I'm really loving The Raven at the moment. Since we had our Yelp event last year it has really encouraged me to go back for more. Well, they did give us a splendiferous spread with copious plates of delicious food to try. In January they had a Winter Sale on with some meals available at £4 and £5 so decided to take advantage of this with my bestie and fellow Yelper Angela B. As a result I ended up with a taste tantalising wee mac and cheese topped with bacon bits including a wee bucket of chips. Not bad for a fiver. Boom! I've also frequented for drinks and they have an excellent bar selection, there's even some cheeky fruit beers in there. Yay! I would highly recommend popping in for a wee swally or a sit down meal within the designated dinning area. It's pretty, it's relaxing and the music is pretty good with some 90's indie beats to tickle your ear drums. Other music probably plays at other times. It's also bang smack right in the middle of town so super handy but ladies beware of the icy blast of the hand-drier in the toilets. Ice burns beware! Please note, not in the Urban Dictionary sense. "(noun): an insult so harsh, that it is both freezing and red hot. Often used sarcastically, like after "yer maw" jokes." Boab: "I wiz playing fitbaw last night." Shug: "I wiz playing with YER MAW last night!" Boab: "Ohhhhh, ICE BURN!" Enjoy and no ravens were harmed within writing this review. read more

The Raven - Mac 'n' cheese - Pubs Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

I was in Glasgow and heading off to a real ale festival, and thought I'd better grab some food first in preparation, so I decided to pop in here and check it out, maybe have a pint while I decided where to go to eat. I opted for the taster plank - 1 third of a pint of three different ales, served in a plank with the beer names written on. That in itself is a great touch, a few places don't identify which beer is which. I had a Casear Augustus from Williams Brothers, a Fake Lager from Brewdog and a Witless IV from Red Willow Brewery - as you can see, there's a great range to choose from and the staff were really helpful and knowledgeable about them all. While I was looking around and supping my drinks (the Witless was the pick of the bunch, fact fans!) I noticed the menu. I knew that The Raven were offering food, but wasn't too sure what. Looking at the menu, it looked pretty nifty so I figured I'd just eat here, and I was glad I did! The food is BBQ based - low and slow smoked pork, burgers, ribs, that sort of thing. There's been an explosion of this kind of food in Glasgow recently, I perhaps lay the blame at the feet of Adam Richman and Man vs. Food (my dream job too, it has to be said) but I'm not complaining! I opted for a pulled pork burrito with a side of spicy cheesy fries, and at £9 for the two, it was a steal. They arrived quickly, the fries in a basket and the burrito served on a platter. I was given cutlery before the food arrived, and what looked like a carrying case full of sauces, salt, pepper, kitchen roll and a great sight, a wet wipe! A great thing to have when eating what is esssentially finger food! There wasn't a long wait at all for the food; The burrito was lovely, really filled to the brim and fresh - but the spicy cheesy fries were stunning. Covered in jalapenos, cheese and a smoky, spicy BBQ sauce, they were quickly devoured. I could honestly have had a second helping of those on their own. A great first impression here, not just for the great food, but for the really helpful and friendly staff, and the attention to detail that the whole place shows. It's somewhere that I can see me returning to time and time again. read more

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I've never been in a pub in Renfield Street that I've actually liked; they've either been a bit cheap and nasty or not quite as good as alternatives close by. The Raven changes that, and is definitely worth a look. Either through accident or design it takes certain things from other Glasgow pubs and restaurants and combines them together. Think the pulled pork, burgers, hot dogs and Mexican stuff from Pinto, Smoak both BMB's; the kitchen towel napkins from Burger Meats Bun, the sauce holders from Munros and the real ale/craft beer philosophy that's flowing through most of the new places opening up. This doesn't mean it's generic though - it definitely has a good feel about it, and it all feels well done. It looks pretty smart, the staff are lovely and it's a good place to spend some time. It's essentially a city centre Curlers Rest, which isn't a bad thing in my book. It's got 3 distinct sections: a bar area, where all the puggies live, a wee section in the middle with high tables, then a seating section which is more relaxed. The beer selection is great, decent kegs, casks and bottles on rotation, as well as the standards for the unadventurous. I only had the nachos from the menu, which were interestingly good - the nachos were flour tortillas flash fried, so they were nice and light, definitely not the nachos that destroy the top of your mouth. 4 or 5 stars? Tough. I really like it, and its the best pub in the close vicinity, but I may be a few visits off a close bond (weekend nights could be interesting - location may influence clientele unfortunately). Aw, sod it, they've just put on the Super Furry Animals, so it's 5 for now. I may revisit this, but it could finally be a city centre pub that I would choose to go to. This sounds like the Kooks? Down to 4, but take this as 4.5 a few more visits might bump this up. Ignore the stars and go. read more

The Raven - A pint of Cwtch! - Pubs Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

