City Cafe in Glasgow City

Very helpful staff and nice cake

I had a sore throat, and went down to find herbal tea, and although they had stopped serving hot beverages late at night the bartender stopped short of running to the grocery store to find a tea bag for me. I offered to pay for the tea bag or to buy something else like a drink to make up for it, they said not to worry - wished me a speedy recovery and sent me on my way. If all hotel restaurants had service like this, the world would be a better place!

Food was excellent and was served promptly and the servers were polite and friendly. However the table service from the young waiter was poor. We were given different menus between us. When we asked, no apology or explanation, just swapped. Website gave no indication that the regular a la carte or fixed price menu were unavailable. Instead we had a small "festival" menu and was told "thats all we offer" so there were limited options. We never got given a drinks menu, and when I asked, the waiter rattled them off so quick we had to ask him to repeat. No alcohol-free beer. Had to ask for jug of water. No apology.. just "we're busy". Almost felt like "if you don't like it go somewhere else cos I don't care". Attitude was pretty dismal. Not rude, but very lacking in niceties, and as if he didn't really care. Although the food was great, I felt as if I was not really welcomed and, as such, I would not recommend and would take my business elsewhere. Only things going for it is that there was a nice comfortable and relaxing bar area outside by the river, which thr staff were great at clearing up, and it was convenient for going to the OVO or SEC. I also found it odd that the ground floor restrooms had no soap dispensers. Instead it was hand lotion!

Nice and chilled atmosphere, food was tasty too!

Great service! Allan was the kindest waiter

Daughter took me for a little afternoon tea for two, staff were helpful and friendly, atmosphere was good, had a lovely day

Nice meal limited menu restaurant drab decor sad considering owned by hilton

Beautiful area and very interesting history.

Great staff, good range of drinks. Too cold to sit outside for long and very few places to sit inside. Breakfast was great

Great overnight stay here at the Hilton Gardens Inn Hotel x

Nice welcoming place and quality of food was good, however for a veggie burger that was actually a bun with lettuce, tomato, mushroom and sauce the price was steep. I expected a veggie patte in the bun at that price. The nacho starter was tasty but the nachos a little charred. Brownie dessert was lovely except that the ice cream they served with it was crystally as it had clearly melted and re-frozen.

Chilled on the decking in the sun. Will be back if we get any more nice weather this year.

Great spot to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon!

Really nice spot right by the Quay.

Sat outside, booked drinks via app, waited and waited, after 20mins went to the bar, was asked did I definitely use app, said yes, when they checked they apologised and said app not worked for some reason, then pressed a button on machine and suddenly my drinks order appeared. Place and atmosphere was fine.

Nice bar lively 👌 right beside the clyde Very nice staff 👍

We had Breakfast here after an overnight stay. Food was lovely and the choice was fantastic.

Supposed to have been open. Went in at 5 to 12. 2 employees there cleaning. No one said hello, or enquired about us and if we wanted to eat. Left after 5 minutes of complete ignorance by the team. For the restaurant of a big expensive hotel it's pretty low service in my opinion. Won't go there again.

The burger had so much salt it was almost inedible. Prices much higher than viewed online.

Bella location, servizio gentile anche se non velocissimo, possibilità di ordinare completamente online, cibo discreto

A lovely spot overlooking the River. When I have visited it has been very quiet but they do a nice afternoon tea. Would go back anytime the opportunity arises.

Lovely place staff very friendly great location what more could you want handy for the hydro and armadillo too

Lovely food but quite when we visited

Excellent food is amazing great place very affordable .

the food, drinks and staff are fantastic!

All staff were excellent always asking if we need anything or if we are ok

Nice place, great views of the Clyde and friendly staff. A wee bit slow at the bar and Giinness expensive at £6.75 a pint but town prices!

Flat bread was a nan bread. Portions small . Not worth money . Esp the tiny the puddings

Service not great food same very pricey

Piping hot delicious food , good size portions and friendly staff

Dinner was delicious - steak & chips done to perfection! 🍽

All four stars go to George and his fellow bar staff who made a super friendly and comfortable environment to enjoy a rare pint on the Clyde. Only deducting one star due to the evenings bar manager who was unfortunately far less great than his comrades. But keep on going George et al, we’ll be back for you!! 5 stars to George and the team!! Minus one star for the grumpy shift manager, poor service from him on the closing shift of 18 July 2022.

