Best pubs in Glasgow city centre for football, pints, shots and um... karaoke
Glasgow and pubs are synonymous. Scores, probably hundreds, show football, traditional ones, trendy ones, tribal ones. Few cities are as divided by football as Glasgow: those in the East End or east of the city centre, around Trongate, will be of the green persuasion, those south of the Clyde, blue.
The dividing lines between Celtic and Rangers are delineated by much more than football alone, of course, and you’ll notice a huge police presence on derby day. Mind your greens and blues when you choose your wardrobe that morning and you should be OK as a neutral just watching the game in a pub.
Glasgow’s grid-patterned city centre is surprisingly compact, so you can barhop and easily find your way around as you do so. The streets feeding into George Square contain recommendable bars and, towards Glasgow Central station, everyone should visit The Horseshoe at least once in their life. Upstairs is the San Siro of karaoke, a major feature of Glasgow pubs.
South-east of George Square, Merchant City remains the boutiquey part of town, although the novelty of sipping a sought-after beer surrounded by the imperial architecture of the Victorian era has long worn off.
Aberdeen’s globally successful BrewDog gets a look-in everywhere these days, though the big red T sign for Tennent’s, headquartered in Glasgow, is still ubiquitous. Guinness is also found everywhere and yes, it does travel.
Back bars will be lined with whisky galore, with plenty of options from the Highlands and islands to differentiate from the standard brands and blends.
Closing time is midnight across the board but a pilot scheme introduced towards the end of 2023 has allowed pubs in the city centre to operate until 1am, latest. A couple of the busier places have wangled a weekend licence until 3am.
the ark
Close to central George Square, this large, contemporary drinkery was voted Best Venue to Watch the Match for 2023, according to the good folk at the Scottish Licensed Trade News, responsible for the nation’s most prestigious awards in the hospitality industry.
The Ark keeps bums on seats with its boozy brunch seven days a week, a deal involving six drinks and a substantial main dish over two hours for £30 or just under. Not even legendary Kirkcaldy darts player Jocky Wilson in his heyday could have polished off the Big Scottish Breakfast and half-a-dozen pints – but many have tried.
Beers include Tottenham’s crafty Beavertown and Asahi, the regular menu stone-baked pizzas and fish & chips. (Scotland swears by mushy pies unless otherwise stated.) Football is shown on several screens across the two floors of this expansive space, complemented by a beer garden sure to fill up for the Euros. Table reservation is encouraged, not least by a current offer to halve your bill if you do.
The Ark, 42-46 North Frederick Street, Glasgow G1 2BS. Open daily 11am-midnight.
the auctioneers
Thanks to its location a few paces from focal George Square, this deceptively large, glass-fronted, high-ceilinged locale gets a lot of footfall and shows a lot of football – which is why it’s already encouraging fans to book their seats early during Euro 2024.
A more eclectic selection of draught beers than most pubs in the city centre includes Siren Yulu from Wokingham and Schöfferhofer grapefruit wheat from Frankfurt, rubbing shoulders with Sharp’s Atlantic Pale Ale from the north Cornish coast. Those with a gluten intolerance should enjoy Estrella Damm Daura, produced by the same people behind the beer you’ll remember from your trip to Barcelona, and based on scientific research with experts.
A surprisingly extensive range of steaks should satisfy ravenous carnivores, while the paninis fill that gap when you’re a couple of drinks in and weren’t counting on being a couple of drinks in. Attractive student deals keep the place buzzing on quieter days.
The Auctioneers, 6 North Court, Glasgow G1 2DP. Open Mon-Thur noon-11pm, Fri noon-midnight, Sat 11am-midnight.
cairns bar
Off the retail showcase of Argyle Street, Cairns Bar puts sport first but keeps affordability in focus, its sharing pub plates ideal for a group of you watching the game. Well-executed favourites and light bites make up the rest of the menu. The kitchen closes at 9pm, 8pm on Sundays.
It’s a Belhaven venue but not afraid to think global where the beers are concerned – this is one of the first places in Glasgow to offer the lighter, citrusy Peroni Nastro Azzurro Capri for those hot summer afternoons when you’ve got three Euro matches to see in a day and feel you should pace yourself. They’ve also got recently released Guinness 0.0 if you need to stay dry.
Rare match programmes, framed and mounted, should pique the interest of the curious football traveller, giving the place a pub feel.
Cairns Bar, 5-15 Miller Street, Glasgow G1 1EA. Open Mon-Thur 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat 11am-midnight, Sun noon-11pm.
committee room No.9
“Glasgow’s Favourite Sports Pub” stands proudly in the Merchant City, whose grand Victorian edifices now welcome latte-sipping urbanites. It’s not all bad, however, as CR9, as this place cleverly brands itself, goes overboard on big-screen football.
Packages are promised for the Euros but most everything you need can be found in the two-pint steins and beer towers that keep the customers satisfied. If you’re sticking to pints, then look out for now supertrendy Menabrea from semi-Alpine Piedmont and Drygate Kelvin Pilsner from ten minutes’ walk away, the other site of High Street. The shots selection should suit those gearing up for the regular DJ and live music nights.
Weekend hangovers can be cured in an instant by the Scottish breakfast served until 4pm, featuring the two local essentials of tattie scones and Tennent’s lager, the latter a discounted extra. There are Sunday roasts, too, and standard favourites on the main menu such as sausage & mash and, um, steak frites. Well, we are in Merchant City.
