The Arches Cafe Bar

To be honest, there’s room to up the stars on this, but this review is based on my first time, and somewhat brief visit.
I was catching up with friends who were dining there before we headed out for some St Paddy’s day drinks. The waiter was very quick in checking in with me when I arrived to take my drink order. Not long after a lovely, refreshing half pint of Hoegaarden, with a slice of orange, was brought to the table. He checked with my friends to see if anyone wanted a top up or dessert, which they declined. And that was the last we saw of the waiting staff for almost 25 minutes, even though we kept making «Can we have the bill, please!» eyes at each one who came near the rear dining nook in which we were seated. Eventually we put on our jackets and walked to the bar to pay.
By all accounts the food was good, and a half pint of delicious beer was reasonably enough priced. Just let down by leaving us to beg to pay the bill. Oh, and THE most uncomfortable seats.

For years, the Arches Café Bar has been one of my favourite places to hang out in Glasgow.
On the ground level as you go in there are couches, dj sound desk, and a rotational art gallery. Downstairs is the bar, restaurant part at the back, and toilets down a long and winding corridor.
I’ve eaten here a lot — every few months they do a burger /​veggie burger 5pm deal which is very tasty. Otherwise, the menu is mainly quite traditionally Scottish.
There’s always a great atmosphere here — and it’s very much a bar that’s more suited to mid 20’s & upwards, quite an artsy/​musicy kind of clientele.
Pricewise, it’s very reasonable — and it was pointed out to me that the prosecco is cheaper than the house wine! Estrella is prob the best beer you’ll get here.

Good lunch spot.
Went here for lunch and pre-​ordered, was great to see that the order was taken and ready, great communication from the staff, who well very friendly. The food was ok too! I had the chicken burger, which was nice, but the portion of fries could have been bigger, though I’m a big guy so I might have a skewed perception!
I would go back, but not in a massive hurry! Would never put an argument in going!

Their fajitas are usually to die for, however they have a habit of becoming sold out rather quickly and or your not given enough wraps. I’ve had to pay for extra wraps because they give a nice amount of meat and veg and only two wraps to accompany it.
The fact that this is chargeable is upseting.

I wanted to try here for ages. As a bar or gig venue it has the potential to score high, however I’m not sure the food is at it’s best. Pre «sub crawl» lunch I shared a Chorizo and Hens egg pizza and onion rings… the onion rings failed to turn up! And the pizza tasted average! Lucky for me I had a massive breakky! The selection of beers I good in the past I normally opt for st mungos. The staff are friendly but on this occasion they could have paid more attention to the only group of folk eating and drinking in the bar!

Previously a happy 5 stars for me, I’m going to have to revise The Arches downwards, which totally breaks my heart. I normally recommend people go here for a great value meal in Glasgow but I’ve had a couple of experiences recently that have let it down.
I visited a while back and ordered pulled pork nachos. We waited some time (and by some time, I mean about 30 minutes) before we were even told there was a delay, and then they arrived some time after that. If the pork wasn’t ready (which was the problem) I wish they’d come to tell me once I’d put the order in, as I would’ve just had the nachos without the pork — 3 stars.
I then took a couple of friends here for dinner and the food was pretty much flawless and great value — 5 stars.
However, my most recent visit is the reason for the downgrade. We visited early on a Saturday — midday — for lunch, and there was 5 of us. Service was not overly friendly or helpful which was a shame, I know it was early but they were open for food so it’s not like we were interfering with their morning prep. The food arrived and one of the sides was forgotten. My chicken burger was ok — a large fillet of chicken with a decent crumb. The chips were pretty chunky and more like wedges, and there was a portion of coleslaw on the side. For £7 it wasn’t bad value, but seeing as I can barely remember it and it was less than two weeks ago, that doesn’t say much.
I’m just not sure what’s going on with the Arches. It’s definitely lost its consistency, and doesn’t have the same friendly vibe it used to. It’s a real shame as it used to be a total favourite of mine, and now I’d consider heading elsewhere rather than here.

