The Wise Monkey

The Wise Monkey has the décor of an old man’s pub, but with the youthful feel of the staff and the punters, you can tell after 5 minutes inside that it’s quite the opposite.
I came in here last night for the first time and I thought the place was great! There was a DJ on playing decent music, the bar prices were good and the staff were keen to help and were lovely. There was about 15 Unilocalers in last night, as this was the last place on our «Monkey Business» pub crawl and it was a great end to the day! I thoroughly enjoyed sitting in here with the fantastic Glasgow Unilocalers. A good night was had! Shall be back in here methinks!

Beloved by our group of friends the Monkey is a great pub with decently priced drinks and food. Décor could do with a wee refresh but the friendly bar staff and general charm more than make up for it. Allow they could do with improving their Gin selection ;)

So went here with the Cousin and his mate, it was my first time in Glasgow also.
This place is sweet. We were on a mini pub-​crawl in a way.
So we arrived here, a gig had just finished and we had an hour left before closing, so what else would we do but check out the beer selection… great choices. I went for Mungo I think it was Glasgow made brew and way better than the famous Tennets.
After which we had scotch… Double Scotch no wise monkey so we went for another one, I canny remember but it was… ok.
I’m more a fan of Irish whiskey… but I am Irish so it’s in my blood.
Anyway great place good prices and great selection.

I’m possibly showing my age here, but I liked Hubbards. Thankfully, the Wise Monkey is a younger, sexier incarnation, with everything that was good about the old place and some more besides.
Granted, its proximity to my flat might add to the impression that it’s an extension of my living room, but it just feels really comfy and relaxed — not quite stoat-​in-​wearing-​yer-​PJs relaxed (please, you’re in G12, dahling!), but you don’t feel you have to be in your Sunday best either.
Being so close to campus, it’s definitely popular with the «yoof», but the age range of punters is wide; students and grandads can stand side by side at the bar in joyful, cardigan-​wearing unity. The staff are friendly and you’re generally safe watching whatever the sporting event of the day might be without fear of a hoo-​ha, or somebody nicking your pint. Live music is also a staple, with awesome covers bands and other local talent.
Having frequented the place since it re-​opened, my only complaint is that the menu isn’t as budget-​friendly as it used to be, but there are still some deals and daily specials, and the spicy fries are to die for! Drink is affordable too, which is, let’s face it, your main priority in a pub…
So to sum up, go alone, go with your dad, go with your dog… yeah, go.

Quite simply the wise monkey is a fantastic pub, the staff are a brilliant, friendly bunch, the food is top notch with a variety of specials changing on a daily basis (the Huxley burger is my favorite of late) and its all reasonably priced. i should also make mention of their fantastic all you can eat rib offer on Tuesday.
Music wise there are always great tunes playing be it live or over the stereo.
In summary, there are many worse places where you could spend your money but very few places that are better.

I friggin’ love the Wise Monkey. It is a funky monkey, full of good food, good music and good times! It’s friendly and the kind of place that will become your local — you find yourself going back time and again.
Of course i’m going to say this since I now know most of the staff who work here, but it’s really one of the few pubs in Glasgow that I feel absolutely at home in, so I will sing its praises to anyone who cares to listen.

I like the monkey a lot. The staff recognise regulars, the beer’s very reasonable, the food’s good pub grub — although early Sunday ordering is likely to incur a wait, for some reason which we’ve never quite fathomed. Quiz on a Monday is good, bands are usually decent.
Was in with some family of various ages for pub lunch, & the barman made a point of giving my elderly Aunty a proper cup & saucer for her cuppa. nice touch, & much appreciated.
Tunes are cracking.

I’ve been to The Wise Monkey a few times, once for a 40^th birthday party, they did a great spread, once for a meal with my man and then most recently for post Unilocal event drinks with live music to entertain us.
Ian and I were peckish and had actually thought of heading to another restaurant but when we got there they were excepting cash only. I then remembered our fab Passport to the West End and was happy to see The Wise Monkey had 2 main meals for 1 on offer.
We headed on in and was surprised for a Friday night that it wasn’t that busy. We were ambushed at one point by Where’s Wallys?, I guessed it was students for Freshers Week but apart from that it was not too bad an atmosphere.
Our meals were absolutely delicious and I did have a bit of personal service as I do have a friend that works in the kitchen. So when I sent him a text to say I had finished he was straight out to take away my plate and he said how much he appreciated that I wrote the word boobs in ketchup for him. I just couldn’t help myself and I only sent him a message as I knew was nearing the end of his shift and he had plans for a night out. I’m good that way, see?!
Anyway, Ian and I continued our night listening to the DJ who was dishing out lashings of the funk. It was on max and boy did we feel the funk. Also a bonus for me was that Monkey sells raspberry beer, how happy was I?! We had a great wee night, good service and bellys filled with a fab deal thanks to Unilocal

I’m not sure if I caught this place on a bad night, but I had a horrible experience here. It was a relatively quiet Monday night and we had five people in our party. It took about half an hour for the first burger to arrive. After ten minutes we asked where the rest of our food was and were told it would be a couple of minutes. Over the next hour, the next two burgers were delivered and the waiter told us the fish & chips would be a couple more minutes because the cook messed up the first batch. One order was brought out and I was told mine needed another minute or two. About ten minutes later the waiter returned and told us that that batch had been messed up as well and that they had run out of fish and I needed to order something else. I ended up ordering the veggie pasta but after half an hour decided to leave.
So in summary, two hours later and I never received a meal. I felt bad for the waiter (he was apologetic and even offered me his own cash to buy a meal elsewhere, but I declined because it wasn’t his fault). Everyone’s meal was free.
Two thumbs down for the chef. No stars from me.