Committee Room No.9, 18 John Street, Glasgow G1 1JQ. Open Tue-Thur 4pm-midnight, Fri noon-1am, Sat 11am-1am, Sun 11am-10pm.
grace's irish sports bar
The full disclosure here is in the name and the location, fringing the greener half of town – the image of Billy McNeill as large as Lisbon is perhaps another giveaway. Match days see it packed full of hoops well before and long after kick-off. Those of the non-hoopy persuasion can enjoy a jumping sports bar with 15 big HD screens, a pool table and live Irish music from early evening at weekends, when the place stays open until 3am.
A concise, no-nonsense menu includes a soup of the day and a slap-up Ulster breakfast, the beer choice is equally unflashy, Tennent’s, Guinness and Carlsberg the popular options. Look out for twofer meal deals midweek.
For big-match nights, you can book a booth, with a special package for eight people or more – ‘booth’ is too conservative a term to do these large communal spaces justice, actually.
Grace’s Irish Sports Bar, 18 Candleriggs, Glasgow G1 1LD. Open Mon-Thur & Sun 11am-midnight. Fri-Sat 11am-3am.
horseshoe bar
Round the corner from Glasgow Central station as you exit into Union Street, the venerable Horseshoe is both convenient and convivial. A horseshoe bar, hence the name, centrepieces and grounds this wonderful pub, encouraging interaction and conversation.
TV screens beam match action as a couple of Tennent’s becomes a couple more – there’s Peroni, too – while 11am opening means you can start the day with breakfast, if needs must.
The upstairs lounge is as legendary as the downstairs bar, and that thick menu isn’t the wine list, it’s a directory of songs so extensive, even Clash fans can take the stage for karaoke. Those just here for the beer and the fitba can carry on chatting, sipping and match-watching well away from the limelight.
Horseshoe Bar, 17-19 Drury Street, Glasgow G2 5AE. Open daily 11am-midnight.
malones
Claiming to serve the best pint of Guinness in Glasgow, no idle boast, Malones sits just off the storied thoroughfare of Sauchiehall Street, a slice of Ireland in a shopping hub.
Live music is as important here as live sport, more so, in fact, with trad sessions on Tuesdays and Fridays, but you can still catch the action on 4K ultra HD. Rugby and GAA get top billing, with enough screens around the place for football fans, too.
The harps lining the bar counter indicate that Guinness is the drink du jour here, also featured in the house beef stew. A courtyard terrace catches the sun and creates a lively buzz as the post-work crowd file in.
Malones, 57-59 Sauchiehall Lane, Glasgow G2 4AB. Open Mon-Fri noon-3am, Sat-Sun 11am-3am.
mcchuills
Prime choice for anyone wanting to watch football in Glasgow. And, though it might have a projector and big screens, funky McChuills isn’t even a sports bar, it’s a communal hive for the music-obsessed. ‘Lost Subcultures, Found’ it its motto, a vinyl record its logo.
Framed classic LP covers line this cavern-like space, with enough room for a stage and a pool table, both in regular use. Up-and-coming bands are given the spotlight on Dirty Laundry Thursdays, pool players take each other on when the table’s free-to-play on Tuesdays.
A bar counter longer than Sandinista! is lined with 12 beer taps, Bavaria’s historic Weihenstephaner a given, while a guest brew is showcased on a rotating basis. Cocktails, currently priced at £7.50, go by the names of iconic music acts, starting with a Public Enemy of vodka, gin, rum, tequila… The spirit list is lengthy in any case, if neat, neat, neat is your preference.
Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2023, McChuills owes its longevity to sharing the attitudes of the many who patronise it – long may it rock.
McChuills, 80 High Street, Glasgow G1 1NL. Open daily noon-midnight.
the raven
A few metres from Malones (see above), this Americana-influenced sports bar fits 14 screens into its wood and bare-brick interior. Almost as many customers come here for the arrows, with next-level electric darts machines available for booking on a 90-minute basis.
Edinburgh-based Cold Town Brewery supplies the key draught options, alongside Moretti, Beavertown and local St Mungo’s, named after the patron saint of Glasgow. You can also pair a half with a dram of whisky from the Hauf & Hauf selection, allowing you to try smaller samples of lesser-known brews and still get smashed. Smokey & the Bandit (Cold Town Lager + Smokhead Islay) should hit the spot.
Haggis bonbons (not a contradiction in terms) feature in the bar snacks or there’s a full menu of US-style meat dishes coming in dauntingly challenging portions. The maple Texas smoked Angus brisket would fell a heffalump. You should all make a pact to starve for a week and wear loose-fitting clothes before taking on the mammoth share tray.
The Raven, 81-85 Renfield Street, Glasgow G2 1NQ. Open Mon-Wed noon-11pm, Thur-Fri noon-midnight, Sat-Sun 11am-midnight.
reardon's
While some of the bars suggested here are boldly contemporary, at timeless Reardon’s, the clock clicks slowly along with the clack of the balls gliding across ten snooker baizes and 20 pool tables.
The fact that this all unfolds within the same building as the busiest train station in Scotland, 17-platform Glasgow Central, makes this pool hall-cum-sports bar even more attractive. Shouldn’t all train stations have pool halls?
Those coming for a game pay £2 admission, if you just want to watch football on one of ten screens, walk straight in, order a pint of Tennent’s and take in the action in quiet, relaxed surroundings. Ideal, in fact, if you need somewhere non-partisan to savour your most hated team’s defeat in real time on screen.
There’s another branch of Reardon’s – created in conjunction with snooker’s six-time world champion – on Pollokshaws Road, near Queen’s Park in south Glasgow.
Reardon’s, 24 Hope Street, Glasgow G2 6AA. Open daily 10am-midnight.
