The Drake

If I could give The Drake 4.5 I would as it was a really nice lunch.
The soup was plentiful; the only thing missing was a bit of butter for the bread and maybe a softer slice of bread.
The cheesy bites were apparently very moreish and I think they are now firmly on my «to try» list. The decent sized patty on the burger was faultless and the chips were just as scrummy. The bun just needed a wee something to bring it into the same league as some of its competitors. Sadly four days later I can’t quite remember what that something was!
The Drake itself also feels like it would also be an ideal place to just go for a drink.
Staff wise, I never thought a 6ft plus slightly scatty/​chilled (I am not quite sure which) guy could be endearing. I was working till the early hours of the morning so it was hard to judge whether he was newbie or had been partying hard the night before. Either way the service was top notch. Drinks and food arrived quickly. We didn’t have to chase anyone for the bill and we were made to comfortable throughout our brief visit. We also got a wee sneaky 20% discount on food via 5 pm.

I’ve been wanting to try this place for a while, it looks so cute with it’s ivy trellises, fairy lights and stone steps down to the door. Inside it much what I expected, dark wooden beams, candle light, comfy chairs and a stuffed fox above the bar… uhm…moving on.
The service was nice, we got offered table service however I wasn’t eating. The bar staff were friendly, even having a banter over the guy calling me Ma’am :o I didn’t know how to react to that title!
We were there for the lovely Clare S. book club and while they did reserve tables for us, and were very accommodating of what we were there for… it was a little too noisy sitting next to two big booths full of folk talking and drinking on a Friday night. The front of the bar seemed a lot quieter but only has small tables.
I’d definitely go back to try their food (the fish and chips looked amazing!) but perhaps not on a Friday night.

«Early lunch visit «
31 Dec 2015
krdoc79 (146 reviews)
Glasgow
Place was literally just opening as we went in, was the only customers in the place the whole visit!
Negatives was there was no breakfast menu however the lunch menu was good enough for us
Food was great, plenty of it.
Bearded guy (sorry no name) was knowledgeable and friendly.
It’s a great little place for food … Either for its chilli cook off participation, it’s great dinner menu, fresh ingredients or just a cocktail
I’ve been many times and will continue to go back

Visited the drake last night as part of a group and i really liked the interior and layout of the place. Lots of booths big and small which i liked.
I only ordered a portion of fries off the menu but the service was quick and the waitress brought out a tray of condiments without me having to ask.
Chips is not chips without ketchup right?
I will definetly be returning soon to sample the rest of the menu.

At a loose end, with both of us on a day off, we decided to make use of an Itison voucher I had bought a while ago and was due to expire.
The Drake is right on the corner just off Woodlands Road. Down some rickety steps, the décor is rustic and homely with a nice fire as a focal point. The restaurant is to the front and the bar to the back. We were greeted and sat down immediately, and the terms of the voucher were explained. We could have any A La Carte main each or anything from the specials board as part of the deal. We happily ordered and awaited our food.
I went with the Pork Chop with a Brandy and Pepper Sauce, Colcannon Cake and Braised Red Cabbage. The dish arrived and the pork chop was a huge, bone-​in affair. Perfectly cooked with crispy fat and tender meat, it went perfectly with the cabbage and sauce. The Colcannon cake was basically just crushed new potatoes made into a cake but tasted divine with the other ingredients. I was super pleased with my choice!
Martyn went with the Pan Fried Fillet of Sea Bass with Turkish Vegetables, Spiced Bulgar Wheat Salad, Tzatziki and a Flatbread. The fillet of sea bass was perfectly cooked with crispy skin and flaky flesh. The Turkish vegetables were a tomatoey mixture of onions and courgettes which he said went beautifully with the fish. The only quibble was that the bulgar wheat salad was absolutely ice cold. Like literally just out the fridge. It wasn’t very pleasant along with the hot fish and vegetables and was duly left at the side of the plate. The Tzatziki was also very harsh with mint, with huge chunks of cucumber as opposed to the traditional grated version. Not very nice.
Overall we both enjoyed our meal with the exception of the few issues with the Seabass dish but these were more personal taste. I’ve dropped a star as there was only one waitress on both manning the bar and delivering the food which meant when we wanted an extra drink, Martyn had to actually leave the table during the meal to grab her attention. We also had to do this for the bill which was a bit annoying. Even though Martyn had left his salad and Tzatziki which took up quite a lot of the plate, we weren’t asked if everything was ok etc. Small things but they all add to the experience!
I think I only paid about £12 for the Itison voucher so it was a good deal for the quality of food and I’d buy it again. A nice relaxed lunch in a cosy atmosphere on a grey day!

