The Glasgow Sub Crawl, a tradition nearly as sacred 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 to the Southside & West End and everywhere in between.
Primarily designed for commuting for the new emerging middle class in Glasgow in Victorian times, it’s much the same as it was then, it’s the only metro system in the world to not be expanded from its original route in 125 years - the only difference is now now the trains are powered by electricity rather than steam.
While the subway no longer runs about town on steam, it does run a lot of steamboats about town - if you catch our drift. In typical Glasgow fashion, it wasn’t long before Glaswegians realised that the metro could facilitate a city-wide pub crawl - and thus the Glasgow 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, and you probably shouldn’t try and make it the whole way, but god loves a trier no?
It’s tradition for the Sub Crawlers to get dressed up in a specific theme for the Sub Crawl, but we’re fresh out of ideas there I’m afraid. Perhaps a trope of golfers? Maybe you could all go as dinosaurs or James Bond. Again, it’s costuming isn’t our bag, but pubs? We’ve got you covered.
Don’t fancy some of the pubs on this list? No problem! Check out our alternative list of the best pubs to visit for a sub crawl in 2022.
We’ve listed the pubs in a clockwise order beginning at Buchanan Street, although you could start or stop at any station you please and go in either direction you’d like
From St Enoch’s Square to Partick Cross - here’s our list of the best pubs to visit for your 2023 Sub Crawl.
1. St Enoch: Wunderbar
Wunderbar is our first stop on the GlasgowWorld sub crawl and is one of the best spots in the city centre for live music - with a musician on every night. It can be a bit hard to find the lively pub, but all you need to do is follow the music down the side streets near the bottom of Buchanan Street and you’ll find it! It’s a great place to kick off your night in Glasgow - whether you’re going clockwise or anti-clockwise on your booze cruise around the Clockwork Orange.
2. Bridge Street: The Laurieston
The Laurieston is one of our favourite pubs on the Sub Crawl, and you might be tempted to stay in here the rest of the night. A mixed crowd of southsiders come together in this traditional old-school pub to create a lively and friendly atmosphere down by Bridge Street Subway Station. Described by CAMRA as ‘one of the most remarkable pub interiors in the UK’ - The Laurieston still features the near exact-same interiors as it did from its (circa) 1960 remodelling - with CAMRA remarking most on the pubs ‘island bar style’.
3. West Street: The Star Bar
The Star Bar is a Southside institution - famous for their three course lunches (pictured), regularly touted as the cheapest in the city. What people don’t tell you however, is that The Star Bar has one of the best traditional pub atmospheres in the city - perfect for a stop-in early on in an all-day sub crawl to line your stomach. Time it right and you can join in karaoke.
4. Shields Road: The Viceroy
A classic Southside pub - The Viceroy looks as if it should shrouded in a thick veil of sepia-toned cigarette smoke. In the modern era, The Viceroy is a clean-air zone, with plenty of snugs and a pretty cool looking interior, you might want to stick around for a couple pints (or make sure to come back again later this summer!)