Drum & Monkey

Am excellent traditional pub in the middle of Glasgow. Real Ale and great food makes for a nice relaxed evening.
A good place to meet before going on to some of the other bars and restaurants nearby.
Always a good selection of ales on as well as the usual fare.
Make sure you at least drop in for one.

The Drum and Monkey is part of the Nicholsons group, and has a lovely old interior from its days of being a bank. It has been carefully converted and is now a real ale destination as they have a changing selection of several beers. i find that they also have a great selection of soft drinks, and also some interesting drinks which I have not seen elsewhere. If mulled wine or mulled cider is your thing, that’s available right now, in quirky metal cups.
The separate dining area is a good idea for busy times, but we have also eaten in the main bar area.
Join up to their mailing list via their app and get money off drinks, food and also notice of special offers.

I have frequented this place a lot recently, probably due to the fact it’s in a really handy location for a drink meeting place before heading for a restaurant or a last drink before heading home as it’s near queen street station and central.
The staff are always pretty friendly and efficient, which is nice as the place is usually pretty heaving at the weekend.
It is hard to get a seat as the place isn’t big and it’s usually packed which is the only downside to the place.
The prices are fair and they seem to have a full bar. I usually have a Hendricks gin and they put cucumber in instead of lime, so they get a thumbs up from me there.
The décor is warm and friendly and always looks like it’s Christmas. I think because it has a big fire place and the lighting is pretty low and warm.
I really enjoy the atmosphere here.

Recently here with my boyfriend and one of his friends who lives outside Glasgow, this place is a real treat. We’ve been in many times before and have always gotten in and had drinks without issue.
Its quite spacious with many tables and bar seating which is nice. Its always quite packed so its always a plus when we’re able to find a seat. The bar maids are always friendly and service is quick. Don’t let those friendly faces fool you though, they won’t take any bull off the patrons and are quick to throw the rowdy football fans out if need be.
Another plus is that they serve your standard pub fare at affordable prices. I’ve only been in for drinks, but am definitely keen on trying out their food.
Wether stopping in for a pint after work or on a pub crawl around the city, Deum & Monkey is a must stop for all your bevvy needs!

I’ve been here loads of times but I never felt like I had enough of an experience to review — it’s always been for a quick drink and I never remembered interacting with the bar staff (that says something about my boozing habits, perhaps).
There’s a few things to like about this pub straight away — it’s a good layout, with loads of seating on different levels so you can probably always get a seat. There’s a large bar area meaning you can pop in at an empty spot and get served pretty quickly. While the décor is old-​fashioned, it’s still got a bit of class to it.
We grabbed a seat along the front window of the bar which faces Bread Meats Bread (we were going there for dinner, so it’s a good spot to sit and watch the queue). These seats might be a little hard to find as they’re tucked up out of the way but that means it’s good for a sit and natter without being bumped/​bothered.
I fancied a cider and the bar lady was nice enough to reel off the options to me. The first one I ordered I didn’t enjoy, and frustratingly I couldn’t remember the options from when she’d first told but she happily went through them again, without even rolling her eyes at me. So that was nice. Drinks are reasonably priced and there’s a big selection so you should be able to find something you like.
For me, it’s never going to be a destination pub but I’d definitely pop in for a drink if I was going past.

Had a South Island cask beer that was really good. Loved the décor of the bar– very open space and five different cask beers to choose from.

Un pub auténtico, frecuentado por gente local, en pleno centro de Glasgow.
Como en todo pub que se precie, también se puede comer y, sin ser nada del otro mundo, se come razonablemente bien por poco dinero.
Me encantaron los haggis que, afortunadamente, me comí antes de saber de qué están hechos.

Somehow I knew it would be quiet
It was pretty busy in town due to the Commonwealth Games and I just couldn’t rest my feet anywhere. And how dare it be so sunny. The beer gardens were obviously the place to be. So I searched for somewhere I knew I would get a seat, be dark (ish) and cool to await my date for the evening.
So The Drum and Monkey it was. I’m sure we all know that this Nicholson’s pub occupies an old bank and as you’d expect of banking money it’s a lovely old building, with a high decorative ceiling and plenty of Marble columns adorning its open plan bar area. Flanked by 2 comfortable raised seating areas, I made for the large curved bar…
And there were 5 or 6 beers on pump — no real ales, so I plumped for a pint of one of the continental pilsners — Stella Black, a fragrant floral hoppy little number. Not much change from a fiver, so there goes my starter later on :-\
Service was fairly pleasant but the fact that I got a seat was more important
and on the whole it’s a pretty standard city centre bar attracting a middle aged crowd which suites me fine at times. I’ll probably be back, but it’ll have to wait its turn. There’s plenty of competition around and much of it better.

