The Skinny guide to Glasgow City Centre

We've just published the 2023 edition of The Skinny Guide to Glasgow, so we've updated this article to add some new places to check out and remove some dearly departed venues. Pick up your copy of The Skinny Guide to Glasgow at venues across the city, or flick through it online here...

Nestled in a nook of the busy M8 motorway which connects Glasgow to Edinburgh, just north of the River Clyde, Glasgow’s bustling City Centre can be confusing at first. But get to grips with its grid system of streets and you’ll be parading around like a local in no time. During the day, it’s great for shopping and art, but by night it comes alive with restaurants, bars, gigs and clubs aplenty.

A Round of Drinks: Cafes and Bars in Glasgow City Centre

First up: coffee. You can’t go wrong with a trip to Italian-inspired Laboratorio Espresso (93 W Nile St), serving up delicious cannoli and clean batch brews alongside the usual options. Near Central Station, small batch coffee roasters Gordon Street Coffee (79 Gordon St) serve up excellent pastries alongside their coffees with their in-house roastery just upstairs. Across the street you’ll find Riverhill Coffee Bar (no. 24) and artisan doughnut shop Tantrum Doughnuts (no. 28). In the west of the city centre, Singl-end (263 Renfrew St) offer up great coffee and cake, while refreshing bubble teas can be found at Cupp (241 Sauchiehall St). At the other end of Sauchiehall Street is Social Bite (no. 10), a cafe with a mission to end homelessness, while round the corner, Kaffateria (5-7 Dundas St) serve tempting baguettes, hot filled croissants, coffees, wine and beer.

Speaking of wine and beer, stylish bars and old fashioned boozers can be found everywhere you look in the city centre. Near Central Station, Stereo (22-28 Renfield Ln) has been a staple since 2007. Housed in a building designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, upstairs is a vegan bar and restaurant while you’ll find all manner of touring and local bands gigging in the basement. Across the lane, their cosy sister venue The Old Hairdresser’s is a popular bar, gig and gallery space, while round the corner and up the street (also in the Stereo family) is The Flying Duck (142 Renfield St). A few doors down you’ll find uber hip cocktail bar Devil of Brooklyn (no. 42).

The Horseshoe Bar (17-19 Drury St) is one for Travis fans as it’s where the Why Does It Always Rain On Me? hitmakers formed. On Mitchell Lane, Tabac (no. 10) and Bar Soba (no. 11) are both great for fusion plates and indulgent cocktails. If you're after a top notch glass of wine or expertly made Negroni, head for Malo (12 Bothwell St), while you’ll find more cocktails at Max’s Bar & Grill (73 Queen St), which houses the La Cheetah nightclub in its basement.

Basement gig venues and nightclubs can also be found in bars Nice N Sleazy and Broadcast on Sauchiehall Street (no. 421 and 427 respectively), while The Variety Bar (no. 401) and The State Bar (148-148a Holland St) are great for nearby pre- or post-gig drinks; the latter gives a true taste of old Glasgow with a great selection of cask ales. Rock fans should head to Rufus T Firefly (207 Hope St), while across the road The Pot Still (no. 154) is a must for whisky fans with their malt of the month offering and generous 35ml measures.

Food in Central Glasgow

As well as good drinking spots, Sauchiehall Street is awash with great eateries too. You’d be hard pushed to find more authentic Vietnamese cuisine in the city centre than at Non Viet (no. 536), while great Japanese food is abundant at Nanakusa (no. 441). For an excellent on-the-go option Falafel To Go (no. 116) offer up affordable, fresh and super tasty wraps.

Elsewhere, for Italian cuisine head to Sarti (121 Bath St; 133 Wellington St), Pizza Punks (90 St Vincent St) or Paesano sister restaurant Sugo (70 Mitchell St); for Thai head to Ting Thai Caravan (19 W Nile St) or Panang (71-73 St Vincent St) and for Korean, Bibimbap (3 W Nile St) is the one. Or you could go for Mexican street food at the super kitsch and vibrant Mezcal (104 Hope St) or Topolobamba (89 St Vincent St), while burger fiends should try Bread Meats Bread (65 St Vincent Street) **whispers: order the poutine**.

CCA, GFT, GoMA: Things to Do in Glasgow City Centre

Despite being housed in the former townhouse of William Cunnhinghame, an 18th century Tobacco Lord(!!), the Gallery of Modern Art (111 Queen St) is Scotland’s most visited modern art gallery with free exhibitions from local and international artists. The award-winning Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) (350 Sauchiehall St) is an arts hub with diverse year-round programming, while the nearby Glasgow School of Art’s Reid Building hosts regular exhibitions.

For a unique slice of history, The Tenement House (145 Buccleuch St) in Garnethill offers a rare glimpse into Glasgow life in the early 20th century. Garnethill also boasts one of the city centre’s only green spaces in Garnethill Park, while on its periphery you’ll find The Art Launderette (39 Dalhousie St), a fully functioning launderette with regular exhibitions.

Home to the Scottish Opera, The Theatre Royal (282 Hope St) is the oldest theatre in Glasgow, and the longest running in Scotland having opened in 1867. The Pavilion Theatre (121 Renfield St) and King’s Theatre (297 Bath St) have no shortage of offerings too, with plenty of big name stand-up comedians stopping by and an abundance of panto over the festive season. Film fanatics should head for the Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) (12 Rose St), the UK’s first purpose-built arthouse theatre outside of London. 

There's also no shortage of live music venues and nightclubs to be found here too, with several venues on Sauchiehall Street alone; the famous King Tut's Wah Wah Hut (272A St Vincent St) and world renowned Sub Club (22 Jamaica St) are also in the city centre.

Indie shops in Glasgow City Centre

Outwith music, art, theatre and film, the city centre is also an excellent shopping destination, with three pedestrianised shopping thoroughfares and several shopping centres. But there’s more joy to be found in its indie offerings. Super cute basement gift shop Maia Gifts (21 Bath St) is perfect to pick up something kitsch while Fireworks Studio Garnet Pots (35a Dalhousie St) is a must for ceramics fans.

Book lovers should visit Aye-Aye Books in the CCA (350 Sauchiehall St) or the tell it slant poetry bookshop (134 Renfrew St), while comic book and graphic novel fans should stop by Forbidden Planet (122-126 Sauchiehall St). And for another record to add to your collection, stop by Assai Records (233 Sauchiehall St) or Love Music (34 Dundas St).