“I think food, culture, people and landscape are all absolutely inseparable”
-Anthony Bourdain
GLASGOW
(only 25min by car)
Anthony Bourdain was vocal in his love for Glasgow, calling it “the antidote to the rest of the world.” While it may have gone somewhat upmarket since his death, with a burgeoning restaurant scene he could only have dreamt of, the attitude, wit and warmth of the residents survive in the pubs and bars of the city.
One restaurant that Bourdain visited and enjoyed in his TV show Parts Unknown, a longstanding favourite on the city’s dining scene. Glaswegians love a curry (who doesn’t?), and the chicken tikka masala was allegedly invented in the city to cater for local tastes. Mother India offers a cosy ground floor bar, from which you can ascend to a Victorian dining room above or the intimate cellar below, both serving up the finest in Indian food. And it’s so popular they’ve opened up Mother India’s Café just around the corner.
The most iconic music venue in the city, you literally can’t miss it, with its name up in lights on the exterior, in the largest neon frontage in the UK. Inside, the sprung wooden floor, dating back to its days as a ballroom, is the perfect launch pad for the always boisterous crowd to enjoy the unique atmosphere of this place, whose stage has been graced by many of the best musicians of the last half century. James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem has called it his favourite place to play in the world – once you’ve been, you’ll understand why.
Mono is a Glasgow institution, founded by Craig Tannock, who has been at the forefront of vegan restaurants and venues for the Glasgow indie music scene for over three decades, As well as a relaxed bar and restaurant, you’ll come across Glasgow’s best independent music shop, Monorail Records… the venue also provides an intimate venue for choice gigs in the evening.
McChuills is a beloved community pub on the threshold of the Merchant City and East end, a popular spot for a drink before and/or after going to a gig at Barrowlands. As run by its charismatic – and music daft – owner Nicky Stewart, it has something on every night, from football and live music to DJs, and even a life drawing class. While it’s known as a football bar, with the team supported being Celtic, it’s become more famous as a music bar - back in the day, The Fratellis formed here while pulling pints.
This private gallery, founded in 1997, was fundamental in putting the Glasgow art scene on the international map, working with some of the most influential artists in the city, such as Jim Lambie and Martin Boyce, and attracting such national and international talents as Jeremy Deller and Urs Fischer. Their openings used to be the stuff of legend, though they’ve grown up and calmed down a bit. In compensation, they’ve recently got into showing retrospectives of such beloved queer artists as Keith Haring, Jack Smith and Duggie Fields.
Glasgow University may be one of the oldest universities in the world, but its art gallery hosts a forward thinking exhibition programme. Permanent holdings include one of the most important collections of Whistler in the world, and a large collection of drawings and prints on temporary display. You can also gain access to the Mackintosh House, a recreation of the interior of Glasgow’s most important architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s house, where he lived with his wife Margaret, who was a very important designer in her own right.
A large multicomplex art centre, this used to be the venue for the Transport Museum, then was chosen by Peter Brook as the ideal site for the only UK production of his legendary theatrical production, The Mahabharata. Since then, the main stage has hosted performances by leading theatre and dance companies, as well as musicians. It also boasts the largest art space in the city, which has brought the Turner Prize to Glasgow via Douglas Gordon in the 1990s, and Jasleen Kaur last year.