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I'd have bet my first-born child that I'd already written this review, but what do you know, I never did. Woops. Sorry, The Raven, you deserve better than that. I've actually been to The Raven loads of times, too. I have no recollection of what it was before, but it's been open for about a year and is in a great location on Renfield Street which means it's a good meeting spot before the cinema/movies, before dinner or even just for an afternoon pint. I like the look from the outside - a bit modern and funky without being wanky/hideous. Inside it's comfy and cosy, and generally has a chilled vibe. I still haven't properly explored the other half of the place - I seem to either hang out in the main bar area or upstairs, but it's pretty comfy where ever you are. The decor is well done without being OTT and I love the drinks selection - say the words Outaspace Apple Ale by Drygate and I'll be there in less than 10 minutes. They have Drygate beers here as well as an ever-changing list of interesting beers you don't get at too many other places. I can't say the food menu is really my kind of thing - it's mostly smoked meats and BBQ food which I like when the occasion calls, but that doesn't happen too often. On my most recent visit here we were just having drinks and then heading to dinner but I'd consider getting a starter if I was feeling pre-dinner-hanger-rage approaching. Staff are nice, the vibe tends to be pretty relaxed and this bar is classier than quite a lot of other city centre bars, so I definitely think it's worth a visit. The upstairs area is also worth a look if you're looking for a function/events space. read more

The Raven - Inside - Pubs Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

As I write this review, the morning after the night before, I'm still utterly *stuffed* from the dinner we had last night at The Raven. Looking for somewhere a bit different to go for a quick drink and food before the cinema, we decided to come here and get some nice smoked food in our bellies. And we over-ordered. MASSIVELY over-ordered. Starting with the nachos, which are made with flour rather than corn which gives an interesting pie-crust like texture. Sounds weird, but actually it's lovely and more-ish. I can't handle spicy food too well, so I had to scrape a lot of the little green balls of fire known as jalapenos off them, but they were really tasty (and came to the table in 2 mins after our order. No word of a lie!) Then came along the sharing platter, and 3 sliders (I know, I know...rookie error ordering that much between *two* of us)...the sliders were nice enough, we chose pulled pork, chicken and the normal burger but they were completely overshadowed by the slow cooked platter. Chicken which was dropping off the bone, pulled pork covered in the nicest seasoning, and ribs to top it off. The chicken was my favourite, and I could probably happily eat it all over again! The ribs were my least favourite, a bit fatty and on the dry side, but they had a top notch crowd to fight for attention over. If you're looking for generous portions of tasty food, then definitely come along here. read more

The Raven - Feast for a fiver deal - Pubs Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

I've now been here a few times, for either food or drinks, and feel comfortable saying that I'm a fan. The Raven is a good place in city centre to get some craft beer and BBQ. I'll fully admit that the craft and cask beer selections aren't especially large for a place that brags about their range, but it's a flaw I'm willing to overlook for the BBQ. I've gone for lunch and I've gone for dinner, and both are pleasing. Lunch has some really good values and dinner has just some excellent options. The last time I went for food, it was with a group of around 8 for a newly formed dinner meetup. Despite not being clever enough to book ahead of time, we were able to get a table pretty quickly. Our server was attentive, asking for each of our drink orders as we arrived. And the food was all I promised the group. Some people got items off the winter sale going on at the time and others shared meat platters. Everything impressed the group beyond my already high sales points. There was pulled pork, chips with cheese, and too much for me to recall at this point. I do know it was delicious and that we were thinking about going again despite the reason for the group being to try new places. read more

The Raven - Lunch menu. - Pubs Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

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This isn't an easy thing for me to do as I hate having to give bad reviews. I so badly wanted to love this place but I was left massively disappointed! Upon hearing of The Raven I was desperate to try it as it sounded like a Debs Haven (minus the whole sports thing, but we can ignore that) so I decided to go there for my birthday with the boyfriend. When we got there it all seemed good, nice decor, great atmosphere as the place was buzzing around 6pm on a Thursday night, and really excellent music! The staff were friendly and we were seated and attended to pretty quickly. I opted for the cask ale tasters on a plank, due to my wanting to try everything and also my love of smaller versions of things. That's definitely a great idea because it means you don't have to commit to an entire pint or half pint, and if (like me) you aren't too keen on one of them, you don't feel that bad about not finishing it! The menu sounded amazing - I'd already decided what I was having (as I always do when an online menu is available) and was really looking forward to my mac and cheese, pulled pork and beef burger sliders. With them being 3 for £10 I thought this was great value for money, but this unfortunately wasn't the case. I didn't eat much of the mac and cheese burger because it just wasn't nice, it felt greasy and gloopy (technical term) but I had another two sliders so I persevered. Have to say I couldn't fault the beef burger slider, that was pretty tasty but certainly nowhere near the standard of other Glasgow burger institutions. By this point I was pretty full (it was my birthday so I'd spent most of the day eating!) so I got my pulled pork slider wrapped up to take away with me - in fairness, they did ask me instead of the other way around which made a nice change! My boyfriend had the pulled pork burrito with chips and he seemed to enjoy that, I nibbled a bit of the pulled pork off my slider and it was tasty so I was looking forward to having it for lunch the next day or something. However. Within about an hour of returning home I was...er...revisited by said meal and the lovely bit of birthday cake I'd just eaten. I've got a bit of a stupid stomach at the best of times and considering I'd done nothing but eat rubbish all day I figured that was probably the cause. But when I received a text from my boyfriend early the next morning that simply read "DON'T EAT THE PULLED PORK SLIDER." I realised that it wasn't just me! Poor guy was rather unwell the entire day :( Not really sure if I'd go back here to be honest. I've seen good reviews on here and Yelpers tend to be pretty spot-on with places, so maybe it's worth returning at some point just for drinks or maybe to try their other dishes - but I think I'll definitely be staying away from the pulled pork!! read more

