The Henry Bell in Argyll & Bute

A well run ‘spoons with quick service and the usual good value meals and drinks. Had a lovely crispy fish and chips, wish my locally chippy could do it so well. Excellent.

Friday night bar was really busy one member of staff dealing with the bar while 3 where dealing with the app glasses and plates lying all around eventually walked out

There should be separate tills for people ordering food. Or maybe there should be table service for meals.

Good breakfast and the free coffee refills make it good value. Ordered on app and food came quickly Helpful staff. Will be returning soon

Nice pub in the harbour at Oban Scotland

One of the worst food experiences I've ever had, and I was in the F&B industry for 50yrs plus,,,

Chips are not as good as normal but OK

The food was good I got chicken masala with garlic naan. A wide selection of drinks and a very helpful staff.

We enjoyed meal and a beer here. The Katsu curry was on point. Beer was ice cold. Decent spoons

best prices so far on our journey!

Needs a proper clean and staff have a poor attitude. Tables always need clearing.

Great place for a drink and some food, we were there Sunday afternoon and was not that busy, plenty of seating to choose from, also we're more families there.

50 minutes wait for fast(ish) food not brilliant. Sorry but this is one spoons we wont be back to.

Food was good, and brought out within a reasonable time. The girl serving at the bar clearly doesn’t like her job though, very cranky and not very welcoming to customers.

Nice weatherspoons. Food was good as was the service. Good sized bar and the bonus was the gents wasn't miles away. All in very good.

Sadly the Henry Bell is a hit or miss as far as food is concerned, and while the majority of the staff are friendly and attentive, there's one or two members of staff who should not be working in this industry. Always new staff most weeks, there seems to be a difficulty retaining staff, why ? Btw the Captain James Wetherspoons in Dumbarton is so much better. Quality of staff food and service at the bar. It's almost like two different companies

One of Witherspoon's better in terms of food.

Just like every other Wetherspoons great value food and drink.

1st time here but was surprised how big it was no complaints on food

Had to wait 30 minutes for an order of 2 breakfast muffins. It was not busy. Can't understand why it takes so long.?

Excellent service staff excellent

Nice place but there was hardly any tables free as they hadn't been cleared of plates, glasses etc because of being busy.

My daughter and I visited here today, lots of unclean tables, a long wait at bar and dirty toilets . More experienced staff needed.

Food. Was brilliant ok prices food was served quick and presented well. Service. Was good. Atmosphere. Was good loads of people cramed in though

Massively under staffed which caused long waiting times for drinks etc.poor bar staff wher run ragged and stressed....more staff required

Horrible experience here, a bloke who was around 6”3 decided to have a go at someone u was with, was really rude and showed no respect after a simple question he got cheeky. Wouldn’t recommend

Very reasonable prices and good atmosphere

Food and beer good value and pub has a nice feel about it.

Nice pub,good beer and good prices .

Staff helpful food is a bit hit and miss though at times prices ate fair

It's a Wetherspoons. Cheap and the tables are always dirty! What's more to say?

Ok to meet up, cheap drinks and food, sevice on busy times is always slow, pick your times to go !!

Ah the BENRY HELL always wear a full emersion wet suit on before putting your arms on the tables. It beats drinking cyder, hidden in a brown bag, on a park bench. The floor picture is from a more recent visit Feb 2024. Pictures of gristley steak, sometimes they are good, but it's roulette. Eggs benedict with hard yokes and dry, over-cooked, rubbery scrambled egg. Picture of gourmet steak's mushroom and a 2p coin. Says it all! Where you go to drink cheap alcohol and food. No other reason springs to mind to me; and as you can see from the pictures, the gristle on the steak (ordered as rare and came as blue) has to have some kind of award. For goodness sake chef, I mean cook, if you see this, substitute it with a decent one and fling the reject back to your supplier. Incidentally, using the app gives you some idea of how approaching a black hole slows time down. Start using it as an 18yo and by the time the order is completed online, you can draw a state pension to pay for it. Picture of the glasses were taken after drinks were delivered and the bar man, oblivious to the mess, walked away leaving them? All hail the mighty Wetherspoons staff training programme. On the upside, the booze is so cheap, I can get drunk and forget the experience before I leave.

