7 Glasgow Bars You Have To Try!

As someone who has lived just outside Glasgow for my whole life, and who has studied and worked in Glasgow since I was eighteen, I'd say I have a pretty good knowledge of the city centre - so I thought I'd share that with you! If you're visiting Glasgow and you're looking for somewhere close to the train station to stop off for a drink, I've got you covered! Here are seven bars, each within walking distance of Glasgow Central Station (and Argyle Street and Queen Street stations too!), and the drinks I'd recommend ordering there!:

October (Princes Square):

This is one of my favourite Glasgow haunts. Whether you are looking for food or just for a cocktail, October has a really nice, chilled out vibe, while still feeling pretty sophisticated. I think this is partly due to the location in the gorgeous Princes Square shopping centre - it just oozes luxury, so even just popping in for a soft drink feels like a bit of a treat. That said, the prices are not extravagant!

I'd recommend: The Vanilla Apple Sour cocktail.

Hortons (92 West George Street):

If my friends and I can't decide where to go for a catch up, we inevitably end up in Hortons - it's a firm favourite! By day it is a chilled out bar-come-restaurant, and by night it is a lively hub for after work drinks, weekend nights out, and it even has a bit of a club vibe on Friday and Saturday when it stays open till 3am and some of the tables are pushed aside to make way for a dance floor. The music is usually good, the staff are friendly, and it is home to my favourite cocktail in the whole of Glasgow...

I'd recommend: The Bellini Martini.

The Old Hairdressers (Renfield Lane):

If you're into more of a hipster vibe, might I suggest popping along to The Old Hairdressers in Renfield Lane? This bar is literally a two minute walk from Central Station, and is definitely one of the hidden gems in the city centre if you know where to look! It's a nice choice for a date night, or a quiet catch up with a friend, since the music tends not to be blaring too loudly and the drinks are fairly reasonably priced considering how close it is to the train station. It has a very unfinished look - bare walls with artsy posters and a sort of mishmash of chairs. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I like it!

I'd recommend: If you're a beer fan (which I'm actually not, but I'm aiming for variety in this post!) there is an interesting selection in here, which my friends have praised!

Palm Sugar (175 Buchanan Street):

For a more "grown up and classy" choice, check out the Palm Sugar Lounge on Buchanan Street! Admittedly, I haven't been there later in the evening - my friend and I used to pop in here for a cheeky after-uni glass of wine sometimes, so usually we were here between 5 and 7 - but at that point it was fairly quiet, so a good place to relax after a busy day at work, uni, or maybe even a day of Christmas shopping!

I'd recommend: A glass of rose (this list wouldn't be complete without a rose recommendation!)

Strata (45 Queen Street)

Strata is a recent discovery for me, I've only been a couple of times but I've really enjoyed it both times! Nikki, Roisin and I went a few weeks ago (see this vlog for footage!) and I ordered what was one of the best cocktails I've had in a long time (see recommendation below!). It's a slightly longer walk from central station, but is less than a five minute walk from both Queen Street and Argyle Street stations.

I'd recommend: A Passionfruit and Apricot Daiquiri

Sir John Moore (260-292 Argyle Street):

In the interests of keeping this post one hundred percent purse friendly, I thought I'd include the Sir John Moore, which is a branch of Wetherspoons across the road from the downstairs entrance to Central Station on the corner of Argyle Street and Hope Street! If you're keeping an eye on your bank balance, or you have very little time before your train but want to squeeze in a quick drink before you go, this is one of the handiest pubs for the station! It's cheap and cheerful, with a typical Wetherspoons menu, but it's definitely somewhere we head to for a quick bite to eat every so often!

I'd recommend: A bottle of Rekorderlig, in whatever fruity flavour they have that day!

Bunker (193-199 Bath Street):

This is a last minute add on, but I have to recommend Bunker on Bath Street! This is somewhere my uni friends and I used to pop into for a drink before we'd go out with our dancing shoes on back in the day, but more recently I've discovered what a brilliant place this is in terms of deals on meals! There are some really excellent deals on (any main meal for £5 on a Monday, for example), and the food is amazing! I'll throw in a quick food recommendation here - if you're a pulled pork fan, the pulled pork pizza is incredible!

