The Lansdowne Bar & Kitchen

I’ve been a frequent patron on the Landsdowne for years. In fact, I see that in 2010, I wrote a glorious 5-​star review of the place, so it really saddens me that after my most recent visit to the Landsdowne, I must now reduce the stars to 1 out of 5 (only because I can’t give 0).
For anyone who had the pleasure of visiting the Landsdowne in its hey-​day, I can only apologise to bring you such bad news.
First of all, apparently the Landsdowne, once renowned for its authenticity, is now an English pub. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing; but if you’re there for a bit of weekend brunch, there are a few shocks that you should prepare yourself for:
1. the brunch menu is missing some important staples to the Scots diet. Namely, tattie scones and black pudding. And if you ask for either of these things, you’ll get a very polite ‘Sorry, not sorry’ from the staff.
2. The food I did order was really disappointing. You can never go wrong with an eggs benedict, right? Well, apparently the Landsdowne will take care of that for you. While I understand that most places will make your breakfast out of a packet (I don’t expect *everyone* to whip up fresh Hollandaise per order), but the least I could have required was that the egg be done right, that the muffin be less than chewy, and the sauce itself to be a little less obviously from a packet.
There was something really wrong here, though; my egg wasn’t poached. It was hardboiled; the yolk ready to bounce around my plate. What was going on here?
Conclusion: I think it was microwaved. I think they microwaved the eggs benedict.
*flips table over*
3. Football — I don’t mind football being on the telly; but I do mind having a telly at my table that I can’t turn off. I also mind the gentle early afternoon music being replaced with football commentary, blaring over the speakers. Apparently the normal lunch-​going patron is to be overruled when it comes to the one person who has come there to watch football. My mistake.
As much as I used to love the Landsdowne, I cannot recommend it any longer. Until it cleans up its act, I’ll not be returning.
Avoid.

I think I’m going to have to be a bit of a Scrooge and pinch 1 star off this review. Having been back several times now there is one thing that grates on me a little, but it has nothing to do with the place itself. Basically the clientèle is rather, well, how can I put it, «hoity-​toity», or at least they try their best to be. Also when the place gets busy the bar staff seem to kinda struggle to cope. Still a top bar however, but these are my latest thoughts and ramblings on the place…

On entering, the first thing that struck me was the modern, classy interior. Actually the first thing that struck me was ‘where the hell is this place’ but once I was inside a nice mix of stone and wood welcomes you in.
Kirsty and I were there for brunch so, whilst the rest of the menu looks good, there was only ever going to be one option, the Full Scottish! (minus tomato because ick).
So we sat down and ordered pretty quickly, coffee, tea, two fresh orange and lemonade, two breakfasts (hold the tomato) please! I think we caught our server off-​guard a little but dammit we were hungry!
We had booked at table for 12.45 (you can book online) but we needn’t have bothered as it was pretty quiet when we got there but that meant our food arrived sharpish which was good, had I mentioned we were hungry?
Two criticisms of the food — the bacon wasn’t all that crispy. My usual complaint I know but seriously, who likes eating fat? And the other might just have been me, the bread tasted a little flowery, and yes I mean ‘of flower’ not that they’d used too much flour. Kirsty didn’t taste anything wrong with it though so it might just have been me (or the butter? who knows!).
Aside from that, it was all pretty decent if nothing special. The sausage was a bog standard pork deal, the single potato scone wasn’t too greasy, the haggis a little dry but nothing that the beans and mushrooms couldn’t help with, and the fried eggs a little overdone, with only one runny yolk from the four we had between us.
Alas the coffee wasn’t great, very bitter and tasted like it had been sitting on a hotpot for a while so not exactly fresh and whilst she was friendly enough, our server needs to allow us more than half a chew of our first bite before asking us how our meal is… a little more staff training required I think (like I said, it wasn’t busy so no real excuse there).
I’d heard good things about the Lansdowne, so I was a little disappointed but not enough to be put off. I’ll go back at try something else next time, beer and a burger I think, and hope that’s a little better.