I don’t have any idea what it was like before it was the Wise Monkey, so I have a totally fresh point of view on this pub.
It is a very comfortable and friendly pub. There are lots of comfortable little tables in in-​shots and a very long bar for maximum serve-​ability. The staff are very efficient and professional.
I was in on a Saturday night and the band that was playing was a five piece rock ‘n’ roll band playing really good versions of Buddy Holly, Little Richard and Eddie Cochrane tunes. They took up most of the back of the pub with all their equipment but there was still plenty of room for everyone to dance or get a seat.
The only problem I had was when I visited the Gents toilet. It’s away down lots of stairs in the basement and after doing my wee-​wee I washed my hands. The two warm-​air hand driers were not working so I checked the cubicles for toilet paper, as you do, but there was none, (luckily I didn’t need anything else then), so I had to drag my hands all over the wood panelling at the sides of the stairs which probably put more germs back on my hands than there was to start with.
Anyway, it’s a really good pub, not filled with old guys at the bar, and the music entertainment is very good. Some smokers go out the fire escape door at the back of the pub and come back in with a lung full of smoke before they exhale. (just in case we forgot what a smoke filled pub smelled like)

Haha, the funny thing about this place is that even despite it not being ’ Hubbards for a long time now, nobody has bothered to tell the regulars that it’s now The Wise Monkey.
The result? Well lets just say that a few older and fairly well dressed folks settled in one of the wee booths with a nice bottle of white wine just as a ska/​punk bad were tuning up/down…around?
Chuckled did i.
Summing this place up is a tough one. Despite it being the WM for a while now, it still feels like they’re getting Hubbards mail (so to speak). Still a pretty decent selection of beers on offer including some real ale type offerings I spotted the other day… and the staff? Well, lets just say i had an interesting discussion regarding beavers and honey badgers with a lovely pink haired bar maid… the origin of which came from who knows where?!

Now, usually if I follow the third strike and out rule. Meaning, if there’s already been three reviews done of a venue, I leave it well alone and begin hunting for another suspect. However, in this case, I just can’t. I’m sure the reasons why shall become apparent below…
Woohoo! Hubbards is back and improved!
I have been a big fan of Hubbards for some time and was deeply saddened when it closed it’s doors last year. However, even I can admit that it was inevitable. The once quiet pub was quickly becoming completely dead, the two for one main meals stopped, then the food stopped. Oh dear.
Now, after long months of seeing no movement it’s reopened. It does look much of a much apart from a fresh coat of paint, some polishing and some chunky candles on each table.
Meanwhile, the change of name, reflects the change of target audience. While this pub can certainly still keep happy the over 45s; old alcoholics and more mature students; it can also put in punters who love a good live band (the wise monkey hearing no evil — get it?).
I was in on Saturday night and witnessed a great jazz band. When bands aren’t playing you can expect a good selection of rock, blues and folk music to be playing. Excellent. Though, admittedly as Stephanie points out this music is not for everyone. But, it is for me.
Likewise, the food can seem overpriced (£9 burger?) but if you are taking advantage of the two main meals for one during the week (Monday-​Thursday, anytime) it’s well worth it. So far, we’ve tried the burgers, Cajun salmon, chicken wings, ribs, garlic and mozzarella bread and even a side helping of chips. All have been served up fresh, hot and deliciously tasty. The portions are definitely on the large side and well worth the couple of extra quid.
It even still sells my cloudy favourite for a three quid (it seems a lot but trust me, these days that’s pretty darn good). Full marks. Top stars. Excellent.

The Wise Monkey is kind of reminiscent of an old man growing old disgracefully and sticking on an Hawaiin shirt in an attempt to be accepted at his son or daughter’s student party.
You see, while a hip new banner is draped over the dreary Hubbards sign, this place is essentially still the same old fashioned pub it always was. To my untrained eye, the inside appears almost entirely untouched, with the only differences coming in the shape of a more extensive menu (two meals for the price of one Mon — Thurs) and the offering of increased live entertainment, ranging from live music to comedy nights.
Suffering from a massive waste of potential earnings by aiming for the 50+ market despite being situated directly beside one of the biggest student clubs in the city, Viper, Hubbards needed a new direction and the Wise Monkey is certainly an attempt to do that. Time will tell if it’s an attractive enough option to pull people away from some of the more tried and tested haunts.

It was absolutely pelting down with rain and we were all laughed out after seeing Frankie Boyle at The Stand. Someone suggested going to The Wise Monkey-​formerly Hubbards, just under The Viper nightclub, and we were all to wet to bother, so off we went.
It happened to be the opening night, but you wouldn’t have known as it was, as they say in Glasgow, deed. There were about 3 bar staff per punter, which made getting served a dawdle, and the pints were pretty averagely priced.
The interior is much the same as the old Hubbards with a bit of a spruce up, but most of the warm, wooden beamed décor has been preserved, giving it a nice family pub feel.
It’s been re marketed as a music bar, with live bands playing most weekends. The music itself was bluegrass and rhythm and blues which gets a bit tedious after a while unless you like that sort of thing, and a quick look at the up and coming bands tells me thats the kind of live music you’ll be hearing aswell.
It’s a nice enough pub, which sells food during the day (2 for 9 quid meal deals) but i would come here for a few before moving on elsewhere.