Damascus Drum in Scottish Borders

An accidental find when we’d missed lunch opening hours elsewhere. Needed something Coeliac-friendly, and DD did so much more! Could be in Prague, Krakow, or ….well, anywhere bookish and bohemian, DD is quirky but not kitsch. Coffee is good, mezze is great, and cake quality is very very good…and almost everything is gluten-fee (I could share a mezze platter with my gluten-loving g wife. All the cakes except one were gf). Slightly hidden away off the end of the High St, prices are decent, and its a peaceful space you could step into briefly or waste an afternoon in. Really liked the staff too! Perfect excuse for a wee trip from Edinburgh.

A rainy day and quick motorhome stopover heading south. Popped in for lunch and we were not disappointed, healthy tasty food with a Middle Eastern twist mostly vegetarian. Big pot of tea. Quirky little cafe/second hand bookshop and rugs. Dog friendly. Only gave 4 stars as there was no atmosphere, roasted veggies and Brie bagel was served cold, just the bagel toasted. Pakoras were tasty.

Whenever we come here we always get a welcome, an interesting and varied menu to choose from, fast, efficient and friendly service and delicious food. This is a quirky place and always reminds me of the lovely restaurants I remember from my travels and time in the Middle East. Highly recommend

Fantasic. Great cafe and it has lots of books so it’s quiet and you can sit and read. Did not stop for lunch. But the food looked all fresh.

Popped in for a light lunch and a coffee whilst in Hawick. Delightful, wee cafe, with friendly staff, quick service, and a quirky atmosphere, as you eat surrounded by the secondhand books the cafe also sells. I had a brie and grilled peppers bagel, which comes with a good helping of fresh salad, and an americano coffee, which came to £9.60, which seemed reasonable for what was on offer. I will, most likely, be back.

The only dog friendly cafe we could find in Hawick; also the bagels were delicious and the quirky interior gave a great atmosphere.

Good food good service amazing menu 5 star experience will go again if passing through area on holiday in the future, it is also very cosy and quiet which is good I recommend.

We loved this café in a hidden-away street. The walls are covered in carpets and books. The filled bagels came with salad and were delicious. The highlight was chocolate guinness cake!

Although this is a relatively small establishment, we were able to arrange tables for a family of ten. The staff were helpful, the food was good and the place had a pleasant atmosphere. Highly recommended!

A brief visit to Hawick found me returning to ‘ the Drum ‘ for lunch. I enjoyed an excellent bowl of sweet potato soup served in pleasant surroundings with a good vibe. I’ll be back!

Welcoming, independent and unique cafe, up a hidden backwater, serving a selection of Middle Eastern style foods/meze and filled bagels, soups, etc with a great range of fresh homemade baking. We shared a colourful meze platter with a creamy baba ganoush, hummus, roasted peppers, feta and Kalamata olives, roasted tomatoes, pastrami, dolmades and freshly toasted pittas. Full of books you are encouraged to browse while eating or drinking. Beautiful kilims also for sale. The most quirky and intriguing place to eat in Hawick. The Turkish coffee is divine!

A wonderful cafe worth finding off the main road. Very human friendly and dog friendly. Great food. Great range of books in house.

Never been disappointed, lunch specials and an amazing range of cakes, great coffee, lovely owners. Not cheap but worth it.

Dog friendly, has vegan food, lots of fascinating books at a reasonable price and a great old atmosphere with friendly staff,

lovely staff, delicious food - main courses with middle eastern twist and cakes to die for, unique location - an unexpected treasure in the heart of Hawick.

I had read reviews on the Drum which sounded very encouraging and we were not disappointed at all. As a person in a wheelchair it's a little difficult to get in but once inside it was very pleasant. The staff were very polite and welcoming and the menu was just what we wanted and we settled for toasties and coffee which were both very good indeed. So on our next trip to the Borders we would certainly return to the Drum. Dave

A combination of second hand bookshop and mainly middle Eastern lunches (also serves toasties, cakes etc) Extremely yummy food and fantastic atmosphere. I will be back

Lovely spot. Lots of books. Great cake nice quiet music. Just a nice place to be. We took the dog in.

Poor attitude of staff- no welcome or helpful information given. Given small table for 4 of us, which we were motioned to. No food available (other than cake ) after 2.15.

We were recommended this Cafe by a local butcher and we were not disappointed. We had the Meze to share and the only thing missing was the sunshine. We also bought a book called Damascus Drum written by the owner which we look forward to...

