The story behind Glasgow's Ubiquitous Chip's Oscar link

Featuring three bars, two restaurants and boasting the only roof-top terrace in the West End, the venue has long been a key destination for anyone looking to enjoy locally sourced, seasonal Scottish cuisine, and an extensive range of wines and whiskies.

Will Allen has been working at The Chip for just over three years and has been general manager for around a year.

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He says he believes it’s the mixture of different venues inside that sets the spot apart from other restaurants and bars in Glasgow and has contributed to its success for more than 50 years.

He explained: "We’re all things to all people.

"We do have a fine dining side, but we also have a bit more of a raucous environment in the pub.

"We’re casual but we’re also a special occasion place.

"We’re not stuffy, we want to welcome everyone."

General manager Will Allen (Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)

Will also believes that The Chip is unique on Ashton Lane in that it is more food-led than drinks-led, like many other businesses in the area.

The Ubiquitous Chip is home to two murals painted by Riddrie-born writer and artist Alasdair Gray.

Following the success of Poor Things at the Oscars, based on his book of the same name, there has already been an influx of tourists visiting the venue to see the paintings.  

The Restaurant at Ubiquitous Chip (Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)

One of the murals titled Arcadia, located on the staircase between The Wee Pub and The Brasserie, depicts several West End characters including original owner Ronnie Clydesdale amongst other staff and locals. It took him around 25 years to complete, finishing in 2006.

Will said: "We’ve had lots of tourists coming in recently who have made aware of Alasdair Gray through the film and the murals are attracting people in which is good for us.

"It’s nice as well because some of the murals are of people that still come in here and drink so for them to have some recognition when these guys come in, it’s a nice little thing."

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Arcadia by Alasdair Gray (Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)

In July 2022, Ubiquitous Chip was bought over by the Metropolitan Pub Company, owned by Suffolk-based Greene King, after being in the Clydesdale family since 1971.

The sale included two other restaurants owned by Colin Clydesdale and his wife Carol Wright; Stravaigin and Hanoi Bike Shop.

While there was initially some fear about the sale from regulars, Will says nothing has changed for customers and they still have the same faces coming in every day that they had before.

Mural by Alasdair Gray (Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)

He said: "I think they [Metropolitan Pub Group] very much saw us as a working formula so they’ve left us to it in terms of who we get stuff from, the food we put on the menus, the drinks we put on the menus, it’s all still driven in-house.

"In terms of customers, we’ve still got all the regulars, we’ve still got good outreach when it comes to international and tourist clientele."

He added: "We’ve got people that have been coming here since the 70s who can tell the stories of what it was like back in the day and they still come in and we’re still the same to them."

Later this year, The Chip will undergo a renovation which will get "a lot of the little things fixed".

Will says much like Stravaigin’s refurbishment last year, it will deliver an ‘evolution, not revolution’ of the space so it’s unique charm will be retained. The Alaistair Gray murals are also expected to be restored as part of the works. 

He said: "Now we’ve got the backing of a bigger company they’re able to come in and not really change anything but fix those little things and make it more efficient.

"From what we’ve seen so far they’ve given it good thought and are going to keep everything everyone knows and loves."

L-R: Sous chef Jakub Gliwiak and Head chef Doug Lindsay (Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)

Ubiquitous Chip prides itself on serving delicious food made from "the finest Scottish ingredients" after Ronnie Clydesdale made the decision to bring "Scotland’s endangered cuisine out of the home and into the restaurant".

Doug Lindsay has been head chef at The Chip for 13 years, following eight years working at Stravaigin.

While the senior team are all involved in the development of the menus, he says the seasons play a "big part".

Sea trout with golden beets, sea leeks, smoked butter sauce, Nashi pear (Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)

He said: "We’re lucky to have the produce we do have available to us [in Scotland], so it would be foolish not to try and make the most of it.

"Coming into Spring, which is an exciting time of year, there’s a lot more produce becoming available so that’s always reflected in our menus as well."

He continued: "We try to make food people enjoy using as much Scottish produce as we can and we cook it in a variety of different ways.

"I wouldn’t say everything we serve is based in Scottish tradition but the ethos is to use the great produce we do have and elevate it as much as we can."

Ubiquitous Chip is located at 12 Ashton Lane.

You can find out more HERE.