This was part of our International Food Night arranged by our very own International Yelper Man of Mystery Rocco G. It sounded like a nice wee change and a visit to deep south of Glasgow. This was indeed a special wee Yelp outing as these don't happen very often. I was looking forward to my Caribbean treat and meeting up with my fellow Yelpers. I managed to find the Southside by train to Queen's Park Station and it's only a 5 minutes hop, skip and jump to The Rum Shack. I was unfortunately in still a bit of pain from the Kiltwalk so think I didn't get to enjoy the experience as much as I had hoped. We were seated on stools at 2 separate high tables. I think I was craving a normal seat, which are available by the way. The menu had a fairly nice varied choice of Caribbean dishes, some with a Scottish twist. So I opted for the Haggis Balls to kick off this food night. The starter was absolutely delicious, the sauce wasn't too hot and with a pleasant amount of sweetness to compliment my balls. Oh yeah! OK, so they were actually "fritters". I felt some of the menu for me was a bit on the spicy side so opted for the vegetarian dish of Cuban black bean and rice with fried plantain and sweet potatoes. I have to say it was very different but quite palatable. It was lovely décor and the staff could not be any more helpful, they were very accommodating and polite. I'm not sure I would venture back here as I felt there was nothing else on the menu I would really try, I think it would be nice to swing by for some drinks as they have a fully stocked bar and I'm sure there's a rum lurking in there somewhere that I may like. Try for yourselves, for me I just wasn't blown out my boots. read more

The Rum Shack - Haggis Fritters - Caribbean Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

See all

Popped in for lunch on Saturday after having it on my list of places to try for a while. It was quiet and when walking in to the main bar for the first time there were no menu's on the tables. We weren't sure where to sit or the set up of the place but after finding a seat the staff were welcoming and helpful. We were in for food more than drinks, however I did have a tasty dark rum and ginger beer or two which was as nice as you'd hope. The service was quick and after ordering the waitress brought over a bottle of their house chilli sauce with a warning that it was incredibly hot - she wasn't lying! It was lovely though, not sure if they do, but they should sell it by the bottle. The menu was small which I find a welcome sign, I always hope this means the kitchen have perfected the few dishes they list and I was not disappointed. To start we had Accra and Popcorn Prawns, the prawns were nice and came with a tasty sauce but the Accra was the definite winner for the starter. For our mains we had Jerk Pit Fish of the Day and Jerk Pit Pork belly, both came with corn on the cob and rice and peas. The jerk seasoning was great, and had a good heat to it, as you would expect. The rice was well cooked and well seasoned and the fish tender and flakey. I could have done with an extra corn on the cob - that dipped in their hot sauce was a highlight for the veggie lover in me. Not eating meat personally, I never tried the pork belly, however I was told it was delicious. It's not far from a top rating for me (I'd give it 4 and a half if I could), the only downfalls I found were the atmosphere little a lacking, probably down to the time of day we visited, between lunch and dinner. I think it would be a great evening trip. I found the material of the plates a little distracting, it felt a little like eating off of paper plates. Over all I'd recommend it, I'll definitely be back to eat here again! read more

See all

Stopped in and stayed. Wasn't sure what to expect from a Caribbean spot so far away from the Caribbean but I felt like I was at home in Trinidad and Tobago. The hospitality, cool Caribbean vibes, the authentic food, the DRINKS and the fact that they have stag!!! Was all a plus. Don't cheat yourself by not going it's the real deal...and I'm from the Caribbean read more

