily stagecoach to Edinburgh. When David Sloan took over in the early 20^th century, he put his own stamp on the place by adding an aquarium and a grand ballroom, used today for a weekly ceilidh.

Other events that take place here include bingo, quizzes, comedy and more unusually, life drawing classes and drag shows. The Scottish Macaroni Appreciation Club meets here once a month. If you’re content simply to come for a quiet drink, the fairy-lit beer garden is a must on a dry night.

Drum & Monkey Glasgow is a pub that has a solid reputation for its menu of pies and ales. Inside a grand stone building constructed in 1924, the magnificent interior features an opulent molded ceiling hung with glass chandeliers plus ornate marble columns rising behind a sturdy wooden bar.

But it’s the little details that add a dash of quirky charm. Check out the Singerie Snug, a nod to the pub's name, and inscriptions above the bar that bear the phrases from Glasgow’s coat of arms, such as “Here is the bird that never flew.”

The Bon Accord is an award-winning pub in Glasgow city centre. It stocks a fine selection of ales, rotating more than 800 different types over the course of a year. But whiskey is their true passion and this is the home of the Bon Accord Whiskey Society. If you’re a novice, they’ll get your education off to a flying start at one of their regular whiskey tastings. 

The Bon Accord richly deserves accolades such as “Best Whiskey Pub of the Year 2021”, bestowed by the folks behind the Good Pub Guide. There are more than 500 whiskeys from which to choose, including a septuagenarian Glenlivet and Macallan.

The Ben Nevis in Glasgow’s hip foodie hub of Finnieston feels more like a bothy than a city pub. It boasts stone walls, an open fire and live folk music – promised on a Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday but possible at any time. Together, these elements bring to mind exactly such traditional countryside dwellings and, for a time, you’ll forget the city traffic beyond its door.

This is the place to come again and again if you like whiskey, with friendly staff members happy to offer advice if you’re finding it hard to choose. From the big names to those smaller distilleries you rarely hear of, it’s all here.

The Scotia is Glasgow’s oldest pub, founded in 1792. With its brass taps, battered wooden shelving and a banknote collection fluttering from its low-slung ceiling, it has bags of charm. As you’d expect, it receives more than its fair share of visitors, but a loyal band of regulars add credibility.

Though the beer shines, this is a place to hang out and have fun. Play pool upstairs or time your visit for a live music performance. Billy Connolly and Gerry Rafferty are among the big names that have once taken the stage here, so who knows, you might just discover the next big thing.

Innis & Gunn Glasgow Brewery Taproom in Hillhead is a popular go-to for good Irish beer. Innis & Gunn itself is an independent brewery with taprooms across Scotland. Founder Dougal Gunn Sharp learnt the ropes from his father and eventually branched out on his own. Soon he was able to open a string of taprooms, including 2 in Glasgow.

Try The Original, its flagship beer. The idea for this very special beer came about as a way to season oak casks that would later hold single malt whiskey. Those who tasted it soon realized it was a winner, with hints of vanilla, honey, toffee and spice forming this complex and flavour-packed brew.

The Allison Arms is a dog-friendly pub in Glasgow’s Southside. Aside from a brief spell in the 1920s when it closed under pressure from prohibitionists, it’s been a landmark pub on the busy Pollokshaws Road since 1884 and remains as popular as ever.

The pub hosts regular live music nights, quizzes and karaoke evenings, but coming here is mostly about socializing with friends. The range of beverages on offer is extensive, and you’ll be offered a choice of more than 60 German beers, a further 150 or so craft beers and over 160 specialist gins.