The Iron Duke has opened in Glasgow’s Royal Exchange Square in the former BRGR unit. The new 36-cover Scottish bar and gastropub is a joint venture between Stephen Feeley, Matthew Collins and Chef, James Bennett.
After years of experience between them with companies such as The Scotsman Group and Signature Pubs the three friends have decided to branch out on their own. Stephen told DRAM, “The Iron Duke is inspired by the Duke of Wellington statue just outside our front door and the venue is themed around that. We’re proud of our Scottish heritage and are highly focused on quality, provenance and seasonality. Our signature dish is a Beef Wellington wrapped in haggis as opposed to mushroom duxelles and it’s stunning.
“We landed on our feet with this site. When you look out the window and the most iconic statue in Glasgow is 100 yards away it just made sense. We did the full refurbishment in just 12 weeks and were very hands on. We are lucky that there is lots of tourists and passing trade in this area. Our American customers are already asking for merchandise with our Iron Duke logo on them!”
Matthew adds, “We’ve also got an extensive drinks menu with Scottish brands and handpicked wines as we really want to showcase the best. We have even designed our cocktail list with the Duke in mind and have picked the big moments of his life to base five cocktails around called ‘The Duke Signatures’.”