Glasgow venues round-up: March 2024

Green Goose

Green Goose is a small but ambitious vegetarian takeaway spot which opened at the end of 2023 in Shawlands. This tiny green deli is open from 8.30am until 3pm (closed Wednesdays) and offers an impressively affordable breakfast and lunch menu. Most of the breakfast items come in at under £3, with a mix of morning rolls and bagels with a choice of veggie fillings: from meat-substitute products (including vegan square sausage) to more standard stuff (fried egg, potato scone). Some of the best things on the menu are in-house creations, such as their leek and potato hashbrowns and spiced tofu scramble, and their lunch menu is also well-priced, with the selection of sandwiches and generously portioned salads all coming in at under a fiver. The ingredients here are fresh and there is a changing selection of daily baked goods, both sweet and savoury. Green Goose’s commitment to local suppliers is clear in the selection of products the deli stocks, such as Cruice juices, Good Coffee Cartel beans and Gomo Kimchi – all made in Glasgow. 9 Minard Rd, G41 2HR 

Green Goose

Hazel

Hazel in Glasgow city centre is a genuinely beautiful and peaceful restaurant, serving up a menu of Scottish favourites and creative cocktails, all stylishly presented. The restaurant is located on the ground floor of the AC Marriot hotel – one of the first of a raft of high-end openings slated for this side of George Square in the coming months. It’s worth mentioning because at present Hazel seems like something of an outlier, sitting alone in a slightly quiet area but this won’t be true for long. It certainly sets the bar high for the kind of high-end elegance that might be in the post for the nearby buildings. More than anything, Hazel is a lovely place to be – thoughtfully designed with simple elegant furniture, lovely natural light during the day and considered low lighting at night. The menu does not take any crazy risks, most of the choices are familiar ones: steak, scallops, fish and chips but the ingredients are very good and the dishes well balanced. 65 John St, G1 1JP

Hazel. Credit: We Are Story Shop

Il Pastaio

Il Pastaio is the latest pasta restaurant to open in Glasgow city centre, taking up a spot on the busy restaurant throughfare that is St Vincent Street. The menu is de rigueur for a pasta place in 2024 – a short list of simple pastas, in this case there are nine to choose from. It’d be hard to object to any of these options which are a solid bunch of first-team players: Bolognese, mushroom pappardelle, spaghetti pesto. Although most of these are enhanced with small variations (the spaghetti pesto is topped with burrata and a pine-nut crumb, for example) the menu could afford to be more adventurous. Il Pastaio is simply decorated, with terrazzo tables and exposed brickwork. Service is friendly and efficient, and the waiters are well-versed in the dishes on offer. Il Pastaio also doesn’t take bookings (except for larger groups) making it a good shout for a reliably quick meal in town. 80 St Vincent St, G2 5UB

Ryan’s Bar

Located on Allison Street, Ryan’s Bar now occupies the corner spot which was once home to Neeson’s – a public house with a history dating back to the 1800s. Surrounded by some of the Southside’s most popular drinking spots, Ryan’s Bar, which opened in 2023, has quickly established a loyal fanbase of regulars despite the nearby competition. It is the latest venture from the team behind The Old Toll Bar in Kinning Park. Much of what works at the Old Toll is on display here too: live trad music sessions, low lighting, no screens, a nice (if expensive) cocktail list. They partner with guest breweries for tap takeovers, meaning there’s often something new and interesting to try, alongside bankable crowd-pleasers like Tennent’s. The weekly quiz night on Thursdays is suitably silly and always busy with a pleasantly mixed-age crowd. 165 Allison St, G42 8RX