Ah January, how do I despise thee? It’s dark; most of us are skint and they’ve only gone and invented something called thunder snow. Could it get any worse?
But wait. Before you pull the duvet back over your head and hibernate for another three months, what is that warm, welcoming glow in the dark?
What soft light beckons us forward? Forsooth, we are saved. The 5pm £12 Dining Sale is here. All is well.
Anyway, you get the picture. January is nobody’s fave month but the chance to enjoy a great meal for £12 has almost magical restorative powers.
At the time of writing, all these offers were available on Tuesday 17th January. Offers and menus change but you can find a meal that suits you, at a restaurant you like, on a convenient day by searching our £12 Dining Offers.
Here are 10 Glasgow West End restaurants that caught our eye.
The Drake
Bar and kitchen by Charing Cross
The Drake is on the border of the Park and Woodlands areas and serves excellent food, made with local, fresh produce.
The venue has a cosy bar downstairs and a more formal restaurant upstairs. The bar has original bare brick work, coal fires and a welcoming neighbourhood feel.
Their £12 Dining offer will buy you a main course from the sale menu plus a wine or beer.
Among others, dishes on offer include a Scottish steak burger; a spiced chickpea and shredded vegetable burger; beer-battered haddock ‘n’ chips; cider and mustard gammon or the asparagus, lemon and mint risotto. It’s available noon to 8.30pm.
beGIN
Gin bar
Part of Hilton Glasgow Grosvenor, beGIN opened on Byres Road towards the end of 2016. Staffed by hip mixologists, it is an on trend mix of exposed copper piping, filament bulbs and lots of gin.
In fact, the bar stocks some 68 varieties of gin from all over the world and they are available as both classic and new cocktails or as a Perfect Serve – a double measure served with one of twelve mixers and 28 garnishes. Of course, craft beers and wines are also available.
From 11am to 9pm, you can enjoy their £12 2-4-1 offer on burgers. We would eat ours with one of their Damn the Weather cocktails, a cockle-warming concoction made with Plymouth Gin, Noilly Prat and Cointreau.
Elena’s Spanish Bar & Restaurant
Cantabrian bar and restaurant by Kelvingrove
Opened in the summer of 2016, Elena’s Spanish Bar & Restaurant serves Cantabrian food on Old Dumbarton Road. With its tiled walls and toro mural, it has the ambience of an authentic Spanish bodega.
The outside seating and the Estrella Galicia Cerveza on tap underline the feeling that this could be a bar in Santander rather than Kelvingrove. If it wasn’t for the snow and wind outside, obvs.
As you might expect, the carefully selected wine list flies the flag for Spain’s sherries, wine and cava.
Their £12 Dining Offer is for two raciones (think massive tapas portions) from the 5pm Sale menu plus dessert. We would have the pan-fried Scottish clams with garlic and white wine along with the marinated chicken skewers with Spanish paprika.
The Hidden Lane Tea Room
Cosy tearoom in Finnieston
For fans of tea, cakes, vintage and fine china, The Hidden Lane Tea Room is a must visit. As its name says, the cafe is hidden away at the end of a lane off Argyle Street in Glasgow’s Finnieston. Wobbly tables, piles of recipe books and bunting on the walls give it a homely and welcoming atmosphere.
Naturally afternoon tea is a very popular option for visitors to The Hidden Lane Tearoom. The combination of fine china, freshly baked treats and vintage decor lends an authentic feel to the traditional British ceremony.
It’s available for £12 from noon to 5pm on the Dining Sale.
Crossing the Rubicon
Indian tapas and craft beer
A new addition to Glasgow West End restaurants and offering a fresh take on Indian food, Crossing the Rubicon is a funky, colourful bar and diner on Great Western Road. Decorated with mirror balls and graffiti of flying elephants, it is a long way from the more traditional curry house.
The Drygate Brewery is closely involved so Crossing the Rubicon has an interesting, rotating range of fourteen draught and four cask lines along with dozens of canned and bottled beers. Regular Meet the Brewer nights add to the fun.
Their £12 Dining Sale offer is for one person to have a curry, small plate and side plus a half pint of house cask.