Another one to tick off in terms of great places that I have not yet reviewed.
The Lansdowne is a great bar doing nice beer and good pub grub standard food.
It’s sort of in a strange location and the first time I went it took me quite a while to track it down, but once you find it is really is a great discovery.
It is quote big inside, with lots of different sections and booths for you to sit in.
They have plenty of TV’s to watch sports on if that’s your thing and they have a good selection of different types of beer.
The food is not amazing, but it is of a very good standard and you won’t go wrong with a burger or pizza.
A bar I would always be happy to go back to.

This place is hard to find: from the outside it’s a tucked away little basement place. Very much worth it when you find it though. Fancier than your average pub or bar, but without being pretentious. The restaurant is separate from the bar, where they have some outside seating for when the weather is nice.
Great atmosphere, very friendly staff, delicious food. When we were there they had an amazing house wine which I will definitely try again next time.

Well, I was rather looking forward to visiting the Lansdowne, given historic reviews by my fellows Unilocalers. Even the location is a little special, despite the residential randomness!
As we couldn’t get a table in the restaurant, managed to reserve a booth in the bar area in advance. Pleasant enough booking experience and helpful. The interior defies the exterior for size and is really appealing. What really brings this interior down, is the identity crisis.
If you are a bar and kitchen, be that. Having booths for dining in a bar, shouldn’t be subjected to tacky mini flat screens that merely just advertise the establishment. I know about the Lansdowne, for I am sitting in it after all… Listening to the rugby wasn’t pleasant either. Now, I’m not trying to be over critical, but bars should be bars & restaurants should be restaurants. When you try to combine them both, you have to consider the other thoughtfully.
So. to the food. Ordered a rib eye steak medium and Fi ordered pad thai with chargrilled chicken. two glasses of wine to accompany.
Rib Eye was cooked perfectly pink. However, even with a steak knife, I couldn’t cut it! This was tough as old boots which baffled me with it being cooked pink. Only explanation was it being a very poor cut of meat. As for the chips & onion rings. straight out of the freezer into the fryer. Not fresh in the slightest.
Fiona’s noodles were over cooked & the chicken very very bland with no flavour whatsoever. Young lass came over & asked me how the meal was, had to tell her it was pretty bad & she took it away, whilst telling the manageress & swapped the dish for a chicken caesar salad. That arrived as Fiona finished & whilst an improvement, the same bland chicken accompanied the dish & there was little dressing. Couldn’t be bothered to change again, as I was hungry & we needed to leave shortly.
Gave up even attempting a dessert, as if this was the best of 3 main courses, I didn’t want to subject myself to anymore disappointment!
Service — perfectly fine, but I think it was evident from the servers, that not all was right in camp lansdowne kitchens.
Paying £36 for one main course each & one medium glass of wine, frankly was a joke. There are far better west end eateries & all freshly cooked at a great deal less.
You Don’t Gotta Eat Here… sadly! :-(

A lovely Breakfast in kevinbridges best known secret the Lansdowne Bar. . am back in town in the old neighbourhood, am amazed some places still exist like Cherubini (read earlier reviews of the fake italian dump) and head of the Lansdowne bar to sample their new brunch menu, great choice for veggies and carnis alike, go for the B I G Breakfast which did not disappointed, was encouraged to hang out so read the papers and had a lovely afternoon, thanks to the lovely staff also !

So this was to be the venue for my chocolate making class with Nucoco Chocolate, who I discovered at a previous Unilocal event last year. Their chocolate is really delicious and I just had to make some of my own. Noms!
I had been to the Lansdowne Bar a good few years ago for a few drinks with work mates and it was a really pleasant atmosphere with a well stocked bar.
The chocolate class was held in The Glasshouse, which I believe is a fairly new addition to the Lansdowne and can be booked for private functions. It’s like a large conservatory and is exactly what it says. It has a fully glass roof, so it was very bright and it’s like an ickle house, well more of a big room.
We began our class but would you believe it, the sun was out and it made it more like a green house. Of all the days in the last few months, we suddenly had a warm sunny day. Hello weather? What the??? So chocolate making in a green house was a bit of a struggle. It was melting so fast and wouldn’t set our trays of chocolate so we had to use the bar cellar instead.
It was still an excellent class but it made me think what it would be like if you had a private function in there. There was only 10 of us and we were sweating. Fortunately there’s a door that opens up to a lane outside, this is where we continued the rest of the class.
As part of booking the class I got 10% off food (yay!) so I decided to stay and get a wee bite to eat. The staff were really obliging and I was given the choice of where to sit. I ordered just a small dish but wish I ordered more. I was meeting friends not long after so couldn’t stay too long. It was really tasty and I would definitely come back to try something else and bigger.
I had a really delightful and informative afternoon and the staff got to know who we where especially as we were at the bar lots in our wee pinnies. (I so wanted one!!) This was only because it was so hot in the Glasshouse. Maybe that was their ploy?! Hehe!
Tasty food, nice staff but not ideal for chocolate making. I think Jackie of Nucoco would agree. The main reason she chose there is because there was kiddies on the course and the normal Good Spirits Co isn’t really an ideal venue for children. Here’s hoping she manages to find somewhere to suit.
An awesome bar, good food and look forward to more food from the menu.

