Ad Lib

Not a particularly good experience. The food was good — I had a burger — but not exceptional but I guess the major thing I remember about the place was the amount of time we waited for it. Compared to other restaurants of the same ilk, they took about 2 – 3 times as long with a burger.
I’m giving four stars because everything else was ok — but not excellent. I have no complaints about the other aspects of the service and the place looks good although again it’s not something I’ll remember. I’ll check back in a few months to see if anything changes.

I’ve been here a few times. But never left a review.
This building is gorgeous inside! I love the skylight!
The waiter has informed us on a new menu as from yesterday so We’ve ordered the Cuban style pulled pork, the Texas fries and the southern popcorn chicken.
It’s pretty prices for drinks in here so it’s probably not the best place for a few beers or a pre game but it’s wine o’clock and I’m treating myself.
The staff are attentive though not overly so. We were well looked after.
Popcorn chicken was great, juicy, incredibly crunchy! Almost like they were rolled in cornflakes!
Cuban pork was delicious although in not sure the price is so good. £11 or so for a plate of pulled pork and gravy with potatoes and collard greens. It Could have had a bigger portion of meat if I’m honest.
The Texas fries were SOOO good! Not much in the way of topping and you can’t see the bacon at first as its chopped into teeny tiny pieces but the mix of veg and spices makes me want to come back again for it. However, £4 or so for a small basket of fries is again, is tad on the expensive side.
The food is pretty great but like most places with pulled meats on the menu, it’s not really «southern» is it. I wish I knew where to get a good plate of chicken and waffles. Any suggestions would be great! So far we’ve been taking our waffles, maple syrup and hot sauce to KFC.
It’s not really up to standard as far as visual branding goes for this level of place around Glasgow, but I’m ok with that because it gets a bit pretentious when every new restaurant menu looks the exactly the same.
I don’t mind splurging for something that really is unique or one of a kind but I really think the prices should come down just a little, or the portion sizes should go up to justify paying that much.
The food was delicious and I will be back for the blue plate deals!

I went here for a catch-​up lunch with three friends. We were quickly welcomed and shown to a table. There were signs stating it was cash only as the card machine was broken, there is an ATM close by so this wasn’t a big deal.
The menu is massive and there is also a specials board. So many dishes sounded great and we found it hard to choose. I opted for the southern fried chicken burger and fries it was really tasty and not at all greasy. One of my friends chose the tuna steak special which was served with coconut rice and fried greens, it looked great and she loved it.
Overall we really enjoyed it, just watch your step if going to the toilet as the floor near the kitchen is really slippy!

I went in here for lunch with a friend yesterday (Sunday afternoon). First impressions were that it is much bigger inside than you would expect. It looks narrow from the outside. But it stretches back quite a bit. The décor was nice enough, with an American theme. The place was nearly empty. Some reviews have commented that the service isn’t great, but I found it to be fine.
I had Mac and Cheese with fries, and a Diet Coke. The Mac and Cheese was expensive and nothing worth writing home about. It was a generous portion, though, and the fries were nice. The Diet Coke had a slightly unusual smell to it (!), so I left most of it.

I never write reviews because I never know what to say, but this particular visit needs to be shared. (does it? We’ll see.)
Anyways, picture the scene: it’s afternoon (around 2:30pm) December 29^th. You have just finished work after starting at 5am. You meet your partner from work and you are both hungry. Everywhere is mobbed with sales shoppers and after walking nearly full circle, you remember hearing about a little place called AdLib which once upon a time won ‘best burger in Glasgow.’ you’ve never been, so decide to see what all the fuss is about.
We walk in, not too rammed, and get seated pretty quickly. We give a drinks order about 5mins after being seated — standard. Once our drinks arrive, we order. (I had the philly cheese steak, my partner had a burger with chorizo and monterrey jack cheese).
Time passes, the place is filling up with groups, we have good chat and all seems well. More time passes and still no food. Now our drinks are maybe halfway gone, we look around, still no food. We realise 45mins have passed. Another 5mins or so pass and our food eventually arrives thrown down in front of us.
At this time, we were just glad our food hadn’t been forgotten about. Was it amazing? No. It was edible. It was simply okay. Not once did anyone come to check if our food was okay, if we needed any drinks etc, we sat for another 10−15mins after we were finished with our empty plates and glasses and for £26 it was really not worth it in all honesty.
I work in hospitality. I get that this time of year can be stressful and exhausting. However every member of staff looked pissed off, (there was only 3 people on) and it seemed like everyone was trying to do all the things instead of just having a designated position and the vibe we got was more that we were an inconvenience. There also didn’t seem to be any atmosphere in the place, it looked tired and sad (apart from the glittery toilet seats which earn them 1 bonus star).
I actually took our glasses up to the bar when handing over the money and that was the only time I had a brief positive outburst «thank you, it’s really appreciated!» was what he said. But I left thinking I probably wouldn’t go back.
Sorry AdLib, I really wanted to enjoy you after hearing such good things.

