Hummingbird

I’ve visited Hummingbird for their cocktails and 2−4−1 burgers a few times now. Since it’s near my office it makes for a nice slightly fancier lunch spot when meeting friends. Their burgers are nice although the quality varies when you visit. I am a fan of the Crackerjack, but having tried other burgers like the Lamb one, I have noticed that their burgers are often a bit over cooked and dry. Burgers don’t come with any sides (let’s be honest, a little bowl of coleslaw won’t hurt anyone!) and the food always takes ages to get served! I’m usually there at lunch time, and the place is rather empty, yet it still takes 20 – 30 mins to get food served. Otherwise, the staff are friendly and nice. When I’ve had problems with food they served they were helpful and adjusted the bill/.served a replacement dish. Also — their cocktails are delicious!

I’ve been to hummingbird a few times, but this review is based purely on my Christmas lunch experience.
Went the other day for my works lunch. 3 course meal deal for just under 20 quid.
I had soup, turkey dinner and cheesecake.
The soup was decent. Think it was parsnip, but not sure. The main was lukewarm at best, with a gravy that was practically see through. This of us who chose that option all found this to be the case. Disappointing. The cheesecake was more gelatine than cheese as well. Bland.
It wasn’t very busy, yet the service was pretty poor as well.
Pretty much a normal G1 experience for me…

A solid bar on Bath Street.
Had it booked for a sizeable party for a birthday, and though we were a bit underwhelmed with the meal (portion was the principal issue) the service was great and the cocktails amazing; was really impressed with my cocktails, in particular the zombies (yes: plural). Was surprised to find some were even half price on a Friday night.
The décor is purty, with comfy couches and other funky seating areas spread across what is a much bigger space inside than I was expecting.
Plenty of other places to end up on Bath Street, but this would not be the worst place you could end up. Just be prepared for swarms of younger ladies dolled up to the max, for better or worse.

This was better than I expected. I’d always seen their deals on Groupon and such, but was never overly impressed with the menu; general pub grub. But, my mate picked up a deal and I’m never one to knock back a free feed.
Situated in one of the many reinvented, 3 storey townhouses on Bath St, you’re not quite sure when coming through the doors, whether you’re following the stairs right up, or head right, in to the the bar-​come-​Dom dungeon. The dungeon looked appealing so we veered right. Thankfully, we’d chosen wisely and were directed to our pre-​booked table by a cheery waitress.
The deal was two mains and two glasses of Prosecco, and as the waitress came to take out food order she didn’t come empty handed! Good girl. Now, I really was torn, because I’d worked myself in to the mood for s burger, but our dining companions across the way had very delicious smelling fajitas. In the end, cravings won out and I went for the burger. Im glad about my choice. Perfectly cooked patty, sesame brioche (!) and a nice slice of beef tomato. Crispy fries accompanied.
We decided to have one more drink to accompany our window side judging, and were shown the list of half price cocktails. Once again, my friend and I picked matching selections and had a deliciously fruity, gin based cocktail.
I’m quite looking forward to another deal on somewhere as next time I’m definitely trying the fajitas. My only bug bear is the lighting. As atmospheric as it is, I do quite like to see what I’m eating, so some extra table listing wouldn’t go amiss.

This is a somewhat overdue review — we visited here for a friends birthday a couple of months ago. He’d hired a room for karaōke for two hours and for £20 pp we got an evening buffet and ½ a bottle of wine. Sounded like a good deal and when we arrived our friends were having a drink downstairs as the room wasn’t ready yet, so by the time we got in it was a good 20 minutes later than our booking.
The staff were really helpful initially — getting us set up with booze and food, and I was well impressed by the amount and selection of dishes. They were really generous and we struggled to finish all the food. What I tried of the wine was really nice as well — taking the price into consideration.
The downsides were that the karaōke options seemed outdated and a lot of them had really strange clips with them instead of the actual video clip. Now I’ve never done karaōke before so I’m definitely no expert but our friends commented that it wasn’t up to the normal standard of really up to date tunes. The room was meltingly hot and we had to keep the door ajar, which meant we could hear the booth next door which had their door open as well. There were sound problems between the microphone volume and the music as well.
Right on 9pm someone came to turf us out the room — which would have been ok apart from the fact we’d been let in 20 minutes late. The staff seemed really annoyed at this and didn’t seem to be able to accept they owed us that extra time which left a really negative impression on me and knocked another star off the experience. I liked the idea of the night and having a private room was a lot more fun than I expected, but the execution wasn’t impressive.