Wonderful view of the river while you have a beer. We walked the city all day, ended up walking along the river to see the Clyde Arch (Squinty Bridge) and there was Recess at the Hilton. A variety of chairs and some picnic tables. Inside there was a nice lounge area and restaurant tables with floor to ceiling windows. Nice staff

Excellent breakfast, great place to stay, staff very attentive, had dinner last night & I had the Recess Burger, wife had Steak Frites both were excellent, will definitely be back.

The staff here are fantastic. The food really enjoyable. Reasonably priced for food and drink. Will definitely be back.

Pretty good food and very reasonable price. Great location in summer.

CAme for dinner before Hugh Jackman. Very accommodating for Gluten free dietary requirement! Felt the food took a long time however it was busy and food was excellent, hot and a good portion when we received it. Would certainly return!

Had a great family dinner prior to going to a concert. Food quality was great, as was the service. Always go here prior to our concerts. So relaxing and good background music.

This place was very very busy the sun was shining and lots of people were sat outside eating and drinking.

Avoid Recess Restaurant at Hilton Garden Inn! I ordered a Cauliflower Curry which was on the menu and they didn`t have any Cauliflower but offered to make a curry with a `similar` vegetable. I asked what vegetable - Spinach apparently is very similar! (eh?). I ordered a Gordon`s Gin? Don`t stock it. A Bombay Sapphire? Don`t stock it. Any Pink Gin at all? Don`t stock it. Well then a Raspberry Mojito? Don`t make it. Surely an ordinary Mojito (it is on the bar menu)? Don`t have the ingredients to make it! Tap water? Surely to goodness they can`t say they don`t have Tap Water? Errrr not exactly, but when it came it had obviously been sitting for most of the day if not the week in that same water jug, it was luke warm and tasted stale - at least a few days stale!!! I ordered a bottle of water and it was cold and fresh hurrah!! Bye then I was grateful such small mercy! I noted a couple of other tables complaining to the staff as well. The Manager needs to sort out both bar and kitchen stock control or this place will close! The Recess being so close to the Hydro and SECC used to be so busy one had to book well in advance of a show but it was empty - now I know why!

Restaurant was closed for a function though they were still accepting bookings on here. We were put into a side room with a bar in it on a table that barely held the plates and glasses. The area was mobbed as Deacon Blue were playing at the Hydro and the hotel basically didn’t care. Would never use again even though the food was good because the attitude was terrible.

We opted for the chicken burger main course as we were attending a pop concert nearby and we were stopping overnight in the Hilton Gardens where the restaurant was. The food was tasty and well presented by pleasant staff. We washed it down with a decent glass of shiraz for a reasonable price. The ambiance was good but the large glass fronted dining area overlooking the River Clyde was a little chilly but not uncomfortable

Good service, delish steak. Poor dessert choice, opted for cheeseboard which was very basic. Overall enjoyed the meal and setting.

Perfect location for a meal before a concert at the Glasgow Hydro, friendly staff and easy parking

So disappointing we were staying at the hotel as my husband and I had tickets for a concert in the hydro! Booked out table for 6pm as we were to be at the venue for around 7.30pm (thought an hour and a half was plenty of time for our meal!) We went in and were seated quickly, ordered our food and drinks! Chicken for my husband and fish for myself drinks came quickly but 50 minutes later we were still waiting for our food! People coming in after us and being served??? We eventually had to say to the waitress we would pay for our drinks but we didn't think we could wait for the food and all of a sudden miraculously our food arrived it was okay but it definitely hadn't just been cooked, husband's chicken was chewy and although my fish was tasty my chips weren't very warm! We are it paid for it and left!! No coffee or desserts as we didn't have time! Don't think we will be back!

Good value for money, great location for hydro

Nice hotel in great location for Hydro, Bar and Restaurant both very busy due to weather, Concerts and various Hen/Stag, Birthday and Engagement parties having prebooked most of the seating inside and out. Tried on Friday evening to book early table for dinner with friends prior to going to Hydro to be told fully booked, I then tried to book online and managed to get a table at Opentable.co.uk. The meals was average but staff very pleasant when they had time but that was something in short supply to them.

Food is decent, although not quite as good this time as before - maybe because they were so busy, it seemed a little rushed... Beer garden was packed, music too loud inside - probably to suit the packed beer garden - massive queue for the bar which was a bit disruptive, the amount of dirty glasses and plates lying on the bar & tables showed the staff couldn't keep up. However it is handy for the SEC/Hydro.