I’m now up to my umpteenth visit to the Lansdowne but this time I’m actually putting up a review while it’s fresh in my mind. We popped along last night to the once-​monthly wine dinner, featuring a 3 course meal with matching wines for £25 per person.
If you haven’t been to the Lansdowne before, it can be hard to find as it’s in quite a residential area off Great Western Road. Once you’re there, you’ll feel warm, cosy and at home with lots of booths and comfy seating areas. There is also a glasshouse area out the back that they use for events — I’ve been in here a few times and the only downside is that they struggle to get the temperature right in here.
The dining area is separated from the bar by curtains which make you feel like you’re in a living room. We sat in a booth (probably better for 4 people rather than 5) and were greeted with two glasses of wine to accompany the starter, a white and red. The wine aspect of the evening was a brief, non-​intrusive chat from Chris from Bibendum Wines about the wines and how they matched the food. I thought he had the perfect balance of telling you enough interesting information without droning on and distracting from the food. After the meal he popped around to each table to see if anyone had questions which was a great idea.
For the starter, I had the spinach and wild mushroom lasagne with Italian olive loaf. I also got to eat the poached egg off Graeme’s dish (seared lambs’ liver with smoked bacon, poached egg and hollandaise) because he doesn’t like egg (still baffles me!). The poachy was perfect and I’d eaten it in two or three mouthfuls, I was that excited. My meal looked slightly soupy, which was worrying for a lasagne. But when I dived in, I was delighted by the super umami punch of the wild mushroom which made this a really exciting starter. My only criticism is that the portion size was a bit big — but that really isn’t much of a complaint!
For mains I went for the braised beef cheek, chorizo dauphinoise with white truffle and mushroom sauce. Again, another dish with a real wow-​factor of flavour. The plating perhaps wasn’t the most beautiful I’ve seen, and it would have benefited from a side of green vegetables to cut through the richness. The dauphinoise was moreish and I continued eating until that exploding-​full-​breaking-​point because I just didn’t want to stop.
Then we moved onto dessert — I had a few bites of the strawberry and mascarpone roulade and that was me finished for the night. It was really lovely but I had just eaten too much.
The wine nights are on monthly and it was a really fun event to attend. For the amount of wine you got with your meal (5 small glasses) this was definitely amazing value. I also love sampling wines I wouldn’t normally buy or try.
I’ve always enjoyed the food at the Lansdowne and it’s pleasing to see them keeping up the high standards!

Went once for a drink on a wedding venue reccy and thought it was darn nice — but they took forever getting back to me and I’d booked somewhere else in the mean time.
Its nice, its well decked out, the bar has a decent selection of wines and spirits and theres nibbles at the bar beyond your usual packet of ready salted.
Went a little while ago before this silly diet (curse you diet!) for food and it was insanely good. Im not kidding, I would eat there every day if I could afford it and wouldnt have to be airlifted out of my flat.
I had the italian chicken with a cheesy tomato sauce, green beans and mash. Well not mash sorry ‘crushed potatoes’ which to me is lumpy mash… I ADORE lumpy mash… whats the point in mash if you can eat it with a straw? The chicken was gorgeous and they didnt scrimp on the sauce. For dessert I had sticky toffee pudding… was so good, and the boy had cheesecake, also amazing.
Its very reasonable, most mains under a tenner, the tasy house rose was about £15 and the service was great.
Now let me at the lumpy mash!

