Curlers Rest, Hillhead, Glasgow

This is a deceptively large pub with a bit of a gastro feel to it, on a busy street close to Hillhead station. The pub has a smart and somewhat homely lounge-cum-dining room feel with a spacious wide seating area to the front where lots of tables and chairs and a few comfy banquettes can be found along with the occasional sofa in the odd nook here and there. The seating area gives way to the bar which eventually appears along the right hand wall with a check tile floored area around it, a smart dark wood counter and part tile, part bare brick bar back embellished with plain mirrors and tonnes of pump clips. The rear seating area opposite the bar and beyond has a lot of standard tables and chairs, some curved benches, more sofas and a few high stools but feels a bit dark and empty compared to the much cosier front lounge space. The dim lighting comes courtesy of some old fashioned standard lamps and in combination with the high wood panelled walls painted in plain shades and featureless decor comprising mainly of promotional blackboards, it all feels a little drab and dreary. A staircase in the middle of the room leads up to a first floor bar which I didn't explore and there was pop music playing in the background throughout my visit. A stack of board games was perched on the end of the bar and it felt like most people in here had come for food, so it wasn't the ideal place to stop off for a drink. With such a gastro feel, I wasn't expecting too much of interest at the bar, so was pleased to find Caledonian Deuchars IPA, Oakham JHB, Adnams & Yeastie Boys Whittle, Skinners Porthleven and Stewart Jack Black all available on cask. There were plenty of disinterested bar staff milling around doing nothing, one of whom finally served me a decent pint of the Jack Black which I enjoyed before heading off to a nearby curry house. I think the stand out feature here is this pub's ale range, which seems to favour well respected UK breweries, but I wasn't so impressed with the service nor the feel of the pub which left me a bit cold aside perhaps from the nice front area. It's certainly a good bet for an interesting pint in the Hillhead area but didn't do enough to make me want to head back out this way again.