Horse Shoe

A city stalwart just a couple of minutes’ walk from Central Station, the Horse Shoe is a Victorian creation that has clung on to its basic looks for more than a century – which may explain some of the rough edges. It’s an old-fashioned drinking den with a never-ending island bar, mirrors, a tiled floor, Chinese vases & even a horse sculpture above the gantry. Aside from the bog-standard bar tipples, there’s a sprinkling of cask ales from big-name Scottish breweries including Caledonian & Harviestoun, plus a modest but keenly priced list of single malt whiskies. Value is very important here – the bar food is remarkably cheap – & there is a karaoke lounge & basic restaurant upstairs. The Horse Shoe is no anachronism – football on flatscreen TVs is a major attraction – but the establishment remains characteristically Glaswegian in a way that mayfly-style bars simply can’t match.