The Raven - Plank of cask ale tasters - great idea! - Pubs Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

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I've been seeing and hearing good things about The Raven but last night was the first time I've stepped inside. Is it just me, or does the exterior not really match the interior? I certainly wasn't expecting the light woods and exposed stone work featured inside but what a lovely space. We headed round to the 'restaurant' side and wow, it's very cleverly laid out indeed without feeling too crammed in. If I was to summarise what The Raven is all about I'd say they are aiming at quality beers and smoked meats. They have a great selection of lagers, ales, and craft beers, but it was a night for something familiar so a tall cool pint of Samuel Adams was soon plopped down in front of me, a Rosé wine spritzer for Clare. The food menu is, obviously, meat heavy but there is a pretty broad selection of options so it should cater for most tastes. In the end, keeping things simple, we opted for a combo sliders - chicken, pulled pork and mac cheese. Clare added some sweet potato fries too. It was pretty busy when we arrived and having been told they were also a little short staffed that evening - in case there were any delays - I'll praise the staff for some excellent service, delivered with a smile! Our food arrived and the first thing that was obvious was the smoking process, a nice subtle tang of smokiness the minute I picked up the pulled pork slider. One bite in and I'll happily confess that this is the best pulled pork I've had. Lovely BBQ sauce with just enough kick, tender juice pork... I could've eaten another 3 of those alone! The chicken was wonderfully moist and tender, with a nice chargrill, and the mac cheese was great although I did add some of their own Smokey Ketchup Sauce to beef up the flavour a little. The sweet potato fries were tasty, always a nice alternative, and the homemade ketchup and BBQ sauces complimented their sweetness well. All in it was hard to fault, good service, great food, nice surroundings, and price wise it was pretty on the mark too. Bravo! In fact the only thing I don't think they've gotten right is the exterior, it's not the most inviting looking place, very dark looking and very 'masculine'. That's not a bad thing but jars a little once you step inside. Regardless, I will definitely be back not only to try some of the craft beers but try sample some more of the menu, I'm a sucker for BBQ. read more

The Raven - Sliders! - Pubs Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

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We craved eats of the serious variety and calamity ensued when we approached and devoured. Among many Carnivore delights, they serve Dry Rubbed Baby Back Ribs where the ribs are rubbed with their house rub then put in the smoker, full racks at a time, at a low temperature for 3.5 hours and finished off with their special glaze. Delicious! Don't miss their BBQ Pulled Pork where their pork shoulder is in the smoker for 12 hours on a very low heat before being pulled and mixed with their delicious BBQ sauce. This stood the test of time. Smoked Chicken on the Bone comes in either a 2-Piece or 4-Piece...be strong and stick with 4-pieces. The chickens are rubbed with their house rub then put in the smoker at a low temperature for 3.5 hours. Served with gravy - AMAZING!!! read more

I was on Sauchiehall street just making my way to the bank when l was handed a flyer for the Raven, so in l went and chose my seat in the restaurant area. The menu's where simple to order from, I chose the chicken wings & the burger. On the table there was a selection on sauces in squeesey bottles that looked the part, I did order pint of soda water & black currant but the glass that came was a small one. The chicken wings arrived on a cold tray with a sour cream dressing & a small bucket for the bones, sadly they didn't look the part and where cold and lacked in any flavour, it didn't help that the food was served con cold trays. The burger was served in a pinto style basket, that made it look out of character and didn't work, with the basket being four times bigger than the burger, if there was two eating at the table you would be struggling to find space as the tables where to small & the trays and dishes where out of proportion to the table, I just don't think that was thought out properly. The burger was great full of flavour, well seasoned, would recommend that to anyone. The side order of French fries where nothing special, was expecting something more home made. Staff where very nice & polite and welcoming and attentive, some looked lost, probably just due to being a new place or lack of experience. read more

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After the first time I visited The Raven I was a bit reluctant to return. I'd liked the atmosphere and the beer and I'd been impressed with the range of home made ketchups but my pulled pork bagette had been average and I'm not crazy about bars with sports on TV. So my judgement was that the place was "fine." Why go back to somewhere that's just "fine" when there are so many places in Glasgow that are "great"? Well, because my boyfriend disagreed and insisted that I had been unlucky with my mediocre meal and that The Raven was actually also "great." Eventually I relented and we gave it a second try. He was right (don't tell him I said that) and we've been back several times since. Sometimes just for beer, sometimes for food as well, but since then it has indeed always been "great." I think my early mistake was opting for one of the smaller meals they offer for a reduced price midweek. Since then I've always ordered from the main section of the menu and everything has been perfect. Sure, you pay a few extra pounds, but it's definitely worth it. A major selling point is the beer and how close to the city centre you can be to really great beer on draft. The staff really know their stuff too - tell them what you like and they'll recommend something perfect for you. They're very friendly and happy to chat away about the different beers and will offer samples if you aren't sure. They want you to get the best pint you can and they're usually right in their suggestions. read more