We are moving to Hawick in the New Year and had been pottering around the town to get to know it. I spotted this cafe when heading to the Heart of Hawick cafe and thought it looked so interesting and cosy that we should try...

Stopped in for a coffee en route from Dumfries to Lindisfarne and ended up staying over two hours. Gorgeous home-made broccoli and Stilton soup. Mixed meze . Chocolate and Guinness cake, carrot cake and very nice coffee. And plenty of books to browse (and buy)....

Not been for a while. Had a mezza plate to share coffee and a soft drink all very nice decided to have some cake to take away as visiting friends. I know things have been tough in the trade but the the bill was rather...

A cafe that has books and rugs as well as good food. The cafe is tucked away down a narrow alleyway and we sat outside overlooking the Slitrig water. Good coffee and interesting lunches.

We had a lovely lunch here on a Saturday. We got there 12ish and managed to get a table straight away, which was lucky and lots of tables were reserved. We ordered the mixed Mezze for two, which was excellent. A little bit of different...

This is a great little restaurant/coffee shop, very quirky with great food. At least it has been since we moved to Hawick 3 years ago and until Lockdown we visited quite regularly and I’ve posted a number of 5 star reviews at regular intervals. Until...

What a great find! This little cafe is tucked away down a side street near the heritage centre, we found it by accident and had planned to eat lunch at the heritage centre cafe and am very glad we detoured! The cafe also sells books...

Lovely atmosphere, friendly people and delicious food. Walls filled with an array of interesting books, Turkish culture and hand made carpets. Left after a yummy lunch and could resist buying some books. Very much recommended.

Our first visit, since the beginning of the year, and like a previous reviewer, we’ve missed this excellent Coffee shop/Restaurant. Quirky, charming, friendly with the most interesting dishes you could hope to taste, always different but always delicious and the coffee is perfect. We had...

My favourite cafe in Hawick and have missed it so much. The subtle partitions enhanced the cosy atmosphere. I had to question the cost (£2.90 for latte and carrot cake) but was told that the cafe was part of the gov 50% off scheme. Absolute...

The food was good but the grumpy cook ruined our 1st and last visit. She was hostile towards the girl at the front. A customer tried to converse and she was just really grumpy, perhaps a bad day but it was tense. In these days...

Almost Zen, this cafe/restaurant is slightly out of the way near the Hub of Hawick, but my goodness, what a find !The food is delicious, the atmosphere very calm and the ambiance and service peaceful.Well worth finding and reasonable prices and an interesting menu

To our lovely surprise after departuring a magnificent library theatre learning via about Scottish family history including North American anestrical tree roots. We had some local advice to try some brunch at this cafe bookshop. To my our beloved surpise the collect of books were mouthwatering plus with local supplied Arabic coffee. Worth the trip . Have a try taste: The weather good's of ground coffee.

Informal, friendly and Very good light food. Home baking, home made soups, sandwiches and superb "artisan" breads are all I have personally tried (but there is more avail) and really do recommend them. It is in the Town centre, but not on the High Street (plus point!), near the "Heart of Hawick" and well sign posted. For a slightly different eating experience, (those with a sweet tooth will love the baking), if not, there is still plenty of choice!

We’ve been here a few times now and believe me it’s really well worth visiting, it’s a lovely location and very friendly with really economical varied and tasty food. All this in a cosy, environment. Highly recommended

Our first visit following a recommendation Lovely and quirky place The Smoked Haddock chowder and mezze plates were lovely

this is an amazing gem tucked away in the centre of Hawick (not visible from the main road). I have been a number of times. Food is interesting, well-priced. Coffee is very good, wide range of options including decaff. It is more like sitting in a friend's house than being in a cafe as there are bookshelves of secondhand books for sale and also oriental rugs for sale and papers to read. Very unpressured, relaxed atmosphere.

We found this place by using trip advisor...it did not disappoint. We had a nice cup of coffee with ‘hot’ milk and eggs and toast. We truly enjoyed the comfortable setting...on a rainy day taking our time was exactly what we planned for the day.

Lovely wee place that was very welcoming and also welcomed our dogs which is great when out and about! Coffees were great but hot chocolate was amazing. Even the dogs got a drink. Staff helpful and friendly.

Great atmosphere, really allows you to unwind and relax with a book and a coffee. Totally recommend for anyone. The turkish coffee and bagels were brilliant.

Il locale è molto carino e d'atmosfera: legno, tappeti e divani rendono il tutto molto accogliente. Ottimi i bagels e le cakes.