See all

I have had a few unexpectedly greats meals recently and Rum Shack has kept up the trend in massive style. Long may it continue! It was with slight trepidation that I attended International Food night yesterday, I was expecting rundown pub décor and average food. What I actually got was superb food and nicer than expected surroundings. Sharing starters allowed me to try two dishes. Popcorn Prawns and Accra Salt Fish balls. You can see in my pictures below the exact descriptions, but basically they both came coated with spiced crumbs and fried. Served with dipping sauce and salad and were pretty good. I would say a 3.5 out of 5. So far so good.... Then came the main! Chicken Brown Down. It was a superb succulent chicken stew, with macaroni cheese pie on the side and spicy greens. The portion size was really good and the chicken and mac pie were so tasty. Honestly, thinking about it right now, I want it NOW. I could eat this meal every day. For dessert I rolled the dice and went risky with a sweet potato pone with coconut ice cream and chocolate sauce. I had decided I might as well try it as I would be unlikely to see it on many other menus and I am glad I did. It was like a sticky carrot cake with lovely chocolate sauce and tasty ice cream. It was brilliant. I can honestly say if I got to go back tomorrow, (I would like to) I would get the exact same main and dessert again. These guys are offering something really different from the norm. Throw in that they do three Caribbean beers I had never heard of and you can take your mutt in for a pint, I am not sure how I can fault it. Get yourself along to Rum Shack and give it a try, you won't be disappointed. "Rum Shack..... Baby...... Rum shack" read more

See all

Call me a Negative Nancy but I gave this place no hope of being any good at all and I'm honestly not sure why I wrote it off so blatantly. This was a classic case of "don't judge a book by its cover" and for that I am going to give myself a little slap on the face as punishment. I do very much like rum and after visiting Cuba a few years ago I thought it would be worthwhile visiting Rum Shack to see if I could relive those hot Cuban nights filled with delicious rum cocktails and simple but tasty food. I can honestly say that Rum Shack delivered on every front. Firstly from the excellent music selection, the nicely prepared Cubatas (dark rum and coke), super friendly and efficient service and the outstanding food. The food is really what sets Rum Shack apart from any other pup in the South Side at the moment. The Caribbean inspired menu is a real breath of fresh air and there isn't a burger or American food in site. To start I opted for the fresh and fragrant Ital soup made from vegetables and coconut juice. It was served with roti style flat bread. It was super tasty, wholesome and filling. For main course the fish of the day was salmon, jerk style so I thought, why not. A beautiful, plump and pink fillet, nicely spiced and flavoured with a good side of rice & peas and corn on the cob. Again it was really satisfying and felt that it had been lovingly prepared. By this stage I was pretty full and was going to pass on desert. Well that was until I realised that pretty much the whole group had decided to order a sweet treat, and there was no way in hell I was gonna sit out on another course. And boy am I glad I didn't sit this one out. I ordered the banana fritters. They were kinda like a doughnut generously dusted with sugar and tonnes of cinnamon. They were absolutely delicious and reminded me strangely of Italian style potato doughnuts. The final surprised arrived when the bill was brought to us. Simply excellent value for money. Rum Shack Caribbean Kitchen you rock! Thanks for bringing the warmth and sunshine of Caribbean food to Glasgow. Unique and different, loved it :) read more

See all

Nearly a year since my last review and I thought it deserved an update seeing as I've been a few times since then. Firstly - they have an awesome beer garden! It's big, it gets lots of sun (if it's out) and it's dog friendly. Win, win, win. Secondly - they now do brunch on the weekend. I haven't been for this *yet* but that will happen soon. The brunch offerings aren't what you'd normally expect and they sound super tasty - Big Plate 2 has my name on it: avocado, cucumber salsa, sliced fresh Mexican cheese, broken eggs, spiced plantain pancake, breaded mushroom, and tomatoes on the vine roasted with thyme, all served with toasted farmhouse bread. Optional lime and coriander cured salmon. WOAH. Thirdly - there's a gig space downstairs. I was in for dinner this week and again - I was super impressed. As it was an early dinner I just had a main and had to have the chicken brown down again. I have to say, it was just as good as I remembered and the macaroni pie is AMAZING. Well worth trying if you're into rich, succulent chicken and delicious macaroni. Personally I don't like the callaloo (the green stuff) - not because it's green but it has a strange flavour to it. Service was great, the staff are warm and friendly and the place is super chilled. I really love it here and can't wait to head back again soon. read more