I don’t think my review of The Drake is going to differ much from my fellow Unilocal Brunch Club folks. I’ve missed the last few brunch club dates, so thought I’d get back into the swing of things with this visit to The Drake. I don’t have a huge appetite normally, so decided not to have any breakfast before heading down for brunch — and massively regretted this decision.
The interior is lovely, nice and cosy with a really spacious booth style layout — which is refreshing, as normally booths leave me crushed trying to get in & out of my table — and it has a friendly feel to it.
Once we had been seated, it then took about 40 minutes for the drinks orders to be taken and delivered before food orders were even thought about. I seriously contemplated eating my napkin, I was RAVENOUS!
I went for the veggie breakfast, and in the spirit of time saving decided not to take the mushrooms of doom off my order (thanks to Gordon M for having them for me!)…I was particularly excited about the sauteed potatoes we were promised. Which turned out to be a potato scone. Whaaaat?
The food was a bit lacklustre if I’m honest — our chips went missing, then were found mysteriously skinny rather than hand cut and the wait just wasn’t justified by the quality which was lacking.
The menu looks great, and I think I’d like to come back for dinner and see how they handle a much smaller group, but I’d go somewhere else for brunch.

It’s not often I venture Charing Cross way, but this months Brunch Club at The Drake was a pretty dang good reason to cross the M8.
I’ve had food here a couple of times now — unfortunately with pretty different results.
First time was at a Unilocal Mad Skillz event. There were a lot of folks there, all ordering food but at different times — I think this is why service was so good this day. I opted for burger and chips — and I’ve raved about it evver since. Easily within the top 5 burgers in Glasgow!
At Brunch Club, it was nowhere near as good. I was pretty hungry when we arrived — had I realised 40 mins were going to be taken up with sorting drinks out before our food order was taken, I would have grabbed some munchies en route.
By the time my full breakfast arrived, I was well in the Danger Zone. I vaguely remember my first mouthful being cold, and quickly followed by something mushy. I was too hungry to care and basically inhaled the food. I did like the fried egg though!
The way service was managed really let it down — that said, I’d happily come back in a smaller group and give it another try.

I must echo the sentiments of my fellow Glasgow brunchers, The Drake was a little disappointing. When you pay upwards of £9 for breakfast, it’s got to be damn good. On this front, the Drake failed to deliver.
I went for the Veggie breakfast. Alongside the traditional breakfast trimmings came a strange chickpea purée breaded ‘sausage’ mutant thing and sautéed potatoes. Although, in place of this, came a tatty scone. HELLO, sautéed potatoes and a potato scone are not one and the same thing. No shame for the beloved tatty but when you’re expecting one kind of potato and you’re greeted by another, you’re going to be pretty miffed, as we were.
Portion size, I was longing for a little more. In general, brunch was sadly a little lacking; just not up to what I’d expected. We’d booked ahead and, despite this, they didn’t seem prepared for as many of us. Next to me, a portion of chips ordered had gone astray. When they did appear, they weren’t the hand cup chips specified, but rather the skinny ones also available.
The toilets were in need of a little TLC too, with neither of the two ladies’ cubicles locking and the light over one was broken. — I’m afraid to say, I think there’s better places to brunch!

David A has summed up Saturday’s brunch outing pretty perfectly — the food was definitely in the «alright» category for me.
I’d made a group booking for brunch and overall the booking process was good, and they phoned to double check numbers a couple of days before. However, when we arrived there weren’t enough seats for anyone and they seemed surprised we needed more space, so some people were sitting on separate tables (inc me!). Anyway, I’m a huge fan of a veggie breakfast and I thought the Drake’s sounded good — chickpea & veg sausage, sautéed potatoes, spelt toast, grilled mushroom, tomato and eggs of your choice for £9.
For the amount of people we had there, you’re going to expect food will take a little time to arrive and I would say it was closer to 12pm by the time we got food (our booking was for 11am). My order had been mixed up so I got a fried egg rather than the poached I requested but I was happy to accept that. The sautéed potatoes were missing and there was a potato scone instead. I don’t mind things being switched but I’d rather be told in advance. I really didn’t like the chickpea sausage, I thought it was generally pretty unpleasant in flavour and I didn’t eat much of it. The rest of the plate was fine but nothing special, and I was left feeling hungry even after I’d finished eating. I’m normally full-​to-​busting after a full breakfast so I was pretty disappointed.
The Drake definitely needs some love and attention in the loos — one toilet had no light, the other one had no lock on the door. What a choice! The mirrors are too far from the sink for you to look at yourself properly. I normally leave brunch club on cloud 9 but I was pretty disappointed with the Drake’s efforts, I’ve got to admit. I can’t say I’d go back for brunch here again any time soon when there’s so many places doing such good brunches in Glasgow.

