Hillhead Bookclub

I’ve been here a few times on nights out for drinks and I really never know what the huge fuss is about this venue. I know some people absolutely love it, I’ve just yet to see why!
First, I’ve never been for food, though I’ve heard positive things. I’m only basing this on drinks experience. It’s often very busy at the weekend, and can be hard to find a seat. You’ll get more luck through the week finding a seat. Through the week is probably the best time to visit, with drinks offers often on, doubles are £4 each, and some cocktails on offer at £3, which is very good value, as they use good quality spirits.
The service I’ve always found to be painfully slow. The bar is too small for the level of business at the weekends, so expect to wait around for quite a while. There is another bar located upstairs in the back, which is usually quieter.

Rather underlit so you may have a bit of trouble reading the menu. Depending where you’re seated you might also have to dodge the odd wayward ping pong ball.
The cake I had was fine but not exceptional & my companion was convinced his sticky toffee pudding was smaller than in the past so maybe austerity is biting. No major complaints about the service but we seemed to become invisible after getting the bill and card machines seem to be in short supply.

My husband and I met two other couples here for drinks and dessert on a Saturday evening. The place was packed and quite loud. There few two hen parties nearby and I think that they could have been a major factor in the noise level.
We ordered a variety of beverages, including the gramophone. I was probably the most excited for this because it comes in an actual gramophone! Sadly, our punch came in a large silver bowl (clearly something the kitchen uses for food prep) with a ladle and glassware. When I asked out server how come it was not in the gramophone her response was short and rude. She said, «We only have 2 and they’re already being used.» Oh, OK? Why do you even sell them then if you can only provide two groups with the vessel in the description?
The sticky toffee pudding was phenomenal so that saved the experience.
The prices are what you’d expect for a bar/​restaurant in the West end. We’ll more than likely be back, but we won’t be ordering the gramophone again.

I really like this bar. They have really good meals and deals for lunch and dinner. Their menu include sandwiches and burgers, rice, meat and veggie foods.
Price was really afordable and the local’s decoration is amazing!
For sure I’ll be back soon!!!
Hope you find this helpful!

I love the Bookclub… It’s a bit pretentious and hipster, but the building is beautiful, the staff are friendly, the food is amazing and the cocktails are so good!
I’m a particular fan of a Sunday brunch in here — their eggs a la bookclub are amazing as are their pancakes… Two course brunch for me today!!! Mmmm!
I’ve never had a bad experience in here, the service can sometimes be a little bit slow, but it’s generally pretty busy so it’s understandable. Also, ping pong. Nuff said!

We love hillhead bookclub for the atmosphere. The food is above average but nothing to write home about. They have a robust cocktail list and a large bar downstairs. Situated in an old library I’d say the ambiance is the biggest thing going for this place. You will usually find a DJ spinning most nights and a lovely bunch of people serving drinks and food. To make it even better they are dog friendly!

Wow. Ascetic of this place is outstanding. I mean the buildings architecture alone is incredible and they really have done it justice with the décor.
We were going for the vintage craft fare but decided to grab some lunch first. They must have a template for hiring staff! Everyone working there were beautiful hipsters. I’m sure I spotted a fair few man buns.
It was quite busy which was understandable but we managed to get a corner seat with a small table. I decided to go for the pancakes and bacon with maple syrup. It was… interesting. The pancakes were huge, they took up the entire plate. This would have been awesome but I got two tiny pieces of bacon and a tiny little hipster jar of maple syrup. They were perhaps trying a little too hard with this. The pancakes were very bready and I ended up leaving quite a bit. My partners French toast with bacon and maypole syrup was a lot better and more appropriate sizes!
Pricing was pretty average. Which considering the place was great.
The fare is on upstairs and again the atmosphere and décor was great. There wasn’t as many stalls as I’d hoped there would be but I managed to pick up a couple of cute items. They could do with a little more lighting though, it was difficult to see some of the jewellery.
Still it was a nice way to spend a couple of hours and I’ll probably check it out again before Christmas!