Curries on offer include a lamb achari and the peerless pork cheek vindaloo. Veggie options include the creamy dahl makani and the paneer mutter.
Want to go vegan? Sure. Try the tofu mutter.
Cafe Source Too West End
Contemporary Scottish restaurant
Cafe Source Too is located at Hillhead Sports Club and specialises in modern Scottish cuisine cooked with fresh, local produce. Sharing the same relaxed feel as its sister restaurant in the Merchant City, Cafe Source Too also prides itself on the quality of food they serve.
Produce from all across Scotland can be found on Cafe Source Too’s menu with mussels from the West Coast, brie from Howgate, and oatcakes from Arran. Staple dishes such as haggis, neeps & tatties (with a vegetarian option also available) and braised beef & onion stovies are two particular favourites amongst traditionalists.
It’s £12 per person for two courses from the January Sale menu and £16 per person for three courses.
Masala Twist
Modern Indian with a twist
Masala Twist is an Indian restaurant and curry house set on the bustling Byres Road in the hub of Glasgow West End restaurants. Making the most of the freshest local produce, it offers traditional Indian fare with a modern twist. The restaurant is fresh and modern with warm and friendly service.
Masala Twist’s menu is influenced by regional Indian cuisines and tries to offer alternatives to the standard Anglo Indian curries.
Available noon to 10pm, the £12 Dining Sale buys one person three courses. We’re having the fish pakora, lamb desi and Scottish tablet ice cream. Thank you very much.
Cubatas Tapas Bar & Restaurant
Modern and traditional tapas by Charing Cross
Cubatas Tapas Bar and Restaurant aims to serve both authentic Spanish and global fusion tapas. A modern, almost minimalist space, with stripped walls and tiled floors, Cubatas is ideal for a romantic night out or a party with friends.
The extensive menu at Cubatas offers a wide variety of mouth-watering tapas. From traditional choices like the patatas bravas and gambas al pil pil to dishes like the beef carpaccio with black olives and manchego cheese, there are many appealing options.
Available at lunch, noon to 3pm, and dinner, 5pm to 10pm, £12 will buy one person two tapas plus a dessert from the a la carte menu.
The Pacific
Laidback Tiki bar
The sound of the surf; exotic cocktails and Big Kahuna burgers mean you can only be in one place – The Pacific Bar and Kitsch Inn on Dumbarton Road. Sister bar to Bath Street’s Tiki Bar and Kitsch Inn, The Pacific brings the ‘Aloha!’ to Glasgow West End restaurants. Decked out like a Polynesian beach hut, it is a laidback spot for sipping a couple of Mai Tais or grazing on a Thai sharing platter.
An inventive cocktail list, served in sharing bowls or ceramic tiki mugs, are one of the big draws at The Pacific. Tasty as the drinks are, the food is just as big an attraction. As well as popular Thai favourites such as king prawn tempura, curries and phat, or pad, Thai, the main menu lists chilli, chicken and fish tacos plus a selection of fun burgers. Especially popular is the Kalua-style pulled pork burger served in a brioche.
Available from 4pm to 9.45pm, £12 will buy one person two courses from the dinner menu.
West on the Corner
German bar
An offshoot of the WEST Brewery on Glasgow Green, WEST on the Corner brings a stylish taste of Bavaria to Woodlands Road. It is a good looking bar. By day, it is light and airy with stripped walls, pale wood and white, bright furniture. By night it has an inviting, warm glow. The locally brewed, German-style lagers and wheat beers on tap are a big attraction.
Serving everything from morning pastries and coffees to three course evening meals via a selection of bar bites, WEST on the Corner keeps its customers content all day long.
From noon to 3pm, £12 will get you a main course from the lunch express menu plus any pint of draught beer, lager or cider, a soft drink or a 175ml glass of house rose, white or red.
Lunchtime choices might include the salmon and peat-smoked haddock fishcakes; a Simon Howie’s beef burger in a pretzel bun; woodland mushrooms served with spinach and Parmesan spätzle or, and this is our choice, the iconic currywurst: smoked bockwurst sausages mit fries, salad and WEST curry sauce.
We hope these top 10 Glasgow West End restaurants have whet your appetite – you can find more restaurants taking part in our £12 Sale here.