The Rum Shack - Caribbean Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

See all

I love rum! Almost as much as Whisky! I find myself ordering rum now and then and this place offers a great selection of rums from basic Bacardi to several 12-15 year aged rums - all at pretty decent prices. The guys are super friendly, contributing to a relaxed Afro-Caribbean atmosphere and I can almost imagine the biting wind blowing from Pollockshaws Road as a cool Jamaican beach breeze as I sup my Kraken spiced rum or Iced Mojito. Well, almost... We'll be back! read more

The Rum Shack - Some rum - Caribbean Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

We were there early on a Saturday afternoon. It was very quiet. Their brunch menu was small but the food from it was very good. I had their Doubles, which was chickpea curry served on flat bread. It was absolutely delicious. I went for their smaller starter size and wish I had it as a main. Others with me had the bacon rolls and the full breakfast. We were asked if we wanted to try their hot sauce, which we did. It was very hot (obviously)! I used a tiny bit on my food and it added a whole new flavour to it which I enjoyed. I'd love to visit to have dinner so I'll definitely go back again. read more

The Rum Shack - Jerk pork belly - Caribbean Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

Wow what can I say I could live in this place esp the starters I have worked my way through the menu so I need to start again Always a great vibe and out door seating the rum slushies are amazing Love the fact dogs are part of the family read more

I've had this on my list to try for ages, and I guess all the anticipation got to be too much. I'd seen all the yummy pictures on Yelp and was excited to try it for myself. Sadly, it was not as good as it looked. I ordered the Cuban black beans and rice, and what I got was a plate of rice sprinkled with beans, with a few plantains and sweet potatoes scattered around the edges. There was a salsa but the dish was dry overall. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't order it again. My companion ordered the curry dish; he said the naan was good, but didn't like that it was served under the curry because it got soggy. He also had the ital soup and said it was fine. We wouldn't go out of our way to go back again for the food. The space itself is nice, very welcoming and chill by day. The music is good and while I didn't try a drink today, there's a bunch of rum cocktails that sound tasty. I'd say it's a good spot to have a drink and chat with friends. read more

The Rum Shack - Beans and rice - heavy on rice! - Caribbean Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

This place is really great. I only went for drinks, but the food smells ah-may-zing and I'll definitely be going back to try it. It's just got a really good vibe, even if you're there in the afternoon on your own. The music is good, and I've heard the live music is really something. I enjoyed my random afternoon there and I'll definitely be checking it out again. read more

I love rum! Second only to Gin! I love the warm fireyness a good dark rum gives you. When we went to The Rum Shack a couple of weeks ago for a festive catch up, I was expecting a huge selection of rums and knowledgeable staff - basically a Southside rum-based version of Gin71. It was a mixed experience: the ladies serving (friendly as they were) knew very little about what they were selling - actually reading the descriptions from the bottles to us. They didn't really seem to have a particularly big selection to choose from. I settled for a coffee infused dark rum which was pretty nice. The Mr had a gingery based one which was much nicer. We were pretty underwhelmed at this point and switched to beers (Bitter & Twisted on tap) - as did the friends we were with. Oh, the toilets are the most badly signed toilets ever - instead having a pic of man/woman or the words ladies/gents, you have chalk drawn sketches of a man and woman's faces. Unfortunately, it's quite dark in that part of the bar so it's not too easy to see which door you should be going in... When last orders were called, a guy (who we hadn't seen around all night), came up and asked us to move closer to the door so they could start clearing up - but also said we'd be able to stay for a while to finish up our drinks. My problem with this is that he immediately followed us down and told us to drink right up and get out. And repeated this multiple times until we left a couple of minutes later. Not the way to clear your bar out properly - it certainly pissed me off and left a bad feeling over what had been a great night. There was a food menu lying on the table but no-one was eating anywhere in the bar.... Rum Shack has a pretty laid back atmosphere, and is just a good place to hang out, relax and have a few beers. It's definitely somewhere I'll go again - I just won't be ordering rum! And I'll be leaving early next time! read more

