The Drum & Monkey
The Drum & Monkey is a Nicholson's pub in a former bank on St Vincent Street, built in 1924 to designs by Andrew Balfour. Inside it still has a sense of grandeur, and the bar serves cask ales, craft gins and British pub classics, with pies the house speciality.
Photos
Drum & Monkey Glasgow
The building
Andrew Balfour's 1924 bank has a style often compared to the classical American buildings of the period, and the conversion keeps its stately feel. The street itself takes its name from the 1797 naval victory off Cape St Vincent. The pub's name is said to come from travelling showmen whose monkeys played drums. It is a handsome example of the banking halls that once lined this part of the city.
Food and drink
The kitchen sticks to British pub classics, and pies are what Nicholson's is proudest of. At the bar you will find cask-conditioned ales, craft gins and G&Ts, and Innis & Gunn Tank Lager brewed in Perthshire. Ask at the bar what is on cask, and try a pie if you are eating.
When to go
Its central position makes it an easy lunch or after-work stop, and a good choice before a train from Queen Street or after a visit to the Gallery of Modern Art. The Address hotel is next door and several cafés are within 100 metres. It is equally useful as a quieter early-evening stop before dinner in the Merchant City or the West End. George Square is a couple of minutes' walk east.
Highlights
- Former bank built in 1924 by Andrew Balfour
- Cask ales and craft gins
- Pies and British pub classics
- Close to Queen Street station and GoMA
Good to know
- Part of the Nicholson's pub group.
- Near Glasgow Queen Street station and the Gallery of Modern Art.
Frequently asked questions
Nearby
Sources: nicholsonspubs.co.uk