We visited at lunchtime, had gluten free toasties and coffee. The coffee was hot, as it should be! Toasty was very tasty, served with a wee salad which was even dressed, a nice touch and we appreciated attention to the smaller details. Recommend strongly.

Great mix of the traditional and middle eastern style food.

We had a lovely cup of afternoon tea here while keeping out of the rain in Hawick - eclectic mix of books and Persian carpets for sale - comfy chairs as well as conventional tables

We’ve been here a few times now and believe me it’s really well worth visiting, it’s a lovely location and very friendly with really economical varied and tasty food. All this in a cosy environment. Highly recommended

A very nice little hide away café in the centre of Hawick ,good home made soup is a great treat on a cold day with bread to die for , great friendly staff who aim to please , and the book choice is fab x

Was taken to this wonderful venue yesterday, and oh my goodness what a treat! Love the decor and ambience and happy friendly staff. It is so my kind of place inducing a warm feeling of happiness. Had a shared large plate mezze which was simply divine, and excellent value.

Haven’t had lunch here for ages so good to see quality still gets full marks. Broccoli and Stilton soup was delicious as was the ploughman’s panini. The staff here are always cheerful and friendly and make an awesome coffee - what more can you ask?

Popped in for a coffee and cake today. Beautiful little cafe with books for sale. Cakes were home made and coffee was excellent. A little oasis just off a decaying high street with too many establishments attempting to impersonate coffee shops. Keep up the good work, catch up soon.

Really cozy place and the scrambled egg and salmon is worth the wait. The quality of the coffee was superb.

A fabulous place for coffee, home made cakes and lunches. Brilliant atmosphere and friendly staff. A great find!

I went for some late lunch with family. Cuppa tea nice. Not happy with food tasteless and very bland. Will go back but Just for cuppa or coffee.

Great coffee, delicious cakes, friendly service and, worst of all, books! All sorts of second hand books. I rarely leave without an addition to my library.

I have lunch here probably more than once a month on average, and usually a cream cheese bagel and salad. It can be up and down, and it was on the down yesterday, Very little cheese in the bagel and no dressing on the salad, I should have asked for this is to be seen to, but as this has happened before ...... I did comment on this before leaving. Owners please take note!

We visited this lovely place tucked away in a corner of Hawick. My friend had a meze plate which looked great, and disappeared quickly, and I had scotch broth with homemade bread, which was really tasty. Will definitely visit again when next in Hawick.

Had the pastrami and tomato panini and it was genuinely great. Amazing seasoned to perfection. Staff were friendly and the eclectic style (cafe/book shop/rug shop) added to a friendly atmosphere.

Yummy cake & tea perfect for a quick stop. It’s a bit tricky to find & find parking but with a short walk . You can thumb through books while you wait for your tea

Cosy little cafe up a quiet side lane with a warm local welcome. Homemade soup and sandwiches etc. with a good selection of meals on offer. Well worth a visit rather than any of the large chains around town.

We’ve just moved to Hawick and having read good reviews of the Damascus Drum we decided to visit as soon as we could.

作為當地人 我很少參訪當當地的餐館或咖啡店 但這真的是值得來的小咖啡館 有好吃的貝果 加上美妙的餐點 店內裝潢超棒

Friendly staff, always welcoming. Great selection of cakes on offer or if you want something more substantial, their menu offers great food, well recommended.

The quality of this coffee sets a very high bar. The food is simple and very nice and the service is quiet, friendly and professional. This is a peaceful place, where the calming atmosphere helps slow down time. We paid at the end, because it was almost impossible to avoid ordering a second coffee.

It's great here, a great addition to Hawick. The food & coffee is great and the chai latte was delicious. This is our new 'go to' place in Hawick. More cafés should be like this.

What a lovely little cafe. Thoroughly enjoyed our visit late one afternoon. The coffee was lovely and there was a bookshop where you could buy books.

Lovely furnishings, including a Chesterfield sofa. Extensive menu with lots of veggie options and everything cooked to order. Daily specials too. Simply don't understand the negative reviews. The loo has always been spotless in my visits and it clearly states on the door that it's cash or cheque with 3 cashpoints within 50 metres. Ignore the few negative comments and visit this treasure!

We had lunch at this delightfully quirky cafe with proper homemade food and excellent service. Loved the atmosphere - humming with locals and booklined shelves from which to choose a good read with coffee and brilliant cake. Most unusual with bags of character.

Once again an excellent lunch in here, haven't been in for a while now but so glad i came back in, 1st class.