I'd recommend: An Appletini.

So there we have it - seven different pubs and bars to check out on your next few trips into Glasgow!

Let me know if you've been to any of these bars, or if you have any Glasgow night out recommendations! :)

Thanks for reading!

Insta-Life Update!

Happy Sunday all! I hope you're having a lovely weekend. I, for one, am avoiding doing anything dissertation related for the day and I'm lazing around with a cup of tea and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason - which I'm reading for the first time, and loving! I've seen the films but had never read the books, so when Emma got me them for my birthday I've made the most of my currently unemployed student free time and been getting lost in Bridget's world!

I thought for today's post I'd just do a little instagram life update - making more use of instragram is something I've found has really been helping me keep track of what I've been up to!

Emma, Gill and Cassie on my birthday night out / Turning 25 Cake - the best part of any birthday! /
Summer hairstylin' / TBT to my first graduation / Binge watching Once Upon a Time.

The end of June saw me turn 25 (see my "getting older resolutions" here!), celebrating with a night out on the town with my pals. We hit Horton's for drinks, and then put on our dancin' shoes and headed to ABC, and it was great. Round about then, the weather had been looking up, so I started experimenting with some summery hair styles - unfortunately, as of yesterday, the sunshine seems to have gone into hiding again! The 28th June (the day after my birthday) also marked three whole years since my graduation from Glasgow Uni, which I cannot get my head around! And, as I've mentioned in a previous post, I've been binge watching the amazing Once Upon A Time.

Dissertationing / Hamster sitting / Experimenting with hair chalk.

June and July (so far) has mainly consisted of dissertation work. It's quite a process, but it'll all be worth it in the end, I'm sure! We're also hamster sitting my mum's friend's hamster while she's on holiday, and I tell you - I'm never going to agree to pet sit for anyone once I move out, because I clearly get too attached. We are totally in love with this wee lady (her name is Apple), she is the friendliest hamster I've ever met, and we've had a few over the years! I also took the opportunity to try out some pink ombre style hair with the help of some hair chalk from Topshop - an excellent, non-permanent way to experiment with colourful hair!

Saturday night catch-ups / Karaoke for Roisin's birthday / Dinner in Bunker

Last night I caught up with Nikki, Roisin, Gill, Gill's friend Lauren, Gillian and Laura, over a wee cider in town. This resulted in Nikki and I tearing up laughing over a discussion of our favourite childhood television shows - SMTV Live anyone? And Mopatop's Shop - just what was Mopatop, does anyone know?!

Earlier in the week, we headed out for Roisin's birthday, and had a brilliant night of cocktails and karaoke in Lucky Voice in Glasgow. The price was so reasonable for the amount of time you get, so we're planning another night there at some point soon! The above is an action shot of Lynne and Gillian belting out a karaoke classic, while the rest of us joined in behind the camera!

And finally - more food and drinks, oh dear - Emma and I caught up with our friends Louise and Cassie for dinner in Bunker last week. I've been to Bunker lots of times for drinks, but never for dinner, and it was fantastic! The quality of the food was actually really impressive - I had a pulled pork burger with chips and an amazing a chocolate brownie with ice cream and caramel sauce - so good I want to go back just thinking about it. They also have some really good deals (50% off food on a Sunday, and main meals for £5 on a Monday - I think!), so if you're looking for somewhere casual but with good food to try next time you're in Glasgow, I recommend heading to Bunker!

Reading over this before I publish it, it all looks very lovely. That's the thing with blogging, and YouTube - as a place to talk about nice things, it can sometimes look like you're floating along in some sort of glittering bubble, with nothing bad going on to speak of. As a sidenote, and a healthy dose of reality, not everything is cocktails, cakes and daft nights out! I'm currently job hunting, which I'm sure we all agree is the WORST, and I might do a little post on that at some point soon. I think it's important to always remember that what you see isn't everything that is going on in a person's life - it's a collection of moments, carefully selected, and just a glimpse into their world! Having said that, I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into the fun parts of mine!

So that's it for my little insta-life update! Hope you're all well!

Thanks for reading!