On Saturday I finally had a chance to have some pre «subcrawl» lunch at the Arches Café. I have had drinks several times before here, but never had food.
First impressions were good as the ticket desk staff were very friendly and the set up inside looks nice as always. We made our way down to the bottom café floor and organised for a couple of tables to be pulled together to accommodate the size of group who would be having lunch. The guy serving was ok about it, but was far from cheery in general. Lets just say he did not look ecstatic to be working a Saturday afternoon.
Food wise myself and Trudie M decided to share a pizza and some onion rings. The pizza was ok, but seemed pretty over cooked. It was chorizo and egg, the egg was hard when it should of been runny IMO. The chorizo was cut into big chunks and pretty chewy when it should have been much smaller pieces. I would love to rate the onion rings, but sadly they never showed up. We had already waited a long time for the pizza and we were in a hurry to meet more people so we decided not to ask for them to be brought out. Sadly they still appeared on the bill and we had to ask for them to be removed from that.
Average food, average service and from previous visits I know the beer is pretty expensive. Two stars I am afraid.

First of all, I would just like to say that every single one of these stars is earned by the staff. They were smashing, incredibly friendly and helpful and they would inspire me to come back and see if my first impressions were wrong.
Those first impressions, sadly, were not good.
The space itself is magnificent — it looks good, and it is unique as far as I can see. The Wifi is free and works well (used it to book tickets for the upcoming Del Amitri reunion gig — huzzah!) which is always a bonus.
The food, however, was what I can only delicately describe as sub par. I had a burger with cheese and chips. The chips were pretty cold when they arrived and didn’t «feel» right. I had maybe 2 or 3 and left the rest.
The burger was just fine. It was exceedingly average. In a city where burger joints are every 6.4 feet (may be an exaggeration) then you have to stand out. The Arches didn’t. The lovely Wendy had a tuna sandwich which she left most of also, so it was a sad 0 for 2 on the lunch.
Now, to be fair, we were in there bang on 12 just when they started serving food, so as I said, combine that with the staff, and I would return to try again.
Just… not anytime soon, OK?

Surely you’d spot big spots of green mould on the bottom of a stale bun before you served it? Especially if it was on two of them? And surely you’d offer to replace the meal with a brand new one rather than just keeping the food warm and replacing the bun? Evidently not. And don’t call me Shirley.
After all that was sorted out we actually had lovely juicy burgers with tasty wedge-​style chips.
We got 20% off the bill too for our trouble, so happy in the end.
The Arches is a nice relaxed place to eat with a friend or a group and the menu is a bit more adventurous than the norm. The burgers have tasty combinations like Pork and Black Pudding.
We took a 5pm deal for a main and drink for £7.50, which is pretty good value, I think.

I like the Arches Café Bar, however only seem to go when I need to have a meeting. It’s laid back, has okay prices and the atmosphere is pretty good.
It’s hot or miss if it’s busy or not, however when there’s a show on it’s pretty packed up stairs wth those waiting.
The best thing is the upstairs and it’s big comfy couches, There nothing extraordinary about the Café Bar but there not really anything that makes it exceptionally dull and it’s a nice contrast from the club side of the venue.

Wow, had a really great time here

At first there was deja vu. Now there’s Unilocala vu.
Unilocala vu: That feeling you get when you think you’ve reviewed a place (or are entirely certain that you’ve reviewed a place) but find out that you’ve not and spend the next five minutes asking your Unilocal profile page if it’s entirely sure that the review hasn’t just slid down the side of it’s digital couch.
So aye, that’s pretty much what happened to me with The Arches Café Bar and this here collection of words is my way of righting my wrong and ridding my brain of the afore mentioned (and dreaded) Unilocala vu.
The thing about this place is the interior. It’s really second to none in that respect (well for me anyway) with the big ol brick… eh, arches and subterranean vibe mixed with an ocean of light flashing in through the big ol windies at the far end.
Now I must admit that I’ve not yet sampled the grub from here, having only dabbled in the bean juice on all my visits to date, but the average coffee, good service and cool interior has certainly put it on my map of interesting places to frequent on a evening.
I must return to sample yon grub.

Came here for food before Xmas to escape the madness outside. There was a huddle of people by the stairs waiting to be seated in the more formal bit at the back. All the staff ignored them for a good 5 — 10 minutes which was a bit harsh. I had a veggie burger, which was okay, but no more than that. My friend had a pasta dish off the specials board which was not good. So the food is nothing to write home about, which is a shame as the menu had promise. Its nice and handy and pretty cheap so Im not completely writing it off, but im not in a rush to return.