Came in for a burger. Burger was dry and service was horrible. Went to the bar and bartender told me it would be 55 minutes for food. He assured me someone would come take my order. After waiting ten minutes went back to the bar and ordered. Burger came ten minutes later but no one would give me any sauce, They need some help…

U to the P to the D-​A-​T-​EEE!
Yup, it’s update time. And it is with great pity and sorry that Ad Lib loses a star from its City Centre branch.
I was in here with colleagues not too long ago and I just felt my whole experience was a bit ‘meh’. The place looks tired and ‘meh’, the staff looked tired, the food was decent but nothing to right home about. I feel as there is SO much good food out there in Glasgow right now, Ad Lib is really starting to lag behind, so until they sort it out its gonna be an overall meh from me I’m afraid.

Went in for a veggie burger with a mate after work. We had a nice time and a decent burger.
The chips weren’t great, just naff fries, and my burger bun was somewhat over toasted, but I like the beanie smooshy burger in between.
Ad Lib was at the forefront of Glasgow’s gourmet burger charge and it also doubles as a pretty decent we post dining bar. So, despite the fries and over toasted bun I give it 4 stars.

So after craving a good burger for at least a week my husband and I decided to go in to town and pick somewhere new. We checked the usual reviewed on the best burger in Glasgow 2015 etc and picked Ad Lib on Hope st. I wish we didn’t as my burger was not good, the burger itself wasn’t very tasty and had bits of gristle throughout which I can’t eat. The bottom of the bun was too thick even though it was brioche and I got hardly any topping even though I went for the Star Trek special burger. The special should have had pulled pork and blue cheese but instead I got pork fat and a hint of cheese. My husbands chicken burger looked amazing and he said it was nice, I wish I got that. The fries are delicious and could have ate them all night. For starters we got Mac & cheese croquettes and coconut king prawn which was a great choice and delicious, the side sauce that came with both was so tasty. The menu is extensive with great American dishes that I haven’t tried before so would definitely go back to sample the other items (hence why 3 stars) but wouldn’t get the burger again. We ordered a side of coleslaw but never received it, and it wasn’t added to the bill so who knows what happened but we wouldn’t have had room anyway. I do not know how this won best burger in Glasgow. Glasgow has burger joints far superior to this, check my reviews and pics to check them out.

Great lunch venue as it’s really central. We were there on a Saturday afternoon and it was jumping! Staff were still attentive and efficient though, even when the place seemed to be bursting at the seams.
The food was great; reasonable prices and the portion sizes are very generous. I had the southern fried chicken burger which was delicious, not at all greasy which is often my complaint with similar dishes elsewhere. My friends had different burgers, and one had a salad and everyone devoured every mouthful. The table beside us ordered burritos, which I had been considering, and I had major food envy as they looked delicious!
Random note of observation– we all loved the sparky toilet seats in the ladies (I suspect the gents weren’t treated to such sparkliness).
My one, minor, complaint was that when it got really busy it was very smoky which was a bit off-​putting.

I think Ad Lib is great. It offers a really relaxed dining experience at a really good price (especially given the portion sizes!) that will literally offer something to everyone’s tastes!
One of the first wave of «USA Style» restaurants in Glasgow, I would say that Ad Lib’s burgers are now no longer amongst the best in Glasgow, but everything else on their menu is lovely. The specials are to be looked out for too, they usually sell really quickly and are very tasty. I once got the «Wings an ting» which were great. Proper soul food. Great for groups, mates and colleagues alike.

I have been fan of Ad Lib for a very long time. I have been to all of the locations including the short-​lived Byres Road one. The Merchant City place went away and came back but Ad Lib on Hope Street has always been there and I am so glad that it has.
They are in the best location for so many situations you may find yourself in.
Arrived into Central Station and you want something quick — sorted
Between trains connections and you have an hour to burn — fixed
Need a quick place to eat in the center — tick
Got friends needing a drink and they hate old pubs like the Horseshoe — done
So many boxes filled and such tiny looking place. The interior goes way back and the seats are plentiful. So there is no problem there.
The only thing it does not have is a beer garden but then going by the folks who hang around the McGinns Outdoor area down the road — this is probably a good thing.
Great starters, and excellent mains. Wide of variety of beers and stunning desserts. So not only a great location but the food and booze also rocks — you figuring it out yet?

Yah, this is my kind of place. Hipster, original food, super friendly service.
One if the specials on the board was Chocolate Fried Chicken w/​sweet potato chips and slaw. I was too curious to say no. My taste buds were happy. It wasn’t a chocolates flavor, but it did sweeten the chicken. The sweet potato fries (chips) were cooked perfectly.
We started w/​the angus beef sliders and this is what every chef/​cook should live up to. Juicy, tasty, the best little crunch around the edges.
M had Bloody Mary fish and chips. Oh yah. Spicy Bloody Mary mix in the batter. And it was fish and shrimp! Served with fries.
We had a couple pints of beer but he needed a milkshake to cool his tongue. He said it was smoother and lighter than most milkshakes he’d had.
I wish I could bring this place back to the U.S.

