The Blind Pig

Despite asking for the bill three times I had to wait half an hour to pay. I went for afternoon tea. The fun and pretty presentation — cocktails served in teacups — was let down by the average food. Décor was apt for the occasion. Won’t be back, mainly because of total disinterest from the staff.

The Blind Pig is one of my favourite places to eat on Byres Road. It is divided into two areas, the pub and the restaurant.
The pub serves the best fish & chips I’ve found to date. Crisp with thick-​cut fries and really nice tartar sauce this is the place I go when I’m in the mood for f&c. I love the Victorian /​dystopian décor. The prohibition-​theme (with cocktails served in tea pots) is fun.
The food in the restaurant is even better — outright superb and very reasonably priced. If I only ever considered food, I’d give them five stars. Unfortunately, what’s on the plate is only part of the restaurant experience.
Don’t expect to drop in and get a table in the restaurant section — we’ve tried once or twice when we were out and now don’t even bother. They won’t accommodate drop ins, even if there are tables free.
Overall though, if you make a reservation you can expect a lovely experience and wonderful food.

Been here for drinks and for food and have been pretty impressed with both — the burgers were yummy and we have also had a sharing platter a while ago which was full of lovely treats
The cocktail list was, as you would expect, interesting & tasty.
The beer selection for the boy was not really up to par with the spirits on offer. Theres more types of vodka than you can shake a stick at, but very little in the way of beer, nothing wheaty, no budvar, nothing exciting at all.
They have spent a fair bit of care and attention on the feel of the place and the cocktail & afternoon tea options making sure us ladyfolk are happy, pity they havent put as much effort into the beer selection.

I am a sucker for this place.
The Blind Pig is split into two areas. While one is predominantly a space to chill out with a few drinks, the other is for eating. I’ve only been here once for a hen night, but have done both!
I can honestly say the food was terrific. The portion sizes were perfect, they had enough on the menu to suit everyone, and even the most simple of dishes had a bit of artistic flair. The staff looked smart, were very attentive, and the space was cozy enough to suit our dining party.
What makes this place stand out for me, however, is the Speak Easy format. With some old 1920s prohibition posters gracing the walls, an allusion to decaying grandeur in the décor and the cocktails in teapots, I loved its style. Like many bars across America had to do in the past, the booze is served up in an assortment of inconspicuous chintzy teapots — just in case the cops bust your ass!
With an unusual selection of drink to choose from and a gorgeous interior to kick back in, you’ll land yourself with hiccups by the end of the night, but nevertheless be a happy piglet. Definitely more expensive than the average bar on a Saturday night, but you’re in the west end, sweetie-​dahling!

I came to The Blind Pig as part of the Groupon deal for afternoon tea time martinis with three friends, getting two teapots of cocktail and two cake stands between the four of us. We ordered For All The Tea In China and Tea Time Martini, the latter of which was my favourite, not least because it was bright pink! The cakes were very nice, particularly the scone. The sandwiches were not to my taste as I don’t eat mayonnaise but the waitress very kindly whipped us up a wee batch of chicken salad sandwiches which had some kind of basil oil or such on them and were delicious — we weren’t charged any extra for these.
All in all, a nice experience esp as something a bit different to do on a Sunday afternoon but I probably wouldn’t have paid the full £15 for it.

I came here with a Groupon for the Afternoon Tea Time Martinis for Two which included a teapot full of cocktails with enough for two drinks each and a cake stand with sandwiches and pastries. We opted for the «For All The Tea In China» cocktail – apple vodka with lychee liqueur, apple juice and hibiscus tea. Yum!
Everything about this experience was delectable. The tea room serves with ornately flowery and mismatched tea service, but cuts the tweeness with dark grey walls and tables. Service is very friendly and helpful. And the cocktails and food were – and this is a time when this word isn’t too over the top – scrumptious.
I might have gone five stars, but unfortunately the tea room closes at the inhospitable hour of 5pm. And the prices – I would not normally have paid £15/​person for that. However, for an upscale afternoon of indulgence, this is definitely a nice treat.