Homemade chili sauce. Give me ALL the homemade chili sauce. Oh, and those deep fried flat-breads that come with the chickpea starter? I'll have a mountain of them too. Throw some chickpeas in as well, especially if they're lightly smashed with coriander and freshly squeezed lime. While you're at it you might as well dredge the ocean for those popcorn prawns that came with the salty tamarind sauce. Speaking of which, the salt fish wouldn't go a miss either. Especially if you're going to slather it in garlicky mayonnaise like you did last time, you cheeky minx. You know the half jerk chicken with rice and peas? The one that comes on a platter big enough to navigate the Amazon on? Come on, you know the one. It comes with char-grilled corn on the cob and a rich sticky jerk sauce. You know that only costs £12.50, right? Oh, and before I forget, if you're going to INSIST on serving Addlestones cider on tap then i'll take an ice cold pint and keep 'em coming. And seeing as this is a Caribbean themed restaurant and bar, could you make sure you play the reggae version of Barry White's "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love" while the cool Friday night clientele pretend they don't know all the words and bloody love it? Have a few smiley members of staff attentively serve my food and create a relaxed, friendly atmosphere, and you've won me over, Rum Shack. I'm feeling really smug that I've recently moved right round the corner, and I think maybe, just maybe, we're going to be friends. read more

Oooooh what a find!!! I walked into this Caribbean paradise and was so amazed by its buzzing atmosphere! It seems to attract a fantastic mix of people (and their dogs). The food was brilliant, I had a chickpea and rice curry but it was with a carribbean twist, very tasty indeed! I visited this venue to host a bookclub event and we managed to reserve a table for 10. The bar staff are very friendly, the interior design is bright and fun and to top it all off there's an excellent beer garden out the back! Think i've found my new favourite local!! :) read more

The Rum Shack - Caribbean Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

The Rum Shack is located at 657 Pollockshields Road. This Caribbean kitchen and Rum bar is a bit of a cool dive bar with lovely food. With the laid back decor they are clearly trying to create a Caribbean vibe, which I think they do pretty successfully. Between the distressed wooden furniture, twinkly lights and metal can style light fittings, they have created a chilled relaxed vibe to enjoy a rum and some tasty bites to eat. The staff were lovely and really friendly. Our waiter was super smiley and checked on us often through out the evening asking if we needed drinks or wanted to order any more food. It was a very relaxed service, in keeping with the bar like surroundings. Not really knowing what to expect of Caribbean food, I went in to the evening a little bit blind. I had looked at the menu on their Facebook page but still wasn't really that enlightened. In the end I just picked some stuff I liked the sound of. To start with, I opted for the Spiced Haggis Fritters. These were to be rolled in spiced breadcrumbs and served with a wedge of lime, tamarind sauce and fresh garden leaves. Our starters arrived really quickly, much faster than I expected when there were 11 of us dining together. My dish consisted of 4 smallish delicious haggis bon bons coated in a lovely crunchy coating. For me what really made this dish was the light tamarind sauce, which is where the heat in the dish came from. A lovely way to start the meal. For my main, I decided to try the Jerk Fish of the day, which happened to be Salmon the evening that we visited. This came served with peas, rice and corn on the cob. I absolutely loved this dish - the large piece of salmon was cooked to perfection - it was soft, flaky and the jerk seasoning tasted amazing. The large portion of peas and rice was the perfect accompaniment to the jerk fish, it was just plain enough that the jerk seasoning was definitely the over-riding flavour in the dish but tasty enough that you could eat it alone. The corn on the cob was juicy and tasted amazing. The stand out dish of the night though had to be the Banana Parcels, Choux pastry and sweet banana, served with dark chocolate sauce and rum n' rasin sauce. Let me get the bummer out the way first - I never got any dark chocolate sauce with the dish! To be honest, I don't think the dish actually needed it but it was on the menu and I never got any (boo)! Now on to the good stuff....these 3 little hot donut-like banana parcels were a dream. They were similar to the type of slightly greasy donut you get at the carnival rolled in sugar and cinnamon and inside was a banana puree rather than chunks of banana. They were incredible and I could have very easily eaten about 9 of them. It was 1 giant bill for the table but including Mr Gs 3 course meal and 2 drinks the cost came to £41.50 which was an amazing price for the food we got. This is a brilliant little bar in the South Side doing something a bit different when it comes to their menu. I loved it and will definitely visit again soon. read more

