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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Horse Shoe, Glasgow
Glasgow
G2 5AE
Pub Type
Oak Tree (Mitchells & Butlers)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Horse Shoe
Doesn't look that much from the street, but this pub's famous interior is certainly well worth looking at. Much of the furniture and décor around the substantial island bar is of interest, but it can get very crowded although I get there early enough on this visit (my first for 13 years) to have a good look at the various heritage features. The four handpumps are quite hard to spot, but I found a pair of cask ales from Stewart Brewing - Jack Back and 80/- (£4.85) - along with Landlord and Wye Valley's HPA.
On 9th April 2025
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8679 recommendations about 8678 pubs]
Will Larter left this review about The Horse Shoe
Probably the nearest pub to the Central station with real ale, and it was very busy when I arrived just after noon, having opened at 11am. The four hand pumps were hard to find among the crowd, and one of the four was hidden by a stack of glasses, while the Doom Bar was too far to the right to feature in my shot (see photos for the three that I could frame). The barman misheard my request for a half of the Stewart Jack Back 3.7%, but luckily it was very good (NBSS 4) and only £4.80/pint, so we didn't come to blows. This is a beautiful backstreet pub with a big island bar with a pelmet held up by pillars, and topped with plants and items of art or bric a brac. The walls, and even the underside of the staircase are festooned with old pictures of scantily dressed women, which I struggled to see at risk of a cricked neck. A destination pub.
On 15th November 2024
- rating: 8
[User has posted 4273 recommendations about 3935 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Strongers . left this review about The Horse Shoe
The Horse Shoe has a large stool lined horseshoe shaped island bar that is surrounded by seating and ornate fixtures and fittings. There are beer shelves with stools in the front of the pub and banquettes run down the left and right sides. The beer shelf on the rear wall is lined with some comfy leather backed stools that are overlooked by a large clock that is mounted onto the mirrored rear wall. Televisions are located throughout for showing football, but these were muted whilst some background music played.
Available from the bar was a standard and premium keg range alongside hand pumps drawing TT Landlord, Wychwood’s Hobgoblin, St Austell’s Proper Job and Stewart’s Jack Back. This place is worth a look, if only to say you’ve been.
On 27th November 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5965 recommendations about 5931 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Horse Shoe
A Camra listed pub of Historic Interiors, which had an impressive looking central bar area. The pub was finished in dark timberwork, plus the original carved timber fireplaces were horseshoe shaped. Another feature I noticed was the stained glass rooflight at the rear of the lounge area, along with the original push buttons situated along the timber panelling. Beer wise nothing outstanding on our visit, London Pride, Doombar and Stewarts 80/-.
On 3rd November 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3645 recommendations about 3645 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Horse Shoe
A traditional pub located in a small side street, but nonetheless just a very short stroll from several main thoroughfares, it has some quite ornate touches internally, but is clearly in need of a little TLC with sections of ceiling showing evidence of water ingress, and one section being covered up with hardboard where it has presumably collapsed completely.
Décor wise it’s quite traditional, with a mixture of quarry and Victorian style tiling on the floor. It’s a single open plan room with a high ceiling and a large central bar counter taking up much of the pub, to the extent that in some places the remaining space was little more than a passageway. Plenty of stools were provided so punters could sit here. Elsewhere was some padded bench seating. Quite ornately carved and dark wooden panelling covered the lower part of the walls, with pale painted wallpaper above. A number of tall supporting pillars had some quite elaborate cornice work around the top, and there was also some stained glass panelling in the roof. It must have been quite something in it’s heyday. A number of TV’s were dotted around, and although the volume was on low this was rather overshadowed by the music. Large mirrors covered much of the back wall, and there were a few old black and white photographs around.
Beers on tap were Deuchars IPA, London Pride and Doom Bar, whilst the ciders were just Strongbow and Strongbow Dark Fruit, unfortunately. A pretty decent pub overall, although with a bit of investment to bring it up to scratch and a better choice of cider it could really be top notch.
On 2nd March 2020
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2060 recommendations about 1962 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about The Horse Shoe
Classic Glasgow bar famous for the longest counter which snakes around the middle of the square bar. Second claim to fame is karoke apparently. Four pulls of mainly national (UK) stuff but not bad as it’s a Nicholsons pub. Loads of big screens ruining the otherwise tasteful Victorian decor.
On 16th July 2018
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3599 recommendations about 3279 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Horse Shoe
This is a pretty spectacular heritage pub in the city centre which holds a claim to have the longest bar counter in Britain. The servery dominates the pub, running in something approximating a keyhole shape, through the centre of the pub, with numerous rooms, now mostly opened out, fanning off around it. The pub’s splendour is generally attributed to the efforts of former landlord John Young Whyte who took ownership of the pub in 1923 and installed many of the horse themed items still seen today. Fittingly, his initials appear etched into small glass panes around the servery, which is a dark wood beauty topped with a marvellous gantry which holds some spectacular vases and has a selection of quotes printed on the inside. The bar back has a few numbered whisky barrel ends set into it, but it’s unclear if they were ever functional in their present location. The extent of the servery means that space for seating is fairly restricted, with only a few notable pockets here and there as you walk around the bar. To the front for example, there are a few upturned barrels to rest your pint on, but that’s about all. Further back, decent bench and chair options appear in some pretty dark corners and those in the right hand side of the pub still retain bell pushes above the benches. Several smart fireplaces have been dotted around the room, most of which are horseshoe shaped. The back wall is dominated by some quite incredible pub mirrors which are well worth a look, plus a few black and white photos of the pub back in the day and a marvellous pub clock. Elsewhere, decorative panels, ceramic tiles, brewery mirrors and more photos round out the rather special decor of this impressively fitted pub. Several TV screens were showing a muted sports channel whilst pop music played quietly in the background. There is an upstairs lounge which was given a thorough refurbishment in 2015, but I didn’t visit on this occasion. Apparently a former landlord used to let the band Travis rehearse in this room during their rise to stardom.
The pub is more famous for its pies than its beer, having sold locally sourced pies for many years until owners Mitchell and Butlers, put an end to this practise, opting for frozen pies from a national supplier instead – an issue which I believe remains unresolved to this day. They did have three cask ales on when I arrived though – Harviestoun Bitter and Twisted, Caledonian Deuchars IPA and Inveralmond Lia Fail. The latter set me back £3.25 for a pint and was in reasonable shape, served to me by a very pleasant barmaid.
I really enjoyed visiting this place and loved the novelty of the crazy servery as well as the numerous items of historic interest which thankfully M&B haven’t managed to totally ruin as yet. The beer is decent enough to make this place worth the odd look in every now and again and I would certainly have no complaints if I were to find myself back here again.
On 27th April 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3350 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
grant bjorkelund left this review about The Horse Shoe Bar
One of Scotland's best pubs and certainly miles ahead of any pub in Glasgow, longest bar i have seen, always busy, have to wait to get a seat upstairs, good selection of ales and i always loved this bar, a cracker, if you walk past you will miss it.
On 16th October 2016
- rating: 10
[User has posted 21 recommendations about 20 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Peter Rydings left this review about The Horse Shoe Bar
Its a must to call in known all over
On 15th February 2013
- rating: 10
[User has posted 948 recommendations about 917 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Horse Shoe Bar
Tucked away on a side street. Large island bar serves 4 real ales and food. Original fittings retained and an upstairs area that i didn't visit.
On 20th August 2012
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2933 recommendations about 2866 pubs]