Good food. Reasonably priced. Interesting menu. Nice décor.
The only snag is the service, always pleasant, can be a little haphazard at times.
All in all a good place for food and drinks.

Been in here a few times for grub and few beers.
Drink can be on pricey side. Great grub although when I was in yesterday there was the dreaded midgies flying about and quite a lot of them. I have commented on these before in Rufus but they have since got rid. Arches, follow suit please! It’s not nice and one does wonder where the midgies are coming from?!
Good place to go with mates or family. The building itself is very smart and unusual.

I’ve only been to the Café Bar once for food many moons ago for a small Christmas work night out and I remember it being fabtastic. This experience I am about to share though is a little different.
On Saturday afternoon the Café Bar in the foyer area of the bar, near the front entrance, was taken over by The Arches Community Choir and yip I’m in it.
The Café was mobbed and we were squeezed along the wall, everybody had some red on, so it was a bit Christmassy. So we all sang our little hearts out while our friends and family watched on.
After our half hour performance came the bit I think we’d been waiting for all afternoon in rehearsals for, a drink from the bar. The staff were efficient and friendly and made me delicious long vodkas, one of my favourite drinks that I can be quite fussy about. The staff did a good job each time and made them just right. Yay! I swear they got better after each round. Hic!
The atmosphere was great but then most of the Café was taken up with the choir having their after drinks. I’ve been walking through the area every week but hadn’t actually taken the time to soak in the detail. It’s very modern with art work displayed by various artists. I liked the seating especially because we sat near the balcony so could see down onto the bar.
Downstairs under the foyer looked lovely, it looked a bit like a bright alternative grotto filled with lots of Christmas cards hanging from the ceiling.
I would definitely pop in for drinks again but I would also like to sit down have a nice meal as the food always looks good. I always got a wee snifter when walking by and especially by the kitchens when heading through to rehearsals. Mmm hungry now.

An arty bar for arty types, this place tends to be frequented by those that attend the Arches’ more discerning events. There aren’t too many of the Mighty Boosh extras you’ll find «hanging out» at Death Disco club nights, but more people with beards, popping in before heading to see a theatre production where a naked guy in silver body paint talks to himself (in latin) for four hours.
Nice enough, despite the grotty surrounding area.

Mmmm. Maybe I shouldn’t be writing food reviews when I’m hungry…
Nonetheless, this place is excellent. It has a really nice, relaxed arty feel going on and there are plenty of tables and seating to cater for busy times. You’ve also (if it’s busy enough) got the chance of overhearing some weird and wonderful conversations going on.
Anyway, enough of the eavesdropping. The menu is full of delicious combinations and value for money, with seasonal changes. This means it’s great for a hearty soup when it’s cold and wet outside and you’re in need of a break from Christmas crazed shoppers on Argyle Street.
A lovely venue — which I fear is often overlooked — that serves good quality food at reasonable prices.

To set the scene: It was a busy busy day on the week before Christmas. Two mate out for a beer or three were looking for somewhere relatively cheap and with available seats to grab a burger and a pint. So we decided on the Arches.
Worst decision ever.
To start with, impressions were good. The décor and ambience in the place is superb. The staff were smartly dressed and we were seated quickly. There ends the positive part of the review.
After beaing seated, we ordered our drinks, and then our burgers upon the waitresses return. Then we waited. And waited. And waited. The place was relatively quite, apart from a table of eight, who, judging by their glasses, were there for some time before us. Anyway, 45 minutes or so later we had our burgers. Now, don’t get me wrong, I understand places can get busy but surely some sort of advanced warning or even COMMUNICATION from the waiting staff if things are lagging behind. We had none of it.
And what burgers they were! My beef burger was bland, tasteless and without any redeeming features whatsoever. Served with seven, (yes, SEVEN!) pale and previously frozen chips, and a pathetic «dip» of what looked like tinned tomatoes mashed into a ramekin. Pathetic, utterly pathetic. My friend’s lamb burger was insipid, and utterly awful also.
Total bill — £21.75 for two dire burgers, a furstenberg and a bottle of pear cider.
Did we complain? No, but then, what would the point be?
My advice — avoid the café bar at the arches. It’s a unmitigated disaster from the minute you order your food.