I was VERY unhappy with my experience here. Food was decent, not necessarily over priced but not a good value by any means. The servers were lacking in personality and they failed to make themselves present.

Ordered the vegetarian panini. Came and only half filled so sent back to the kitchen. Came back not much better and was cold and soggy. It's not difficult to make a panini. Menu said mozzarella, tomatoes, red pepper and pesto. Not a red pepper or any pesto insight.

Booked the recess as it is close to Hydro and was going to a concert. Have been in years gone by. The place is not as upmarket as it used to be. It is not a place I would go to for a special meal but fine for a pre concert meal.

restaurant has had a refurbishment since our last visit which looks good. Unfortunately the menu has also been updated and I feel that it does not have the same offering, very limited for anyone who has allergies.

An excellent venue for light lunches,well prepared dinners and great for pre theatre

We were staying in the hotel and arrived late because of road conditions but this wasn't a problem. The hotel/restaurant are very convenient for the SSE Hydro and whilst the restaurant was busy the staff were 'on the ball' and attentive without being intrusive. Whilst I suspect there is a reduced menu when there are major shows happening, there was plenty to choose from. One in our party has a restricted diet but again they were happy to accommodate and made suggestions. I will definitely eat here again.

Arrived early and was seated no problem and staff are friendly and great at there job

There was a function on in the hotel and the staff seemed fairly busy. We had booked a table for 7.30, we arrived early and bought a drink at the bar. We were shown to our table and had to ask to see the menus at 7.45. Our order was taken and we ordered a sharing starter and 2 main courses. After another fairly long wait we were served with our main courses!! I asked what had happened to our starter and the waiter said that he'd get it. Half way through our main course the Restaurant supervisor asked if everything was OK. I said that we hadn't received our starter and that since it still hadn't arrived to cancel it. I couldn't fault our main courses but very disappointed with the service.

Food and service were OK, the hot coffee spilled over the table and almost me, was cleaned up very quickly. Normally a very pleasant venue for a quality pre theatre meal was spoiled by an extremely noisy Christmas party. (I’m ok with that it is Christmas ) However that party and others then moved outdoors but repeated returns into the room created an extremely cold drafty atmosphere each time the doors were opened directly from the restuarant onto Clydeside. We determined that this would not spoil our dinner but other diners must have been more affected by the cold breeze each time the doors were opened.

Beer and burger before a show - perfect location and good food and service!

El desayuno es genial proporcionan también elegir con mucho, así que vale la pena añadir a su estancia. desayuno Tienen desayuno continental y desayuno caliente definen como un buffet, con tostadas de pan. Si quieres. También tienen una máquina de hacer tortitas. Menú de la cena no tiene un montón de opciones, especialmente si usted es un vegetariano, como mi madre. Me dieron la Goa y no era curry muy cálido y no una grande parte, ciertamente no vale 15 libras. Los precios son demasiado altos, una mejor comida en Witherspoons por mucho menos dinero!

Durante il soggiorno a Glasgow ci siamo fermati a cena due volte. La qualità del cibo è ottima, il servizio gradevole e efficiente, il conto adeguato.

Inside is relaxed and comfortable. Outside is fabulous, when the weather allows. The provision of cosy blankets is much appreciated. The menu choice is okay. By far the greatest asset of Recess is the staff; they are welcoming, helpful and friendly.

We had a late-night snack here one night and the brunch the last day of our stay. The super food salad and the capresi pizza made a perfect light snack. There was a good variety of breakfast choices available for the brunch.

Excellent food and service with the added bonus of cheap parking if visiting SECC

Fuimos a tomar un café con mi madre y mi padre. Bastante concurrida y mi padre preguntó a la camarera si era servicio de camareras o pagar en el bar. Ella groseramente respondió que estaba muy lleno y se fue. Nos sentamos por unos 10 minutos y tuvimos que dejar porque teníamos que coger nada. No volveré debido a estados descarado personal

Usually love coming to Hilton Garden Inn, but this visit marred by very loud music being played by DJ on the terrace - no objection to music, but the noise level made conversation very difficult, particularly each time the door to the terrace was opened, which was often, with customers and staff coming and going. Staff very efficient and helpful, as always. Menu change meant the dishes we had anticipated were no longer there. Overall, enjoyable visit.

Una pena, ya que el hotel es encantador para alojarse, pero la comida es bastante soso. Tenía pollo inicial que estaba bien. Entonces esposo la hamburguesa que era bastante agradable y tuve el sándwich club que sabían de nada realmente, realmente no experimentados y no huevo. Es una pena, pero no prisa en volver. El personal era agradable.