The first food review on Yelp for Rum Shack! Finally, they have the kitchen plumbed in, it took absolute ageeessss! So after months of waiting I took my chance to visit again and headed for Strathbungo. The bar is a great addition to the Strathbungo/Shawlands corridor. This place is from the other half of the Street Food Cartel, but don't expect an Ox and Finch style high-brow experience, this is very much street food from Fire In Babylon. It stocks a great selection of rum, unsurprisingly, and is a Caribbean kitchen, again unsurprisingly. It already has a reputation for it's friendliness, and for it's live music scene in the downstairs venue, but this evening was about the food. We had to ask at the bar for the menu, this worries me a bit because if people don't know you do food they won't try it and you might have to stop doing food, why not put the menu out? Anyway it's a small menu, but full of enticing items. I went for the Accra to start - fried, battered and seasoned salt fish - and we both had curry goat for a main - yes, with rice and peas. The starter arrived with a smile, it was much appreciated as was the food, it came with a couple of dips - garlic mayo and a pepper sauce. The sauce was kicking, seriously kicking, I'm guessing green chilli was a major component. I used a bit too much and couldn't feel a bit of my tongue for a few minutes. Haha, I was impressed! I have to say that what it was served on was odd, it looked like a bit of wood that had been fashioned into a plate, but was it disposable paper, or was it balsa wood, or something else? The main came and I was slightly less "whelmed" by the goat, it may have been my shot tastebuds, it was certainly cooked very soft and slow and on the bone, and it was a tasty stew but it didn't pack that Caribbean punch. I know it's a stereotype but it's Scotch Bonnets I love! The couple behind distracted us, and it made us forget to leave the tip. I'm really sorry, the experience was pretty good and definitely deserved a tip. I will make up for it next time! read more

As someone who grew up in the Caribbean, I was pretty darn excited about the sudden wave of Caribbean restaurants opening up in Glasgow, and when I decided to take my boyfriend out for a celebratory meal, Rum Shack was first on my list. We were running late, but we just called ahead to say so and they were very accommodating. When we arrived there were some pretty serious looking bouncers on the door but the atmosphere inside was friendly and chilled. I liked that they didn't go overboard with the Caribbean decor, it was understated and relaxed, just like it would have been at home. We started with pints before ordering our food, and a live DJ was playing some decent reggae tunes. The service was lovely and we ended up sharing two mains- The fish trio with accra, red snapper and popcorn shrimp, and the cuban beans and rice. Bad points first- the accra wasn't saltfishy enough for me and the plantain in the cuban rice (which is my faaavorite thing in the world when done right) was dry and hard when it should be soft sweet and gooey! The rest, however, was lovely! Really perfect snapper with lots of green seasoning and lovely popcorn shrimp, plus great flavours in the cuban beans and rice (though it wasn't the right type of rice for traditional Caribbean rice and peas). Next we moved on to some cocktails, which were a bit too sweet and a bit too pricey for my liking but still tasty. We finished off the meal with a couple of rum and ginger beers with my favorate rum- Pyrat xo! I was so excited to see this rum as their rum of the month and it was the perfect way to end the meal. The service was lovely the whole way through and everyone was super friendly and helpful! I'll definitely be back to sample some of their other Caribbean fare sometime soon! read more

