Alston Bar & Beef
The restaurant sits in the vaults under Glasgow Central and takes its name from Alston Street, the main street of Grahamston village, which was demolished in the mid-1870s to build the station on top of it.
Why go
Not yet. A fire on 8 March 2026 in the building on the corner of Union Street and Gordon Street closed the block; Union Street fully reopened on 17 July 2026, days before the Commonwealth Games, but Alston posted that "unfortunately we won't be reopening our doors just yet," having regained access to the site only in the week of 6 July for a clean-up. The team say they are preparing to reopen as "Alston 2.0." What it was: Borders beef from J Gilmour & Co, dry-aged 28 to 35 days at the time of the Scotsman's review, and a gin list of more than 50 bottles poured under blue neon and vaulted brick.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the dry-aged steak and a gin, when it comes back. Jennifer Harper singled out a starter where
the contrast of flavour and texture of the beef shortrib...sets this dish apart,
and called the maple pork chop with Stornoway black puddingsimply delicious; the combination spot on.
2 - Avoid: a late table. The same review found the rib-eye came rarer than ordered with "disappointingly dry" chips, and the staff clearly flagging at the end of service.
What locals & experts say
- The Scotsman (Jennifer Harper, April 2015): the room is caught by
subtle blue neon strips around the white painted brick walls
and honeycomb-tiled floors, with the concept rated well ahead of the execution on the night.2 - STV News (2026): Union Street reopened on 17 July 2026, four months after the fire that closed this stretch beside Central Station.3
- The venue (July 2026):
While the main entrance to the station is open again, unfortunately we won't be reopening our doors just yet.
1 - Local rec: Jeff's save came off a guide recommendation he did not buy. His note is below.
Good to know
- Status: temporarily closed since 8 March 2026 and still closed on 29 July 2026. Booking platforms and maps listings have not caught up, so check the venue's own channels before you walk down Gordon Street.
- When it returns: the team are calling it Alston 2.0, which implies a changed offer. Treat the dishes above as the pre-fire record.
- Getting there: the entrance is under the Gordon Street side of Central Station, which is the most convenient dinner location in the city for anyone catching a train.
- Open question for Jeff: which good food guide made the recommendation. No current guide entry was confirmed on this pass.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: "Good food guide rec. I'm skeptical."
Verdict
listed — On the board, and shut. Alston sits in the vaults under Glasgow Central on the site of Grahamston village, pours a long gin list and grills Borders beef from J Gilmour & Co, which is a real setting with a real supply chain. The only critical read anybody has published is the Scotsman's 2015 review, which liked the concept and caught the kitchen out on a rib-eye and its chips, and Jeff's own note records skepticism about the recommendation that sent him. It has been closed since the 8 March 2026 fire, and until 'Alston 2.0' opens and a critic eats there, there is nothing to rank.