Craft beer, bao buns, vinyl records.. perfect pub for younger generation

The guy drinking at the bar has been here before – but things were different then.

“Pool tables and fist fights,” he said, sidling up to Pub Spy at the gantry.

There was no such machismo on either of our two visits to Redmond’s in the space of a week.

The first impromptu call coincided with the pub’s Burns Supper, and the only seats to be had were standing ones…

The bar manager was holding court, easily hushing the crowd to silence by gently tapping a spoon on a glass, before reciting poetry.

Yes, Dennistoun has changed. Redmond’s sits on the south side of Duke Street – the longest street in Europe, as locals are fond of saying.

Duke Street still has a plentiful share of traditional boozers but the low cost of living in this part of the city, minutes from the centre, makes it a popular spot for 20 to 30-somethings.

On our second visit, the tables included a smattering of freelancers working on their laptops enjoying the comforting buzz of the bar rather than sitting at home.

This generation want more from their pubs these days – and they get it at Redmond’s. Craft beer and cocktails, bao buns and chilli cucumber, vinyl records and an invitation to pick an album to play in its entirety.

There are booths and benches, with window seats featuring reclaimed Belfast sinks doubling up as planters, a nice nod to traditional tenement living.

There’s another hipster bar further up the road called

The Palais, in reference to the sadly demolished ballroom of the same name, which Pub Spy’s parents say had to be seen to be believed.

It’s a shame that such cultural jewels are lost to the city but, with these pubs pulling in a new crowd, there’s a sense of Dennistoun becoming a destination as well as a neighbourhood.

Redmond’s – sister bar to Phillies over in Shawlands – is the perfect example. It’s a cool bar, with an open, welcoming vibe, some of the most attentive staff Pub Spy has encountered, an interesting menu and a record player.

The guy reminiscing about the pool tables and fist fights might be getting dewy-eyed about traditional so-called working men’s bars. Dennistoun still has plenty of those, and they’re still busy, too.

But what the younger generation of drinkers want is something they’re getting at Redmond’s.