Really nice atmosphere in the Damascus Drum, relaxed and peaceful. Coffee according to my husband was really good and my cup of tea actually had plenty of flavour. I try and avoid drinking tea or coffee when I go out as past experiences have not been good. Would definitely return here. Also the cakes were lovely, light and tasty.

Three of us with dog visited after a local recommendation. Plenty of tasty offerings. Soup with panini was super. And sure enough the cakes ( made by locals) are extremely good. Chocolate and Guinness with a butter cream topping was particularly tasty. No complaints either from carrot cake or the blueberry cake. The place is up Silver street. Rugs on walls , wooden chairs and tables with a warm friendly unobtrusive ambience from customers and staff alike. There is a second hand bookshop inside too for that extra long break.

So chilled, welcoming and cozy on a rainy day! The perfect place to read a book or sit and chat. I love it! This is my third visit and I will be returning many times in the future. Oh! and the food and coffee is pretty delicious too xx

Favourite place in Hawick to have a relaxed lunch on Saturday with the weekend papers. I always have the same because it’s so good - a delicious plate of mezze with roast veg, stuffed vine leaves, babaganoush, houmous and salad. They also serve excellent coffee and cake to follow.

Favourite place in Hawick to have a relaxed lunch on Saturday with the weekend papers. I always have the same...

Lovely cozy wee place tucked up a side street. Good coffee tasty menu for a light lunch nice atmosphere well worth finding.

Good food, great atmosphere, friendly staff what more could you ask for. It's all here and at a good price

Lovely little place and catered for my coeliac needs too! Gluten free breads bagels and soups and fillings available and fine coffee is amazing

Tucked away just off the end of the high street we were lucky to happen across this place. We'd already walked out of one restaurant as couldn't find anything we wanted to eat on the menu. Damascus Drum was perfect! Eclectic decor and surrounded by books with a surprisingly diverse menu. Veggie burgers were home made and delicious with a fresh salad, pitta and dip. Lovely coffee and fantastic cakes. Something for everyone on the menu (including vegan and lots of veggie options). Saved the day for us.

This café recommended by local certainly did not disappoint. Tucked away but well worth seeking out. We had mixed meze for two, which had a bit of everything - all of which was tasty. Reasonably priced, and available any time through the day. Will definitely visit again.

Unpretentious cafe, surrounded by books and lovely rugs (what's not to like) and the haddock chowder was worth a visit...

Cosy combined cafe and bookshop near Hawick's Main Street. We enjoyed excellent beef chilli, pastrami and cheese bagels and espresso....

A friendly and very welcoming small restaurant with staff to compliment there first class customer care and service and menu's.

Still good. Had very good soup, and one of our party had a mixed mezes plate. Followed by coffee and...

We came to Hawick on a whim not knowing the place. This cafe is in a quiet street off town centre. Name suggested something exotic and inside was appealing. We had a vegetarian burger and a cheese and pickle toasty each with salad. Cook had the skill to make both meals incredibly tasty owing to carefully chosen and mixed ingredients. The mocha coffees were amongst the best we had tasted as well. Seating was quite Bohemian and welcoming along side rows of books. It is really worth finding this place for anyone looking to eat in Hawick.

Great coffee and food, plenty vegetarian choices in a cosy comfy setting with the added treat of books and rugs...

We popped into Damascus Drum for coffee, lovely drinks and a great range of books to browse while you quaff! Also they gave a warm welcome to our dog, finding him a lovely bowl of water and couldn't have been kinder.

I came in here for a late lunch after a hike. Service was friendly and the range of food is good, meze and bagels and cake. Soft drinks include Dandelion and Burdock! I had a bagel, which came with salad and crisps. The setting is a bookshop, so the tables have short stories on the written by the staff and there are books to buy. Given the surrounding countryside, I was seated in the John Buchan section.

I was in Hawick at the Townhouse Museum last week with a couple of friends, visiting from Australia, and the Damascus Drum was suggested for a light lunch and what a successful suggestion this turned out to be. The Smoked Haddock Chowder, from the special board, was delicious in quaint surroundings. Everything is a bit squeezed in but overall this was very good lunch experience. Without a bit of guidance we would not have found the cafe as it is tucked down a small side street.

We went to Damascus Drum for lunch and were not disappointed. Having only had drinks and cake before we were keen to try the lunchtime menu. I ordered the veggie chilli, and my lunch companion the burger. My chilli came with bread, cheese and salad on the side, it was a huge bowlful of tasty(but not too hot-spice wise) chilli, packed with veg and beans. I could not in fact finish the bowl and took the remaining old home with me. The burger was declared very good too. We left stuffed full, but with two pieces of cake(a slice of Chocolate and Stout, and a Pistachio one too) for when we did feel able to eat again!Service as usual was great.

