The Hug & Pint

first time & it won’t be the last.
The ground floor is a bar & dining area. Didn’t eat but will be back to try the pan-​Asian vegan fair.
Did go downstairs for a Mowtowm night. The gig area is small but they don’t over well which means you can dance :-) I hello be they were serving cocktails however I opted to pop upstairs for wine (2 x large glasses = £11.40).
All staff were friendly & if you don’t mind feeling a tad old at times (well you are in a student area) then definitely try it.

Gian and I headed over to Hug and Pint last weekend to grab lunch. We’ve heard good things about the Pan-​Asian menu and thought it’s about time we give it a try!
I think their mains change quite frequently so that’s a nice touch. I ordered the mushroom broth with udon (£7) and Gian had the rice with tamarind plantine (£7) and kimchi soup (£3) as a side.
I wasn’t a big fan of my udon though. It was alright, nothing special. Maybe needed a bit more salt/​soy sauce and sesame oil, but other than that it was just ok. And I was still hungry afterwards. Gian said his rice was good though and quite filling. The kimchi soup was pretty spicy and good too.
Tbh I left with an empty feeling, maybe cause I paid £7 for a bowl of udon that wasn’t filling at all lol but I’m still willing to give it another try. Next time I’ll order something else and we’ll see how I feel about it.
They have a nice selection of beers though and tons of gigs happening in their venue! Probably will try to catch a band performance or something.
Anyway it’s alright! Nice place to hang out for sure :-)

My husband and I wanted to try a new a spot for date night and Hug & Pint happens to be about 6 minutes from our front door. Yes, please!
First things first, this place is vegan. If that’s not your thing then definitely plan to eat before hand or have a solid plan for after. Their last reservation is at 930pm and the place fills up fast! Reservations are highly recommended. Thankfully we showed up at 9pm and were able to snag two stools near the windows.
The ambiance:
At first I was a little weirded out by the music. It was deep trance and did not match the clientele at all. After about 10 minutes they switched it up to old school hip hop — perfect! The ages ranged from 18 — early 50s, so something for everyone.
The booze:
Standard beer, and liquor options. We had some different beers on tap. Nothing to rave about, but no complaints either.
The food:
Like I said, we didn’t get there until 9pm and they were sold out of 2 of the 5 offerings for the evening. We ordered the 3 remaining items.
1. Mustard Onion Soup — not really my thing but my husband enjoyed it. It had an Asian kick.
2. Mushroom Rice Pudding — this was amazing! As long as textures /​consistency doesn’t freak you out, definitely worth a go.
3. Black Pepper Aubergine — spiiiiiicy! It came with white rice and shaved cucumber. Thank goodness because the cucumber tamed the spiciness.
The service:
Our server’s name was Toni. Sweet girl with ties to the US. We discussed that briefly. To me it felt like they were understaffed which resulted in us being a little neglected. Thankfully the food made up for it. The bartenders were swarmed all night and could have certainly used another body behind the bar. Getting a drink was frustrating and so we ordered them 2 at a time.
I asked about large groups and Toni told us they are happy to accommodate them, just book a reservation online. They also host sweet local gigs and performances! I hope to check one out soon.
We will certainly be back but much earlier in the night so we can try all the food. If you’re in the area, stop in for a beer and some great vegan treats!

Man, oh man. I love The Hug and Pint!
First off, being from Falkirk, I was always going to love a pub named after an Arab Strap album. Secondly, being veggie, I was always going to welcome another exclusively vegan restaurant to the scene. Thirdly, being really into the Glasgow music scene, I liked their dedication to providing live music acts every single night of the week.
And The Hug and Pint did not disappoint. I first had a chance to visit at the tail end of last year. My friend and I had tickets to see Babe and Bossy Love play in the venue (both incredible bands, check them out) and though we’d pop along for some dinner first. We very luckily got the last table in the place, so if you’re going along at a weekend and really want to try the food, I’d recommend booking first! All their food is vegan and I thought portion size and price was very reasonable. I had the jackfruit curry with rice which was absolutely incredible, just spicy enough with really massive pieces of jackfruit. My friend had the coconut soup with rice dumplings and I’m reliably informed that this was a taste sensation! :)
Since that visit I’ve had a chance to sample more of their food, both at the venue and at a vegan fair, and it’s all been outstanding. I’ve never had kimchi before, but it was super spicy and flavourful and stank out my fridge for days! The black pepper aubergine dish was legitimately one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. The mushroom rice pudding was a bit on the gelatinous side for my liking, but I was sort of drunk at the time and ate it all anyway.
The drinks selection at the Hug and Pint is also really great. I’m not into beer, but there’s a fair selection of your non-​typical beers and ales. They have some vegan ciders there too. I also tried some of the house rose which was really good too.
The venue is down the stairs and is pretty small. However, I’ve been to 2 different gigs there now and the crowd was always really chill and amiable. No nasty elbowing here! :) The stage is pretty low down so you’ve got to get to the front early if you want a really good view.
The staff have always been really helpful and nice on my visits here too. No pretentiousness! I’ve spotted many familiar faces from the Glasgow music scene on my visits here and I think that’s a good sign! If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me too!

