The Flying Duck

Photo Credit (The Flying Duck)

The Flying Duck is a semi-secret bar/restaurant situated on Renfield Street in Glasgow City Centre, it's ideal place for open minded folks looking for something a bit different to the usual bars in Glasgow and as i was looking up bars to visit for my blog The Flying Duck was one that caught my eye opened in 2007 and a sister venue to Stereo, Mono, The Old Hairdressers and The 78 looking to make a name for themselves in Glasgow's underground music, vegan and drinking scene. Offering die-soul food inspired menu, healthy drinks selection, pool table, gigs, clubs, quizzes, film screenings, drag karaoke there really seems to be a little bit for everybody.

So as we made our way to The Flying Duck walking up Renfield Street we were looking out for the entrance to The Flying Duck but were unable to see one, we began to wonder if we had took a wrong turn somewhere and had ended up lost, it wasn't until I noticed that there was a "sign" of The Flying Duck painted on the side of a wall with an arrow pointing up an alleyway and at this point we began to become a bit sceptical as to if the place I had chosen wasn't actually a front for a man in an alley waiting to stab us. Once you get to the entrance it's through an unmarked door and down a set of stairs into a strange little basement bar. Almost like an underground kitchen meets youth club, The Flying Duck has a kitchen in the corner littered with strange ornaments. There is lots of seating throughout the bar, while the club out back has plenty of room for busting some serious moves

The Flying Duck most certainly caters for Glasgow's young clubbers the night we visited, the bar was bustling with twenty-something year olds with the crowd giving off a certain hipster vibe. The music at The Flying Duck has a bit of everything, our visit was early evening and there was a cool mix of indie and electronic playing. The staff at the Flying Duck are cordial and chatty, eager to explain the drinks menu, or talk you through the various events on the packed Duck calendar.  

Amstel Pint

When I was choosing my choice of drink I wanted to mix it up again and The Flying Duck had me covered with the bar serving up an extensive range of drinks (maybe not Coronas anymore due to the recent pandemic) with some quirky beers and ales this along with a full drinks price list at the bar makes a welcome addition, as other than specials, many bars in Glasgow can be a little less forthcoming in detailing their prices I opted for a pint of Amstel which is a Dutch beer that I have had before but is a rarity and is always a positive when a bar or restaurant offers it. 
While we didn't dine, The Flying Duck does also cater for the hungry until 10pm every evening. Along with the always-on free toast, bar snacks included beans on toast and nachos, while bigger items like hot dogs and veggie burgers are also available which is a different touch to what you usually see. 
Overall the evening was quite an enjoyable one once we finally made it and plucked up the courage to walk through the alleyway to the entrance of the Flying Duck its a very quirky bar in Glasgow that offers something a bit different to your usually bars, music varies and the crowd can seem eccentric depending on what you're used to. I would recommend that everyone tries the Flying Duck at least once as a pallet cleanser. 

Location: 142 Renfield Street Glasgow G2 3AU 

Website: https://www.theflyingduck.org 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flyingduckparty 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flyingduckparty 

If you enjoyed this blog post why not check out my previous post on Firewater: https://pintsconnoisseur.blogspot.com/2020/03/firewater.html