The Raven - Pubs Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

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We booked into The Raven as a pre cinema meal and headed along. I have been a couple of times before so had good feelings about another visit. The staff are friendly and quick enough to take drinks orders. The Samuel Adams is nice, though I still have issues about being charged £4.95 for a pint. Can only write about my burger, a bacon and cheese effort. To be honest there wasn't much effort in it. The patty seemed small, dry and pretty tasteless, the bun was not really too great, the bacon was fatty and undercooked, the cheese I could see but not really taste. The fries are nice though at £2.50 I would like to see a few more in the bucket they serve them in. A couple of friends had the special Mac and cheese and raved about it, another couple had the venison burger and enjoyed that. I just simply felt underwhelmed by mine. The place gets the three stars for the quality of the service and atmosphere but the burger was two really. I have had the same burger before there and it was a lot better so I think this might be a touch of kitchen complacency kicking in. Burgers are a cut throat product in Glasgow so I hope they up their game. It's a nice place, will go there again but I just left feeling a bit "meh" about my food. read more

The Raven - The Raven burger with bacon and cheese, side of fries. - Pubs Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

Eleven friends and I (12 total) booked a table here for the start of our Easter Sunday shenanigans in the city centre. My boyfriend and I met 4 of our friends prior to lunch for drinks and happily started sampling the numerous beers (both bottled and draft) that they have on offer. They have everything from local brews like West and American brews like Sam Adams. They also have loads of massive TVs all over the place, so we were able to watch (or not watch- depending who you were asking) the Rangers v Hearts match that was on. By the time the rest of our friends showed up, we had already looked over the menu about a million times and were good and ready to order. The wait staff were very friendly and attentive which was good since there were so many of us. We were sat at a massive table near the kitchen, which fit us perfectly. the rest of the decor is that of a typical Texas style smoke house. I really love this place and always feel really at home when I walk in. There is loads of seating and availability to book out sections for any gathering you might have. One of the specials of the day was brisket on a baguette, which came with fries for £7. Most of us went for that, plus, I ordered a side of mac and cheese- because that's what I do. The brisket was a little underwhelming, although it reminded me big time of Texas. I've never had a shredded brisket sandwich, it's usually served in thick slices. It had a good taste, but I could have eaten about two of them. I opted for sweet potato fries which added 50p on to my total. The mac and cheese i quite liked. Not quite my homemade, but tasty none the less. I will definitely order it again! I swear, my boyfriend has this way of picking things off any menu that taste so much better than what I've ordered and i'm always wishing I'd gone for what he ordered. This time was no different. He went with the pulled pork baguette and spicy cheesy fries. The pulled pork had the right amount of BBQ sauce on it and was tender and just so delicious. I only had a small sampling of his fries because like they suggest, they were spicy with loads of diced jalapenos on top of mounds of cheese. One of our friends ordered the ribs and at first was boasting about how they were fall of the bone tender, but then added that they could use loads more sauce on them because they were a bit dry. We failed to realise that there was a huge carousel of sauces just off to the side of our table and by the time it was brought to our attention, he was already almost finished. One of our friends ordered the chicken caesar salad wrap, which we all scoffed at and judged tremendously. I jest, but who orders something like that when there's BBQ to be eaten?!?! Anyway, all in all it was a fantastic way to start off the booze fest of an Easter celebration that the 12 of us had. Sorry if anyone saw us out and were intimidated by our size (both in numbers and in height, haha!) read more

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On a mini pub crawl post Christmas late lunch then some lovely Cherry Beer and wine in the Raven. The bar area was very busy so we went up to the loft to grab a seat at first there were only a couple of tables occupied but then a large party came in and lifted the atmosphere. We had a couple of bottles of the house Tinto at £7.99 it was very good value and was a light red but very palatable. The background music was a really good mix with just the occasional Christmas song still being played. We had already eaten but the smell of the delicious food almost tempted us to try it, next time I will go for food and the excellent range of craft beers. Just to mention you can have the loft area for free for a privet party. read more

The Raven - The crowd - Pubs Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

I completely adore the Raven. I have been twice now and both times the food has been totally amazing. Their pulled pork is to due for, buns made fresh and a wide selection of sides. The sweet potatoe fries and Mac and cheese are by far my favourite. I always take my boyfriend and best mate there and then both being 6foot lads enjoy the vast amounts of meat available. Currently one of my favourite places to eat read more

The Raven - Yum - Pubs Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

My review, in the style of 'The Raven' by Edgar Allan Poe: Once upon a cold night dreary, as we wandered weak and weary, through the streets of Glasgow, we found a bar we'd never been before. Chatting of our week, recapping, we ventured in and continued yapping, With high hopes that our new trappings, would be all we'd been hoping for. The bar was fairly quiet, so to the Barman: "two beers, kind sir, we implore. Something cold and hoppy, and nothing more". I checked my Yelp app 'cause I was sure I could remember As the name had lit an ember; I'd read reviews of here before! I looked around the venue, checked the bar, perused the menu Trying to work out what kinda vibe it was so poorly aiming for A sports bar? Or a smokehouse? And what's with that giant boar? Confusion, dismay and nothing more. It wasn't what I expected, and so feeling quite dejected, I turned to face a huge TV screen displaying a football score. I'd been hoping for something darker, more gothic and much less starker, So, I took a rest from this sports viewing and to a bathroom did explore. Dear, Lord, I think a cleaner is desperately called for. Even some bleach, if nothing more. Back to the bar I wandered, and at our table I wondered, "Am I judging it too harshly?" from my love of the poem it's named for? My fellow Yelpers seemed to like it, by my heart has not been melted, Our drinks were finished fast, and faster still our scarves a-wrapped Back into the Winter weather we escaped - for the atmosphere we'd hoped for To lift our spirits, a gin would soon be poured. Will I return at a future juncture? Will this prove a better venture? I'll give it one more go to let it impress me, and hope it's better than before. Maybe it was just an off day when we ventured through the door. But with my hopes now slightly dented, and in poetry, now vented. But my love of Poe remains unbroken, and of that bird of yore. Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' read more