Super super love for Hug and Pint. Vegetarian teetotal heaven full of fun and energy.
There is only a few tables for dinner right at the back but what there is is fab! With really cool minimal mid-​century hipster décor this place is right up my street. There was a brilliant bustle and great atmosphere too.
The bijoux (tiny) Asian style menu is amazingly diverse and exciting for vegans– I opted for the black fungus and bean curd skins with a fermented bean curd soup which I can say was one of the most interesting and flavoursome things I’ve eaten in a long time.
The service was absolutely fantastic. Noticing I wasn’t drinking alcohol (there’s a good selection of bottled juices for sale) our waiter brought me a surprise mocktail! A gorgeous mojito/​ginger concoction I was absolutely delighted and felt really spoiled and fussed over.
The only thing I would highlight is that upstairs only has one toilet. I had such a brilliant overall experience I wouldn’t remove a star for that.

What a brilliant night I had! We ended up here by chance after my plans for the evening changed when the gig I’d come all the way up from London to see (at another venue) got cancelled. Having been to a gig at the Hug and Pint (great wee venue, btw, check out their listings for some interesting acts) and having seen the menu, I was looking for an excuse to come back and try the grub and I’m so glad I did. Is it vegan or just veggie? And is it Korean or just ‘Asian-​inspired’? I can’t remember but we had a cynical meat eater with us anyway so it was going to have to be good to pass muster. I ordered the jackfruit curry with sticky rice and a side order of kimchi. I was intrigued to try jackfruit as I’d heard tales of how ‘meat-​like’ it is. The creamy, fragrant curry sauce was delicious but I wasn’t that impressed with the jackfruit. If it had been sold to me as ‘an unusual vegetable, a cauliflower-​pineapple hybrid’, I’d have been perfectly happy, but as I was expecting an amazing meat-​like vegetable, I was just a bit ‘meh’. That’s not H&P’s fault; it was a new taste for me and I just know now for future ref that im not that fussed about jackfruit and I’d maybe order something different. Glad I got to try it though, and the sauce was really good. I also tasted someone’s black fungus rice dish — thick and gloopy and warming like a risotto with a beautiful sesame and soy and crunchy stuff topping. I should have ordered that! My side of kimchi was also good –spicy and savoury and far too tasty to be a heathy dish. Their kimchi could perhaps do with a bit more fermenting for my taste to develop the more complex flavours as it tasted quite ‘young’, but was still good. I steered clear of the puffed rice salad dish because it’s was loaded with coriander and I’m one of those people who taste coriander as soapy and greasy and gross, but in told it was delicious and zingy with lime and other flavours. I can’t remember what else was on our order.
I’m really impressed with this place. The food is really interesting and the service is laid back. The staff know their stuff and will enthusiastically explain each dish and point out which might not be good if you have particular food intolerances. I like that. We sat at our table til closing, drinking wine and chatting and weren’t hassled to move. I like that too. With the brilliant selection of gigs taking place downstairs, my every need for a night out is met by the one place and so if i lived here, it’s the kind of place i could easily make my Local and just spend whole, happy evenings there. And at just 25 quid each for a main course and a side dish and A LOT of wine (!), I’d be here several times a week. I can’t wait to come back.

It was NOT a Monday at the Hug & Pint (ahhhhh Arab Strap…)
I went on a Friday lunch time and the establishment was completely empty. I was slightly surprised and our small group of four remained to be the only clientele for the few hours we stayed. I don’t get this because it was a really good place to hang out.
The wifi was free and there was plenty of table space for our laptops. There was a good atmosphere and the music was cool.
I’m not vegan and I don’t tend to order meat-​free dishes. But I have to say the Black Bean Aubergine main with rice was excellent. My friend found it a little too spicy, but it was perfect for me.
I’ve heard this place is great as a music venue. Small and intimate. Though maybe not good for shorties like myself. I’ll have to update when I’ve checked it out.

