Hoxton square bar and grill

Looks awsome

I have to say I used to love this place but after the omishambles of my dining experience last night I will not be returning!! My friend wanted a burrito, a reasonable request so I took her to hoxton bar and grill where I knew she would enjoy a tasty burrito - she did. The problems came with the staff, I'm not sure of the recruitment process for this establishment but I imagine it goes something like this; trendy beard - check, hipster deep v t-shit - check, any customer service skills or interest in trying to deal with customers - nope, all good your'e hired!!! It was really disappointing and from the moment we walked in the door to the moment we left we were treated very badly.  They also charge an automatic 12% tip which doesn't help unless the 12% is a staff incentive to judge others and provide as little customers service as possible, in which case it is truly deserved! 

This review is just on the food - it has gone massively downhill since last year. I really dislike the fact they do not do table service anymore, I might as well eat at Nandos and the quality is just poor.
The service is just comedic the waitresses treat you like they are doing you favor by taking your order and if you have the cheek to interrupt a discussion they are having with another member of staff you faced with the face of thunder.
I really used to like this place but there are much better budget eateries in Shoreditch.

Its okay but nothing special. Poor food service when I ate there, nightclub section is alright but not memorable

I came here with a group of friends recently for a club night and the bouncer wouldn't let one of them in because (and this is a not an interpretation or exaggeration) 'he was too fat'. I think that says it all really doesn't it?

My enjoyment of this venue very much depends on its busyness - when chock full of uber trendy art student types it gets as unbearable to hang around in as Proud Galleries, seemingly stuffed to over capacity with constant pushing and shoving required to move even an inch. Bah!

It's a cool venue to play though, especially on nights such as the one I've just described, but I still have the overwhelming urge to run off home immediately afterwards to avoid of getting stuck in a sticky, sweaty cage of human flesh. They let far too many people in to the gigs!

Good place to go for a drink, one of those places that keeps a queue outside regardless of how manys in side; one of those lil tricks to snag the casual punter…Can have a strange setup of playing some great tunes early in the night to often descend into some sort of mid-90s dance revival…

This place is not to my taste at all. From the massive stainless steel punched bar to the high-heeled posturing to the over-priced drinks, Hoxton Bar and Grill has got the worst elements of that area of East London down to a tee.

I am a sucker for decking - I used to love it when Alan Titchmarsh and the guys used to go mad on someone's gnome-laden monstrosity. No joke - and so when I sauntered up to this place, I was kidded into thinking that I could have been mistaken in my presumptions about this graveyard of alternative culture...alas, my suspicions were correct.

Hoxton square has been overrun by a bleached-haired, topshop adorned army, whose commanders-in-chief look suspiciously like they've been tango'd, and this is the altar that they all come to be sick on. It's brought all the things that the east end part of town was good for getting away from. I found the people rude, the atmosphere tense and the drink average. I didn't try the food, but it would have been a case of eating it out my hands as there were no tables to sit at.

P.S. My mentioning of the stainless steel bar might sound odd, but my rule of thumb is that if a place is tasteless enough to incorporate that amount of mirrored-metal into a place where people's faces are the last thing I wanted to be reminded of, then it's generally not somewhere I wish to frequent.

Brilliant music venue! I went to see the White Rose Movement, and had a great time. For once I was actually able to see the whole time, and could visit the bar without missing the band. Had a drink in the main bar area before the band, and we were lucky enough to get a table as well, even though it was very busy.

RIP Boombox. Still a great place for daytime drinking and ogling the riff raff in Hoxton Square. Not the best service ever but then it wouldn’t quite be Hoxton if it were.

I’m not quite sure why this place is popular, except that it’s in good old Hoxton which is still super trendy. You often have to queue, wait a ridiculous length of time at the bar to get served and to be honest the food is quite average. However, I have seen some decent acts play there, which is a positive.

Worst experience ever. We booked a table for six at 8PM on a Friday night we were on time. Although our order was taken reasonably quickly it took an hour for our starters to arrive and then another 30 minutes for our main course to arrive after we had complained. The steaks and burgers were cold which wasn’t a one off as a guy next to us also complained about his cold steak. The management were very lame and although I made a online complaint the Hoxton grill weren’t even decent enough to respond.

Hoxton Bar & Kitchen on Hoxton square is kind of cool, although possibly a bit TOO cool. On the plus side the food served is pretty good, the place is buzzing of an evening, and the venue part often hosts very good concerts (played through a brilliant sound sytem). On the other side of things the food served is overpriced, as are the drinks, and the staff as well as the clientele are, as i say, a bit TOO cool. Although the bouncers aren’t so cool. It’s about time that these meatheads were paid to stick around for an hour or so after the bar stops serving in venues across London, in order to allow people time to naturally filter out into the street after a nice evening out, saying good bye to friends etc. You just can’t do that and leave with a nice warm feeling when some fat man is saying stupid things like “just wait for your friend outside, sir”. Don’t you LOVE being called “Sir” when you feel they’d rather call you “scum”?! To be fair it’s not just this venue that has this trouble, it’s widespread, and goes with the territory, but if there’s one thing that sites like this might be good for it’s to let venues know that this is no longer acceptable!

