Inn Deep

For years the home of love-it-or-loathe-it restaurant The Big Blue, this excellent premises situated in archways beneath Kelvin Bridge overlooking the river finally passed into suitably steady hands in 2012 when Alloa-based Scottish craft brewers Williams Bros Brewing Company made it their first venture into the craft pub trade. Besides excellent beer, their pub grub menu also includes one of the most highly-rated burgers in town.

Snug and atmospheric with a stone vaulted ceiling and booths squeezed in where they’ll fit, Inn Deep can be accessed either down an innocuous and deep (hence the name) set of stairs from Great Western Road, or from the pathway skirting the edge of the river. They lay on plenty of outdoor seating at the latter entrance, including several fully al-fresco picnic benches overlooking the water, and several covered benches inside the empty archway adjacent, permitting fresh air drinking even on days when Glasgow isn’t dry (which is most days).

The Williams Bros suit takes up the bulk of the taps and fridge space, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a beer among them that you don’t enjoy – from their unusually flavoursome lager, to their hoppy Joker IPA (so good they use it in the batter for their fish and chips) to the fruity Cock O’ The Walk red ale. There are always a few guest beers on too, by such likeminded brewers around the world as Lagunitas, Brooklyn, Mallisons, Thornbridge or one of countless others.

As for that Inn Deep burger: it comes in steak, piri chicken, sweet potato and bean or halloumi varieties, served on a brioche bun freshly-baked in-house, with sides of chips and salad and optional toppings from haggis, black pudding or chorizo to cheddar cheese, jalapenos or caramelised onions. Deciding how to configure your burger is probably the only choice at Inn Deep more difficult than deciding what to wash it down with.