Pizza was below average, apart from that was OK.

This place is filthy. All the tables not being used were full of dirty plates and glasses. I sat at an empty, but dirty, table. My drink arrived. Table not cleared. My food arrived. Table not cleared. The fish and chips were good, but the mushy peas had a hard crust as if they'd been plated up then shoved in an oven to heat. I was here for well over an hour and table not cleared. Left to visit ladies. All toilet bowls full of paper because the flush mechanisms are too stiff. Using both hands I managed to flush. I certainly won't be back. Worst Wetherspoon i have ever been in (and I've visited a few!).

It's a spoons, cheap and cheerful

It is what it is. For us, holidaying, it was convenient, but not really anything more. It is a typical JD, so manage your expectations.

3rd time here while visiting Helensburgh. Nice and friendly. Staff were spot on for customer service. Value for money

Had a lovely afternoon here.Very extensive inexpensive menu.Free refills of tea and coffee.They have sachets of oak milk which I have never seen before.Great service.Would recommend.

Ordered a meal at 19:38 it turned up at 20:57 and half the items were cold and some items were changed without any explanation. Seemed very understaffed and lacking leadership. Very poor experience overall.

Coffee machine empty of milk, told staff umpteen times but took forever and a day to fill, hopeless pish

It was busy at lunchtime but a 50 minute wait for food which was very average at best, is definitely not value for money. The staff were doing their best, but there were simply nowhere near enough staff to cope. One girl was serving all meals on her own. I'd never return here, and I couldn't recommend it.

good deal for brunch, comfortable seating

We asked for the well done meat. But they gave us rare.

Waited quite a while for food, even though it was relatively quiet in restaurant When food came chicken panini had 4 small squares of chicken on it, sent it back and it came back with just a couple of extra bits of chicken (been to weatherspoons plenty of times and panninis have whole breast of chicken sliced on) spoke to manager who agreed it should be a breast, gave refund for panninis but left disappointed and hunger, won't be back to this weatherspoons

Very busy but good value for money

It's a spoons, the table was dirty and never got cleaned. The food is always the same so at least you know what to expect.

Great food great service great staff

Well it's a Wetherspoons. Same as other Wetherspoons, and by that I mean it is reasonably priced ok food. It'll never be Michelin star grade but then 3 of us ate and drank for under £30! At that price you can't moan and the food was hot and tasty. The staff at this branch were very friendly and helpful and the toilets better than the standard.

Great pub, good beer and decent food. Shame the tables are often dirty and full of empty glasses

Very long pub, so long walk to disabled toilets. Was great for a breakfast. No idea what it would be like in the evening.

Food was a little overdone but edible,

Just dropped in for a cup of coffee and a blether with some friends. All was good.

Always pleasant to be in, staff are great and helpful,

This is without doubt a superior Wetherspoons in Lovely Helensburgh. Just off the waterfront on James St its very easy to find. Today i had a change and went for the american breakfast with pancakes and maple syrup. Only complaint the supposed Canadian bacon portion was really poor,small,all fat , no bacon. Otherwise quality was good as was price.

Really nothing to shout about from the outside but it’s Tardis like interior, large outdoor area and scandalously low prices beg to differ. The most spoonsy of spoons with some tiny nods to Mr Mackintosh but hard to fault.

Good service at the bar..quick,polite and attentive. 1.Table needed cleaned 2. Waited 30 minutes for burger and chips..and a brunch meal. 3.thrown down at us we got an apology for the wait..food was dry and rubbish. 4.suppose if you pay cheap you get cheap . 5. Wont be back

Enjoy scotch breakfast or brunch

Great day for a train journey 😀

Lovely food. Good quick service. Staff friendly and helpful

Have never visited this location in Helensburgh, hence the low review score as it would be right to review an establishment without being there in-person?🤔👌🏻

First time in here one of the best I've been in

Food disappointing compared to other weatherspoons pubs I've visited

Meet some old chums here on occasion. Service is always good, food is okay. Always busy but can usually find a table because it's a very big pub.

