The top 50 ‘proper’ old-school classic pubs you need to visit in Glasgow before you die

Glasgow is pub city - with hundreds of public houses in the city accomodating each and every type of sub-culture in town - as great as it is, it makes us yearn for the days of classic ‘old-school’ pubs.

Spit and sawdust, lager and football - take us back to the days when Glasgow pubs were Glasgow pubs, where you could walk into any pub in the city and stumble out with a few new pals.

The days when the hard working men and women of Glasgow would drink, laugh and sing together in their locals - with ne’er a worry except waking up for their shift the next morning.

While a lot of the city might be seen as ‘gentrified’ nowadays, you can still find plenty of spaces that hang onto and embrace classic Glaswegian pub culture - and as we all know, there’s no place more Glaswegian than the humble pub.

Not that there isn’t a place for stylish gastropubs, hipster hangouts, and fancy restaurants in the city - they should be warmly welcomed to the city, but that’s not to say we should get rid of proper old-school Glasgow pubs, and there’s still plenty to find, if you know where to look.

Many pubs that have been open as far back as the 17th century are still standing in the same place. They are joined by classics from different eras, the kind of bar you can’t build, it has to evolve over time.

So join us as we take a trip down memory lane with us as we look at the top 50 proper old-school pubs still standing in Glasgow.

Looking for pubs in certain parts of the city, check our lists below for:

Old School pubs of the West End

Old School pubs of the Southside

Oldest pubs in Glasgow