Looking for a bite to eat on a very wet Wednesday, the Drum and Monkey was a handy choice for two weary workers with wet feet (I’ll stop now).
The section at the back of the pub has a few nice booths* and felt quite cosy. The menu is typical hearty pub grub and has a few different veggie options which I’m always keen to try. I opted for veggie sausage, gravy and mash. Not being a huge mash fan I was able to swap this for some veg without a problem.
The server was really friendly and our food arrived pretty quickly (although it was quite quiet). My friends order of scampi and chips was served in a cute mini frying basket which was a nice touch and the food was all served piping hot. My veggie sausage were pretty tasty and the veggie gravy was thick and full of flavour.
The portion sizes were just right (although my friend could have handled a few extra chips which were proclaimed the best she’d had in a while!), leaving us room for a bit of dessert. A chocolate fudge brownie cake with icecream with two spoons was hot and fudgy (just how a brownie should be).
At £20 for two it was a bit of a bargain and somewhere I’ll happily keep returning to.
* If you sit in one of the booths at the back there’s a lot of vibration from the nearby traffic/​train station? — we couldn’t work it out exactly but it sort of feels like you’re on a train!

It was nice to have a more laid back dinner than didn’t break the bank. The Drum and Monkey has a fun pub atmosphere. Our waiter was personable and very friendly.
Fish and chips is a pretty safe meal choice in the UK, so I ordered their Basket of Fish: fried fish, scampi shrimp, and calamari. My fish fillet was golden and crispy. The flaky white fish fell apart at the slightest touch. From the menu description, I was expecting the kind of shrimp scampi I’ve grown up with. You know, shrimp in garlic and butter. Instead, I received fried shrimp balls. The calamari was ok, but not my favorite. The frozen fries weren’t worth commenting on.
We finished up the meal with some Sticky Toffee Pudding. Unlike my mediocre entrée, this dessert was really tasty. The cold ice cream and warm, sugary pudding complimented each other nicely.
There are probably better options for pub food in Glasgow, but I was reasonably happy with the Drum and Monkey.

The Drum & Monkey is one of those pubs that you tend to float past, or go in for a quick one before heading off elsewhere.
It’s no bad thing, but to me, it’s fairly bland and innocuous. The staff are ace, though, advising on which one of the many fine real ales they dispense if you ask them, and everyone gets served quickly and with a smile.
The food looks decent, it smells nice enough as it passes by, plated up and delivered to hungry drinkers looking to fill up their fuel tanks after a days work. That to me seems to be the core clientèle — city centre workers and business types.
It’s a nice little pub in the city centre that doesn’t have any gimmicks or pretensions. It’s just not somewhere I would personally spend a lot of time, but it’ll do for a drop in.

Popped in here for a couple of drinks. Not my first visit, won’t be my last.
Good solid pub, background music that doesn’t interfere with conversation, friendly staff and a well stocked bar with a nice rotation of ales.
A couple of pints of CHARGED (from the band Elbow) went down well.
Short review, of a great pub. I’ll try the food next time!

Popped in for a pint and 4 pints and a brie fondue later it was time to go home… It’s a lovely pub with a nice atmosphere — 4 stars rather than 5 because its on the higher end of my budget for drink — the food is actually reasonably priced. The brie fondue was lovely but I would have liked it about a third larger in size — there just wasn’t quite enough. My bestie had gammon egg and chips — it was a huge portion and her chips were cooked perfectly but unfortunately her eggs were a bit snotty :(other than that it was a really nice place to pop in and I will be going in again to try more food off the menu

A part of the Mitchells & Butler’s group chain they are similar to JD Weatherspoon’s pubs but not as obvious and also not as cheap, This bar stocks a selection of fine ales with a beer festival between October and November months.
This bar is nice enough and drinks selection available. The food in the past could have been a hit or a miss as they had kitchen issues where in previous years nearly all the food was pre made and bought in, nearly all the bars in the chain are trying to do upper market food, more fresher, but the company forgot one important thing? Chefs you cannot get a chef on cooks wages and that is why they had a notice in the window for nearly a year looking for a chef.

