The Grill Room

When you feel like steak, this is the place for you! Cooked exactly as ordered and the garlic butter was perfect. Top it off with the Crème Brule and you will leave happy and full.

We received a voucher for The Grill Room for Christmas and were excited to visit again — as I mentioned in our earlier review, we got married here in 2011 and have only been back a couple of times.
I’d booked over the phone and when we arrived they couldn’t find our booking which was a little awkward. We were seated and given a menu, and then I had to ask the waitress if that was the «voucher» menu which it wasn’t, so those menus were taken away and we were given the correct ones. Our offer was for two steaks and you could add on starters and dessert if you liked — it was good to see that The Grill Room wasn’t charging different prices between the two menus and all starters were £5 which was very reasonable.
I had the crab pâté to start and then steak au poivre for main. I really enjoyed both dishes and was pleased that the standard of 29 hadn’t slipped. There might be better spots in Glasgow for steak these days but I really couldn’t fault this one — it was perfectly cooked and I thought the peppercorn sauce was just lovely. The serving sizes were really generous and I didn’t feel like they skimped on anything even though we were on a set menu/​deal.
Service was warm and friendly throughout the night. I like the little touches of the warm bread delivered to your table when you arrive, and the restaurant was bustling with guests in a good way, giving the place a good vibe.

We were given a voucher for this restaurant last Christmas. Just under a year later we decided to use it. Now I’ve been here before for a wedding and also a works function. I can’t remember what I had on either occasion. So it’s safe to say it was neither wonderfully memorable or so bad it was unforgettable.
At this time of year we were only offered a £40 per head festive menu. I had the ham hough and chicken terrine (over vinegared), the roast turkey and the chocolate truffle. The food again was all decent if not memorable, but the service was irritating and chaotic.
Waiters talking over the top of us to the next table (I mean just walk round us! It’s rude), our main courses arrived and were then whipped away as they went to the wrong table, paying the bill caused all sorts of confusion for the staff (it took three staff to finally take payment).
Add the pretentious ambience and the bold claims and, to be frank, it’s just decent but totally over-​rated.

Wagyu burger anyone?
So I ventured out to Grill on the square whilst being on a girls night with my mum and sister! They don’t do much dining around town so this was a pretty big night for them! Firstly being greeted by a receptionist taking your coat is quite cool and the décor is modern. I was last of the party to arrive so the wine was already ordered. Red merlot was very tasty my one star goes to that! Ok down to business! For starters I had the reggae reggae chicken kebab– a rather bland Reggae kebab, served with cold rice thingy and a some chutney. Next up we were being served our main — I have a quick flash at my watch and realise i have only been here for 35 mins and I’ve chosen my meal and ate my starter and now my main is here! My starter dish couldn’t have even reached back to the kitchen and my main was in front of me! I went for the wagyu burger — the burger patty alone was over cooked, I’ve tasted nicer McDonalds burgers! In the description it said side of skinny fries — however these were chippy chips think I am guessing that it’s from their sister Chippy Doon The lane. That alone was disappointing. I Managed to taste a bit of the lemon sole and wow… Is there any salt left in the sea!!! One hour after our table was booked we got the feeling it was time we should be wrapping up! Not a very nice way to feel when your out for a not cheap meal!
Not sure I’ll be back here in a hurry!

Part of the G1 empire, The Grill Room knows how to cook a steak: absolutely perfect.

This is my favourite restaurant in Glasgow — classy yet relaxed and not pretencious at all.
Despite being a member I did have a serious issue trying to get into 29 itself one night but that was down to some door person who clearly needs to wield the only bit of power she has, and not a reflection on the actual restaurant or the bar, so if you have heard those stories I really urge you to overlook it and give the food and service in the restaurant a go, judging it on itself and not the institution it is in.
I find myself here at least once a week and I’ve never had anything less than perfectly cooked and presented food, and though the steaks are always on offer the rest of the menu changes every so often, which I find refreshing (even if I’m a bit sad to see a few of the dishes I loved go!)
I also find that whether I’m there on busy Friday/​Saturday night or at lunch time on a Tuesday everything is cooked and presented to the same high standard — no matter what pressure the chefs are under and no matter whether you’re spending a lot on a 3 course meal or just grabbing a quick bite from the lunch menu.
The staff in the restaurant (and that particular woman aside, the general compound itself) are all lovely, and really make the effort to remember everyone. I’ve also never experienced any form of snobbery from any of the staff — in a few restaurants I’ve been in the staff almost seem to look down on the customers, I’ve been informed this is a technique to try and gain a bigger tip by making the customer feel like they have to ‘show them’ — and I have never been made to feel awkward by any of the serving staff in the restaurant.
Overall I can’t recommend this place enough, though I won’t be renewing my membership this year as you don’t need a membership to actually go to The Grill Room, and I don’t think there’s any difference in how members or non members are treated so to be the membership itself hasn’t been worth it, and if you were considering one I’d pass. However the restaurant, the network bar, the oyster bar and the general atmosphere are fantastic.
I’ve also attended a few events in various rooms in here and from 21^st’s to weddings I’d also have to recommend this place if you’re looking for somewhere to host your event, they’ve gotten the atmosphere of each individual event spot on, and I’d have no qualms trusting the chefs and staff here with my wedding meal.

