| Pub | Comments | Location |
|---|---|---|
| ALLOA | ||
| Wetherspoon Bobbing John | A large pleasant modern styled 'spoons. No alcohol until 11:00!!
Last visited September 2025. |
Drysdale Street / High Street |
| ANNIESLAND | ||
| Wetherspoon Esquire House | An attractive very modern-styled place offering a wider than average range of real ales.
Last visited September 2025. |
Great Western Road / Fifth Avenue |
| CAMBUSLANG | ||
| Wetherspoon John Fairweather | A beautifully restored former cinema in which I sat in a cinema chair. Excellent ales, of course. They had a real fire in September.
Last visited September 2025. |
Main Street / Tabernacle Lane |
| CUMBERNAULD | ||
| Wetherspoon Carrick Stone | An unusual Wetherspoon, two separate pubs at least two floors apart, and I've only drunk in the upper level which has very pleasant modern decor. The connecting staircase is unsigned. (I was tempted to have another pint in the 'other' floor and claim another tick!) Planned to close in January 2026, perhaps the whole shopping centre is closing? It certainly looks very empty, unlike the Wetherspoon.
Last visited September 2025. |
The Centre Cumbernauld |
| DUMBARTON | ||
| Wetherspoon Captain James Lang | A very pleasant open light space with modern decor.
Last visited September 2025. |
High Street / Quay Pend |
| EDINBURGH | ||
| Abbotsford | A selection of real ales, mostly served by electric pump, in this splendid preserved pub with an island bar in the middle of a large dark wood panelled room with a beautiful ceiling. There's also a restaurant upstairs.
Last visited May 2012. |
Rose Street |
| Blue Blazer | A rather fine "ordinary" street corner pub with excellent real ale. One main room plus a small side one.
Last visited May 2012. |
Spittal Street |
| The Bow Bar | A traditional one-roomed pub with an excellent range of about eight real ales, served using air pressure dispense.
Last visited May 2008. |
West Bow |
| Brewdog | Hidden away from the tourist trail a little is this small bar with modern brutal decor of bare brick and heating ducts. They serve a few guests plus the Brewdog range, including the Tokyo Stout at 18.2% when I was there. Wow!
Last visited May 2012. |
Cowgate |
| Cafe Royal | Another historic gem, marble floors and plasterwork ceiling, gold decorated columns and even some stained glass. One wall features six pictures of inventors at work, which were painted for an exhibition in 1886 and then manufactured in tiles by Doulton for the licensee of the pub. Comfortable booth seating under the large windows. The menu looks good, and the real ale is excellent.
Last visited May 2012. |
West Register Street |
| Cask and Barrel | A nice traditionally styled pub with an impressive range of real ales including some local brews.
Last visited May 2006. |
Broughton Street |
| Cask and Barrel (Southside) | A splendid (all fake, I think) impression of a traditional Edinburgh boozer, with dark wood panelling and some cut glass mirrors. A wide selection of real ale.
Last visited May 2012. |
West Preston Street |
| Conan Doyle | Fine traditional decor, possibly original, in this small busy multi-level pub in the Nicholson's chain. They are trying to concentrate on food sales, but when I visited the majority of people were just drinking, as was I. Expensive.
Last visited September 2015. |
York Place, by the tram stop. |
| Cumberland Bar | A beautifully refurbished Victorian pub serving fine food and excellent real ale.
Last visited September 2015. |
Cumberland Street |
| Dome | A truly spectacular interior in what was formerly a bank I think. Waitress service. No real ale.
Last visited May 2006. |
George Street |
| Guildford Arms | Words fail me. A fantastic Victorian pub with stunning decoration. Restaurant on a balcony overlooking the bar area.
Last visited May 2012. |
West Register Street |
| Halfway House | A minute pub hidden on a narrow alleyway just above Waverley station. The interior is well looked after and features a lot of railway-related memorabilia, pictures and posters. Four real ales and excellent food (I had haggis, neaps and tatties followed by bread pudding.) served to a mix of locals and tourists. Probably not a good choice if there's more than four of you!
