HUG — Restaurant in Scotland

This is hard to write because i've had mixed experiences here. The trouble with places like this is that the front facing staff have a huge effect on how your visit goes. I loved hug until around a year ago here's why; So, I have an assistance dog in training for severe anxiety issues and panic attacks. I had been to hug a few times by this point and the staff were lovely, the lady who served me at this early stage was wonderful, kind and caring. Also allowed my dog to be on the sofa for her first trip and I greatly appreciated this. Unfortunately on my 3rd or 4th trip here, I came in with someone who I hadn't met before and I had chosen hug as my comfortable place. I hadn't been to any other cafe for many years for anxiety reasons. When we came in, my dog gave me an alert, by jumping onto my lap, that I was anxious and would be having an attack. We are both clearly marked, her with a jacket and myself with a hidden disability tag. At this point, a male staff member, reached over and said very abruptly; no dogs on the furniture thanks, and walked away. I need to point out here, that this wouldn't have been appropriate to speak to anyone in the tone that was taken and he could have been a little more patient. The personal issue I had with this, is that I started to panic more at this point, I felt small and wanted to run away. I was disappointed after this experience at best, my dog was just doing her job, I felt much worse and I decided to not eat after this, I just got a drink. The person I met with had a small meal but we felt awkward throughout and left quickly afterwards. The food was good and the staff were nice. It only took one staff member to ruin that. We now go to the cafe next door instead. So all in all, yes hug is pleasant, but it's definitely a bit hit and miss with the staff, the atmosphere was lovely until it wasn't. I was going to go in and speak with them about this, but I didn't have the courage. I can only hope they use this information to strive to have better awareness in the future, especially around...

I'd say Hug's pretty much the definition of hidden gem. It's maybe overlooked (I know I didn't give it a second glance!) because it's part of a little bunch of premises on Skirving street that have changed hands over the years and always been fairly average cafes, in my opinion. But let me assure you, Hug is not average. It is superb. I stopped once to get a roll and square, with no kind of expectation it was just a convenient place, and was stunned just how lovely it was. Firstly, the roll was delicious - turns out they bake them themselves each day - and the square sausage tasted like at actually came from a butchers.

I returned with my partner a few weeks later for brunch and again, it was exceptional. The menu is quite traditional Scottish, but the best version of the classic dishes and with plenty veggie and vegan options. This time I had the roll and link with tattie scone (wasn't disappointed: fresh roll again and sausages so thick they looked like they'd be drawn in a cartoon) and my partner had the sourdough toast with poached eggs and salmon. Also excellent. Oh, and terrific coffee too. I've still to try their lunch/larger meal stuff, but if they take the same attitude with ingredients and preparation as they do with the the brunch, I imagine they'll be great.

I've nothing against the more trendy, Insta-famous places in Shawlands, but as winter is drawing in if you find yourself standing outside in a queue for breakfast, you could do a lot worse than take yourself to Hug. I doubt...

My friend and I visited this cafe yesterday (1st of November, 2020). The waiting staff, coffee and food were all excellent. However, there was a man sitting next to us on his laptop (he had long greyish hair) who - when the staff moved the tables to make more room for other customers - spoke to them as if they were children. We believe he was maybe the owner/manager - but my goodness, his unprofessionalism was astounding. He was passive aggressive and belittling (especially towards the young female waitress with blonde hair) asking her questions such as “do you even know what a metre is?” and was getting visibly frustrated with her. Most of the cafe seemed to have clocked in on this, and the waitress was clearly upset. So we just wanted to let that man know, that we think it was extremely uncalled for - and matters with his staff should be a private issue, not a case of embarrassing them in the middle of the cafe. Please treat...