We went to the Lansdowne to celebrate a friend’s birthday with a meal and drinks. We arrived at 8pm and there was minimal table service, but we did receive drinks quite quickly. However it was half an hour before we saw the waitress again, and we didn’t receive starters until past 9pm, and our mains didn’t arrive until about 9:50pm. It was busy (it was a Saturday night) but the place seemed chronically understaffed and friends have since told me that it’s always like that. By the time I got my main, I was really not hungry any more and felt a lot of it went to waste or to friends who could help me finish it. Having said that, the food was very good, I had a (pretty spicy) falafel burger and lovely crispy chips which came in a paper bag, bit of a novelty! But by the time we had finished our mains, the kitchen was closed and no-​one who wanted desert could order it.
Overall I felt like the night was slightly spoiled by this, as our meal was served over 2 hours which is too long.
However the atmosphere was bright and bubbly, and they had a great Capercaillie-​esque band playing live folk music in the bar. The staff were pleasent (despite the long wait) the prices were affordable and the cocktails were great. In all the food is worth it, but be prepared to wait for it at the weekend!

So on my quest for the best burger in Glasgow I thought I’d give this hidden away place a good olé go.
First off it was hard for me to choose cause they have a stone fire oven. If you have read any of my reviews, you will know that I LOVE stone fire ovens cuz I LOVE pizza.
So yes, they had some scrumptious looking pizza on the menu and my partner had the fish supper which looked really really good. I had the burger and chips. First off, the chips were from frozen, yeah, WTF? It was all clever like, the burger was served on a wood board and the chips in a take away paper bag but I was not pleased. It was glaringly obvious that these were not fresh cut chips but from frozen– meh.
Sorry to say but I would expect that a place with such high caliber serve fresh cut chips, they really aren’t that hard to do. I mean if in’n out can do it, I think its pretty easy for a fine dining establishment to. So, strike, ONE.
Second strike, came to the burger the meat was all gristly. Not cool. It was just one huge disappointment. I would give this place a third strike but the price was okay and I want to give it another chance. I really do. So expect another write up and hopefully it will have produced at least 3 stars. Over and out.

Yeah I am writing anther update, big whoop, wanna fight about it??!
The reason? Well, this is my firs time heading into the place at night and seeing it as a proper pub! Thursday at the Lansdowne is pretty heaving with a good mix of folk, comfortable young feel and continued great service. Mix that with the booze on tap, highlights including Sleemans, Sierra Nevada, Blue Moon and West.
it’s a proper bar. I like it!

Haggis burger excellent. Generous portion
Chicken soup was very good and house salad excellent. We had great service. If this place was in San Francisco it would fit right in in quality, ambience and value. Oh and the cheese cake was unusual for me because it was so light; it must be what the scots do as it is not heavy and dense. Much prefer it to New York style. The Hancock with chips and mushy peas had very tasty batter and the peas were made with mint.

Why hello there little hidden place roon a random corner in the Westy.
Lovely wee venue, and the place that I will fondly remember as the day I was disgusted by the Grand National’s treatment of horses and vowed never to bet on them again… all from the comfort of our own telly in our own wee booth. Side of dead horse with your tea madam?
Anyway, I digress. My smarmy boyfriend led me here because he knew something I didn’t know, and I have to say it was one of his better surprises. Down some wee steppys and into a big bright airy bar with a conservatory, booths, couches, a bar and tellies everywhere you turned.
We ordered from the limited food menu. We started with olives. Yum. Then I had the lasagne with garlic bread, brought out about 5 minutes before my other half’s burger, which was garnished with a wee fly. Full of protein I hollered, gantin’ to munch my long awaited lunch, but they took it away and so came the 15 minute or more wait for it to reappear, freshly made I might add.
He liked it. I liked it. The lasagne sauce and the bread were the very best bits. The lasagne was quite stodgy so I couldn’t finish it all.
I’d come back, hopefully for a wee go at the conservatory at the back which was hired out for a Grand National function.