Brunch at The Drake is how we spent the early part of Saturday, before a walk and a bit of shopping.
With energy levels dipping into the red, I scanned the small brunch menu and decided what was needed was the full Scottish breakfast. So, ordered, I realised that I hadn’t been asked how I’d like my eggs — but apparently they come as standard with fried eggs — so that sounded ok.
I like the atmosphere in The Drake, and works well when there’s a group. Décor-​wise, it’s all exposed brick and mis-​matched furniture. Old meets new is a look that I’ve always been a fan of.
The food that was served on Saturday was alright, not wonderful. And not worth the £9.50 price tag, compared to better quality I’ve eaten in other places in Glasgow.
The egg was over-​cooked, the square sausage was oily, putting the beans on top of the potato scone made it turn soggy.
Now, I’ve eat here before and it was pretty great. But I wasn’t impressed this time.
I tried to look up the menu a few days before, but either don’t have menus in the menus section of the website. Also, the ‘What’s on Section’ hasn’t been updated since January.

I’ve walked by The Drake several times, but this was my first visit (with the Unilocal brunch club!) They had a small brunch menu (see Pammi’s picture) as well as their regular lunch menu on offer. Finding a gluten free breakfast can be challenging, but they kindly allowed me to substitute fries for the bread in Eggs Benedict, which resulted in an amazing dish. I even ordered extra fries to mop up the remaining egg and hollandaise sauce. I’d recommend this (or the vegetarian version, Eggs Florentine) to anyone!
Now that I know about this little gem, I’ll definitely be back.

The Drake was one of the first places I ever reviewed on Unilocal,so it’s probably right I update my ancient review to kick us back up to speed!
I think 4 years or so ago I used to frequent this bar fairly regularly, but I find myself coming less often now-​a-​days. On the plus side they have expanded and improved their beer selection and they stock quite a nice range. On the down side though, the beers really do seem to be a little over priced. Certainly a good bit more than some nearby pubs anyway.
Food-​wise, the Drake offer very solid, typical pub /​dare I say gastro-​pub style nosh that is usually very good. What I’m not really into is the mass of dogs hanging around the bar every time I go in. Most recently I recall a couple of dogs having a right barney at each other as I tried to tuck into my lunch. Also the dog smell while eating just didn’t do it for me.
Nice bar for people, but too heavy on the dog front for me.

Is it possible to be a Sunday roast regular? If you like your meat to melt in your mouth then I would suggest going to the Drake for Sunday lunch. I have now been two consecutive Sunday’s for the roast.
The first Sunday… It was a little quiet a large group of guys watching the football, I’ve never seen such a perfect table to watch a sporting event. The food!!! Oh my the meat!!! They gave us sharp knife to cut our beef, I’m not really sure why! maybe they hadn’t tasted it yet? It was that tender it literally fell apart when you looked at. It was served up with little roast potatoes and an amazing creamy veg side… OH I’ve died and gone to heaven.
The following Sunday was a little different we planned to go and watch the football with the lovely Gilmour’s so we booked the perfect big table and it would be ever so rude not to get the roast. The meat was still amazing but it was served with different veg a sweeter mix. I always think this is a good sign as it’s what is fresh that day. All topped off with a chocolate cheesecake to good!
It’s a very cosy bar with friendly staff! It was a busy Sunday and our table was far too big for 4 of us, it would have been easy for them To ask for it back but they made space elsewhere. I can’t wait for my next roast!