Last visited May 2012. |
Fleshmarket Close |
| Mitre | Impressive high ceiling in the large front room, with a dining area to the rear. Concentrating on their pub food (And not doing a very good job judging by the grumbling I overheard.), but also serving superb real ale.
Last visited May 2012. |
High Street |
| Monty's | Excellent real ale in this small corner house on two floors.
Last visited August 2018. |
Morrison Street |
| Nor' Loch | Formerly Coopers, this small busy bar on the station serves an excellent pint of Caledonian's Deuchars IPA.
Last visited April 2013. |
Waverley Station |
| Oxford Bar | A gem of a different sort, a tiny front room contains the bar counter, plus a larger side room, with plain decor apparently unchanged (but well cared for) for many years. I found it quiet and friendly on a Wednesday afternoon. Famous as Rebus's bar, I'll be watching more closely next time it's on the telly. There's a Cambridge Bar at the other end of the street.
Last visited May 2012. |
|
| Southsider | A pleasant traditionally-decorated two-sided pub, plus a couple of side rooms. Real ale spot on.
Last visited May 2012. |
Clerk / West Richmond |
| Thomson's Bar | Excellent real ale from hand-pull and air propelled in this beautiful wood-panelled on room pub. Remarkably quiet on a Saturday afternoon during the Festival.
Last visited August 2018. |
Morrison Street |
| Wetherspoon Alexander Graham Bell | A medium sized one room Wetherspoon's, nicely decorated.
Last visited May 2012. |
George Street |
| Wetherspoon Booking Office | A large very busy 'spoons conveniently located at the top of the ramp from Waverley station. In the building which used to be Jimmy Chung's Chinese buffet.
Last visited August 2018. |
Waverley Bridge |
| Wetherspoon Caley Picturehouse | A magnificent cinema conversion in which the seating goes up to the gods!
Last visited August 2018. |
Lothian Road / Western Approach Road |
| Wetherspoon Playfair | A modern-styled Lloyds No. 1 located in a large entertainment complex.
Last visited May 2012. |
Leith Walk |
| Wetherspoon Standing Order | A spectacular former bank with a large main hall plus a number of side rooms. Stunning!
Last visited September 2015. |
George Street |
| Wetherspoon Turnhouse | A small Wetherspoons in the airport terminal, with a reduced menu and increased prices.
Last visited September 2015. |
Land side, Edinburgh Airport |
| Wetherspoon White Lady | A pleasant split level interior in this shop conversion.
Last visited September 2025. |
St John's Road / Glebe Road, Corstorphine |
| World's End | A traditionally styled multi-room pub concentrating mainly on food with only the bar room available for drinkers. On a Tuesday evening they were doing a roaring trade, and turned away a number of prospective diners because all the tables were occupied. I just enjoyed a fine pint of ale and stood at the bar.
Last visited May 2012. |
|
| FALKIRK | ||
| Wetherspoon Carron Works | A rather good Wetherspoon in an odd space with a woodpanelled high ceiling over the counter. What did it used to be? The gantry is specially styled along the lines of the Falkirk Wheel.
Last visited September 2025. |
Bank Street |
| FIRTH-OF-CLYDE | ||
| M.V. Caledonian Isles | A typical ferry bar on the Ardrossan to Brodick crossing, but in addition to the inevitable plastic Tennant's they also serve bottles of various beers from the Arran Brewery in Brodick.
Last visited August 2006. |
|
| GALASHIELS | ||
| Wetherspoon's Hunters Hall | A medium-sized Wetherspoon's suddenly busy when a steam special has arrived at the station!
Last visited September 2015. |
High Street |
| GLASGOW | ||
| Babbity Bowster | A smallish rather pleasant pub serving a fine pint of Jarl. Rather noisy at nine on a Saturday, but what did you expect?
