It’s a strange feeling to walk into a quiet and empty Max’s bar during daylight hours.

Fast forward to around 10pm and these same tables will be hot real estate as the Queen Street spot is packed out with a rowdy mix of students and city centre revellers.

But on Tuesday, in the name of searching out the city’s best cheap eats, we arrive not long after they open at 12pm.

A £5 lunch menu which runs from Monday to Friday is the draw, promising a feed for barely more than the price of a meal deal from the nearby Tesco Express which is buzzing with suited city centre workers.

First impressions then, as we’re handed our laminated menus, is that there’s an impressive range to choose from which is far more diverse than a standard set budget offering.

Glasgow Times:

We’re tempted by a salt and chilli beef wrap, chicken or beef sliders and plenty veggie options all served with the choice of fries or a mug of soup.

So far, things are looking good.

A friend wastes no time in zeroing in on his choice of a BBQ brisket open sandwich, he is on a lunchtime break after all, while I swither between a vegan cauliflower cheese open sandwich or a Mediterranean-influenced crushed chickpea.

Glasgow Times:

Knowing all too well from experience that vegan cheese is the culinary equivalent of Russian Roulette I play it safe. Chickpea it is.

The food arrives quickly and in well-judged portion sized that will set you up for a day of festive shopping or a return to the office without regretting any over indulgence, although a few side orders might be needed for anyone with a more ambitious appetite. 

Glasgow Times:

The crushed chickpea is flavourful with little bursts of citrus and bite from fresh red onion on top of salty black olive tapenade.

Cauliflower and blue cheese is the soup of the day and is well-balanced and warming as yet another rain shower hits the street outside. It could be a little thicker, but it’s understandable that a batch has been made to stretch across the full four-hour lunchtime service.

Glasgow Times:

There’s a good amount of brisket on the open sandwich which is almost lost in an overly generous helping of sticky barbecue sauce, but an optimist would argue that any extra is the perfect way to coat an accompanying basket of crunchy skinny fries.

For both dishes, our bill comes out at a perfectly rounded £10 and despite a lack of fellow diners so early in the day, there’s a relaxed atmosphere at Max’s that lends itself well to a lunchtime visit.

No frills, no fuss and, for a fiver, you can’t really go wrong.

I’ll be back to take a chance on that vegan cheese sauce.

Verdict: 3/5

Max's Bar and Grill is located at 73 Queen Street. For more information, click here.