Sometimes nothing but a Sunday roast will do! That’s what it felt like at the weekend when we headed to The Drake to try what they had to offer after it being highly recommended by Pammi G.
Roast lunch on the mind took us all the way to Woodlands (not to be confused with Park) and we ventured into the cosy Drake Bar. It’s quite small and sort of old mann-​ish in a way, but not in a chewing the fat style, more just antique-​y. There was footy on the TV and a mish mash of tables to choose from. It certainly looked a good place for a pub lunch.
We went straight for the roast beef and it was superb. The meat was melt in your mouth material, the hunners of gravy provided was exceptionally tasty and the creamy veg was an excellent added touch. Even the flipping carrots were good. In terms of taste the lunch was faultless, my only complaint would be that I could of eaten doubt the portion and perhaps for 12 quid they could of put a little bit more on your plate. That said I can honestly say it was the best tasting roast lunch I have had in as long as I can remember.
Taste wise this lunch was ten stars for me, but in terms of price, setting, and beer options (they were not very exciting) I will drop it a star to 4. Still a really great lunch and I would certainly go back. Pub location it might be, but for me this «pub grub» was exceptional and would fit in at any restaurant.

This was my second trip to the drake for food. I’ve been a number of times for drinks as it has a good atmosphere and a reasonably nice little beer garden out back when the weather is good.
It’s only recently though that I’ve been for dinner and I have to say I was amazed on both occasions. This is some of the tastiest food in town. Yes it’s bar style food, but of an excellent standard with superb flavour. The fish broth is absolutely excellent as are the curries and the burgers. In fact there really wasn’t anything on the menu that our group didn’t like.
If I had to make one small comment, it can get pretty loud, probably because of the low ceilings, but then if you want a quiet meal a pub was never going to be a good choice.
Keep up the good work!

I met up with my fellow Unilocaler, Pammi G, for a spot of dinner and a bottle* of wine to toast to our Cosmopolitan success… but mainly to drink the wine. Pammi chose The Drake as she’s a regular there and I still hadn’t been for a try!
(*approximate measurement. Because we don’t count.)
As a salmon fiend I decided to go for the risotto balls, or as I know them, arancini. They were served with wilted spinach doused in hot parsley butter. I really, really enjoyed these! Some might complain about the amount of butter as the risotto was buttery in taste and there was butter on the serving plate, but I really enjoyed it. Without a sauce or dip, arancini can be a bit dry, but these were nice and moist and had plenty smoked salmon in them for taste!
You really can’t steer wrongly with haggis in my book! I don’t think I’ve tasted a haggis dish anywhere that I didn’t like! Crispy, tempura like battered haggis with a nice garlicky mayonnaise dip.
During the past few months I have become somewhat obsessed with seafood curry. My need for a new and decent blogging camera (ie. one which can take good photos in dim light without the use of a flash) has meant that I don’t have photos of most of the ones I’ve tried. I’ve tried The Left Bank, The Richmond and also Stravaigin’s seafood curry as well as making my own. The Drake’s Goan curry is gorgeous and different to the others due to it’s richer flavour and the use of salmon. It was much spicier than all of the others which I liked and the ingredients were so fresh.
We tried the almond and honey cheesecake. Oh dear lord. I can be funny about honey, let me tell you. It’s not that I don’t like it, but sometimes the smell can put me off and I just don’t enjoy it all that much. The first time I sniffed honey it made me think of when a smelly person eats a tangerine (sorry). That smell. However, with time I am slowly becoming more tolerant. Pammi and I shared this because I really wasn’t sure about it and I didn’t see anything else on the menu.
It was to die for. I never thought I’d like it never mind LOVE it. It was creamy, sweet and mildly nutty. I could’ve eaten the whole thing to myself. Twice.
The Drake bar is different to how I imagined it — it’s a dark, stoney building with the bar almost underground. It’s very casual and almost hipster but you can enjoy really nice food in the casual setting. Their prices are really reasonable, and if you’re there on a weekend then the music kicks in and you can enjoy your second bottle of wine with the updated atmosphere!

