Glasgow's 'West End' is among coolest neighbourhoods? Such a cop-out

This week, Time Out released its annual list of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world after ranking each area based on community spirit, nightlife and, of course, food and drink. 

It's great to see Glasgow earn a place amongst the likes of Copenhagen's Havnen and Isola in Milan.

And yet something about this year’s entry of the 'West End' at number 20, to me, seemed a bit of a cop-out. 

It’s not the first time the city has earned a spot on the list, with Dennistoun reaching the dizzying heights of number eight after the lockdown summer of 2020 and Shawlands coming in at number 11 last year. 

Dennistoun was praised by the publication as up-and-coming, having been injected with a shot of life from an increasing student population whose local favourites included Mesa, East Coffee Company and the Zero Waste Market. 

Each of the above was worthy of celebration, although it’s interesting to note that all three have since closed or been put up for sale. A worrying sign of the times indeed. 

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When the spotlight was shone on Shawlands, the area was described as the ‘nexus point of Glasgow below the River Clyde’ with talk of quiet side streets which hid the likes of the Deanston Bakery (the best sourdough in the Southside) and Frankie coffee who have brought Australian cafe culture to Scotland.

In comparison, the West End entry seems just a little, well flat. 

Before going any further it’s best to admit that yes, there is a small element of bias here. 

Having wasted countless late nights waiting for an elusive number 3 bus home after a shift at the Grosvenor cinema, it's fair to say that I’ve not always understood the area's appeal. 

Instead, it felt like somewhere that had gone past its heyday as the place to be and was now reserved for Glasgow Uni pub crawls or those with enough disposable income to spend an afternoon sipping Sauvignon Blanc on the cobbles of Ashton Lane. 

Time Out’s lacklustre recommendations of Loop & Scoop, Brel and The Ubiquitous Chip arguably feed into this. 

Are they bad suggestions? Not at all. 

Having visited each of the above I’d agree that they’re perfectly pleasant, with the Chip in particular having earned the right to bask in its reputation as a ‘Glasgow institution’. 

But now in a role that has helped me to realise food is the secret to appreciating each neighbourhood's distinct identity, what strikes me as a real shame is the lack of mention of places like the brilliant GaGa on Dumbarton Road, or the double whammy of Ka Pao and Crabshakk Botanics on Vinecombe Street. 

Or how about Plant Blonde, The Partick Duck Club, Kimchi Cult, Gloriosa or The Eighty Eight, to name but a few more? 

Casting as wide a net as the ‘West End’ as opposed to narrowing down the radius as they have in previous years sadly allows these neighbourhood gems to fall through the holes.

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While one man’s cool is another’s cringe, I’d suggest that anyone unfamiliar with Glasgow takes this year’s Time Out list with a pinch of salt and remembers that the beauty of the city’s food and drink scene is best discovered with a little sense of adventure and willingness to explore. 

My relationship with the West End could still use some nurturing, but even I’ll readily admit that there’s so much more to the area than a few ‘trendy vegan coffee shops’.