We reveal the first photos of new Glasgow bar West Side Tavern

West Side Tavern, located next to Kelvinhall Subway station, is the newest concept from the team behind the popular bar The Locale at Charing Cross.

The new Italian-American-themed “watering hole” will open to the public on Sunday, December 18, with TVs ready to show punters the anticipated World Cup final between France and Argentina.

The bar is inspired by cult New York dive bars that Robert De Niro might hang out in, like the Fanelli Café or the Minetta Tavern.

The venue feels warm and welcoming, with wood-panelled walls that have been decorated with an eclectic array of fun artwork, including pieces from Glasgow artists like Trackie McLeod and Sobhan Sheikh.

Owner Joshua Barr told the Glasgow Times: “The inspiration comes from movie nostalgia with 1970s-inspired fixtures and fittings.

“It’s a mash-up of all my inspiration and I like that it’s like the kind of bars that I love. The traditional bars and taverns of old New York.

“I think it’s coming around again, this mid-century, seventies sort of style. It’s become cool again for a lot of people.”

One of the stand-out features of the bar is a ceiling covered in custom printed £1 notes that the team plan to have guests personalise, inspired by one of Joshua’s favourite New York dives.

He said: “The bar had accumulated loads and loads of notes from all over the world. Anytime that someone came in from another country with foreign currency they put it up.

“At our soft opening for friends and family on Saturday, we’re going to start getting people to sign the notes and put them up.”

West Side Tavern is slowly rolling out its full menu, but guests will be able to munch on their core pizza range and small plates like burrata and focaccia. All of the bread and baked goods will be done in-house.

Joshua said: “The meatballs are definitely one of our hero dishes.”

The bar offering will include a range of ‘taptails’ or cocktails on tap, curated by in-house cocktail specialist Max Macaulay.

The Tavern has a large restaurant seating area in the front which leads to a bar-focussed area in the back.

Outside, the space boasts one of the largest beer gardens in Partick with a massive covered and heated patio.

Joshua said: “We’re super excited to share it with everybody and get the doors open.

“To open to the public on the day of the World Cup final is awesome. We’re looking forward to that and we have our TVs ready to rock.”

West Side Tavern will be prioritising walk-ins in the lead-up to New Year, so anyone in the area keen to check out the new bar is encouraged to come along and check it out.