The East End is Glasgow at its most Glasgow. Rough edges, brilliant food, people who’ve been here forever alongside people who just arrived – and somehow it all works.
Start at the Barras if you’ve never been. It’s been running since the 1920s and it’s still the real thing – market stalls, street vendors, characters. Ripe is a tiny independent magazine shop in the market worth finding. The Woom Room sells work by Glasgow-based artists. The fun is in the wander.
Duke Street is where you eat. Celino’s and Coia’s are the neighbourhood Italian stalwarts – deli treats, pasta, the full thing. Zennor does specialty coffee with breakfast and lunch, and La Bodega is a family-owned Venezuelan café doing empanadas, arepas and fresh coffee that feels like a proper find the first time you stumble in. For something more substantial, Dennistoun Bar-B-Que on Duke Street is exactly what it sounds like – messy, American-style, worth every bit of it.
Redmond’s on Duke Street for a drink. Vinyl, cold pints, zero pretension. Drygate if you’re in a group and need the space.
The East End is the part of the city that hasn’t been smoothed out yet. That’s the whole appeal. Look out for some Glasgow IRL experiences in this area very soon.
