Address: 241 North St, Glasgow, G3 7DL (View map)
Tel: 0141 221 5530
Web: www.theblacksparrow.co.uk
Cuisine: Pub Grub
Average price*: £13-£15
Sister pub to Chinaski’s next door, the Black Sparrow is also named along the Charles Bukowski theme; called after Bukowski’s own publishing company.
The Black Sparrow goes for grandeur, with opulent leather boothes, an open fire, chandeliers and a vast, glassy bar. It aims for gastropub status rather than plain old pub grub, and has a huge selection of cocktails, spirits and liquers.
The Basement Bar benath Black Sparrow is also available for functions, meetings, parties, music, etc.
The Black Sparrow, *Average price based on a 2 course meal from the a la carte menu for 2 people
Brilliant food, brilliant service, lovely surroundings… Just a great pub. Myself and some workmates frequent the black sparrow after work far more than we should, and we all absolutely love it. We started coming here about 5 months ago and haven’t gotten bored with it yet despite our regular visits! It’s also perfectly situated for a wee pre-theatre before a visit to the Kings.
A traditional pub, with a fantastic ambience from the second you walk into the bar. In the summer there is outside decking to sample some of the many drinks on offer and in the winter you can relax in one of the booths.
On my last visit, I sampled the 2-4-1 burgers where you have a wide selection of toppings. The burgers are excellent value for money and are definitely the best I have tasted in Glasgow. In addition to the burger, you are given a large portion of handcut chips. If you are looking for a quick and easy meal at little expense in a bar where there is an excellent selection of beverages, served by friendly staff then this is the pub for you.
The Black Sparrow is usually our port of call before any gig in the SECC or pre-Kings-theatre meal. It is usually a great pub, serving up really nice food.
However the last time we were there was just a few weeks ago on a Saturday night and I was not impressed. My 2 main complaints were as follows:
The starter I ordered was chorizo and potato salad, which came with greasy wedges instead of new potatoes, and a rubbery egg dumped in the middle of the plate. I’ve had the same dish once before, and it was much nicer the first time.
We usually sit upstairs, but this time we had to sit downstairs next to the bar, and it was just smelly. Stale beer is not the best overwhelming scent when trying to eat your dinner. Maybe it’s because I’ve never sat down there before, but it seems that standards that night had gone downhill rather a lot.
Come on Sparra – you can do better than that.