The bar opened last month but the building beside the Barrowland Ballroom goes back a long way. The list of pub landlords right here stretches back to 1838.
When 226 Gallowgate was being restored, workers were uncovering layers of local history. There’s part of an original Tongs Ya Bas menchy on the wall behind the bar. We’re told there’s at least a couple of folk in each week claiming to have wrote it.
A staircase to nowhere, remnants of a tenemental past, is made into a feature above the rack of spirits. The old walls are now uncovered and adorned sparingly with local art.
Glasgowist spoke to Norrie Innes from Rock Regen two years ago about the project to bring this place back to life. We mused then about the prospect of a Gallowgate pub being a place for craft beer and tapas with the Caledonian hipster cognoscenti…
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Norrie uses the Catalan term poc a poc a lot – he spent a number of years in Barcelona – which means little by little. Change should be incremental and reflect its surroundings is the mantra.
“It’s different from the West End, very different from the South Side. It’s got really something to hold on to. In terms of has it improved? It has improved, aye. Has it improved enough? No, there’s still things that we’re working on progressively that we can start to close a few gaps and be that wee link from Glasgow Cross” Norrie said at the time.
This pub reflects a desire to make a virtue of the distinctive character of The Barras, The Gallowgate and all it brings with it.
We like the hefty double saloon door, the way light streams in the windows as the sun starts to go down, the selection of Catalan wines.
At the bar, you’ll find folk who have been drinking around here for generations, others who are new to this part of town. The piano in the corner occasionally attracts local musicians.
Joanne Munro, formerly of Cafe Gandolfi, has brought her considerable skill and experience to the kitchen.
The boiled gammon and buttered cabbage with spring onion mash is a traditional dish elevated to a taste sensation. Surprising and comforting. We also like the slabs of hot salt beef served with pickled cucumber and Horseradish between two chunks of bread.
There’s also ham and smoked cheese croquettes and vinegar peas – a starter that brings together European and the Glaswegian influences, the old and the new. Which sums up the spirit of 226 Gallowgate.
On the Menu: 226 Gallowgate
Cheeseburger in Brioche with Gherkins, Relish & Chips £9
Boiled Gammon and Buttered Cabbage with Spring Onion Mash £11
Hot Salt Beef, Pickled Cucumber & Horseradish £7
Goats Cheese and Green Olive Croquettes with Alioli £4.50 and Caulifower Pakora with Mint Chutney £4.50