As a rum lover, the Rum Shack was always somewhere that I really fancied going to, but for shame had never got round to going to, especially as I live relatively close by. I'm so glad that this lived up to my hopes, and I can't wait to go back on a non-school night and get stuck into the rum list! In terms of decoration, it's very much an old-man pub that's been given a wee lick of paint. While it isn't fancy it isn't a bad thing, and it's actually a nice place to sit and relax in. There is a pretty decent selection of rums behind the bar, and the staff were great at making recommendations and suggestions. It's also relatively cheap; a pint and a diet coke was £4.50, which isn't half bad. If rum isn't your thing the food will be, as it's absolutely fantastic. Fitting in with the rum theme it's all Caribbean based, and everything I had was brilliant. Haggis bonbons don't immediately sound Caribbean, but the BBQ sauce that went with it was lovely and spicy and the bonbons were really tasty. For a main I went for the jerk pork belly, and again it was brilliant - you get loads of nice bits of pork belly that was tender, and not full of fatty bits. It came with a great rice and an absolutely amazing bit of corn on the cob - a definite highlight. Dessert was a bit of chocolate and chill cheesecake, and it had a definite kick to it, but it was really fantastic. I was really impressed with The Rum Shack, and can highly recommend it. It looks like they do a lot of events and one-off nights, and you should really check them out. read more

a fab edition to this corner of the Southside. Popped in late on Saturday and was pleasantly surprised at the change from the Kindman. The bar is along one wall and where there had been a pool table there's a corridor that leads to a function suite. The live DJ was playing some chilled tunes so we popped back to the bar & as luck would have it a table became free. Friendly staff, a good selection of drink & the promise of the beer garden in spring means I'll be back. read more

My Southside dwelling friends told me the place was great so we popped in on the way to Lebowskis. Whilst not exactly expecting to be transported to downtown Kingston we were hoping for something more than an old boozer tarted up with a lick of paint, wooden pallets, and some cheap baubles. They claim 100 rums but had no decent beer. The po faced bar staff offered no help. The cream 'leather' seats make no sense. We're probably spoiled by our usual places but it takes a little more than a lick of paint and some themed pictures to create ambience. Maybe the food and beer garden are better but I ain't getting any younger so this is it for me and The Rum Shack. read more

Came here on Christmas eve with family and had a few drinks and some food. Ordered the Jerk Mayhem which was a selection of Jerk pork, jerk chicken, jerk salmon, rice & peas and corn on the cob was delicious and not too spicy, plenty of food for 3 people. Great atmosphere and friendly staff! read more

My husband and I have been in the Rum Shack for drinks and live music a few times now. They've got a bar upstairs and a huge and very nice bar/venue downstairs, and we've gotten into the habit of hanging out upstairs on Thursdays and listening to the free, excellent acoustic R&B. The draft drinks are very affordable, and the atmosphere is great. Last night, we ordered food for the first time, and we were not disappointed. We had the jerk fish and brown down chicken. Both were really tasty, especially with the homemade hot sauce added. The chicken came with greens and baked pasta, and the fish came with peas and rice and corn on the cob. They were nice, solid portions, and reasonably priced. You just can't go wrong with this place. read more

Went there on Saturday but the bouncer turn me away saying the place was too packed so I booked a table for the Sunday evening and am glad I did . The best West Indian food I have tasted considering That am from London . I was so impressed that I wanted to see the owner and shake his hands. read more

Had high hopes for this rebranded bar and have enjoyed visiting it during the day. However, it reverted to its traditional reputation on our first (and last) Saturday night visit, when a staff member (who, in fairness, seemed to be suffering a nervous breakdown) was reduced to repeatedly screaming abuse at others in the bar. An unpleasant and violent atmosphere. read more