The Ben Nevis — Restaurant in Great Britain

Empty when my wife and I went in on a sunny afternoon during a visit to Glasgow. The pub across the road was packed and its street spill was about 100. This should have warned us. The quaint and quirky interior of the Ben Nevis rapidly downgraded itself to scruffy and battered once our eyes adjusted from the sunny street tothat of the gloomy single bar. The lady bar person's attitude was one of avoidance bordering on hostility. Uncommunicative, sour-faced and busy drinking her tea while rummaging in a box of glass mats and adjusting the level of whiskies in the bottles, no amount of polite attempts to pass a pleasantry met with a response. Given the scores of whiskies available - it's the pub's "specialty" - she managed to pour me the wrong choice I asked for from the one of two made from the two most prominent optics. No offer of water or ice. We sat in silence for ten minutes then what appeared to be two of her friends arrived and she spent the time in animated gab with them having completely ignored us. No goodbye when we left. Give it a miss. Try the Lois Mor or the Ubiquitous Chip in Byres Road. Each is more comfortable, more friendly, better appointed and staffed by people who are friendly and educated about...

Can I give this place six stars? Amazing bar. I will say that some of the employees A: don't seem to have too much whiskey knowledge. B: have a hard time understanding American accents. Be patient. Personally I had great service. Other Americans seemed to be impatient and honestly a bit rude, but I felt they also got great service, even when arguing about pronouncing Scottish words (seriously, an American tried to argue with the Scottish bartender about the pronunciation of Oban). We ended up having a pour of what they said was the most expensive whiskey in the bar (Benromach 1976) and it was only £40. Compared to some prices in the states, this is more than fair.

We went twice and had a great experience each time. They had live Celtic music the second night and it was a great way to bid farewell to Glasgow. If you become lost with the whiskey selection, the owner is happy to make recommendations, and not the most expensive. I loved this place and will be back next...

Revisited this bar on 28/07/20. Covid 19 social distancing measures in place now with hand sanitizer and screens between tables and one way system. Also noted only 1 person allowed in the toilet facilities with a light on the door to make people aware that there is someone in at any time. Great whisky selection but we only had a pint and a lovely pinot grigio. For a house white wine the quality was very good. The staff were pleasant, owner/manager? I think initially but then a barman took over and he was jovial and chatty, he explained that he used to do some of the live music before the lockdown. Will certainly return as the lockdown eases. Great atmosphere and decor, pleasant drinks and good bar staff, what's...