Metropolitan says:

The award-winning Metropolitan cocktail bar, late night style bar, piano lounge and Scottish a la carte restaurant is situated within the Merchant Square, which is at the heart of the Merchant City, Glasgow’s cultural, fashion and food quarter. You can chose to enjoy a cocktail in our cosmopolitan bar, relax in the courtyard, dine on one of the balconies, admire the surroundings of the champagne booths or enjoy live music in our decadent piano lounge.

Social And Cocktail says:

Metropolitan Cocktail Bar and Restaurant can be found on the Candleriggs side of Merchant Square, right in the middle of the Merchant City. Its clientele are, in the main, suited, booted, well-groomed, & well-heeled – on the day we visit there’s a group of grey-suited men by the windows and a table of laughing women next to us drinking what looks to be Margarita.

With a variety of seating options, and opening out into the courtyard of the Square it’s a comfortable enough bar, although the permanent repeat of promo videos on flat-screen TVs and the rapidly-changing light on the steel-truss “M” hanging in the main bar felt a little oppressive, and perhaps more suited to a Saturday night than the lazy Sunday afternoon our party of four were having.

Fantastic presentation

The drinks menu is agreeably extensive, and includes a small but thoughtful selection of non-alcoholic options (“Detox Drinkers”), which pleased the one of our number who was on the softs – he chose the No-jito (£2.95), whilst the rest went variously for a Bloody Mary (not listed but made for us anyway), Mint Julep and Cherry Apple (all around £6 – £6.50).

Although the first barmaid we asked couldn’t resolve our argument about the origin and correct ingredients in a Martini she immediately pointed us in the direction of a cocktail barman who could, and who indeed kindly furnished us with a full history of the drink.  Service overall was friendly, and surprisingly quick.

Drinks presentation here was fantastic. Of our order the No-Jito and the Mint Julep came out on top, with the latter completely stealing the show in terms of both presentation and taste. Light, refreshing, and in a proper Julep cup.  The Bloody Mary was good, with cucumber adding a welcome freshness but it could have stood to have been a little spicier – it still doesn’t beat the Stravaigin’s (Gibson Street) or Velvet Elvis’ (Dumbarton Road) which in my (gin-soaked) opinion hold the joint award for Best Glasweigan Bloody Mary. My Cherry Apple was also perfectly fine, but could have done with a little more something to lift the flavour.

Overall, nice surroundings, good-looking drinks, worth a visit.

Bonus Points

• Making an off-menu drink
• Good selection of non-alcoholic fayre
• Comfortable courtyard drinking

Minus Points

• If I see that promo video once more I’m going to smash something

Review by Sara from www.drunchblog.com