Could Strip Joint be Glasgow’s trendiest place?

Shop for records, eat pizza

Vinyl fans got very excited when the launch of a new record shop came via an eatery known as Strip Joint back in 2020. Shoppers can pop in and dig through the music range that’s for sale, or order their records online. And as the temptation to grab some dirty fries or a great value cocktail is usually too much, music lovers invariably end up staying for a bevvy. Of course, there’s always some bangers on the record player to be enjoyed too.

Industrial chic design

But the restaurant side of the business dates back to November 2016. It came from the team behind Partick’s Bag O’ Nails and replaced the bar Bannisters, following a month-long refurbishment. Designed by Paul Martin with an industrial style, the interior features a Kyron concrete top bar, with white tiles and legs made from pipe, exposed red brick walls and blackboard toilet doors (you can write the names of bands you’ve seen, or are going to visit that night).

Freshly made each day

Strip Joint’s pizza dough is freshly made on the premises each day and then rolled to a thin, New York-style base, to order (gluten-free bases are also available). The best Italian plum tomatoes, fresh garlic and basil are blended to create the house pizza and calzone sauce and topped with 100 per cent mozzarella. Once toppings are added, the pizzas are cooked in a stone bake oven. The venue is very popular with vegan diners who love its quality plant-based cheeses.

The pizzas have some amusing names, which, continuing the venue’s music theme, you may recognise from bands and singers like The Beatles and Little Richard’s chart topping songs. Choose from a Good Golly Miss Molly, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Beebop a Lula, Dizzy Miss Lizzy, Rocket and My Babe (as well as the timeless Margherita). Then round it off with a little more carb, in the form of Chulo’s Bakes giant stuffed sweet cookies.

Two for one all day every day

Great value is a big deal here. Buy two pizzas or calzones for the price of one, all day, every day. So invite a friend or two, to save. And you don’t have to eat pizza if that isn’t your thing. The menu also includes wings, nachos, beef burgers and veggie burgers. Add some of Strip Joint’s homemade dips to your order, as well as some fries loaded with some mac and cheese, butternut squash chilli, slow-cooked beef chilli or steak and peppercorn sauce.

Family-friendly on the Finnieston Strip

Bring your kids and your dogs along (it’s a few steps from the Sgoil Ghaidhlig Ghlaschu/Glasgow Gaelic School so is perfect for some family foodie treats post-school pick-up). A ‘make your own’ pizza specifically for children is loved by younger diners, who get to play chef by choosing their toppings and layering them on their base at the table before the staff take it away to be cooked.

It’s a great way to get kids involved and invested in food preparation and they’re welcome to stay in the venue until 9pm, after which it’s over 18s only. If you’re confined to your home in the evenings with younger children, you can order food to collect or for delivery.

Fresh tank beer

The beverages are enticing, especially for lovers of tank beer. Innis and Gunn is fed directly from the brewery to Strip Joint’s taps, from two long, cylindrical silver tanks. This provides super fresh beer, which is then served to you in a tankard.

And let’s talk about its cocktails because they represent great value. Why not pair your margherita pizza with a margarita drink — straight up, frozen or on the rocks. One of these, a daiquiri or a whisky sour costs just £6. Or for a little more, you can opt for the Roxy, London Fog, CBGB (Espresso Martini), a White Russian, or The Riot House (all named after famed bars and music clubs). Not drinking? Try the restaurant’s alcohol-free Hacienda (apple juice, fresh lime, sugarcane, mint and your choice of puree).

Strip Joint is open seven days a week, from 12noon till midnight, with food served up until 9pm.