Situated beyond the student-orientated hubbub of Byres Road and Ashton Lane, 1051 GWR hopes to engender a family atmosphere with a strong, community-focused ethos, having already formed a close link with the adjacent Gartnavel and Beatson Hospitals.
Competing with the proliferation of gastropubs, bistros, cocktail bars and micro-brewers in the West End of Glasgow, GWR is hoping to extend the successful gentrification of Partick and Finnieston to Anniesland, on the site of the former Kelvinside Railway Station.
An eclectic range of IPA's, stouts, hybrids and lagers will meet the needs of local craft fans but a well-stocked bar should satiate haters of the hop. The produce of local distillers, including Glasgow's Makar Gin, will be a regular feature behind the bar, complementing a varied and reasonable cocktail menu.
At first glance the menu looks cautious, populated with pub stalwarts such as Angus burgers, stonebaked pizzas and braised ox cheek, but the emphasis on quality, locally sourced ingredients cooked up on a searing flame grill is what gets the tongue wagging.
Babyback ribs, fillet steaks, pork loins and lamb cutlets take up the bulk of the menu, leaving little room to manoeuvre for vegetarians, but then GWR has no great pretentions of catering for Glasgow's herbivores.
If you like your steak to have a name then GWR's traceable provenance will appeal to you, where their signature 1200g of twenty-one day aged Scotch beef rib steak can be traced back to the very field it was reared in. If, that is, you can stomach the guilt of acquainting yourself with your dinner.
Owner David Maguire, who oversaw the recent refurbishment of the J.J. Burnett's category B listed building, said: "I am delighted to see the property being restored to its former glory.
"I am sure that anyone visiting will be highly impressed with the quality of the decor, food and drink but most importantly the service."