Last visited October 2025. |
Blackfriars Street / Walls Street |
| Beer House | Quirky modern decor in this pub serving quality real ales, located on the concourse at Central Station.
Last visited September 2015. |
Glasgow Central Station |
| Bon Accord | Up to ten real ales in this splendidly done out pub with wood floor and dark wood panelling. The leather chairs are extremely comfortable!
Last visited November 2018. |
North Street, near the Mitchell Library |
| Clockwork Beer Co | At least twenty pumps serve their own brews and wide range of guest ales. (These are not hand pumps but are powered by electricity or some other means. They are pretty rare in England but still found sometimes in Scotland. It still counts as real ale as gas pressure is not used to propel the beer.) In addition there are a number of imported beers on draught, including Budvar, Budvar Dark, Erdinger, Hoegaarden and Staropramen. If that isn't enough, the specialist beer menu includes a fantastic range of bottles, including my favourite Rochefort 10 and even a Geuze. The food menu looks good as well. In my enthusiasm I nearly forgot to say that it's a large hall with a big skylight, nicely decorated in a plain unobtrusive style. There's also a room upstairs and a beer garden not visited.
Last visited August 2006. |
1153 Cathcart Road, Mount Florida |
| Curlers Rest | A rather fine old pub run by Nicholson. Good ales. Menu looks good but on a Saturday evening I couldn't see a table.
Last visited June 2024. |
Byres Road / Great George Street, Hillhead |
| Drury Street | A wonderful basement bar with comfy sofas where I had Japanese whisky. Despite the lack of real ale I really like this place. Busy but not too busy on a Saturday afternoon. The cellar is amazingly large compared with the upstairs entrance, and there's room for four pool tables and table fitba at one end. A big stack of board games is available if you're, er, bored, but I didn't see anyone playing.
Last visited November 2018. |
Drury Street |
| Drum and Monkey | This rather beautiful pub is a Nicholson's, located in a former bank building. Excellent ales, I had Bass, and good food.
Last visited September 2025. |
St Vincent Street / Renfield Street |
| Griffin | What a great interior, parts of it historic, in this classic pub just off Sauchiehall Street. It seems to be operated by the Skye Brewery, offering a range of their cask ales. I had a lovely Skye Black, an oatmeal stout I think.
Last visited June 2024. |
Elmbank Street / Sauchiehall Lane |
| Hard Rock Cafe | Yow! Six quid for a pint of Goose IPA. Up-tempo friendly efficient staff serving food and drink that is good, but overpriced.
Last visited November 2018. |
Buchanan Street / Dundas Lane |
| Horseshoe | A proper traditional boozer with a rather excellent interior, right in the middle of town about a minute's walk from Central Station. Three real ales were on, one by electric pump, and the place was heaving when I visited on a Saturday afternoon.
Last visited April 2014. |
Drury Street / Renfield Street |
| Laurieston | A classic plain Scottish boozer serving quality real ales. Perhaps slightly marred by being on the "subway crawl" and consequently full of idiots in fancy dress.
Last visited September 2025. |
Bridge Street / Nelson Street |
| Pot Still | A small very busy traditional boozer, four air-driven taps serving quality real ales, and a fantastic range of whiskys. I've been here twice now, and didn't get a seat either time.
Last visited September 2025. |
Hope Street / West Regent Lane |
| Raven | This rather youth oriented place is quite pleasant, and they offer a couple of cask ales. The decor is fun. Quite busy on a Friday night but I still easily found a table to sit at.
Last visited September 2025. |
Renfield Street / Bath Lane |
| Scotia | The oldest pub in Glasgow, they say. A beautiful place packed out at five on a Saturday. Very noisy with karaoke in one side, but still worth a visit for quality cask ales.
Last visited September 2025. |
Stockwell Street / Howard Street |
| Sharkey's Bar | Recommended as a classic but without the subway crowd by my new friends in the Laurieston. No real ale, of course, but a wonderful classictraditional boozer, I could be in Kirkby or Bootle except it's Tennent's instead of Carling. And Scottish footie on the tellies.