It’s cool to be hip & there’re few venues in Glasgow which are as hip as the H&P is right now. I first came in on a whim after finding out about their pan-​Asian Vegan menu. If you’re a fan of Asian food please come in & try it, the food is cheap and great quality! Did I mention they also do FREE food on occasion?!
What goes well with food and music? Beer! The H&P has a great range of beers on tap & in the fridge. They have Sam Smiths, Williams Bros & guest beers on tap & a plethora of hip IPAs in the fridge.
The H&P also serves as a venue, playing host to a variety of bands, from small touring acts to local stars. The variety of musical styles showcased downstairs is rarely beaten. The music in the bar’s not too loud, so coming in here for a catch up with friends isn’t too hard to do. The staff are really cool (not too hip, just good people) and pretty accommodating. There’s even a few Mogwai skate decks on the wall to make you wish you were cool enough to skate (board).
Up at the front of the bar the windows slide open, which is great on the occasional hot day, but maybe wear a few layers in here over the winter!
I really love this bar and despite having to walk past a number of great bars to reach it, I see this as a favourite new haunt of mine on Gt Western Road. Given that anyone can come in for cheap eats & a beer mean it really is worth the walk.

I had bookmarked the Hug and Pint as a place on my «must go to» list; new, vegan food, pop up changing menu food and unusual beers= a winning combination (potentially) so I was happy to visit and find that it was indeed a fabulous place to be.
With no regular menu, and a changing range of special pan-​Asian style street food (all vegan), you never quite know what you are going to get, which makes it even more special; that surprise element means you will try things which you have never sampled before. Kimchi, where have you been all my life? This was spectacular– yes, it is probably just picked cabbage and chilli, which doesn’t sound that amazing, but the taste explosion of texture and heat is irresistible (and only £1.50, bargain). I will definitely seek that one out again. The jackfruit curry was wonderful; I have never had jackfruit before and it was very flavoursome, cooked so that it was soft (but not too soft) and in a rich coconut sauce. The mushroom rice bowl was not quite as much to my taste (less spicy) but it was all lovely fresh vegetables and also went well with the kimchi.
Drinks wise they have a huge range, alcohol wise they have Sam Smiths stout on tap (one of my favourites) and also many bottled beers, which they said change regularly. I actually didn’t remember to check out the soft drink range (too excited by the selection which could potentially accompany our meal, whoops.)
They are dog friendly, and even put a bowl of water out for a visiting pooch.
There are so many bands on here, looks like a good live music venue (like the music themed décor too, Mogwai skateboards!)
All in all, will definitely be back. 5 stars from me.

I have been to the hug and pint a few times now and feel happy to review it as I have drank, eaten and been to a gig.
Beer wise I was very impressed as they have one of my favourite breweries and beers in their packed fridges. Jaipur by thornbridge is an amazing IPA. (All there beers seem to be good though. So you can’t go wrong when picking thornbridge) In general the bar has lots of interesting craft beer options so I would happily go back time and again to make my way through them all.
Food wise they have a quirky Asian vegan menu and I tried some aubergine with rice which tasted great. The only have chop sticks tho, so beware if your not used to eating with them you could end up pouring the rice into your mouth.
Gig wise it’s a smallish area which makes for quite an intimate venue where you are very close to whoever is playing. Did I mention that the bar up the stairs is also very dug friendly, so bring your mutt along for a pint.
Cool name, cool beer, cool bar and they like dugs. What’s not to like.

When you’re young, you tend to fall in love quickly. Whether it’s love at first sight, maybe on the first date or within a week, it could be kind of creepy for the other person in the equation if they don’t feel the same way.
I guess, what I’m trying to say is… Hug & Pint, I love you. I’ve only visited once. It was brief, and I barely sampled your wares. But my gosh, I love you and I am going to keep on coming back for more until you bar me from coming back.
I’d never been to the Roxy 171 (oops) but I had been to the Liquid Ship and the layout of the Hug & Pint seems to be similar. Stairs up to the bar area and a nice, relaxed vibe. We got a couple of drinks at the bar and took a seat. It has a cosy vibe without seeming small, and the smell from the kitchen was incredible. I wasn’t eating (sadly) but I am going back ASAP for the Asian-​inspired vegan menu. There’s aubergine on it. Need I say more?!
Well, I will. The drinks selection is really good — Thistly Cross cider, Blue Moon, Brooklyn, Innis & Gunn. There’s wine, spirits, Aperol and Sam Smith’s organic fruit beer.
Pretty much what I’m trying to say is that I think the Hug & Pint is perfect. I need to go back for more visits and to try the food, so maybe I’ll lose the rose-​tinted glasses. But for now, it’s a 5-​star first-​visit love affair. Swoon.

