Cosy Christmas Pints in The Belle
If you want a cosy Christmas evening but also want to get out of the house, you can't do much better than a trip to The Belle on Great Western Road
I believe it was Frosty the Snowman who once said, "Christmasness is next to cosiness." In this part of the world, the festive season is marked by damp cold, dry cold, big winds and the low, powerful sun that only comes with a sunset in the 4-4.30pm range. And yet, it’s a lovely time of year. The architecture catches the light a bit differently, your breath hits the air and turns into a huge column of steam, and the dark wood and stained glass windows of your local pub morph into a little mullioned cocoon. If your local pub is The Belle, at the Botanics end of Great Western Road, you are a jammy bastard because there are few better places to wile away a winter evening.
In the typical Christmas scenario (pints when you finish up for the holidays, catching up with pals on the 28th, etc), The Belle has everything you want. It’s low-lit and comfy, with a roaring open fire. It is very easy to find ("yep, right at the top of Great Western Road… the one with all the hanging baskets, that’s it"). It’s big enough that you can grab a seat, but small enough that it feels like being in a very well-stocked living room. The drinks selection is great – excellent wines, really good beers – and the bar snacks are truly exceptional. We’re talking extremely fancy crisps, the Really Good olives, and so, so many nuts. A nice pint by the fire, looking out a fogged-up window to a freezing night, surrounded by the chatter of friends and with the salinity of a dozen Perello olives coursing through your veins – that’s what Christmas means to me. Other pubs, and brands of olive, are available.
The Belle, 617 Great Western Rd, Glasgow, G12 8HX