Last visited September 2025. |
Ballater Street |
| State Bar | What a glorious pub. An historic interior with original woodwork including the gantry above the island servery. As if that wasn't enough they had Oakham Citra and Green Devil. Yippee! Busy but not jam packed on a Saturday evening.
Last visited June 2024. |
Holland Street / Sauchiehall Lane |
| Three Judges | A slightly grubby one room street corner pub, with an excellent range of real ales - I counted the products of eight breweries - and the sign implied that all of them were guests. They also have an impressive selection of bottled Belgian and German beers.
Last visited August 2002. |
Dumbarton Road / Byres Road |
| Vale | A plain ordinary boozer conveniently located right by the entrance to Queen Street Station. One noisy busy room with tables and chairs around the edge and a large standing area in the middle. Two hand pumps provide quality real ale.
Last visited September 2015. |
Dundas Street, by Queen Street Station. |
| Waxy O'Connor's | What a great higgledy piggledy multi-room multi-floor interior, with wonderful (all fake I think) antiquey decor throughout. Impossible to describe, you just have to go and see it.
Last visited November 2018. |
W George Street / Buchanan Street |
| West Brewing Company | In a small corner of a spectacular old building, a former carpet factory, is this wonderful German style brewery and restaurant. Their own brews are excellent, my favourite being the dunkel hefeweizen, and the food, sausages, schniztels etc. is good as well. Highly recommended.
Last visited August 2006. |
Binnie Place, Glasgow Green (Near Bridgeton Station) |
| Wetherspoon Crystal Palace | Standard Wetherspoons fare in a large open room with floor-to-ceiling windows on two walls. There is also another bar upstairs.
Last visited August 2002. |
Midland Street / Jamaica Street |
| Wetherspoon Counting House | A large Wetherspoon's with a spectacular interior. One main room with a spectacular dome and a number of side rooms.
Last visited September 2015. |
St Vincent Place |
| Wetherspoon Hengler's Circus | A large open corner room, busy but not as packed as I expected on a Saturday afternoon.
Last visited November 2018. |
Saughiehall Street / Holland Street |
| Wetherspoon Sir John Moore | A large open Wetherspoon's with a good range of real ale.
Last visited May 2012. |
Argyle Street |
| Wetherspoon Society Room | A large pleasant ordinary branch. Excellent beer.
Last visited June 2024. |
West George Street / Hope Street |
| HELENSBURGH | ||
| Ashton | A rather fine shop conversion in two or three rooms, well decorated and serving excellent cask ales.
Last visited September 2025. |
West Prices Street / James Street |
| Wetherspoon Henry Bell | An odd interior with a steel trussed roof to which modern air conditioning ducts have been added. Very pleasant.
Last visited September 2025. |
James Street / West Princes Street |
| INVERNESS | ||
| Wetherspoon's King's Highway | Cheap good real ale and food. In other words, a typical Wetherspoon's.
Last visited April 2013.
|
Market Place |
| KIRKINTILLOCH | ||
| Wetherspoon Kirky Puffer | A very attractive one on the town's main street.
Last visited September 2025. |
Townhead / Southbank Road |
| LANARK | ||
| Horse and Jockey | A plain pleasant one-roomed local serving good real ale. Pretty quiet on a wet Tuesday afternoon.
Last visited August 2006. |
High Street |
| LEITH | ||
| Wetherspoon Foot Of The Walk | A large standard Wetherspoon's where I enjoyed an excellent Scottish Breakfast and a pint.
Last visited May 2012. |
Constitution Street |
| LINLITHGOW | ||
| Platform 3 | A tiny pub at the bottom of the station approach, one room with a small counter in the corner. Excellent real ales. A toy train, complete with sound effects, runs on a track high up on the wall.
Last visited September 2015. |
|
| Star and Garter | A rather fine hotel bar with five real ales on hand pump. The pleasant decor is hard to categorise, a mix of traditional and contemporary.