Been in here a few times & the food has been brilliant. The less said about their service on the floor the better. Seated & watched as several tables who arrived after us had their food & drink orders taken. Wasn't even a busy lunchtime. Needless to say the patience wore thin & we left. Food is great but don't go here if on a lunch break or in a hurry. read more

I have now been to the Raven a couple of times; a couple of times for drinks and once for food. The décor is of a quirky smokehouse with a giant pig on display. All 3 times I have had something different to drink from their huge array of guest ales and craft beers. I love that pubs are fully embracing craft beers and I love trying different ones. They always have some Drygate available, which is definitely worth a try. The food was decent and for the city centre was affordable. However with so much competition already around it and still popping up around it for smokehouse and burgers I found the food very mediocre for the price. I found it to be general pub grub with a higher price tag. All in all the Raven is very nice and I would probably go back for drinks but unfortunately there was nothing about it that wowed me. read more

Went here for tea tonight as knew it was opening. Read menu prior to arrival and decided I wanted a hotdog. Changed mind when got there as saw someone else have a sharing platter. So husband and I ordered sharing platter with pulled pork and smoked chicken, chips, spicy cheesy chips and onion rings. Sharing platter was amazing! Came with corn on cob which was lovely. Onion rings were excellent. Wish we had ordered more of them! Chips weren't amazing but the other food and the impeccable service made up for it. Drink selection was great. Tables a bit on the small side for sharing platter and sides. Waitress was so helpful and happy to see us. Will be back for food and quiet drink. Love love love. read more

Came here with a friend on a Friday night and it was absolutely jumping! I really like this place because there is lots of space, plenty of tables and chairs and has a great bar area. I recently found out that they have an upstairs too! We came in for a quick drink and even though there weren't any tables, we managed to take two chairs and sit just at the first ridge and there was a little ledge we could sit our drinks on which was perfect. Service was great at the bar and the Raven always has a great atmosphere. Only thing with sitting at the front is that it can get a bit drafty from people coming in and out the front door, but it's not a biggie from where we were sitting. Would definitely recommend this place for a nice drink with some friends or a loved one. read more

The Raven - A nice rose wine! - Pubs Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

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A not so Black Wednesday Back in black and white, long before the coffee chain or gastro pub, we had proper pubs on our streets. You know? A great place to go for a warm pint of bitter? Christ, that must have been sh*t! But seriously, our straßen are no longer real ale deserts. There have always been real ale holes lurking up dark alleyways, serving a decent drop and now Renfield Street, possibly the bleakest of all Glasgow streets, boasts a satisfactory new craft beer bar serving hoppy delights and bbq'd smoked food to boot. Craft beer, real ale - difference? Marketing probably. In any case they have 4 craft & 3 cask beers on tap and a fridge full of crafty beers. A full selection of spirits and wines are on offer too. My choice was a Brew Dog Fake Lager, a Kolschy tasting drink (German Light Ale that's "Lagered") @£4.40, while G had a Witless still British style wheat beer at £5.50. Pricey you say? These two were, but others weren't so. My second choice was the Raven table lager at £2.80, which is pretty reasonable and my third was a 3 x 1/3 "plank" of cask ales at £3.50, again not too bad. I also noticed a bottle if wine costs £7.99 :) But the soft drinks cost £2.20 :( We didn't try the food, but it looks as if you can get a burger, fries and a pint of house lager for around a tenner. Either to be enjoyed in the bar watchin' the footie, or in the dining area next door. Staff were pretty welcoming, but it was day one of opening so another try in a few months might be worth a try. However Renfield St isn't generally an area I frequent, but will The Raven have the pull factor, who knows? read more

This review is souly based on a work event I threw a few weeks ago here. One of my work buddies had suggested here as it's relatively close to the office and venue hire is free. It was fairly easy to setup, went in to explain how many people, how much food etc, leave a deposit. The week before the event I e-mailed to check that the money had been received and give any dietary requirements. At this point it became apparent that the money had never been paid, which was fine, but I would have thought this would have been communicated before. Although, they do require you to pay on the night. Which after a lot of to and froing and calls to the place, I found out at 3pm, with the event due to start at 5.30pm. Eventually it all got paid, just would have been nice if the venue could have been slightly more flexible, given a venue had been paid. Anyways, the good! The manager was super helpful on the night, explaining about the drinks tokens. Basically you couldn't get any change on them. I liked that they had the bar upstairs fully stocked which resulted in a fair few cocktails being drank. The food itself was good, plenty of sliders, hot-dogs, nachos, chips, chicken wings. The nachos in particular were great, I loved the home-made chips and the guacamole. The buns on the sliders weren't my cup of tea, but given the numbers being catered for can't complain. The donughts then appeared much later on at night. So if you are looking to hold an event in Glasgow, with pre-ordered food and some drinks tokens, I would recommend here. read more