Haggis. I don’t know what imagery your mind conjures up but if you’ve never seen it or had it, I recommend you try it. Post Haste!
My sister tried hard to deter me from getting haggis but I was on a mission. While wandering around Glasgow (stop 2 of our British Isles cruise) and after visiting a free museum and the main shopping area we happened upon a pub. A pub called, The Drum and Monkey.
I ordered the haggis lunch and scotch eggs while my husband ordered the cod fish and chips. This was my first introduction to haggis and if everyone makes it as good as this place, I’m set for life! It was spiced well and the texture was similar to ground meat only better!!! Scotch egg was also on point.
This was probably the best fish and chips we’d had on the whole tour of the British Isles, too. The fish was cooked perfectly with a light batter and the chips were also superb. Crispy.
Of course I had a beer. I opted for the Black Scottish Stout. Wow! Nice and smooth. It went really well with my haggis.
If you happen to be in Glasgow and you happen to be a little hungry or thirsty, I highly recommend stopping into this pub. The food really was fantastic.
And also. reach out to the local Unilocalers. The people of Scotland are so darn friendly!
Cheers!

The Drum is awesome, in fact it was CAMRA’s Glasgow Pub of the Year for 2012. With up to five real ales on at any time this makes it a perfect place to sample some award-​winning craft ales.
The food is good, if not spectacular, and reasonably priced.
Yes the bar can get very loud and very busy… but that’s the sign of a great pub, no? For me this is similar to the Pot Still — if you like one you’ll like the other. And the best bit is they’re only a three minute walk from each other!

For what ever reason I have only really properly been going to this bar since January. I do remember visiting this bar in the past but that would have been on the very rare occasion.
Anyway since I have made this place a semi regular occurrence I have worked my way round the cask ales and even the guest ales. They have proper Ciders aswell and if that was not enough to top it off, the menu taste fantastic!
Price wise, as stated in my review of clockwork bar, you pay more for ale but that is because you are getting better quality! The prices a fair so get your monkey out… well maybe not in public but get your ass to this bar and try it!
The staff are very friendly and knowledgable of the ales!

Good golly, it’s been over two years since I last set a foot inside this wooden chamber, which serves many drinks from it’s woody old fashioned bar.
This was were our Monkey Business crawl was to begin. Armed with monkeys, monkey ears and bananas I knew it was gonna be a day of much mischief and fun.
We hung round the bar, looking cool in our monkey ears, as it was quite busy for a Friday afternoon but it was Good Friday, so many people were probably off like ourselves. The staff were lovely and also took an interest in our monkey attire and plans.
They have a well stocked bar and even had fruity pink beer for little me. Yay! My man and Emma M. tried the Titanic cappuccino stout, I heard it went down well. Haw haw haw! Sorry, couldn’t help myself. The stout actually smelled lovely with its strong coffee aroma. I didn’t try though, I had a feeling although it smelled nice I probably wouldn’t like the taste, not my favourite combo.
This was one of my favourite pubs of the day. It’s ideally located centrally in town and not far for public transport. I would definitely pop back here again, a great wee pub with an affable atmosphere.

Well Nicholsons is becoming quite a brand, seen in York and London. This pub is not quite up to their best standard you should see the Blackfriars in London. But I will compare against what is in Glasgow. The beer selection is small but well kept. Ddn’t try food. The ceiling is lovely but the rest is a bit Weatherspoons. Will become a regular though on mu trips to Glasgow.

this is an easy place to find if you’re hanging around the bath street/​buchanan street area in Glasgow. i had sincere and friendly service from the bar staff, and they have a good selection of cask beers. Pop in for lunch, they have specials and food/​beer combos that are really reasonably priced. i had gammon steak and eggs (i’m told gammon is the back leg of ham) which was really good. my girlfriend had their smoked haddok and cream soup, which she said was really tasty and not too heavy.
i’ll definitely pop in next time i want some lunch whilst visiting Glasgow

Why have I never been i here? No seriously, why in the name of all that is kick ass and pub like, have I never set foot in, what I now see as my ‘go-​to’ city centre pub, until now?
Things to like:
— WOOD! The place is awesome. It’s like walking into a well crafted forrest that serves beer and has comfy seats (all forests should be of this standard)
— Proper beer on tap: Not sure what I had, but there seems to be a number of guest ales on tap. Nae T for me!
— Staff: Attentive, friendly and sporting a rather fine mustache.
Things not to like:
— Nowt
Don’t be a muppet. Get your arse in here and check it out.