As a Edinburgh lass coming to Glasgow, I was excited to try out a new bar. I went here for my friends hen night, so it’s probably a different experience for someone who is just coming here for drinks or clubbing. The bridesmaids had organised the whole afternoon/​evening amazingly and they commented on how polite and helpful the staff where throughout the whole experience.
I’m not sure how the package was sold/​created, but we each paid £50 each. That included a cocktail making class, two cocktails, a healthy buffet and half a bottle of wine each. There were 13 of us altogether. I did think it was a little steep, but maybe some of the money went towards presents for the hen?
We arrived there at 5pm on a Saturday afternoon, greeted and seated then taken down into the basement (which turns into a club and is open till 3am) to learn how to make our own cocktails of our choice. This was fun and we had the whole room to ourselves! They took us in pairs behind the bar and the cocktail girl instructed us through each measure. After drinking our very own cocktails (I made a Raspberry Daiquiri — delish!) we were taken upstairs to the top level for the buffet. I must point out that this bar/​club is sited within a tenement style building with many rooms set up for functions, some small for private dining parties and some bigger for the likes of us! It was a little confusing at first, all these rooms, stairs (!) and different interior styles — but I soon got my bearings.
Upstairs was a mezzanine over the main bar (which was now filling up with Saturday night drinkers) with banquet seating and 3 hanging basket chairs, which were really cool! Our healthy buffet (the hen is a super health freak) was laid on by the Hummingbird, which consisted of grilled chicken, lamb balls, wedges and veg sticks and dips. All very nice, fresh and clean tasting but there wasn’t enough for all 13 of us and most people were left still feeling a little hungry. So that wasn’t ideal, especially when you need a good food layer to soak up the drinking ahead! We were then offered our second cocktail (made by the bar staff this time) which were delivered to our function room. The staff couldn’t be faulted really. The wine, however was cheap and undrinkable, many people declined the wine and opted for water instead. Water!!! You shout, on a hen night?! Well, yes I know, not the first beverage I planned on drinking, but it was just so hot in the mezzanine level, above the packed bar and heat rises etc, so we were all wilting. When the staff were asked if the air con’ could be turned on, they told us it was broken. Not good!
So in a nutshell: cocktails — lovely, interior — very cute (birdcages hanging from ceiling, contemporary design and quite quirky overall), staff — helpful and very ‘cool’ — maybe a bit too cool for school, food — yummy, but more of it please and temperature — get it sorted please! Come to think of it, when we arrived initially I recall most of us kept our jackets on as it was cold?! Funny how the temperature can really spoil an evening…

Started off here tonight for a wee munch and a few bevvies before the theatre. Not been here in a while. Smart place. Decided to start off with the chilli nachos. be warned the portions are huge. Struggled to finish them… but being the grubber that I am I polished them off. The greek lamb burger is delish… the cucumber and yoghurt mayo is refreshing with the lamb. Sunday to Wed they do four of their cocktails half price. Ordered a cosmo which came with a dead bar fly as an added extra. Me and my companion found the funny side and the bar staff quickly changed it. Two massive starters, two burgers, a couple of sides and a couple of cocktails…30 quid. Can’t complain. Defo a fan.

Despite showing a few signs of wear and tear, this really is a cool looking bar. From the big comfy couches to the stylish and quirky décor (ok if you’re being cynical, which i usually am it’s a tad ‘paint by numbers’ quirky), the place certainly looks the part.
I popped in here for some pre wine fair fodder to try and lessen the impending damage of two hours of free wine. The one that is Martyn M suggested here as they had 2−4−1 burgers on offer and also that it was directly across the road from your wine drinking venue. Now at this point it’s important to point out that the 2−4−1 deal only applies to certain burgers on the menu (they almost lost another star for this) but is not really that clearly marked on the menu. This kind of sucks. Pretty much every place I can think of in Glasgow that does two for one anything, does not have such a strict rule on the offer.
In addition, when you consider that the burgers in here, from the Ketchup brand, are really no great shakes, then it becomes more and more baffling as to why they’re not all included on the menu. An example. Neighbourhood Bar in Finnieston. 2−4−1 on burgers. All burgers. At least twice as good as the burgers in here.
Ok wow, so I’d originally given this place three stars, but the more I write and remember about my experience, the more it’s becoming a very low three and more of a two star joint.
Even if you take away the confusion over the burgers and the very apparent lack of quality of the meat (tasted like pre made patties), the service we received, whilst not being rude or poor, was just, well not right. Once we had our burgers in front of us, there was no follow up until I had to go ask for the bill.
In all, I’d agree with Martyn that the food was decent enough, but i’d be hard pushed to find an excuse to come back. Yeah. Just not for me.

