Stereo – Vego cafe meets quirky music venue

Image by Julia Forrest

Stereo is an vegetarian cafe/bar, music venue and nightclub and generally a pretty cool place to hang out. Close enough to the city centre, just one street away from Central Station but the almost hidden entrance makes this venue seem almost exclusive. I was surprised to learn that the building was designed by Charles Rennie MacKintosh, but lay derelict before Stereo took over the space in 1997.

After dark the basement venue lends itself to show small/relatively unknown musical acts or you may end up at the semi-regular dubstep night.

Stereo is one of those kind of places that’s a certainty – open till 3 and can pitch up at anytime. Who or what you’ll see when you get there is a bit more hard to predict, it’s usually always a great mix though, from metal bands to proper folkies, the music is always different. The thing I love most Stereo is that on the stairs downstairs, there are posters for bands covering every inch of the walls (and some parts of the ceiling), making it impossible to tell what colour the walls actually are.

You’ll find exclusively vegetarian and vegan fare upstairs in the relaxed cafe. There are always a couple of soups of the day to sample, while the main course specials might include hearty sandwiches made with homemade flat bread. Prices are quite reasonable but take advantage of the Meat Free Mondays offer, where you can try 5 Tapas for £5.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Stereo | Bars, Music, Restaurants (Vegan) | Dinner £ 10
20 Renfield Lane | City Centre | +441412222254
Food 12:00 – 21:00 daily, Bar Mon – Tue 12:00 – 01:00, Wed – Sun 12:00 – 03:00