Glasgow’s best hangouts for hungry students

The West End is a magnet for students. It’s close to lots of halls and is awash with night spots. At its heart is Ashton Lane, and of the many bars and eateries along its cobbles, is Vodka Wodka, the most student-centric of the bunch. It has a heated beer garden with frequent festival-style parties, including this year’s dedicated freshers event with Vodka Wodka x Red Bull x Dead Man’s Fingers. With some sweet drink deals and bargain shots, Vodka Wodka is a great shout for those wanting a choice drinking den in a fancier part of town.

This is crazy golf with a difference (players putt their way around graffitied interiors and Glasgow’s most iconic landmarks in miniature form. And Golf Fang is reaching out to students in particular, encouraging you to ditch the lectures and head down for some competitiveness and drinking. For £14.50 per person you can play a round and get a cocktail thrown in (this is valid from Sunday to Thursday). Not only will you have a well-priced night out, but it will also be an ideal way to get to know your campus comrades and the city you’ll call home for the next few years.

Two for one on cocktails? Yes, please. Fridays can always be relied upon for offers. This is a regular one, but you’ll also spy lightning deals geared to those studying in the city. And if someone in your group has a birthday, you can celebrate here (they’re great at accommodating large groups with zero fuss). The vibe here, if you’re not familiar, is fun, upbeat and casual, all factors conducive to a student hangout.

Located close to the Art School, Slouch is a late-night venue, open till 3am every night (and let’s face it, who can party till that time on a Tuesday, other than students?). There’s food to keep your engine running, whether you just want a small bite or a loaded plate, like sticky pulled pork poutine fries; gochujang fried chicken burgers with lime kewpie style mayo, herb salad, house kimchi and black sesame; or a Bombay bean burger with crispy cauliflower and harissa raita. Slouch is the city’s original dive bar, with a stellar line-up of music that’ll have you dancing into the wee small hours.

The clue’s certainly in the name here. Chanel your inner frat boy or sorority sister and spend an evening in a US-style student bar. It has beer pong and arcade games, alongside wings, burgers, nachos, hot dogs, and all the other fast comfort foods loved by students (there are salads too, if you so desire). Wash it all down with a layered shot, a pint of venom, or some half-yard cocktails and work it off with a dance. If you’re short on cash, gather the smartest cookies on your course and enter the weekly quiz to win a £100 bar tab. That should keep you and your team in pitchers for a while. 

Follow in the footsteps of generations of students before you, at The University Cafe on Byres Road. Four generations of a family have taken care of this Italian cafe for over a century now, with a fifth in training. As such it has a properly retro feel that’s barely changed in decades, with booth seating, chintzy wallpaper and dark brown wood walls classic boozer style. The University Cafe specialises in homemade Verrecchia’s gelato, incredible ice-cream sundaes to sate your sweet tooth and insane value dinner deals so you don’t have to bother cooking in halls.