Every so often somebody will go, «Hey, fancy going to the Hillhead Bookclub» and I’m like, «Yeah that sounds good, I’ve not been in ages». Then I go there and remember why.
On paper, the Hillhead Bookclub should be my favourite place in Glasgow. Chintzy decoration and reclaimed interiors? Ace! Imaginative vegetarian menu? Incredible! Interesting and reasonably priced cocktail selection? Bonus! Alternative nights which support local businesses? I’m sold. While HHBC delivers on all these promises, it fails on one very simple aspect, GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE!
HHBC consistantly provides some of the worst customer service in Glasgow, in my opinion. I’ve visited several times over the years and I’m still to see improvement! Speak to someone you know and they’ll have a story about the bad customer service they had that one time they went.
I have to say, the food and drink here is very good. On my last visit I had the veggie bean burger and it was great. The chips were great too. My friends both had the chicken burger and they agreed it was amazing too. We basically sat in silence the entire time because we were too busy scoffing our meals! The cocktails are also nice and reasonably priced and they do deals on spirits and mixes for £2 during the week. But each visit I’m still left with a bad taste in my mouth.
I’ve been given the wrong food order here, the wrong drinks order. Had an incorrect bill brought after waiting about 30 minutes for it to arrive. I’ve been ignored by waiting staff. I’ve asked waiting staff for something only to be forgotten about. I’ve had to literally shout to be heard when about 50 students turned up on a bar crawl and caused havoc. On our last visit we waited so long for our bill (and then for that bill to be corrected) that we sat and counted out exact money to pay with because we couldn’t bear the inevitable wait for change.
I don’t know if I’ll be back to HHBC, if I am it won’t be for a good long while. When everything about your place is so good, it’s a shame that they go ruin it with bad staff (and probably bad management).

I love that you can get a good cheap lunch here, even if I often end up getting tempted by the specials board and getting something a bit more expensive. That happened last time I visted. I got a beef hash with poached duck egg and hollandaise sauce. Couldn’t resist, but it was delicious and still very reasonable for what it was. On the other hand I could easily have eaten two portions. My partner got one of their burgers and said that that was good too. I notice that they also have a decent selection of veggie options — the veggie bookclub sandwich actually sounds amazing.
This, funnily enough, is also a place my parents love to visit. I think it’s because it’s in such a cool big old building. For those not in the know, it used to be a cinema. I guess it’s a cool place to take anyone who’s visiting the city. There’s loads of seating across the two floors and the mezzanine but it definitely gets busier on Friday and Saturday nights when it focusses more on being a bar than a restaurant and often ends up being standing space only. Note also that after about 9pm they relly turn up the music, so if you’re hoping for a quiet chat with friends, maybe try somewhere else.
The cocktails are pretty standard fayre. A bit priceier than I’d like for too much ice, too much sugar and not enough booze. However, they do always have a few cheaper ones available, including the strawberry mojito which, whilst still a tiny bit sweet for my tastes, isn’t a terrible deal. Weirdly, though, they’re made with either vodka or gin. Look: A mojito is white rum, lime juice, brown sugar, mint leaves and soda. If you add strawberries and swap the rum for vodka or gin it probably needs a new name. It’s a fine cocktail but it’s not a mojito. For £3 perhaps it doens’t matter.
At lunchtime through the week it’s much quieter. It’s usually not too packed through the week in the early evening, either — though that might change when the students get back for the new university term. When it’s quiet the service is speedy enough, although now and then you get a warning that something might take a bit longer than usual. Take that opportunity to go and play Mario Kart or table tennis upstairs.

C’est bon et c’est relativement pas cher par rapport aux autres endroits du coin qui n’offrent pas un cadre aussi agréable. De la bonne musique, un très très bel espace, une déco assez sympa. Peut être que c’est un peu trop sombre pour manger, l’éclairage est plus approprié pour un bar ou un autre lieu de vie nocturne. Le personnel est vraiment très sympa et une fois qu’on est installés dans un canapé, on n’en sort pas

This is a nice place with laid back staff who are more laconic than outright slow. I had tasty steak and chips for a tenner. Most dishes are around that price or a bit cheaper. The big problem I have is with the NOISE. The music is so LOUD. There is no need for unknown mortal orchestra and Bobby Womack to be blaring at 3pm on a Saturday. The unreasonable volume lets the place down and would make me hesitate to return.