BAM! 5 stars. I knew this place had potential to be 5 stars (NOT to be confused with Five Star the 80’s pop group) from my 1^st visit. It’s a cracking wee venue and we popped down last weekend for a gig to see 3 bands (Wendell Borton, Van T’s & Poor Things) for only 5 of your Scottish pounds ~ bargain. The capacity of this venue has doubled since it was The Roxy so now holds 120 people and they’ve also seriously upgraded the sound system & lighting here (One of the highlights of the night was being in charge of the smoke machine whilst the guy operating it popped out. I had SO much fun! Haha! Apologies bands if I smoked you out too much… oops). Sound was really good and with the new lighting rig it feels like a ‘proper’ venue now as opposed to a pub with a wee area downstairs for bands to play. Only thing is now there is no bar downstairs so if you want a drink grab one before you head down.
Another new addition since I last visited is the food. They’re now serving an Asian-​inspired totally vegan menu here with dishes changing every day (Yes! Every day!) They serve about 5 dishes and it’s available from 12pm until midnight. Also between 5:30 — 7pm Mon-​Fri they hand out wee samples of their food for folk to try ~ great idea. I never had a chance to try the food that evening but it sounded amazing; Jackfruit Curry stood out as sounding particularly tasty. Prices are pretty reasonable too. I think most dishes are around £5.
The Hug & Pint is definitely my new favourite bar. I’ve been a few times now & every time I’ve really enjoyed not just the cool surroundings but the lovely beers on tap. They tend to change them up so last time I was drinking the delicious Brooklyn Brewery lager which I love.
I will most certainly be back here again for more gigs. As a music venue it works brilliantly and it’s great to have such a place back in the West End again after the sad demise of The Captain’s Rest. If you’re a fan of smaller music venues then TH&P is the place to go. I can’t wait to go back & hopefully sample some of their food too.
Thank you TH&P for bringing quality live music back to this part of town. I could almost hug ya!

Just tried our the vegan food offerings and the dishes are good! We sampled quite a few dishes; I tried the plantain dish and a coconut soup, plus the curry, and my partner had the gluten-​containing glass noodles and aubergine dish. I have to admit, his food looked really good, but mine was pretty tasty too.
I like that the menu is always changing; it’s a chance to try things and never get sick of the same old, same old. They offer at least a few gluten free options at any given time. Glad to have another great option on Great Western Road!

I saw a snippet of their menu online which included tofu and tempeh… HELLO! They’d said online that most of their food was vegan, so I was in the very next day. Turns out that that tiny menu wasn’t that day’s specials but The Menu. I was a bit disappointed, however, they’re newly opened and they have craft beers and live music, so if food isn’t going to be a main focus or they’re just trying out different menu designs fair enough. They have Innis & Gunn and Williams Bros beer, which are often my go-​tos, and it’s a nice bright bar close to loads of good places to go for dinner. You know when someone’s organised a group dinner at 7pm, then you know it’ll be 8pm before everyone orders and the starters come, and it’s currently 5.30pm and you’re starving but want to save yourself for dinner? Their wee menu is good for having something off that while you have pre-​dinner drinks.
I ordered a Mango & Seaweed salad and the server reassured me it wasn’t going to taste fishy, and it didn’t at all. It was really colourful and tasty. The aubergine dish was the best aubergine I’ve had, the sauce tasted like treacle! On enquiry the chef told me it had palm sugar in it; I’m not that familiar with this ingredient but it’s good! I will confess I was so hungry, and shattered after work, that I presumed both dishes were vegan and forgot to double check (e.g. sauce/​dressing) and they do currently have menus on for a few days, so if this is relevant to you and you go to order I would double check. Otherwise, dig in!

The Hug & Pint was a failed replacement of the Captain’s Rest a few years back, but is now reopening bigger and better where the Roxy used to be. They’ve got some great concerts lined up already– definitely going to be one to watch! They’re open from 6pm every night this week, check

for updated opening hours etc!