It’s been nearly a year since my first review of the Drake and I thought I would do a wee update since they have a new summer menu at the moment.
My feelings about the interior of the bar haven’t changed here are my original thoughts (with some improvements) — Located down a rickety set of stone steps The Drake is a cosy snug of a bar located in the basement of the large corner building between Lynedoch Street & Woodlands Road. The feel in the bar is very old school pub meets west end hipster hangout, which as I am sure you can imagine is completely up my street. The walls are painted exposed brick and there is a selection of mis-​matched wooden chairs & booths and amazing coal fire give it a well-​worn charm. The bar boasts not 1 but 2 beer gardens with an area at the front and a hidden garden at the back where they have an outdoor TV for watching sports on a lovely sunny afternoon. For me the décor is exactly what it should be for a warm and welcoming bar located in an old building.
The 2 owners of the bar Angus & John are awesome they are welcoming and always have a smile for you when you come in the door. The bar staff on the whole are fantastic, they are fast and always pleasant and helpful. Well there is one mardy member of staff but we haven’t seen them for quite a while so perhaps they have moved on.
The new summer menu at the Drake is a mixture of tasty lighter bites as well as a burger section and grill options if you are in the mood for a steak. For dinner earlier this week I opted for a starter of Slow Roasted Pork Belly Salad with black pudding purée, pea shoots & apple. It was a really lovely dish served just warm with 2 beautiful pieces of crackling. The pork was tender and really tasty. I am a huge fan of black pudding so this was always going to be a winner for me.
For my main I choose from the daily changing specials menu which today features a few very tempting dishes but I couldn’t resist the Grilled Salmon Fillet served with new potatoes, pickled fennel and rocket salad. The salmon was cook perfectly and was light and wonderfully flaky. The salad with pickled fennel was delicious and went perfectly with the fish. A really great dish for a warm June evening which I enjoyed with a large glass of wine.
If you go along and try the Drake I can also recommend both the Uig Smoked Salmon Linguin with dill & asparagus in white wine cream topped with shaved parmesan and the Lemon & Thyme Chicken Burger with a side of celeriac remoulade from the regular menu. Their Hand Cut chips are also well worth a try cause I love them.
This is one of my favourite gastro pubs in the west end and everyone I have taken there has enjoyed it — or at least they told me they did :-)

Went here for the first time on Monday to meet Pammie for lunch. Being a super fussy pregnant lady at the moment (hence my lack of check ins and reviews lately — almost everything makes me feel sick!), I had checked the menu in advance to check there was something I fancied eating and spotted the BLT on the wrap menu.
When I arrived, Pammie informed me that they weren’t doing their wrap menu that day but she’d warned them of her annoyingly fussy pregnant friend and they said they could make me a BLT sandwich instead, yay. They did and it was delicious! I also enjoyed a lovely decaf latte and we shared some fab chunky chips. Service was friendly and patient (we had a lot of chatting to do as I’ve been a recluse for so long!) and we had a comfy corner to while away a couple of hours :)

Popped in here for dinner and a catch-​up with friends. It was a Friday night and it was, to use the Weegie vernacular, hoachin’! We went to the bar first for drinks and asked if any tables would be available soon for dinner. The girls on the bar were lovely; they promised to find us and seat us when a table became free, which they duly did within 20 mins. We placed our orders quickly and waited, maybe only slightly too long in my own personal opinion, for our food.
One thing I have to applaud the Drake for here is being ever so helpful in assisting my friend (who has Coeliac’s) to find something that wouldn’t set off her condition, guiding her to choose a rather lovely looking (and apparently very tasty) Goan-​style curry with fish.
I ordered the omelette Arnold Bennett (haddock with smoked cheese) served with salad and fries and my other friend opted for smoked pork belly, wild mushroom & shallot linguine. My omelette came served in its own little frying pan which I thought was a nice touch. My only gripe with my dish was that they plopped the salad on top of my omelette, which is fine but this salad had cherry tomatoes and cucumber through it, neither of which I like so I had to sit and pick bits out before I started to eat. Thta’s just down to personal taste but I don’t like playing with my food before I eat!
The omelette was creamy and smoky and was light to eat, very satisfying. The accompanying fries were just the right level of salty. My friend also let me try a little of her linguine, which was creamy and rich and the pieces of porkbelly through the sauce were perfectly cooked and didn’t weigh the dish down at all.
Overall, we all had a lovely evening and left well-​fed and well looked after :)

Keep persisting with The Drake as friends like it, but constantly disappointed despite so much potential.
On descending the stone stairs and entering the dark cosy interior, the room looks great with leather seats, rugs and drippy candles on the tables.
The menu looks great with lots of variety at a good price. However, every time we’ve gone in, a good portion of the menu is no longer available. A good sign of freshly-​sourced and prepared food, but still annoying when it happens with such frequency.
Overall, it’s just pretty grubby and this stops me coming back. Twice, the ladies’ have had multiple bluebottles flying around, with smaller flies bothering us while we’re eating. The back courtyard looks great, but the ground and tables are always covered in cigarette ash. Inevitable when smokers are obliged to go outside, but it looks more like long term neglect than the result of a busy evening.