Glasgow venues round-up: October 2022

Bantaba Afro Caribbean

Bantaba on London Road is a stone’s throw away from Glasgow Green, and this word-of-mouth smash hit is the best place in Glasgow for authentic West African and Caribbean dishes. The restaurant is large and unassuming with a warm convivial atmosphere. Family-run, Bantaba’s menu is a flavourful mix of dishes and ingredients that you do not see enough of in the city. Dishes like fried plantain, jerk salmon and curried goat served on the bone are typical here, and all done extremely well – their popular oxtail stew simmers for hours before serving. 507 London Rd, G40 1NQ

Aerial Edge

Aerial Circus is Glasgow’s first dedicated circus school. Located on the same street as Ibrox Stadium in a former warehouse building, this is a place where people of all ages and abilities can try their hand at flips and tricks. The space itself is stylish and high spec with enthusiastic and helpful instructors. Classes vary from a circusy version of fitness – a mixed bag of trapeze work, climbing and balance postures – to lessons that are more specific, where you can pursue genuine improvement in a particular area. The soft foamy landing surfaces also help to make failure more playful than painful. 228 Edmiston Dr, G51 2YU

Stockholm Pizza

Stockholm Pizza is a small and straightforward pizza place on Tullis Street in Bridgeton. Following the Nordic pizza tradition of bold topping combinations on crusty bases, their menu is vast and varied. It has almost every imaginable pizza, as well as the option to create your own from the heaving list of toppings. Their vegetarian selection is particularly good with close to 20 to choose from, any of which can be made vegan too. Staff have things down to a fine art: it is impossible to get a bad pizza here. Stockholm Pizza has a couple of window seats but is more of a collection and delivery spot than anything else. A big win for the Bridgeton area, and anyone in the delivery radius. 4 Tullis St, G40 1HN

Wunderbar

Wunderbar is a slick and sprawling city centre bar tucked away on Springfield Court, just off Buchanan Street. Principally a beer bar with over 100 international beers to choose from, the team at Wunderbar have reinvigorated the spot once occupied by bread + better. They have made good use of the spacious premises, with large wooden tables and fairy-lit nooks turning it into a lovely place to spend a few hours. A decent cocktail list and a menu of crowd-pleasing favourites (topped fries, chicken wings, hot dogs) are also great selling points for this new bar. Wunderbar has succeeded in creating something rare: a good solid pub atmosphere in the heart of the city’s shopping district. 28 Springfield Ct, G1 3BZ

NQ64 Glasgow

NQ64 finally opened its doors in Glasgow earlier in the year. The retro arcade bar has become a popular fixture in other cities including Edinburgh where it has a large spot on Lothian Road. The Glasgow branch is based in Merchant Square and has seen a busy few months. A nostalgic haven for gamers of all ages, with platform and arcade games aging back to the 1970s lining the room, the bar itself is a neon and glow-in-the-dark painted feast for the eyes. Their drinks list is a solid mix of craft beer and playful cocktails, with names that nod towards video game legends – such as Princess Peach and Pacman. 11 Bell St, G1 1NU