Hidden in the basement of a residential street you really need to know about this place to visit it. It’s actually one of the better pubs in Glasgow, with some half-​decent beers, a WEST lager, Deuchars IPA and even Caledonian 80 (an Edinburgh staple that’s hard to find in Glasgow). Though I go here for the good value pub grub that is full of variety with an ever changing large collection of specials, including a tasty pizza range. The best part is the conservatory to the rear that almost feels like you’re enjoying dinner in your neighbour’s garden, apart from the at times overly noisy sound system… though you’ll at least be detached from the footy spectators in the pub.

The Lansdowne was the venue of choice for many of my ex’s family ‘dos, not to mention my mum’s 50s birthday, my graduation dinner…
You get the picture. I love it!
Tucked away in the middle of Lansdowne Crescent in the basement of a tenement, it’s probably the last place you’d expect to find a bar. But the angelic, fairytale tube lighting twisted around the bannisters leads you in, and once inside you find a little treat of a dining and drinking experience.
Modern, spacious and nicely decorated, the Lansdowne has been providing this part of Glasgow with food and beer for years. My mum used to go here with her ex boyfriend when she was my age. Apparently it was more like a tavern then, but she is suitably impressed with its contemporary, tres chic makeover.
The menu offers up traditional pub fayre with an elegant twist. The pizzas here must be stonebaked, because they have that soft, fresh doughy taste when you munch on them. Pizzas, burgers and Bruschetta are all served up with some fancy salads — rocket lettuce and the like. Their fish and chips is beautiful as well, with the chips being cut more like potato wedges than the standard fried offerings you’ll find elsewhere in Glasgow.
They have a nice selection of beers and wines on tap, the bar staff are friendly, and there’s usually enough room for larger parties to be seated. If you’re worried there won’t be the space, you can book out the lovely conservatory for special occasions.
A hidden gem, you can’t go wrong with the Lansdowne. It’s a very trendy but pleasant place to have a drink.

As other Unilocalers have pointed out, the Lansdowne markets itself as a hidden gem in the Glasgow night life scene and its right. It has to advertise all over the subway to get people know where it is!
This was one of the first bars I went to after moving to this area of Glasgow. Been back many a time now as it is a good wee place to chill out and relax. There are not many really decent bars in our city in which you can kick back and chill out watching the football without fear of some nutter standing just down the bar from you, but the Lansdowne caters for a more relaxed crowed. However the TV positioning is a bit weak and it can be hard to find somewhere with a good vantage point. Having said this, it is a basement bar and therefore comes with its limitations.
Have never been sold 100% on the food in here. Its of a better standard than most bars without question but the menu seems to have been the same for well over a year now. The last time we were in the server listed at least half a dozen things that were off the (already small) menu. If ordering food I would recommend the specials board as what I’ve had off of that has been pretty good!
We used to do the quiz at the Lansdowne quite a lot but it has now become somewhere we go for a ‘wee change’ which is a shame as it is a good space with a good crowd.

It’s no surprise the Lansdowne Bar styles itself as the West End’s best kept secret given its hidden location in the basement of a stylish Lansdowne Crescent terraced house.
However, while you may expect a small local to lie beyond the large wooden door as you descend the stairs, the biggest surprise is actually the scale of the operation that greets you.
The Lansdowne is big, bright and stylish. Having added a large conservatory, the rear of the establishment looks and feels like a restaurant, serving a style of food to match, while the front is very much a bar which is trendy but not overly so.
Serving a sophisticated range of beers, wines and cocktails the Lansdowne instantly strikes you as the sort of place that may frown upon showing football. Not so. Indeed it tends to fill up for most of the bigger matches and the compact booths, which sport small LCD screens, are among the comfiest spectator spots in the city, although often have to be booked in advance.
While not the cheapest venue in town, you generally get what you pay for here, particularly with the food which is far from traditional pub grub.
Just one gripe concerning the website’s claim that regulars know this place as LBK. I’ve never heard anybody refer to it as this so don’t think you’re fitting in by doing so.

A nice bar with a nice ‘coffe house’ feel. Good for a mid-​day pint or later on to start off your night out.
Mid week it can feel a bit too quiet but there’s a good crowd at the weekend. Food is good– better than your average pub grub but for a special occasion I’d go for one of the nicer restaurants in the area.