New kid on the block, Broadcast opened just a few months ago and, as a gig venue through promoters PCL, is attracting a lot of the bands ‘du moment’. We heard good things about the food though so thought we’d jump over and give it a try!
When we walked into the bar off Sauchiehall Street, to be honest we didn’t have the best first impressions. 6pm on a Friday and the place was empty bar one table. It’s a big open-plan space as well, with absolutely nowhere to hide if you’re not getting people in the door! To be fair though, it did busy up as the night went on and eventually had a very nice ambience.
Impressions continued to diminish when we approached the bar and, to my horror, there was a little half-pint glass over every single tap. When the barman caught my bemused expression he explained that all of the taps were off but directed me gracefully to their great selection of bottled beers. As a lover of a good pint this was a bit disappointing, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that this was a freak occurrence. The barman wasn’t wrong though, they’ve really got a great selection of bottles and cans here including every Williams under the sun and familiar faces like Red Stripe, Peroni, San Miguel and so on. Prices were on the high side for this relatively inexpensive part of town, but not through the roof by any means.
Food-wise, this place has a great menu with burgers, pizzas and wraps constituting the vast majority. We went for a couple of burgers (one meaty, one veggie) and a big bowl of skinny fries to share. The food was of good quality, my beef and chorizo burger being reminiscent of Cocktail and Burger just down the road, but with a much nicer bun. The pattie itself was a tad overcooked, but the flavour was delicious. My co-diner has been having a good time lately with veggie burgers, and this was no exception. She often complains that chickpea-based burgers come as nothing but an inconsistent “smoosh” and was over the moon that her halloumi, roasted pepper and chickpea effort at Broadcast had a bit of texture to it. The fries to share were decent, but nothing to write home about. The burgers are 2 for 1 all the time and at around 8 to 10 quid a pop, this represents pretty good value.
The interior of Broadcast is pretty nice, although not as shabby as I generally like my pubs. It’s all clean exposed stone, faux-leather wall seats and chairs. There are a few eccentric touches like exposed lightbulbs of all shapes and sizes lighting the space, a massive disco ball, and a big projector screen right above the door which, at least when we were in, a series of 90s art-films were being shot onto. It’s a nice enough space but it’s just not very “comfortable”. It is a new place though, and I’m quite sure they’ll settle into it over time.
All in all I enjoyed my evening in Broadcast. It’s not a place that I would necessarily rush back to, but it didn’t do much to offend either. If you’re looking for a cheap bite to eat after work or somewhere to meet for a few weekend drinks before moving on to somewhere a bit more exciting, this place won’t disappoint.
