The Star Bar is one of the Southside’s most historic hidden gems, it has been operating out of its iconic corner tenement at Eglinton Toll, The Star Bar is of course home to Glasgow’s cheapest three course meal.
It’s the definition of cheap and cheerful, your starter of soup warms you up when you come in out of Glasgow’s characteristically dreich weather and the the main, a scotch pie with boiled potatoes with gravy, or chips, and a rice pudding to finish off does the trick for any self-respecting Glaswegian.
Other options are available, but you’ll have the pay the price for your indulgence: Roast beef could set you back £5, and pub staple fish and chips ups that total to £6. Honestly, the bar can’t get enough praises, its already such a loved institution for locals, for good reason, there’s no chance you’re finding anywhere such good value for money for a proper, hot, filling meal.
The school lunch aesthetics of the plate mixed with a pint of what I’d class as one of the ‘classics’ (a selection of Tennents, Guinness, Carling or Best) makes for a comforting, community feel in the building that’s been standing in its spot south of Govanhill since 1892.
This community feel is also reinforced by the pubs iconic karaoke nights where locals of all ages (well… the demographic certainly tilts on the older side) come together for a characteristically colourful performance each Friday night.
The building has gone through a few different owners, each one insisting that the cheap lunch deal is essential to the bar’s existence, and its identity. The deal launched over 40 years ago under former owners Jim Brogan and Denis Connachan, before the historic pub was bought by Paul Marletta and his sister Giovanna.
Just in the last month news broke that The Star Bar has been sold once again, this time to David Low, a businessman who helped to broker the takeover of Celtic FC in 1994 and who recently sold a similarly historic institution in the West End, The Arlington.
While well known by locals, The Star Bar remains relatively unknown outside of Glasgow and the southside, but last year it went viral after food review vlogger Gary Eats visited the pub and showed off its incredible community service in an emotional video.
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