Bar Soba

With three branches in Glasgow – at Mitchell Lane and outdoors on Buchanan Street in the city centre, and on Byres Road in the West End – plus a branch on Hanover Street in Edinburgh, Bar Soba have a strong presence. And for good reason; the design is stylish, cocktails are among the best (and best-priced) in town, and the pan-Asian street food is consistently strong.

The flagship venue on Mitchell Lane (opened in 1999) was given a major facelift in 2013, and much like its moodily lit, industrial chic-styled sister outlets, feels achingly hip between all the exposed brickwork, reclaimed wood and Japanese graffiti. The cocktails follow a fruity, exotic theme, and strike a neat balance between populist appeal and innovation.

Classics include coconut and chilli daiquiri, kiwi chi and Drumstick caiprioska (the Drumstick being one of those sticky lollipops from your youth). For the more sophisticated palate there are straight-up options such as the malt whisky-based Auch, Aye! and Smoke Without Fire. Sharers come in at an average of around £20, and include such fun concoctions as the Stoli vodka, liqueurs and lemonade-based Lady Boy of Bangkok, and Thai skull buckets inspired by Ko Pha Ngan full-moon parties. There’s basically a beverage to suit all tastes at Soba, with the main drinks menu alone – not including frequently changing specials – running to 16 pages.

The food is a cheery mix of Asian dishes, again offering a little something for everyone. Think Japanese tempura, Thai green curry, Vietnamese chicken wings, Indonesian nasi goreng, sushi, steamed buns and various wok broth dishes. You’ll find restaurants in Glasgow that do each of these national cuisines better as standalone concerns, but no other that does them so well all at once.