Pasamos la noche en el hotel y tuvimos la cena y el desayuno como parte de una oferta. La cena era de buena calidad y bien hecho, el desayuno era muy escaso, tuvimos que pedir fruta y si estás en masas de comida indigesta, este es el lugar para ir.

Needed a quick bite and was pleasantly surprised by the excellent food and friendly service that we got at the City Cafe. Highly recommended.

Like another reviewer had an early dinner here before Hydro and it was very good. Helpful and friendly staff, good service and nice food.

Fuimos a cenar antes de una transformación en el cercano de última generación. Tenía una agradable bebida fuera con vistas al río luego comimos en el restaurante.

Super quick service and whilst the food was good it wasn't piping hot. Waiting staff were attentive without being intrusive. The restaurant was busy but we didn't feel rushed.

Went for a meal before going to a concert at the Hydro. Service was very good as was the food. Well worth going to prior to a concert

Been here previously before show & was all fine so booked again. Very quiet on the evening & I would have thought the service would have been much better than it was. I took a young man with Asperger & he said no tomatoes. The waiter said fine then I reiterated to him that there mustn't be a tomato on his plate. The plate came with a tomato on it. To most people they can just put it to the side & that would be fine but with this young man it's not fine. When I saw it on the plate I immediately said oh it's got a tomato but the waiter didn't even think oh I will take that off. I know this put him off as he didn't want to make a fuss but he onlay ate half of the rib eye steak. We then had a bit of a wait before our plates were taken bearing in mind there was many staff. We were then asked if we would like to see the desert menu which I said yes. I eventually after 10 mins had to go & ask for the desert menu to the same waiter & he didn't seem to have any recollection we were waiting for one. I'm really not impressed & I won't be back or recommend. The waiter was actually one or the managers or supervisors & as I previously said it was quite & I certainly wouldn't want to come for dinner before a show if it was busy.

Stayed at hotel and ate before a show at Hydro. All staff were friendly,with good service and menu choice. Food was well presented,hot and tasty. Good choice of wine also.

Visitamos el hotel Hilton Garden que está idealmente ubicado al lado de la hidro. Esta fue nuestra primera visita al restaurante café de té de la tarde de la muestra. Connor nuestro camarero era muy amable, atento y ofrecen un servicio excelente.

Hotel restaurants can be disappointing. This one was pretty good. I had a burger and they customized it to my liking. My partner had the veggie burger and it was good and really had plenty of veg in it. Very friendly staff. Good choice of beers and wines. Just a really good place for a simple meal done well. Prices maybe a little bit too steep for what it was.

Great place to come before going to the Hydro or SECC. Great views and food

We were spending the night in the Hilton Garden Inn so had no reason to look elsewhere for our dinner. I had the deep fried cod, my wife had a chicken curry. We shared a sweet and a bottle white Rioja. All were reasonably priced and most enjoyable and we were served by friendly, sociable staff. No complaints and neither could we complain about the breakfast in the same place. The kippers were excellent!

Restaurant very quiet but we were shown seating right next to the only other couple in the restaurant. We declined and asked for another table. Starter was very nice. My husbands main course however was fish and one portion was very good but he considered the second portion to be a re-heat. The waitress checked with the chef and was told no it was fresh. However we did get 20% of the cost of his meal deducted from the bill.

Nicely renevated restaurant. Plenty of seating and booths. Drink prices are slightly steep but you are in a hotel I suppose. Food quality was good and served fairly quickly. Meal selection and pricing was reasonable. I'll certainly use it again. Very close for sse hydro & secc venues.

Menu not the same as online menu. Waitress said she had never heard of dish I asked for and she'd worked there since last Sept and yet it's still showing online. Very drafty in cafe so you may need to keep your coat on, and scarf and gloves!

I had dinner at this restaurant while staying at the Hilton Garden Inn. The menu was a bit limited, but the hot pizza (diablo) was quite good and the hot toddy was excellent. It was a great meal and I slept great afterward :-)

Pre show dinner, the food was very tasty, well presented and served in a timely manner

We booked dinner for 6pm but disappointed that there was no chicken left. Would have thought they would have had plenty at that early time.

Excellent breakfast,full cooked buffet style , waffles, various cereals, fruit, juices, toast, pastries, yummy!!!!