After our brilliant Yelp event here before Xmas I was really wanting to go back here as I had been mightily impressed of the place at the event. Being a bit of a sucker for a good sign/font I really like their red neon sign (please don't get any ideas about my fondness for red signs/lights...ROXANNE! Haha!) I also like the size of The Raven & that there's different areas to the bar; seating & tables near the main door & bar as you walk in, an area around the corner (mostly for dining I think?) and 2 areas upstairs also. Came here one midweek evening to meet my lovely fellow Yelper & great friend, Elizabeth F. She managed to secure a cosy table for 2 in the dining area and we were bathed in the gentle twinkly fairy lights that are lovingly strung around the place, very s'nice. I do love a good fairy light as well. Service was swift. For drinks I opted for one of their Taster Planks of which they have 2 options ~ 3 x third pints of their cask beers for £3.75 or 3 x their craft beers for £4.95, myself being of the 'fairly skint' persuasion I opted for the cheaper cask ales & very nice they were too. The beer selection in here is pretty good and definitely better than your average bar in town. They usually have guest cask & craft ales on tap and loads of bottled beers should you prefer your beer that way. One thing I didn't realise until it was too late is that they serve cocktails for only £3.50! Woah. That is stonking. Next time... Food-wise we both went for the Winter Sale menu with dishes at either £4 or £5. Yas. Great value. Out of the options (about 8 or 9 dishes) I went for the Smoked Haddock & Chips (although I was really tempted by the yummy sounding chickpea & spinach burger). I wasn't sure if this would arrive naked (as is) or clothed (battered), turns out that quite suitably considering the frosty weather this little fishy on a dishy came avec batter. I'm not a huge fan of battered fish (I prefer naked or breadcrumbed) but this batter was really delicious ~ light and delicate and it didn't take away from the lovely hunk of smoked haddock that lie within. The handcut, chunky chips that accompanied the fish were also really tasty. There was also a wee bowl of tartare sauce on the side; very nice too. I am a fan also of their various sauces they have on the tables; a smokey BBQ sauce, a chiili sauce and a couple of others. For the bargainous price of £5 this was a wee beezer of a meal and I will most definitely be back. The menu in here is really good and I like that they smoke all their own meats (they must have one HUGE pipe, muhahaha! Sorry). So all in all I am impressed with my little feathered friend, The Raven. Good size pub with enough nooks and crannies to hide away in, nice selection of beers/drinks and a darn good menu. Also the music they play in here has been really pretty good the couple of times I have been in; bonus! Toilets have always been clean & they're pretty huge too which is great as there's nowt worse than having to queue for a loo in a pub. Only thing I would point out is the hand-driers seem to blow out COLD air...fine in the warmer months but leaves your hands pure baltic this time of year! Brrr... If you happen to find yourself in this part of the town and in need of a drinky poo or some grub then for a change give The Raven a whirl, unless of course you POE somewhere better ;-) read more

The Raven - Cask Beer Flight £3.75 - Pubs Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

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The Raven always has a great selection of beers on tap and in the bottle fridge, and all are reasonably priced. This is fast becoming one of my favourite places for a pit-stop when I'm in town with friends; it's comfy, not too expensive and the food is tasty. My only quibble that prevents The Raven from being a 5-star establishment? I feel like they could pimp out their portion sizes a little; Kris B. and I ordered a sharer when last we visited and it felt a bit meagre, as though 1 person would struggle to fill a hole with it. Lucky for us we'd ordered a few sides to keep us going too. Having said that, what do I know about costings/portion control etc? The food we did have was exquisite; ribs loaded with meat that fell effortlessly from the bone, juicy/smokey pulled pork, rich and crispy onion rings and deliciously moreish fries. I'll definitely be back for more soon... read more

Incredible. The food was so good. Didn't taste mass produced either like a big chain. The staff is friendly as well and knowledgable about all the menu items. Any questions we had were answered. Try atmosphere is awesome too. Kind of reminds me of a cellar or a brewery. They have a large selection of beers, (including my alcohol free beer), wines, and spirits. read more

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I'm a firm believer in last chances. And it's a philosophy The Raven has just benefited from. My previous experiences here were basically rubbish. In spite of this, I ended up here last night as part of the weekly date night with the Mr. This time it was quite a nice surprise. The staff were pleasant and helpful. The tv screens are much reduced in number and are now quite unobtrusive. The Raven has pretty much given up on trying to be all things to all people and seems to be focusing more on their food and beer. This is a very good thing. The customer base is very different now - it was full of young professionals, some dates, and a few groups. But gone is the slightly aggressive crowd it had last time I visited. The music was also pretty good too - loud enough to hear and enjoy, but not so loud you need to shout yup be heard. Oh, they've also sorted out the manky toilet issues. Overall, it's still not somewhere i'd want to spend all night, but I'd happily stop in here for a beer after work. This is 4 stars as, although there's a good selection of beers available, it's definitely on the pricey side. And they still have that god awful, stupid pig on display! read more

