Glasgow Sub Crawl 2022: The 15 best pubs to visit on your next pub crawl on Glasgow’s subway

The Glasgow Sub Crawl, a tradition nearly as scared as the Subway itself - 15 stops and 15 drinks - only the hardiest of drinkers in Glasgow can hack it.

The Clockwork Orange was designed to ferry people from the city centre, South side, and West End and everywhere in between. Primarily designed for commuting for the new emerging middle class in Glasgow in Victorian times, it wasn’t long before Glaswegians realised that the metro could facilitate a city-wide pub crawl and from there the Sub Crawl was born.

If you’re living in Glasgow, it’s an unwritten rule that you need to try your hand at a Sub Crawl at least once - you’re probably not going to make it the whole way, but god loves a trier no?

Here’s our list of the best pubs to visit for your 2022 Sub Crawl.

St Enoch - Hootenanny

There’s no better pub to kick off your Sub Crawl than Hootenanny’s. Offering hot food, cold drinks, and live entertainment, what more could you ask for?

You can get a pint of Tennents for £3.50 (according to the website) and a vodka and coke for £3.20.

Buchanan Street - Waxy O’Conners

Waxy O’Conners is a traditional Irish pub right by Buchanan Street Subway station, and serves as the best second stop for a Sub Crawl.

Offering traditional pub grub, you might want to load up on carbs before you continue along your journey. Just make sure not to get lost in the sprawling maze that is the interior of the city centre Irish pub.

The pub serves Tennents - it doesn’t list its prices online, but you can expect to pay around £4-5 for a pint, and a little less for a vodka and coke

Cowcaddens - Jackson’s

For your third stop take the five minute walk down to Jackson’s. If you didn’t already fill up at Waxy’s - we’d highly recommend a plate of mince and tatties from this establishment.

They don’t list their prices online - in fact they don’t even have a website (that’s how you know they’re good) - but you can expect to pay anywhere from £3.50 to £5 for a pint.

St. Georges Cross - The Hug and Pint

A short three minute jaunt up Great Western Road lands you at The Hug and Pint - a vegan bar, restaurant, and music venue.

The venue often hosts local bands as well as larger UK bands - featuring an eclectic range of genres - depending on the act, you might want to nurse your pint here for a wee while.

The bar offers a wide range of craft beers and ciders - as well as premium spirits and a rotating selection of wine - with a focus on local producers.

Aidan Moffat, lead-singer of Glaswegian band Arab Strap (whose song ‘Monday at the Hug and Pint’ is named after), designed the logo.

There’s no Tennents, but the cheapest pint is Carlsberg for £4.10 - and a vodka and coke is £3.60.

Kelvinbridge - Inn Deep

Inn Deep has long been a staple of the Sub Crawl - an independent bar offering craft beers, food, and live music. Situated right on the banks of the River Kelvin, it’s ideal on a warm day, if you can get one of the benches along the bank you can enjoy a pint while watching the river run. It’s also dog-friendly and popular with four legged friends and their owners.

Like a lot of West End pubs, it doesn’t serve Tennents, but you can get a pint of Williams Brothers Craft Lager for £4.20. Although you might want to shell the extra quid or two for a exotic IPA or such. A vodka and coke costs £4.

Hillhead - Ubiquitous Chip

You’re spoiled for choice here, but you’re wanting to go somewhere on Ashton Lane really.

Look no further than Ubiquitous Chip - despite the takeover from Greene King this year it remains largely unchanged - and who can say no to a pint under the fairy lights on the bustling Ashton Lane. You’ll surely be at least half cut at this point so enjoy it.

They don’t list their prices online - but you can expect it to be pretty expensive - at least £5 for a pint, and a little less for a vodka and coke.

Kelvinhall - The Record Factory

Again, you’re spoiled for choice, but we’d recommend The Record Factory, which is right outside the Subway station.

As you might imagine, The Record Factory is a must-visit for any music fans in the West End, with some of the best acoustics in this bit of the city. Described as a ‘West End dive bar’ (is there such a thing in 2022?)  - it’s got a 2am license so if you want to stick around a bit longer you’re more than welcome to.

With a New York underground bar vibe, a quick post on your Instagram story will have your pals believing you’re the coolest punter on Byres Road. Along with a huge beer garden, booths, and some pool amidst live music, it’s the perfect place to nurse your pint before moving on to the final leg of your subcrawl.

Cessnock - Kensington Bar

Depending on where you fall on the Old Firm divide, you might want to take the extra five minutes to visit the Louden Tavern. It’s one of the most famous Rangers pubs in the city offering incredibly cheap drinks.

But to keep it nondenominational, we would recommend the Kensington Bar. It’s a classic pub, with everything you would expect on draught, and plenty of Scots-favourite spirits, tinctures, and other tipples behind the bar.

It’s been open in the city for decades, and is a long-time favourite of Southsiders. If you arrive on Monday through to Thursday, you can get a pint of Tennents, John Smith, or Strongbow for only £3 and you can expect to pay round about the same price for a vodka and coke.

Kinning Park - The Grapes Bar

Just up the road from the Kinning Street Subway Station, the Bellrock offers live sports as well as a classic selection of draught and spirits from a traditional local pub.

It’s the last stretch now! Only three more to go. They don’t list their prices online but expect it to be pretty cheap. We don’t imagine you’ll be paying anymore than £4 for a pint of Tennents - and even less for a vodka and coke.

Shields Road - The Old Toll Bar

If you’re a Rangers fan, you might want to pop into one of the many Rangers pubs across the Southside. For example, from Shields road subway station you can pop up to The Union Bar for cheap drinks with fellow fans.

If you’re not a Rangers fan, there’s a lot less choice but fear not, for one of Glasgow’s prettiest pubs awaits you, The Old Toll Bar, not that you’ll be seeing straight enough at this point to appreciate it.

Described as ‘Glasgow’s finest pub interior’, the pub is on the ground floor of a three-story tenement built in 1860. Calling the classical interior ‘ornate’ seems like an understatement. For fans of ultra-traditional Glaswegian pubs, this one’s a real gem.

All drinks are reasonably priced (for the modern age) so expect a pint of Tennents in the price range of £3-4 with a vodka and coke costing a little less than that.

West Street - The Star Bar

The Star Bar really is something else. Open for decades in the city, you can still grab a three course lunch for £4.

Prices are dirt cheap at Star Bar - so expect this to be one of, if not the cheapest pub on this Sub Crawl. You won’t be expecting to pay much more than the £3 mark for a pint, and vodka and coke as cheap as they come.

Lauriston - The Lauriston Bar

Where else to go at Lauriston than The Lauriston Bar - an institution in the South Side of Glasgow.

Here you can buy the best pint of Guinness in Glasgow - according to Glaswegian Guinness reviewer @girl_drinks_guinness - so it might be worth swapping out a lager or a half for a Guinness - if you can stomach it at the end of your Sub Crawl.

If the kitchen is still open it might be worth getting one of their famous pizzas. A pint will run you anywhere from the £4-6 range depending on the draught, and a vodka and coke costs just a little less than that.

But you’ve made it this far - all 15 stops - if you’re still standing, buy yourself a cocktail (£8.50 - £10), you’ve earned it.