Cheap and tasty Guinness made for a nice evening despite a number of other taps being out of action.

Probably one of the better Wetherspoons that I've been to. Service was quick and friendly, app easy to use. The environment was great and was easy to get a seat. The breakfast was as tasty as you'd expect and everything was correct. Will definitely be back.

Great service. Staff are lovely

Used to visit here every week and always enjoyed the good food, low prices and friendly staff. Well that is all gone, certainly by our experience today. Steak and Kidney pudding, chips and peas was no more that a child’s portion. Pie was more of a rock and they were returned. Staff could not care less and there weren’t enough of them. Prices have rocketed. Won’t be going back.

Decent place to grab a value bite to eat and drink

Good breakfast at a great price

We came here after a date for a couple drinks the waiter was rude she said nothing and slammed our drinks on the table this girl needs to learn some manners I’m only 18 myself and know how to treat people and put on a smile but that’s obviously something the people at this place need to learn

Great pub grub ,the breakfast are fantastic

I have now visited a few times and there is a definite Tardis-feel to this site. It looks small from the outside, but is a lot larger than you think on the inside. Usual quality for a breakfast and nice, friendly staff.

It's a Spoon's! This is probably the best Spoon's I've ever been to. The food was good, the staff were excellent, the food was excellent and the pub was speckless. Great local beers too.

Went for breakfast hot tasty quick service son hubby had Scottish breakfast I had American breakfast staff lovely liked how it was decorated ladies toilets lovely as usual upstairs but wasn't a hike

I had a steak on a "Steak special " day. It was the worst piece of steak that I have ever tried to eat. The chips were nice though !!!!

Good for a few pints close to parents house

The food left a lot to be desperate the haddock was far from good the batter on the fish was not crunchy or crisp the best was the mushy peas. The service was fine. Would I return I don't think so

Good selection of food and drinks with friendly service.

They won't serve you a mixed drink if they feel the alcohol is too strong. Wanted an apple jack daniels fireball mule and was told they could not serve. Scotland the free no more since this is the first time I can't buy this drink.

Everything you need in a wetherspoons

Spoons #148 off a side street from the Helensburgh prom. A retreat from the rain it was lovely and warm Quite a buzz as a coach load from the midlands had just landed Made for a good atmosphere Service was swift considering how busy, nice chap efficient clearing tables and waiting on Nice pudding

Great value food. Meal was perfect. Service very quick. Lovely clean premises. Will return again .

We have visited twice on one day ( breakfast and lunch) first visit was absolutely okay. But on the second visit the waitress was very rude, it was somewhat balanced out by a very nice waiter.

Its Wotherspoons. You know what to expect, you know what you're getting. Good size pizza, great selection of beers, no strongbow cider yet. Great building, and it's so much bigger inside than what you expect from the external view.

I ordered chicken, mash,peas n gravy but wrong order came..the guy checked it n said the girl read order back to me but she read back what l ordered..the meal l got had garlic mayo (l don't like garlic) and coleslaw what happened to the days where the customer is always right very disappointed with the reaction l got go into weather spoons every where l go but never been treated like that...l KNOW WHAT l ORDERED 😭

Great for drinks friendly atmosphere

It's a Witherspoon, so you know exactly what you are getting - incredible value and consistent food. Very big and never had a problem getting a table even when busy. With the app, you get your drinks faster than going to the bar too.

What a let down, not a fan of wetherspoons, but with family so went. Ordered 3 soups followed by main courses. We waited over half an hour, then suddenly main courses appeared, we said we ordered starters, soup, they're answer was we don't do starters, well clearly soups come before mains, but they said they don't do starters, anyone with COMMON SENSE would say oh they've ordered soup, hold back on the mains. So in general the usual wetherspoons standards. POOR.

