Babbity Bowster, Glasgow

This was one of the pubs in my extended weekend that had been recommended to me so it was always going to be on my list of must visits and I was certainly not disappointed. Named after a traditional Scottish dance, the pub is housed in a grand looking building built in 1790 that was formerly home to a tobacco merchant but was a derelict banana store before being renovated and opened as pub in 1985 by the current owner. The interior has bare floors and bright and airy predominantly white décor that complements the black edged furnishings, mainly banquette style pews. Above the open fireplace stands what looks like an old pub sign. There are no TVs, music or games machines but live traditional acoustic music is held at weekends. To one side is a rarity for central Glasgow in a beer garden, a pleasant spot when the weather allows. The 3 ales available were Kelburn Misty Law, Caledonian Deuchars and Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted along with some top end lagers and craft beers that I didn’t note. The ales are all dispensed from taps under air pressure rather than the now common hand pump. The menu had plenty of traditional Scottish dishes with prices ranging considerably to meet a good cross section of people wishing to eat. Fraser, the charismatic owner is very welcoming (you can’t miss him – he wouldn’t look out of place in Dr Hook & The Medicene Show) and both he and the custonmers I encountered were quite chatty. Any mention of the, shall we say, premium beer prices, Wetherspoons or Car Parking charges will be guaranteed to kick start an interesting conversation. It was a fairly quiet Saturday lunctime for my visit and I probably didn’t get a real feel for the place but would love to see it in full swing. It’s a certainly that I will have an extended stay on my next visit.