Yesterday was the annual Inverarity Wine Fair in Glasgow, and despite it being a very popular, coveted event to have a ticket for, I managed to get one by coming second place in a Unilocal photo competition. Yay!
As second place winner I got a ticket to the event, and as first place winner, Lex G got a ticket and a bottle of wine! So yesterday Mr CM, Lex and I decided we’d go out for a quick bite to eat before the Fair, and I suggested Hummingbird because it was directly across from the Glasgow Art Club, where the Fair was being held, and I looked at the menu online and saw that it served a small range of the burgers that Ketchup on Ashton Lane sells. Sounds good to me! So in we went around 6pm and got a table. Even though it was incredibly quiet, our service was really quite slow which was disappointing, but not as noticeable because the company was good!
The burger came, and my hunger was quenched! Not the best burgers in the world but they’re definitely good if you’re just wanting a big munch and not have to spend much!
The décor is very rustic/​pretentious/​vintage all sort of mixed up in a ball, in a nice way. I doubt that makes sense to anyone but me.
Wouldn’t be my first place to go if I was strapped for options on Bath Street, with Pony just across the road and up a bit being a huge favourite of mine, be it for food or drink, but the burgers were good so if you’re in a rush and want a big semi-​satisfying burger, pop in here!

I would have given Hummingbird more star’s if wasn’t for the fact that it took twenty mins to get a drink early on a Friday evening. It’s really pretty bar but I’m not sure it’s worth the wait

I thought I would update my review after my recent set of visits to the Hummingbird, as my friends and I had stopped going for a while to search out a few new haunts, but inevitably ended up back here with our face in a fish bowl, which incidentally are not ‘under a tenner’ any more but nearer the £12 mark. Damn you inflation.
I came here for the first time a month or so ago to sample the Ketchup burger menu, and had a peppercorn burger which was really rather lovely, the chips being a particular highlight. This was before a Chippendales concert at the Kings, where we staggered back from to Hummingbird again for the after party. Pecs and baby oil ahoy.
I then booked a table for 10 people for my birthday mid-​April, for lunch and drinks on a Sunday afternoon. My booking was taken and we turned up, only to be met by closed doors. Not impressed.
After wandering the length of Sauchiehall Street we sat in a pub and I rang the Hummingbird number, who then told me that my 3pm booking was wrong because they don’t open until 5pm. Apparently I had gotten through to a ‘call centre’ and she’d given me the wrong time, so beware of this if you’re ringing to make a booking.
However, we re-​booked for 5pm, and had lunch which was lovely again, this time I had the BBQ chicken breast burger and again it was great.
Cocktails are half price during the week Sunday to Wednesday, so we took advantage of this, and had a wee fish bowl for luck :) They even let us bring out a cake and cut it up which was nice.
Hummingbird is back on my list of best bars in Glasgow!

Hummingbird = fishbowls!!!
I had previously been in the basement bar when it had been Groucho Saint Judes a few years ago now. It was a bit posh well it was a River City wrap party after all, well maybe not that posh.
I’ve now been in a few times on various occasions and still think it’s better than Saint Judes. To be honest I hate the music as it’s mostly dance, so it just doesn’t cut it for me at all, but the atmosphere’s not too bad.
I ended up here on one of our stops on my staff Christmas night out. We ended up in the main bar and managed to grab a bench table which had a wee fridge on it. It had been previously reserved for an 18^th birthday party and the girl said the fridge was still available. It had a tag on it explaining you could book the table and the fridge would filled for you. Unfortunately there was nothing left in it. Boo! Well 18 years olds, I’m not surprised.
We didn’t stay too long this time as the group wanted to move on. So unfortunately didn’t get a fishbowl but alas I have had one before and as the mind can remember the Shark Bite was the cocktail of choice.

Went for nyte out last week, had a blast. Drinks upstairs then down 2 club — pure kitted oot big time looks amazin. Tunes were immense and birds r well fit, esp 1 wee tidy fing servin drinkz! Cheap vodka, bangin nyte. Trimendus!

I really really like Hummingbird, it’s a little bit different from other bars in town and as it’s so big it’s great for pre-​drinks if you’re out with a big group.
The drinks deals are great and they have different offers for most nights of the week. They have a wide range of cocktails and you can even order candy floss which I thought was really cool!
I also love the ‘egg chairs’ on the second floor and it’s great to just swing about on them. Beware though, one time I was waiting for a drink at the bar downstairs and when I looked up at the ‘egg chairs’ I saw a girl walking about with the shortest skirt ever and as it has a glass floor, she wasn’t really leaving much to the imagination.
I do feel like it is more of a bar than a club which is why I think it’s a bit ridiculous you have to pay to get in after a certain time. The music also sucks and is a bizarre mix between house and techno, it seems as if they’re trying too hard to be different.

Have to disagree with the last comments that were left. I think that may just have been a one off as when we went there was a great buzz about the place and couldnt fault the food. Would try again.

I expected this new and supposedly stylish bar on Bath Street to be yet another tired and trendy bar full of pathetic posers, but I was pleasantly surprised.
On a Christmas night out, we decided to give this place a go to see what all of the fuss was about. As I entered, what struck me was the sleek and stylish surroundings, with each room having a completely different theme and feel. We headed downstairs to The Basement which was entirely white with cool blue lighting. Contrary to what you might expect from such a place, it lacked any sort of pretentiousness, with friendly staff, good music and gorgeous surroundings. I will definitely be back to enjoy a French Martini and to sample what else their cocktail list has to offer.