Good breakfast for a Saturday morning

Great place to have a casual meal and drink. Meal was of the usual good quality. Good selection of drinks. Venue makes great use of MacIntosh style décor and full of memorabilia photos of Helensburgh in the distant past. Busy (for a Wed evening) but there's always plenty of space. Wetherspoon's seems to have cleaned up its act, literally, so everywhere very clean and hygienic. Prices are very, very competitive, as ever. Staff helpful and very pleasant. Recommended.

Great breakfast, value for money, staff friendly and clean restaurant. Will be back.

Don’t get me wrong food is fantastic but my friends and I felt intimidated by a male member of staff, my friend and I where sitting at the table waiting for our monster drinks as we’re all over 16, and the waiter asked for our IDs which is absolutely fine as we understand needing to check the age. One of my friends didn’t have her ID and didn’t order a monster anyway, but the staff member who is the ‘Team Leader’ kept persisting and joked around. He joked that we would make him “loose his job” and when my friend joking said it was worth it his demeanour changed and said that she should leave and as his demeanour changed my friend stop joking with him and apologised and said she was just kidding and he remarked still in a serious tone about how that got her attitude to change and when she repeated that she was only joking he said that he was also joking, whilst keeping his harsh demeanour then walked off without an out word. We are all teenage females and he is a 6ft ish tall man looking over us whilst we were sat, you can see how intimidating this would be. Very disappointed, especially as he is the team leader.

We both visited this wetherspoons on Friday May 26th while in the area, the decor is between a Charles Ronnie mackintosh theme and a John Logie baird theme, the staff were pleasant and helpful, the toilets were clean enough so overall no complaints and we both would visit again when in the area.

Appalling service. Staff couldn't care less. Burger came without advertised fillings. No apology, just told thet did not have fillings. I asked for another sauce and was told by a member if staff that I woukd have to pay for this. Thus member of staff was rude and unhelpful. No understanding that if you do not serve what is stated on the menu, that you should at least explain to the customer. Left hungry and very disapointed.

I visited this one today. just to get a Hot drink since its £1.20 and you get refills free. There was a good number of people in and many were having breakfasts. from what I seen of the plates they were going back empty. I had a problem with the machine not given a full cup. I told a member of the staff and straight away he came to the machine took a look. I took my part cup to a table and after a few minutes he came with a full cup and replaced my part cup. The place was clean, and I had no problems with the staff at all. I have been in a number of Wetherspoon's and have not seen nor had any problem with them.

I go to the Henry bell on a Saturday every other week and the food is always a disappointment I know that this is not fine dining but at least cooked or not over cooked would be nice, the chef seems to not understand the difference. So obviously the food team don't understand how to prep or deliver the menu. Always a disappointment.

Okay, it was a sunny day so a day out was planned, but certainly it was a bad day to eat at this Wetherspoon's. Yes, there's a pandemic so they were probably short staffed. We allowed for this but not for the cold meals which were finally set before us. I had ordered a small haddock and chips. There were plenty cold chips and peas, but the haddock was posted missing. The portion was so small it had disappeared into a bit of hard overcooked batter. The meal came along with a soft drink. I opted for tea instead. When my already cold meal was served I was then told tea was self service. Nobody directed me to where the machine was, and I finally had to ask another staff member. Given that everything was table service, due to COVID Restrictions, I found this aspect, where anyone in the restaurant could use a touch screen and serve themselves, quite bizarre and off-putting. Fortunately I carry my own hand sanitizer! It's a long time since I last had a meal out and when I am prepared to dine out again, I shall certainly avoid Wetherspoon's!

Called in for some lunch whilst on a coach tour and we ordered fried buttermilk chicken burger and chips. Both the chicken and chips were tasteless even after putting loads of salt and vinegar on them. Very disappointed

For part of a national chain, The Henry Bell is a pretty decent pub / restaurant. The food is what you would expect, but it is well cooked and presented by helpful and efficient staff. OK, it's not fine dining, but it's honest food at a very reasonable price. A good selection of drinks at a good price too. A good place for a drink or informal meal.