Popped in on a Sunday nice and chilled. Indie music playing. Friendly staff with good recommendations regarding the available beers. Didn't try the food but will be keen to update my review as soon as I do. They also have an additional function room which I am sure my team will be keen to try out. read more

I was surprised when entering The Raven..the place is huge!! We entered through the bar area and got taken to the restaurant area which has 2 levels. We sat upstairs in a booth and got served straight away. I was very impressed with the drink prices..£13 for a bottle of prosecco and £3.50 for cocktails! For eats I ordered a classic hot dog with sweet potato fries. The hot dog was only £6 and it was huge. Only downfall was the lack on fried onions :( My friends ordered the sliders, cheesy spicey fries and pulled pork burrito. Everyone enjoyed the food and everything was pretty cheap .We ordered doughnuts and ice cream, and also a cookie ice cream stack. Both of these were very disappointing. Some doughnuts were rock solid from the ice cream and the cookie was hard too. I wouldn't advise ordering desserts..fill up on the savoury! The service was very good. We were told after our dinner that they would be turning the football on and turning the music off, and as we were a bunch of girls we were asked if we would prefer to move to a table where there was music. Thought that was quite attentive! Overall the prices are excellent..good atmosphere and good food (minus the desserts) read more

Love this place. Amazing food, amazing drink choices. Staff are friendly but not intrusive when you go here. Great for food and drink if you have a loyalty card too. Will and do continually go back read more

The Raven is a pub that I'm not sure knows what it wants to be. It has a good selection of beer, but slightly too expensive for most people who appreciate beer enough to drink it regularly. It's got decently priced food, but there is better quality for similar prices elsewhere. That sort of puts it in a special place which is ideal for work dos, or one-off meeting places if you can't decide what you want. I don't think I'd plan a night around going here, but it could certainly end up on my journey between other pubs or restaurants. They do have some odd pricing on the beers, so take a minute to check the prices before ordering. read more

Been here a few times for a few different occasions and service has always been great! Drinks menu is varied and a good selection of craft and mainstream beers to choice from all at reasonable prices. Lunch menu is always good with plenty of lite bite options if required, with a fuller menu available. Service ius really fast and is great t nip in for lunch on a working day. read more

I've been to The Raven a few times now and enjoy the airy vibe and the good mix of music played at an unobtrusive volume level - too many places, like The Republic Bier Halle , get that last point so so wrong. The main attraction of The Raven has to be the grill house style food, with racks of ribs, pulled pork, chicken and burgers served on a tray - seemingly the way forward for hip new restaurants in these times of plate austerity. Unfortunately, I really want to like The Raven more than I do, but the beer is pricey and the food is hit & miss. I've been served up lovely pulled pork alongside a dried out half rack of ribs as if that's going to win my loyal custom in a city that's now teaming with great places to eat. The service is also patchy - on a recent visit our table ordered drinks from the server who brought our food and 25 minutes later when we'd all but finished our meal we were brought one beer by a different server who was cheeky about it when we pointed out we'd ordered three. Don't get cheeky - just apologise and hurry the heck up. Ultimately I hope The Raven improves because it's a cool place, but right now you can get a better standard of food and service in the surrounding area. read more

I popped in here with my mum and dad for a drink one autumn evening, before catching the train home. Side note 1: I love going to the pub with my mum and dad, I really do. As it was approaching Halloween, The Raven had pumpkin ale which was a-calling to me from the bar. The barman let me have a sip, and then I ordered a pint of the stuff, because: mmm, ale, and mmm, pumpkin. Side note 2: I'm really not an ale drinker and just one had me dizzy. Still, I enjoyed the pumpkin ale. And I enjoyed The Raven. It was busy so we nestled by the bar for our one last drink. There was a lively atmosphere but it wasn't rowdy or raucous, and service was fast and friendly. Side note 3: I like you, Raven. read more

We had the upstairs area booked for the work do, which consists of a fairly sized open seating area, and a smaller snug with a bar and DJ space. The downstairs is also pretty spacious, yet cosy looking. My only complaint about was there was no toilet upstairs, which meant a bit of a trek from our area to the loos, and the fact that the ramp, if you could call it that, at the entrance is practically vertical. Very tricky if you're in heels, and probably so for wheelchair access also. Booze wise, as that's what ye really wanna know about a pub, there's a great selection of craft and cask, and reasonably priced. House wine is £11.50 a bottle, dearer than some places, cheaper than others. Staff are friendly, and up for a laugh. Though I don't think the poor boy that was coerced in to our pictures had much choice. ;p By all accounts the buffet was amazing, and included slider burgers, hot dogs and nachos. Though, my colleagues being like a collective of hungry lions at an antelope tea party, decimated it in about 15 minutes, and all there was left to nibble on was a few ribs. Literally. read more

Have walked past here heaps of times and never investigated it, but my sister suggested it as a quick and cheap place for a bite before the cinema (we have a tradition for trashy food before trashy films, and ribs before Spy seemed fitting. That film is hilarious, you should see it. Anyway...) I was pleasantly surprised by the interior and gutted to be driving when I saw their beer selection! My sister and I shared half a smoked chicken and a rack of ribs and both were perfect. The chicken was moist and gently flavoured, and brought to life with a squirt of the hot sauce they have on the table. The ribs were incredible! I am not normally a fan of ribs (although seem to have had them three times this week...) but these were the best ribs I have ever tasted. Really meaty and tender! My girlfriend had a burger and I enjoyed a bite of it but it wasn't the best burger in the world I don't think. We all shared some tasty sweet potato fries and mac and cheese that were both super yum! I'll definitely be back, without my car so I can start working through that beer selection!! read more