Still serving up some of the best burgers in town, wash it down with one of their premium beers and you have a great combination. Minor criticisms would be seating room, faded toilets and noise… but at how many bar-​diners can you get a whole lobster or a 3lb burger?

My wife isn’t impressed by this place, but I can’t get enough of it. There’s so much diversity on the menu, but nothing seems too out-​of-​place.
My favourite dish thus far has been the bloody mary-​battered seafood basket. I’m a batter guy so long as the fish is good, and this one is pretty heavy on the batter, so keep that in mind if you value your arteries, unlike me. Flavour-​wise, you really get the tomato and pepper taste in the batter, and the fish and shrimp are tender as could be.
Definitely one of the better fried chickens I’ve had as well, though it’s boneless which is a tad strange. It comes in a burger, too! Good stuff, though I could do without the sweet chilli sauce. Also had the fireman’s roast, the shrimp po’ boy, and a special mussels pot. All were quite tasty.
The restaurant isn’t without its faults. The beer selection isn’t great, but still better than most bars back home. The appetisers and desserts aren’t amazing. If you like your cheese with a dash of nachos, you’ll find that starter a bit lacking. My wife thinks a lot of the dishes are over-​salted, and she’s yet to have a good burger there. They don’t ask you how you want it cooked, so you’re at the cook’s mercy a bit.
Still, if you want an easy, affordable meal and have to satisfy an array of tastes, I have yet to find a better go-​to.

Starters where good. Baby back ribs where cooked nicley meat was tender and fell off the bone. The squid coated in a light batter was served with julienne of cucumber and spring onion, really nice. Popcorn prawns where ok not as good as the other two starters. Nachos topped with 2014 award winning ox cheeck chilli where excellent.
Mains a wee bit disappointing. Bloody Mary battered fish and prawns where a nice alternative to traditional fish n chips. But frozen McDonald’s style fries served with it let it down.
The butter milk chicken was basically a southern fried chicken breast served with spoon bread and green beans. The spoon bread (similar to corn bread) was over cooked. The beans however where nice they came in a tomato based sauce.
Lamb leg was not a leg but a gigot chop on sweet potato mash also with green beans. This was a well balanced dish and definitely the best of the mains.
Overall I was expecting better for the prices levels on the menu starter around £5 and mains around £12. There is really stiff competition in the city centre and I’m sure at this price bracket there are some very attractive prospects not far away.
In saying that The service was good very accommodating all night. And location is ideal if you want to make a night of it after your meal.

If you’re looking for some good tasty American food, there are many better places in Glasgow than Ad Lib. I met a couple of friends here and I had fairly high expectations after hearing good reviews. The décor of the restaurant is nice — spacious and interesting art work on the walls. Sadly the rest of the experience didn’t live up to these first impressions.
The menu itself does offer a wide variety of dishes, catering for both carnivores and vegetarians. They also had a number of specials up on the board. I settled on the Louisiana chicken served with sweet potato mash and thyme gravy. The service was incredibly slow — it took about half an hour for any food to arrive and it transpired that we had been given the wrong dishes so we had another wait on top of that. My dish was very tasty — the chicken was juicy and the sweet potato mash was nice and smooth. However, I did feel the portion size was fairly small for the price. There was also an issue with my friend’s dish — she ordered a sweet potato salad that arrived without any sweet potato.
All in all I found my experience at Ad Lib fairly disappointing and I won’t be rushing back.

Despite the promising homage to Kerouac throughout the restaurant, Ad Lib was really disappointing. Not only did we have to wait about 40 minutes for our main meal, but when my sweet potato and chickpea salad arrived it was somewhat lacking… in sweet potato. The ‘sweet potato salad’ was simply ‘salad’. This wasn’t impressive, and the staff were a bit slow on the uptake in terms of resolving the issue — one even asked if I had ‘looked under the leaves’ to make sure it was missing. Also, the salad was hardly awe-​inspiring even when the sweet potato was finally added to the mix.
I won’t rushing back anytime soon.

Not eaten in Ad Lib for a couple of years, so was glad to see it’s improved! 4.5 out of 5!
Eating with a group of friends, I skipped the starter but the sliders looked and smelled great, and I was told they were excellent.
I plumped for the Sicilian Fireman’s Roast: Slow braised beef with Italian sausage, chilli garlic and rosemary served with herb mash and crusty bread, which was excellent!
The beef was wonderfully cooked, soft and tender, and the chilli garlic sauce was delicious and big on flavour. The herb mash was nice but got lost against the sauce and I’m not quite sure what the bread was supposed to add, the sauce was think rather than runny so there wasn’t any mopping up needed!
The service was superb, very impressed with the level of attention, the food came out in good time and there were few complaints.
A couple of friends had burgers which looked a little dry and over cooked to my liking (I like a spot of pink in the middle) but they had good flavour.
Boston Brewery beer on tap was good, although the small bar limits the choice of hearty ales that would match the big flavours coming out of the kitchen!
Downsides, still a bit cramped feeling, and sitting on a stool for a 4 hours isn’t fun but aside from that it’s back on my list as a reliable, handy, eatery!

Very expensive drink in here don’t expect much change form a £10 buying one drink.