A great little place to meet friends, you can get an amazing lunch or sit all afternoon with a cappuccino! It has-as I suppose it tries to- an almost foreign,exotic feel. It sells quality second hand books and somewhat bizarrely-Persian rugs which all add to the relaxed, quirky atmosphere. The service is great,so is the food! Hidden away at the opposite end of the High Street from 'Ken the horse' I can only tell visitors it is worth seeking out. I dare say us locals are already devotees!

It is fair to say that not many people would mistake Hawick for a Mediterranean town. Step inside the Damascus Drum, however, and you enter a different world. The menu is really interesting, based around Middle Eastern or Mediterranean dishes, which are varied and generous in size. These are light lunches, but for coffee and tea the place would be a great find too. The atmosphere is quite unique, as it is described as a bookshop, but it's hard to see how you could browse to buy while people are sitting up against the stacks of books - I like to think of it as a converted library. Maybe at less busy times the shop bit works well. For the purposes of this review I'm just concentrating on the food, which was delicious and a real culture shock given the location.

Produits de qualité dans un établissement avec une personnalité. Bagels, Mezzes, soupe de Haddock fumé, brownies. Possibilité d'être à l'extérieur. Rue piétonne.

Super little cafe worth seeking out!Between three of us we had a panini, veggie chilli and salmon salad. All generous portions of home cooked wholesome tasty food nicely presented. My only regret is being too full for cake!Definitely one to come back to for the great food and relaxing atmosphere. Would cheerfully pop in here on my own and enjoy lunch or a coffee and a good book.

This cafe/ bookshop was perfect for a coffee break. Such a friendly atmosphere and so many books. Hot chocolate was lovely too. Highly recommend a visit here.

The Damascus Drum is one of those little gems of the beaten track. The food us good, the staff are inviting and the atmosphere is always pleasant and restful. Every time I am in Hawick I find myself here and I have never left disappointed. Filled with stories, you should make sure that it's on your stop off list when you're in the area.

Lovely soup and tapas or other lunch items. A bit cramped but it all adds to the atmosphere.Good value.

Popped in to get a couple of slices of cake to take out. Have been in before but only for tea and coffee(which my brother really rated as "great coffee". I chose a slice of parsnip, coconut and lime cake(for me) and one of chocolate Guinness cake(for my brother). My treat was really very good, moist, flavourful with great texture, the cream cheese topping really was the icing on the cake. My brother assures me his cake was fabulous. Damascus Drum is the only place my brother(who has a local business) will recommend to people looking for a cuppa, or quick bite to eat. The interior is quirky, and intimate and always seems to have a nice atmosphere, whether it's rammed with customers or not. Definitely worth seeking out this hidden gem* I go whenever I am visiting the Borders.*The coffee shop is relatively hard to find as it's not on the main stretch of the High St. Don't be put off by this, ask a local if necessary, you will not regret it!

Today's soup choices were delicious. Chinese chicken and Lebanese chick pea, served with tasty brown bread and butter. Good portions lovely chunky homemade soup. Relaxed comfortable surroundings. A super café tucked away but certainly worth discovering. Give it a go, you won't be disappointed.

Firstly i would have given it the usual five star rating but on this occasion its four stars simply because the soup i ordered was forgotten about and when i asked i could clearly see she had forgot, then 1 minute after it came my hot main meal came and it sat getting cold. Both the soup and the main were delicious though.

Visit every time we visit Hawick and we are never, ever disappointed. Food is always tasty, fresh and brilliant value. Could easily have had more lattes, some of the best I've ever had Please visit this little gem.

Popped in with some colleagues for a light lunch and was really happy with results. Staff are welcoming, interesting and varied menu - the pastrami bagel was excellent - and a really nice atmosphere. It was obvious locals just popped in to chill out for a bit too. Inexpensive for the good quality.Good location in the centre of town too.

Initially a little disappointed when we walked down the Main Street here (sorry, Hawick devotees) looking for a lunch stop. Then we found this quirky cafe cum bookstore and all was sunshine!There's an interesting menu with lots of tasty sounding bagels.We had:Spicy sweet potato soup with bread and a feta and roasted tomato bagel with a generous portion of very fresh salad.All was delicious. Service was friendly and efficient. There's lots to look at and extracts from their 'writer in residence' works on each table.Definitely worth looking out for their sign board.