The Raven - ribs & chicken platter. - Pubs Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

This is a great wee bar in the city centre! Lovely decor, friendly staff and great prices! Oh and tasty food too! The Raven is a winner for me, a cosy relaxed atmosphere, beer paddles and hotdogs. If you're looking for somewhere to catch up with friends and just have a nice time this is the place for you! We recently met old friends for a few beers here which turned into many of the lovely cocktails they offer and brilliant banter from the waitress. Can't wait to go back for more! read more

The Raven - Noms! - Pubs Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

When we ended up here we had had plans to go somewhere else. Although I've been here before (thank you Yelp and Menabrea Birra for the guitar session), this was the first time I had the time to appreciate and pay proper attention to this place. I'm really torn. This is the way I see it: The Raven is the matured version of Bloc+, after Bloc+ has gone to University, gotten a job, settled down a little and had a shower. The music is relatively similar, but a lot quieter. The food is similar, but more expensive and the menu is a little more extensive - but still very much the same... and this is not a bad thing. But that is the best way I can explain The Raven. If it were a person, it would be that young-at-heart Father to a really cute hipster baby that you see posted on Instagram and Buzzed pages #FamilyGoalz. I'm getting sidetracked. I love their beer menu, it's extensive. I like the sauces on the table (all home made?) - N.B. if you don't like BBQ or smokey flavours, this place is probably not for you - and I do like the set up. Be advised though, the tables can be rather sticky. The food menu is very meat-centric, very South of America (not South American), but there are some very good sounding things on the menu. Half of our group went for the chilli dawg (which comes without chips), and there were two deli subs. One with pulled meat, and I went for the fish finger one. The deli subs come with 'slaw and skin-on fries. When the food arrived, I was really rather surprised - those "fish fingers" have got to be the longest I've ever seen. They were the same length of the roll they came in, and that "roll" was more like a hot dog bun (very nice though). On the whole, I did very much enjoy my fish finger sandwich. The tartar sauce wasn't perfectly distributed, but I would absolutely, most definitely order it again, and I will come back to The Raven. Now for something I will try to avoid having again: The slaw I could in no way get on board with, I simply hate it. It was vinegary and stingy and an odd colour. Personally I would have liked them to ask if we needed any other sauces (even with plenty of options already on the table). The fries were served in a little bucket, which is a cute touch but not needed. Generally, they are nice fries but nothing out of the ordinary. Chunky, semi fluffy and semi crispy on the outside, I suppose. Nothing to write home about and I've definitely had better. Generally, the consensus around the table was relatively positive, the majority of foods were enjoyed although Carolyn E. had very strong (negative) feelings about the actual sausage of the hot dog. She did, however, enjoy the pickles which weren't sweet (this is a good thing), but in case she writes a review, make sure you check it out for her opinion! So why am I not giving it more stars? It has an excellent vibe, the menu is simple and accessible (but definitely on the pricier side of the spectrum) and the food is hearty and enjoyable. But for me, The Raven is just missing that particular je ne sais qoui. I'm sorry, I truly am, but I cannot bring myself to give it more stars. read more

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The Raven has grown on me over the past few months. It has a nice atmosphere and a good vibe to it. Although there is nothing that really stands out in the place, the food is good and there is a good choice of smokehouse/BBQ food, burgers, hot dogs and the like. I'm a fan of their Hot Dogs especially and their spicy chips with cheese are really good (most of the time) and a favorite side. Overall, it's a nice pub in the city centre, with good beer options and tasty food to go with the drinks. Can get really busy on weekends... read more

Me and my girlfriend came here before going to the cinema for some food when we got here we where welcomed by smiling friendly staff that were 1st class start to finish. We both had the chilli dog some hot wings and the hot cheesey chips, The chilli dogs come in a basket and its a bit of a fair size smuthered in chilli with onions gerkins and kidney beans it was nice the only thing i didnt like is the grease proof papaer was ripping and had to pe picked out from the food. The hot cheesey chips where delicious and yes it was chips and cheese with some sauce and jalapenos but far more tastier than the cajun and i love cajun!! The chicken wings well there good but definetly not spicy which saddens me as a love hot wings. Other than that its a great little place good food good music and has a little charm to it i would say to everyone to at least try this once anyways. read more

I've been in the Raven a few times, most recently a week ago. I used to have pretty mixed feelings about it. Could be a busy venue full of...(putting it politely) loud idiots. It seems to have made itself a beer bar (massive plus for me) and just has a much better buzz about the place. Can get very busy at the weekends, but we managed to get a seat near the door and it was pretty enjoyable. Service is good and quick considering how busy it can get. Great range of beers, with an ever changing selection of guest beers on offer. Seems the drygate beers are a bit of a staple in here too, which I quite like. A decent place to head to for a couple of drinks in the city centre. Don't know why but I find it a great place to head to after work if you're just wanting a couple. read more