The Aragon

The Aragon is a bit of a rarity on Byres Road, in the sense it’s a very traditional pub in an area dominated by quite trendy bars. I think this is what adds to its charm though.
The Aragon has never really changed in the 5 years I’ve visited, barring the front sign getting some new paint lately, but it is a great stop for a drink. Usually shows any sport that is on (another difficulty in this area) which is a bonus.
The drinks selection is fairly standard, though in recent times they’ve added West to the list, which is a nice option. It’s the only place I really see Deuchars in as well in Glasgow, which is everywhere in Edinburgh.
The pub itself is quite on the small side, so can get pretty crowded when there’s sport on or its the weekend. The décor isn’t anything special, just a standard pub.
This is a good stop if you find yourself on Byres Road for a drink/​the football is on, though for the same thing, I’d walk an extra ⁵⁄₁₀ minutes to Partick, where I think other pubs to the same thing, but better.

The Aragon is one of THOSE pubs. You know it’s there, you pop in every now and then, and it never seems to change, bar an upgrade on the TV screen and maybe a different puggy.
The beer list is fairly predictable, but always contains Deuchars which is always a good thing for me, being a big fan of Deuchars.
The pub itself? As I said, it’s never changed. The décor may have been cleaned up, but it’s always been the same. It’s just a pub. A nice wee pub in the middle of Byers Road, that’s fairly nondescript and not that memorable.
It’s nice to refresh your memory of it every now and then, but it’s not on anyone’s MUST SEE lists of pubs in this part of town, and given that it’s fairly small, it can get crowded.
It does show pretty much every single sporting event that may be happening, and the staff seem to be fairly content with their lot in life, and quite cheery.
Me? For something similar to this, I’d head for The Lismore, but the Aragon is a decent one-​and-​done stop if you’re in need.

This place comes as a welcome change to the often overpriced, overly trendy bars and pubs in this part of town.
A proper, traditional pub with a warm atmosphere, friendly staff and a solid selection of booze on offer. There are good bottled options, real ale on tap and a decent range of malts, it’s got more than enough to keep you interested.
The mix of clientele is nice, you’ve got your older guys, your studenty lot and the occasional crowd of tourists taking a dander down Byres Road.
There’s nothing spectacular about this place — but it’s comfortable, warm and feels somehow familiar, like your favourite pair of old slippers.
A good, no-​nonsense, down-​to-​earth pub.

Average local bar but I quite liked it. One ladies toilet which was terrible!!!

This is going in the book as a win for me… Having walked past this place for years, i decided finally to head in with some folk for a cheeky pint and boy am i glad i did.
Here be the check list:
Booze…aye, decent selection at very reasonable prices (given that its the west end)
Folk… nice selection of old dudes and students, very much a bloke heavy joint but maybe more due to ra fitba!
Décor… It’s just a pub, nothing pretentious, nothing show off… just a pub.
I like it, like Christian said, it’s actually pretty refreshing to still find a down to earth wee pub in this end o toon. Get in!

The Aragon has always been, for me at least, a place to go in the West End which doesn’t have the pretentiousness of Ashton Lane, while also having a fairly decent price.
It’s also a good place to meet up with friends for a chat.
It is not, however, a good idea to meet up for said chat on a game day. And by ‘game day’ I mean any day where any sort of sport is being played.
Now, if you’re a sports fan, that’s great news. It’s got a big screen in the corner, free of glare, and it’s got an intimate and electric atmosphere that gets people packed in, shoulder to shoulder.
The Aragon has an excellent selection of malts, and if you’re skint, then the Malt of the Month is your best bet. Normally priced at around £2.
They also feature guest casque ales, which are always worth a try. And if you’re not brave enough to buy an entire pint on faith, then, if you ask, the bartender (or barmaid), will gladly give you a little tester of it.
If you want the atmosphere, the casque ales, or to watch sport, then the Aragon, is surely to be your cup of tea. (So to speak).

After strolling along various streets in the West End I decided that I needed somewhere to quench my thirst as the sun was baking down on me, so I nipped into the Aragon, and I was pleasantly surprised by what I found.
It was quiet when I went in, a few lads propping up the bar and another group crowded round a table, all of whom looked like they had been visiting here for many moons. I sat myself at the bar and enjoyed the rustic, earthy pub feel that you just don’t seem to get in many bars in the West End these days. It was refreshing (seriously) to walk into a bar that hadn’t tried its hand at becoming a style bar, but had remained true to itself and was pulling the customers all the same.
I ordered a half pint of Guinness and started to read my book but before long I was transfixed on the TV screen. The pub was showing the cricket. One of my guilty pleasures in life is sitting indoors when the sun is splitting the sky and enjoying the odd one day test match. But even better is that it was on in a pub. I had no idea such a small bar would be showing the cricket in it. I’m not the worlds biggest fan but it is definitely an enjoyable way to pass a summers day, with a beer in hand. I’ve heard on good account that this place is usually packed out for the football with a really good crowd, nonsense is not tolerated!
There is a decent selection of bottled beer lining the fridges; all the usual stuff from Bud to Miller but they also stock Estrella, a cracking beer from Catalonia in Spain. But best of the bottles has to be the Crabbies Ginger Beer! The worst pub in the world could stock this stuff and I would give it 5 stars any day! There is a fairly good selection of Malts which would keep most palates happy and they do draft Deuchars — always good to see this stuff on tap on the West Coast as it is often overlooked.
With live music featured every Sunday, this place is my new lazy day stop.