I had dinner at the Grill Room as a wee treat for our wedding anniversary. I had never been before, but had heard great things about the standard of the food. From the moment we arrived, we were made to feel very welcome. The view from the windows is nice and romantic looking down onto the fairy lights of Royal Exchange Square from the second floor dining room. A nice little touch was the fresh loaf cut at our table prior to ordering, still warm from the oven.
We started with Stornoway black pudding with poached egg on potato scone for me and goats cheese crostini for my wife. Excellent starters, but if pushed we would both have preferred the others dish. Oh well.
For our main course, we shared Chateaubriand medium rare. A beautiful piece of meat, cooked exactly as requested. We ordered sides of sauteed mushrooms, onion rings and chunky chips. If the meat was good, and believe me it was, the chunky chips were a revelation. My wife looked up and whispered «There are only six chips!» I was a little surprised, but on seeing them, chunky was a little conservative in the description. They were very large, crispy on the outside and unbelievably fluffy in the middle, indeed the only thing wrong with the meal, was that we could only manage five of the chips. We didn’t even bother with deserts as gluttony is apparently a sin. We finished with liqueurs and took bets on how massive the bill would be. Yet another surprise. £115. That included a bottle of wine. It might be worth noting that there is a lunch and early evening fixed price menu, which looks like you may need a little black mask before you can order.

We visited The Grill Room through my partners company. The food was fantastic and the service was very friendly yet professional. We never seemed to wait long on our food, yet didn’t feel rushed either. A very enjoyable evening in a lovely setting. I would certainly recommend this restaurant for any corporate dinner or special occasion.

Ridiculously pretentious restaurant frequented by football millionaires. Need I say more? If you want quality, pricey cuisine go somewhere like the La Vallee Blanche or the Ubiquitous Chip where the staff relax in the knowledge that they really are class without any need for pretence.

Amazing experience.
A classmate of mine works part-​time at 29, and I would always hear about how poncy the place was… especially because it’s a members only establishment.
My boyfriend took me to the Grill Room for my birthday… and it was pretty special. There’s something about Royal Exchange Square leading up to the restaurant that really sets the mood. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were greeted and our coats taken. We were directed upstairs, and then to our table. The restaurant wasn’t too busy, but you could tell there was a bit of money in the room, or business client dinners going on.
The restaurant is really beautiful, especially overlooking the stringed lights of Royal Exchange Square. The service was attentive and friendly. The waiter accommodated my nut allergy, and gave us a different set of bread sans nuts. The food was absolutely gorgeous from the mussels to the Chateaubriand for two. I’ve been to some of the best steakhouses in the US, and the Grill Room was on par. This was quite the night to remember and a wonderful way to celebrate my birthday with my hunny. I will most definitely be back again!

This place is something else, as a so-​called ’29 private members club’ I was expecting pretentious to be written all over it. Alas, I was wrong! From entering on Royal Exchange Square the experience began, a place in itself is astonishingly beautiful as night falls and the blanket of sparkling fairy lights go from roof to roof of the gorgeous town buildings.
Our coats taken at the door and the stair well littered with framed pictures of celebs, and football players enjoying their night at The Grill: Christiano Ronaldo, and Gordon Ramsay to name a few. This place was crying out STATUS, but on entering the dining room area this seemed far from true. An incredibly warm and friendly environment were staff were attentive and genuine, in a relaxed and busy environment. There was not enforced dress code, but most were dressed quite smartly, I felt comfortable here which I had assumed would not be the case in a place where imaged seemed high on the agenda. I do not think this was a fair judgement as I enjoyed every part of this experience. The raviolli was tremendous, and so too was every course of mine. My partner however tested the water even more when he sent back his steak, having siad it tasted burnt. The manager arrived at our table within an instant hoping to rectify the problem, and not only did she do this by delivering the perfect steak to the table herself, she pulled up a chair and chatted with us for a few minutes. Personally I think this was a nice touch, and as a first time visiter this was much appreciated as it is not often that such service is given.
The restaurant is pricey but I would say worth every penny, with the whole ambiance of the place it is a well spent saturday night. Even if you do not wish to go home post dinner, you are welcome to retire to the lounge and have cocktails, or peppermint tea as I did, awaiting on the other sections and club area opening.
I had a great night at The Grill, a place I have never heard of before hearing the reviews from a friend. A hidden jem in the city centre of Glasgow.