The Skinny guide to Glasgow's West End

This article has been updated with copy from the 2023 edition of the Skinny Guide to Glasgow, which is available now at venues across Scotland. Pick up a copy for detailed breakdowns on the city's different districts, as well as articles on the history and culture of Glasgow itself.

Glasgow’s West End – home to the University of Glasgow, a whole load of vintage shops, and that museum Limmy recommends heading to ‘if it all kicks aff’. You’ll also find a surprising amount of nightlife, and plenty of great places for a pint, a coffee, or a bite to eat.

Bars, cafes and quick bites in Glasgow's West End

Great coffee can be found at Colombian cafe Andina (1274 Argyle St), Cashel Coffee & Dry Goods (40 Woodlands Rd), Kember and Jones (134 Byres Rd), Kelvin Pocket behind the Kelvingrove subway (72 S Woodside Rd) or the much-loved Papercup (603 Great Western Rd). Tea lovers should head to Otago Lane, for the one-of-a-kind Tchai Ovna House of Tea (no. 42) before it closes at the end of July. For a quick snack on the go, check out the sandwiches and treats at Cottonrake Bakery (497 Great Western Rd), deli treats from across the Middle East at Scherezade (47 Bank St), or a straight-out-the-oven pastel de nata from Pastéis Lisboa (280 Byres Rd).

For a relaxing drink, head riverside to beer bar Inn Deep (445 Great Western Rd), or grab a pint in classic old school pub The Arlington (130 Woodlands Rd). Alternatively, visit The Belle (617 Great Western Rd) for an excellent range of beers and wines, immaculate vibes, and the best selection of bar snacks in town. If you like olives, boy howdy is the place for you! For a less-relaxing but more energetic drink, visit the always-lively Hillhead Bookclub (17 Vinicombe St) or hit up Bananamoon (360 Great Western Rd). It’s a cocktail bar that somehow manages to be understated and a wee bit feral, with a suntrap of an outdoor terrace.

Cottonrake Bakery. Credit: Cottonrake Bakery.

Restaurants in Glasgow's West End

The West End is packed with places to eat, so let’s try and break them down a bit. If you want something quick, head to Paesano (471 Great Western Rd) for pizza, University Cafe (87 Byres Rd) for a classic cooked breakfast, El Perro Negro (152 Woodlands Rd) for a great burger, or Serenity Now (380 Great Western Rd) for vegan takes on cafe staples.

If you’re happy to spend a bit of time, we recommend the fantastic family-run pasta restaurant Te Seba (395 Great Western Rd). Exceptional pasta, top-notch bellinis, lovely folk, five stars. Alternatively, quaint Vietnamese spot Hanoi Bike Shop (8 Ruthven Ln) does a truly brilliant bowl of pho, while Brett (321 Great Western Rd) is big on charcoal grilling and natural wines. If you want to get fancy, try out Ka Pao’s pan-Asian sharing plates (26 Vinicombe St), Crabshakk and its incredible range of fishy treats (18 Vinicombe St), or the refined plant-based dining at Sylvan (20 Woodlands Rd).

Ka Pao. Credit: Ka Pao.

Shops in Glasgow's West End

Wherever there are a bunch of students and folk in old fancy houses, good charity shops tend not to be far away. The West End’s charity and vintage shops are wonderful. There’s an enormous Oxfam Books store (330 Byres Rd) and a very well-stocked Oxfam Music Shop (171 Byres Rd). There's a surprisingly fancy branch of Save The Children (165 Byres Rd), plus three Shelter shops (a Boutique at 177 Byres Rd, and two classics at 214 & 679 Great Western Rd) and a load more besides. The vintage wares over at Starry Starry Night (19 Dowanside Ln) are well worth checking out, as are the always intriguing indie shops at Ruthven Mews (57 Ruthven Ln).

De Courcy’s Arcade (5-21 Cresswell Ln) is also home to a selection of arty stores, with the lovely Japanese stationery at DRAW our particular favourite. Caledonia Books (483 Great Western Rd) is an institution filled with second-hand tomes, and on Otago Lane you’ll find new and second-hand records at Mixed Up (no. 18). Other spots to watch out for are Glasgow indie fashion label The Blankfaces (427 Great Western Rd); the excellent beer shop Valhalla’s Goat (449 Great Western Rd); fantastic cheesemonger George Mewes (106 Byres Rd); ​​and Asian supermarket Tang Mall (122 Dumbarton Rd), home to the most exciting array of crisps and snacks we’ve seen in a while (and we’ve been looking).

Music, Comedy, Theatre and Art in Glasgow's West End

Since opening in 2015, The Hug and Pint (171 Great Western Rd) has grown into one of the city’s best small gig venues. You can catch bands in the basement most nights of the week, and the vegan food upstairs is delicious. The QMU (22 University Gardens) has been at the forefront of Glasgow’s gig scene since the 1990s. The 900-capacity venue is a regular stopping point for touring bands from around the world.

Another long-standing cog in Glasgow’s cultural scene is The Stand Comedy Club (333 Woodlands Rd). Set in the basement of a former school, it’s one of the key places to go for live comedy in the city. Tuesdays are new material night Red Raw – tickets are a fiver, with new and established acts trying out their latest work.

The West End is also home to two of the city’s biggest galleries and museums. In the red (sandstone) corner is the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. It’s a vast, sprawling collection of artworks, objects and natural history. It also hosts one of Europe’s largest collections of weaponry and armour – just something to keep in mind. In the other corner, it’s the Hunterian Gallery and Museum. It’s split across multiple venues around the University campus; for fans of zoology, extensive painting collections, and old Roman artefacts. Elsewhere, The Alchemy Experiment (157 Byres Road) is a great grassroots art space with regular exhibitions, pop-up markets and events.

Websters Theatre (416 Great Western Rd) presents live music and performance in a 19th-century church, while fellow former church Òran Mór (Byres Rd) has the trump card of a ceiling mural designed by the late, great Alasdair Gray. It hosts gigs, comedy, and A Play, A Pie and A Pint – a long-running series of brand-new plays by Scottish playwrights, where each ticket holder also gets… yep… you guessed it.