Josh Barr is to open his second bar – West Side Tavern in Glasgow’s west end. He opened The Locale at Charing Cross in 2019 and now his second venue will open in Partick.
The bar, which was formerly Bauhaus, is undergoing a complete refurbishment and the aim is to have the bar open before Christmas. “It will be more Quentin Tarantino than an old English Tavern,” he told DRAM.
However, although Tarantino may have created dialogue in Pulp Fiction which said, “Forget it, it’s too risky,” Josh Barr is not taking that bit of advice at all instead says.
“I am going for it. When the opportunity came up it seemed too good to pass on. It is a great space and I think it has been underappreciated. The refurbishment is being jointly by myself and Three Thistle West. “It will have an American/Italian feel. It’s more a New York Tavern feel – the décor will be mid-century, 70s, with a more contemporary style than traditional country taverns.”
It’s not the only connection to Tarantino – both Josh and father Colin have a long history with music and Tarantino has been celebrated for his use of music in his movies. Songs from the 1960s and ’70s have dominated soundtracks on most of his projects and you may hear some such tunes in The Westside Tavern, Glasgow.
The new bar is also very close to site of the former Volcano Nightclub which his father ran in the 90’s. Says Josh, “This is very much a family affair – everyone has been helping out to get it open it time – I am vey lucky to have all their support.”
