Can't believe I'm the first to review this cool pub!
It's not even accurate to call it a pub in the traditional sense of the word. The Courtyard strikes me as being cool without being pretentious, hip without going down the Sleazy's route, and yet when you're in they're always playing an ecclectic range of music, from techno to Modest Mouse, that's on unassuming soft volume during the day and cranked up as the evening winds on.
It's now under new management and I almost had a heart attack since I thought they'd shut it down but they've just painted it black and slightly altered the food menu. Although the black exterior makes it look cooler than thou and so a bit unwelcoming, it's kitschy on the inside with mismatched wooden chairs and cozy tables in every corner. It's got that Parisian Monmatre feel and the food's tasty too - relatively simple choice of nachos and baked potatoes etc but they do it well, and there's always the deli style pesto filled panini's to keep you fuelled for dancing.
It's best known for hosting Sunday Circus, which is going to continue under the new management. The Circus is a bangin' tgechno/house club night with a chilled out feel that goes forth from the cozy bar to the massive, grand courtyard outside. It's the coolest and friendliest techno night I've ever been to and what's more it starts in the afternoon! So you can put in an eight hour shift of dancing before midnight. It's one of the more unusual clubnights in Glasgow and one of the best, with a buzzing festival feel and chilled out bar staff to keep you going. They also do hotdogs if you're tummy starts to rumble around dinnertime! Alternatively, there are other events going on during the day - on occasion there have been craft fairs, hosted in the main bar, and this week there's an exhibition in the afternoon called "Anonymity in the City". Worth checking out if you're into art that's a bit under the radar.
The Courtyard keeps quiet on the outside - it's across the road from the back of the old Odeon, so it's not situated in an obviously trendy area. But although you may walk on by scores of times before it catches your attention, it serves a lot of functions and adds to Glasgow's electric music and arts culture. The fact that the owners don't plroclaim it as a trendy bar means it may be overlooked but I urge you to try it out - it's got much more diversity to offer you than the garish, 2 dimensional bars that people wrongly assume are hip when they're overpriced and unimaginative. I heard about this bar by word of mouth so it's cool it's a place that's whispered about, but I want to get up on my soapbox and shout about how great it is. Thank God for this bar that's not full of glossed over trash and cynical indie chart music choices! read more