I went for my sparkling afternoon tea with my friend using a Wowcher deal. I love this place and have been several times for dinner. We were given our prosecco once seated and asked if we had any dietary requirements which we didn't. The display of sandwiches and cakes when they arrived were fantastic, and they tasted as good as they looked. The only minus to our experience was the fact that after about 10 minutes we had to ask for our tea, but after we'd finished it the top ups were flowing. Overall a most enjoyable visit to the City Cafe. I'll definitely be back.

Wow, just spent £60 of my hard earned money on the worst food I have ever eaten. I received what looked and tasted like an ASDA Veggie Burger.£13 for for it and chips, nothing else.It was just awful.Do not eat here.

I visited with my partner whilst staying within the hotel, and was left wishing I had dined elsewhere. Firstly the risotto. It was bland and watery, and overall lacked in every sense. After self seasoning with a lot of salt (desparate to find flavour) there was still no flavour, we were really wishing for that intense squash to come through but sadly we were left wanting. The burger and fries were decent enough, although it is difficult to go wrong with a burger, one criticism would be that the pickle was bone dry, likely due to it being left out of its liquid. The onion rings were truly awful. The batter used was clearly too thin and had dropped off the onion on one side, causing the onion to be only half coated and that batter that remained burnt.The deserts were decent enough, although clearly from frozen.Service was terrible, over 20 minutes for our food to arrive, about the same for plates to be cleared. Lots of staff doing a good job of looking busy. For the same price you could get a much more refined dining experience on the cities sauchiehall street. Overall left bitterly dissapointed.

Exciting evening waiting to see Rod Stewart at the Hydro was enhanced by a visit to the City Cafe. The setting was fantastic and the ambience amazing. A great selection on the menu made it really difficult to choose! My mushroom starter was spoiled a little by the soggy base but the salmon was excellent. We weren't sure whether we could manage a dessert but after a short rest ...yummy! Attentive,friendly staff make a return visit a must. .

I book the Hilton whenever I go to event in Hydro or Clyde Auditorium though have used it on other occasions. Mainly because it's handy for parking, however food and service always excellent. Have recommended it to several friends.

I booked a pre-theatre deal prior to a gig at the Armadillo.3 courses for £15 was really good value.Chicken wings to start were decent. The blue cheese sauce was nice but the wings could have been spicier.Mains of chicken (again! - was in a chicken mood!) were every good - really nice sauce.Cheesecake for dessert was also great.It really is a fantastic location if you are going to the SECC / Clyde Auditorium / Hydro.

Our table was not ready at the time booked, we had to sit in the lounge for ten minutes. The table we were given was right next to a partition separating us from the kitchen. The waitress said she would bring us water and I asked for a hot water, neither arrived till we asked again. We both ordered Salmon which we were later told was no longer available. We were offered cod which we both accepted, mine was fine but my husband thought his had been lying as there was a skin on the tartar sauce . As this, along with a night at the Armadillo to see Ball & Bow, was a Birthday treat from my children it was disappointing.

Enjoyed my chicken meal but my husbands said his burger was tasty but very dry hard to eat.Resturant quite pricey also had to wait a while to be seated service slow asked for water never got it ,staff were lovely though seemed under pressure as very busy.

We keep coming back! Such a nice atmosphere, lovely decor, beautiful food, good service, outstanding staff (Lorna is a gem!) Thoroughly enjoyable and worth every penny. We will definitely be back!

I was not disappointed at the selection of lunchtime light dishes and the view of the river.It proved to be a quiet and relaxing place to eat. The waiter was attentive but not intrusive. The soup and sandwich were tasty.

Very poor choice on set menu. have been before and choice was way better. won't be back again. very disappointing for a Hilton Hotel which i have used many times in different locations.

Lovely venue for a meal or a drink. Staff very helpful and attentive. Didn't have to wait long for food or drinks. Food good and enjoyable.

Very good to eat here before a show at the SECC - they are able to serve promptly to allow you to take time to eat before a show. The set menu does not have a large choice but definitely enough to suit most people looking for a reasonable meal before a show offering a choice of two or three courses at a reasonable price and the house wine is very good too. The service was very good - I think our waitress was Noreen? - thank you she was friendly and helpful.Would definitely have a pre-show meal there again

Excellent Service and Food choice and great value

Service good .Tomato and basil soup absolutely tasteless , didn&#039;t get a plate to put bread on so had to use table ! <br />Main course good <br />Pudding was ok but not by far the best that we&#039;ve tasted <br /><br />On the plus side we all thought that the breakfast which we had there was very good with an excellent choice and good service