Last visited September 2015. |
|
| MOTHERWELL | ||
| Wetherspoon Brandon Works | Standard styling in this popular Wetherspoon, busy on a Monday afternoon.
Last visited September 2025. |
Merry Street |
| PAISLEY | ||
| Bull Inn | A rather beautiful historic interior in this compact pub. The stained glass frontage is spectacular. Quality ales are on offer, I had Jarl. Sadly very empty at one on a Sunday.
Last visited October 2025. |
New Street / High Street |
| Wetherspoon Last Post | A rather splendid branch of the chain in a very large former post office. Very attractive inside.
Last visited October 2025. |
County Square |
| PARTICK | ||
| Lismore | This dark and dingy classic has wonderfully eclectic decor in the two room interior. Only one cask ale when I visited but it was very good.
Last visited September 2025. |
Dumbarton Road / Mansfield Street |
| PERTH | ||
| Greyfriars | A splendid tiny traditional pub frequented by friendly regulars who all seem to know each other. The four real ales included the rather nice house beer called Friars Tipple.
Last visited August 2002. |
South Street / Speygate |
| Wetherspoons Capital Asset | A standard Wetherspoons in a splendid old building on the river front. Only four hand pumps, and the usual W'spoons problem of umpteen staff but you can't get served! I had an excellent pint of Orkney Dark Island.
Last visited August 2002. |
Tay Street / High Street |
| ROTHESAY | ||
| Taverna | All the pubs round here seem very plain on the outside, including this one. Inside, a nicely decorated and well cared for one bar pub with side rooms partialy knocked through.
Last visited August 2006. |
High Street |
| RUTHERGLEN | ||
| Wetherspoon An Ruadh-Ghleann | Very modern styling in this large pleasant one. No beer before eleven!!
Last visited September 2025. |
Main Street / Mill Street |
| SOUTH QUEENSFERRY | ||
| Ferry Tap | A proper traditional boozer, serving four or five real ales. Quiet, apart from a handful of regulars, on a Monday afternoon.
Last visited September 2015. |
|
| Forth Belle | The small bar on this tourist boat has a number of bottled beers available, including Caledonian's Edinburgh Castle.
Last visited September 2015. |
Firth of Forth |
| Hawes Inn | A slightly up market restaurant/pub obviously aimed at the tourist market, it's just across the road from the pier where the Forth cruises arrive and depart. Very pleasant, and a small range of quality ales is served.
Last visited September 2015. |
|
| STIRLING | ||
| Portcullis | An historic building next to the castle running a food oriented operation catering to an endless supply of foreign tourists, requesting changes to their food and querying the coffee type and so on. Nonetheless, the two handpumps included a fine pint of Jarl, so I was happy. I had go outside to get a seat.
Last visited 2025. |
Castle Wynd |
| Settle Inn | This one is real beauty, stone walls and wooden ceiling beams, a number of small rooms, one with a stone vaulted ceiling. And excellent cask ales. The auldest pub in Stirling, according to the sign.
Last visited 2025. |
St Mary's Wynd / Irvine Place |
| Wetherspoon Crossed Peels | A traditionally decorated one, perhaps looking a little unkempt. The upstairs is much larger - Or downstairs if you come in the other door.
Last visited 2025. |
Baker Street / Friars Street |
| WEMYSS BAY | ||
| Station Bar | In the excellently preserved station and ferry terminal is this convenient watering hole; a small friendly bar with a larger cafe attached. No real ale.
Last visited August 2006. |
Station |
| WICK | ||
| Wetherspoon's Alexander Bain | A large pleasant Wetherpsoon's with only limited choice of real ale on my visit.
Last visited April 2013.
|
Market Place |
| WISHAW | ||
| Wetherspoon Wishaw Malt | A pleasant comfortable modern branch, with a split level interior.
Last visited September 2025. |
Kirk Road / Shand Street |
| ©2025 Phil Wieland | Elsewhere in the World | My other Pub Guides |