Was once a great secret and then Hoxton got taken over by the fashionistas, and then even worse, they left and the stag do’s came along.

Normally I’d avoid Hoxton Square but on occasion when I do have to go there, the bar and grill is my only choice.

Very cool interior with a back room open for the dancing amongst you. The drinks are not too extortionate and the bar staff are friendly enough.

Expect a real mix of fashionable types and shirts alike, but as far as Hoxton goes, it’s the only place to go.

Great place to see a gig, have a beer or grab a burger. Or all 3 at the same time!
I saw Santogold here and it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
The venue area is spacious with sofas lining the walls.
The soundsystem is excellent and staff are friendly.
Nice, relaxed location on Hoxton Square.
Yes, it’s popular with the local Nathan Barleys, but don’t let that scare you away. They don’t bite…...hard.

Visited here recently with a bunch of mates & had a top night out, considering it was a spur of the moment decision to try it out. Arrived just after 6pm on a saturday night & most of the tables were already taken - except fortunately we managed to grab a fantastically positioned one at the very entrance with a large table area to hold all of our group - perfect for the smokers who could just pop in & out the main door into the heated outdoor section (drinks NOT allowed there by the overzealous bouncers!!).
We ordered bar snacks for the whole table & they were average quality for normal bar food prices. Drinks however were expensive - probably not out of character for London areas but spirits were served in short tumbler glasses filled to the brim with ice & tasting very watered down…...there were many an exclaimation of 'RIP OFF!’...
Bar staff seemed friendly, but a bit too interested in chatting to one another than actually serving the public quickly - meaning it got jammed up fairly fast & getting a drink became a mission.
The bar interior itself was great - dark & minimalist with music pumping very LOUDLY everywhere. Music was eclectic to say the least - with songs from Rod Stuart & Tina Turner being electrofied. Couldn’t believe it when we saw a massive queue form from about 9pm onwards - the place was good but not that brilliant to stand for ages waiting to get in!
Got VERY packed in tight as the night wore on, don’t think I would’ve found it to be so enjoyable were it not for the table area we’d scored earlier in the night. People all seemed fairly friendly & up for chats with strangers - which is always nice ;)
Had an additional band/dance area off the main section, but it also appeared to get densly packed really fast & the bar in there is small meaning getting a drink took forever.

So I recommend getting there early & bagging a table for yourself if you plan on heading here with a group of people…cos I think queuing to get inside would definitely take the shine off!

I just wanted to point out that Timinator’s term “scuzzy-hip” is not only a brilliant way to describe the scene here but aptly describes so much of the Hoxton, Shoreditch, Old Street ambience.

Last time I was at this bar and grill, some AC/DC was blairing - followed by some Purple Rain-era Prince … nice. I did feel a bit old though with all the twentysomething “scuzz” hipsters bandying about.

Cool spot that serves all your hipster needs. Bar? Check. Restaurant? Check. Music venue? Check.

The bar area is big, and has outside seating on Hoxton Square, lots of tables-for-four and low sofas inside, and some areas with stools and benches. The vibe is dark, funky, and just a little scuzzy-hip.

At the back is a room for DJs and bands that holds about 200 people. It’s got its own bar so you don’t have to leave the room if you’re enjoying the show.

Past that room is a restaurant serving the familiar steaks, burgers, salads, etc.

Open until at least midnight every night, 2am on the weekends.

Their website’s very good. Check it out for maps to get there, listings of who’s playing, full menu with prices, and pictures.

This is an incredibly popular place - it was bursting at the seems when I went and that was on a Wednesday evening. I’n not really sure why. It’s ok. It’s really big and there is a nice diversity in what it offers - ranging from a more traditional restaurant - an outdoor restaurant - a front, middle and back bar - and a live music venue as well.
The service however was very slow - albeit very friendly. There clearly wasn’t enough staff working on the night. It was two deep right along the bar with only one person serving at one stage.
Our food was also really slow coming out - and when it did it was over-priced, greasy and small. Hower on complaint they did give us a free bottle of wine.
Not a bad venue but I really can’t see what all the fuss is about.

Hoxton has become one of the trendiest places in London, and the Square is right at its heart. It’s surrounded by art galleries (notably White Cube), cafes and bars, and just round the corner from the clubs and Vietnamese restaurants on the lower part of Kingsland Road.

The square itself is pleasant enough: a patch of grass hemmed in with railings, with a few nice trees. Sometimes you’ll find an art installation there. On opening nights at the White Cube you might find a famous artist sipping a drink on the grass.