In the war of West End pubs, probably the longest-​running and most competitive remains that of Tennent’s Vs the Aragon.
Indeed both can lay claim to being Byres Road most traditional watering hole and attract a similar cross section of society, the sort of people who prefer the soundtrack of chattering as opposed to music and enjoy watching sport in a friendly yet bustling atmosphere.
For the most part of the noughties, the pair were probably on a par with each other until 2008, when Tennent’s delivered a fairly crushing blow by keeping its prices the same while the Aragon’s rose to a similar level to most other West End bars, around three pounds a pint.
With cheap drink very much part of the appeal of both, this compact bar lost much of its student market as a result. Nevertheless, while Tennent’s tends to rely almost solely on its down-​to-​earth atmosphere and simple, no thrills charms, the Aragon’s more events-​led philosophy can still help bank it large crowds on less mainstream days, with pub quizzes and open mic nights proving to be particularly popular. Westenders tend to love them both, as emphasised by their unwavering popularity on weekends.

A great pub on Byres Road providing an alternative to the usual student haunts. I was here quite recently for the first time for a friends gig and I was quite impressed with the place, and also surprised that I had been sooner.
The clientele is a mix of locals and students and on my visit the place was buzzing. Great atmosphere, good service and good beers. I’ll be back.

it’s pubs like this that give real ale a bad name

As mentioned in one of my reviews below, I am not a sports fan. In fact, I am pretty sure that I could live without sports, HOWEVER, nothing beats sitting in an old-man’s type pub on Byres Road, watching a Scotland match on one of the plasma screen TVs, surrounded by a mish-​mash of people.
Fantastic atmosphere, friendly bar staff and plenty of beer on tap. What more could you want in a pub?

This little jewel of a pub is tucked into the mass of eateries and pubs of Byres Road. It is populated by scholars, students and locals all enjoying the wide range of real ales, and decent gantry.
It can fill up quickly with the after-​work due to its small size.
Halfway between the two of the great pubs of the west end (Tennents and the Three Judges), it serves well for any pub crawl of Byres, if you want to avoid student bars (Curlers) or boutique drinking establishments.

Still very much in existence. No longer seems to have Duvel on draft (a pleasure I never experienced in years gone by it must be said) but the atmosphere was cosy and they do have about 5 ales on, including guests, as well as the usual lagers and heavys. Quiz on Monday nights and probabaly not a bad choice for watching the match.

Gone — been replaced with a new bar I think — will check it out

not been the same since May and Noreen left

Toller Pub auf der Byres Road! Die Einrichtung ist super gemütlich, viele Tische mit bequemen Sesseln, aber auch eine recht lange Bar mit Barhockern laden zum Hinsetzen sein. Die Bar hat so viele verschiedene Sorten Ale, Cider, Guiness usw. zu bieten wie ich noch nie zuvor irgendwo gesehen habe — und alles vom Fass! Anscheinend ist es in Pubs in Großbritannien normal, dass immer 1 – 2 «guest ales» für beschränkte Zeit verfügbar sind, aber 5 oder mehr habe ich noch nirgendwo anders gesehen. Ganz zu schweigen von der Auswahl an Flaschenbieren, sogar Veltins habe ich unten irgendwo im Regal gesehen. Doch hier gilt natürlich wie immer «When in Rome, do as the Romans do», und so blieb der Vorrat an deutschem Bier an diesem Abend unangetastet.
Dummerweise musste ich am nächsten Tag arbeiten und beschränkte mich so auf nur 3 verschiedene Ales und ein kleines Guiness. Sehr nett hier auch die Nachfrage «Warm or cold Guiness?», da hätte man mich auch schön auflaufen lassen können :-) Obwohl die kalte Version dann ganz lecker war, mein Favorit an diesem Abend war das «Deuchars India Pale Ale», das geht wirklich runter wie Öl.
Sollte ich jemals wieder in Glasgow sein, wird es mich garantiert wieder ins «Aragon» ziehen, und dann wird es nicht bei 3 Bier bleiben…