It’s a three star bordering more on a four…
I like this place. The décor is nice, the staff friendly and attentive, the drinks varied, reasonably priced (for the West End) and the vibe is welcoming and trendy without too much pretentiousness… a little bit is ok right?
Popped in here the other night with the female type one for a wee drinky and managed to score a nice wee set of comfy seats up the back. Two beers down and the place starts to feel warmer than it’s initial impression. Cool wee touches like messages written on the black walls in chalk, slowly make themselves aware to you, as does the smell of the grub finding it’s way to the other patrons… NOM is all i can say.
Would i come back to this place. You know what, aye ah would. In fact (all who know me, may well question just who I have become) i’d kinda like t see it when the place gets busy. It feels like the kind of place that would hold a crowd well… if that makes any sense whatsoever!
Hit it. it’s cool, funky and quite welcoming once you settle in… ooh, and try the food!

i’ve yet to experience the blind pig on a weekend…
but to me, this is definitely a place i like during the week. the few times i’ve been in during the week, it’s reasonably empty and a good place to catch up on conversation while sipping some lovely cocktails.
i recently tried the mac n cheese and chips (with apple juice, because i’m five) — now i’ve been set on finding an amazing mac n cheese in glasgow, and i don’t think the blind pig has it, but it was quite tasty anyway, though it did get cold quite quick. also, it wasn’t really greasy, but creamy instead. bonus.
the hand cut chips were nice, though i managed to get a few that were too thick, thus leaving them a little undercooked. blegh raw potato.
the atmosphere is nice, a little trendy, but not as over done as some places in the west end. it’s quite nice i think, plus listening to freebird whilst eating mac n cheese? fantastic.
i’m aching for teapot cocktails and to see how the cupcakes measure up.
my only major complaint so far is the staff, they are often unfriendly and cold, stingy with ketchup, and disappear… leaving you to wait for your bill/​change for quite a while… even though only two or three other tables are full…
other than that… just fine, but not somewhere i would make a regular.
x

I am surprised to find myself giving The Blind Pig a four star review. On paper it has everything I don’t like in a bar; cocktails, lounge music, that mono chromed wallpaper that seems to be so popular just now.
However, for some reason, I like this place. Maybe because I haven’t been in on a Saturday night yet (I’m sure it’s is probably full of poseurs then). The Blind Pig managed to do what Bobar failed to; bring a decent style bar to Byres Road.

One of the newer additions to the Byres Road pub scene, The Blind Pig is marketing itself as a stylish cocktail bar. The inside is very stylish indeed with the patterned wallpaper that seems to be so popular these days and a row of glasses hanging above the bar which sounds weird but actually looks kind of cool.
The bar staff seemed to have been trained as actual proper bar staff. The skill and customer service they have shown every time I have visited makes me think The Blind Pig are hiring people who treat the role as a career rather than a temping job while they study/​wait for something better to come along.
I will definitely be back, if not to try and try again the pear cocktail which is one of the yummiest I have tasted.

Newly opened in August 2009, on the spot of the infamous Whistler’s Mother pub on Byres Road, the Bling Pig is a sight to behold.
I popped in for a quick drink with an old friend (we used to frequent Whistler’s Mother for the hilarious pub quiz), and I was shocked. In a good way. It’s been completed revamped to look posh, with Chandeliers and everything! Lover-​ly. We decided to settle on a quick ‘afternoon tea with a twist’ — COCKTAILS IN A TEAPOT! I didn’t realise anywhere would do this, outside of my own flat (we don’t have anything else to mix cocktails in, so a teapot does the trick). So, there we were, drinking cocktails from a funky teapot — how cool is that?!
Don’t let the high class look of the place put you off though — we had cocktails, and a meal from the bar ‘grazing’ menu — I loved the Roast Hog Rolls (mmmm) — and it came to under £20 for the two of us. Amazing!
I will definately be going back to the Blind Pig. I could go for a roast hog roll right now actually…