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    The Record Factory

    3.0 (22 reviews)
    ModerateDive Bars
    Open 12:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

    The Record Factory Photos

    THE RECORD FACTORY ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Live music
    Loud
    Outdoor seating

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    From official website
    Steven B.

    Well, well, well.. Hit up this joint on the grounds they were the only place in town showing Finland vs. Sweden at Ice Hockey and ended up enjoying this place so much I can't wait to come back for their Monday quiz. Student affair, which doesn't put me off at all, with a funky interior with lots of room and seating with live sport showing on big screens. Decent bar, which wasn't exactly student prices (where I'm from anyhow), though the promise of free pizza with a drink during the week should make up for that. The food looked great for the price, where my sole food purchase was chips (in a mug!). Down the bottom of Byres Road, round the corner from Kelvinhall Tube, it's a decent location. Looking forward to a new Monday quiz.

    Pammi G.

    For those of you who don't know where The Record Factory...it is literally a doorway located next to Remax, don't blink or you would walk past it. The vibe in The Record Factory is very much that of a cool understated Dive Bar, which believe me is said with love - there is absolutely nothing wrong with this style of bar. There was mismatched leather sofas, gig posters on the walls, graffiti tables (I won't repeat on here what Andy is according to the writing on our table:-) ). It has a very young, student, serious music fan kind of feel, I am not going to lie I think if I was about 3 or 4 years older or the bar was busy I would probably feel quite uncomfortable and out of place....but I amn't exactly their target market so that it cool. The waitress who served us was lovely, she came over and took our order really quickly - we were the only people in the bar for the entire hour we were in so not that surprising. She very helpfully pointed us in the direction of the specials and award-winning burger options. We never really saw much of her but she was friendly and chatty when we did. Slight gripe before I start gushing about the food, they had no mineral water which I HATE! I don't like tap water and amn't a fan of fizzy juice and it seemed a bit early for a glass of wine. A minor niggle but it annoys me where there is no mineral water....absolutely not the lovely waitresses fault tho. Right food! After much oohing and aahing over the menu I decided to try their award-winning 'best burger in Glasgow' - the LoveBite. I can't remember everything that was on it, but I do remember it has peanut butter, onions, chilli jam and crispy parma ham, I think? Which comes served with a bowl of triple cooked chips, along with a side of their beef dripping roasted potatoes. The menu does say that burgers are made to order so we could expect to wait 15 minutes...perfectly fine with that. The food arrived and it looked mouthwateringly good. The patty can only be described as juicy and lush, the param ham was inspired and tasted amazing, the chilli jam gave it a little heat. The only thing I wasn't completely crazy about was the peanut butter, I didn't hate it I just found it was slightly too clawy in my mouth - this is a purely personal thing tho so for me this food was still a comfortable 10 stars. This gorgeous burger sits quite easily as my second favourite in the city, the patty and flavour combo was amazing, next time I would just ask them to go slightly easier on the PB. The chips were chunky, light and crunchy...pretty much as good as chips get and the roasted potatoes were insanely, amazingly good. I could very easily just eat a giant bowl of these little nuggets of golden deliciousness myself. I was SO full after eating all this that I had to come home for a lay down to recover. I would 100% go back here for a burger as long as it was quite. Brilliant burger!

    My beef burger with - randomly - friend egg + jalapeños + chilli slaw on the side. Evening sunshine included.
    Hayley A.

    With Hettie Puppy in tow and rugby to be watched, our first trip to The Record Factory a few weeks ago (new management had only just stepped in) was chalked up as a win: reserved table bang in front of the screen for "The Pup" and water and dog treats for Little Miss before we even had menus (a good thing, trust me). With the Glasgow sun brightly shining this week (I was starting to worry those words would never again pass my lips), tummies groaning from a skipped a lunch + general sunny afternoon pint pining, we hightailed it back down to the newly re-opened beer garden. It's the sun - without doubt - that makes this place. With festive festoon lighting overhead (heaters are on the way) and elevated picnic tables at the rear of the garden, we milked every last second of the glorious Glasgow spring sunshine and then some. Burgers and pints were well in order and devoured in mere moments. Lisa and I and our pal Pat#1 all opted for beef burgers with various toppings/extras - in some kind of hypoglycaemic state I asked for a friend egg, jalapeños and chilli slaw (actually bloody delicious) though Lisa much more cleverly went for onion rings (a whopping great stack skewered inside the burger). Our friend Pat#2 opted for the chicken burger with bacon and, by the look on her face, made one hell of a decision indeed. Being a fat+squishy chips lover, I'd have seen them cooked just 5mins less (no one else seemed phased) and the side salad was good too. Hettie was fussed over from beginning to end - water bowls, visits from the staff and dog treats aplenty. Once the sun was tucked away, we filed inside for another pint where the venue was filling ahead of an evening gig. Yes, it's quite student-ish and generally windowless-ish but not a bad space really. If the sun ever shines again - we'll be back!

    Outdoor chalk board
    Rebecca D.

    I've always found The Record Factory to be a bit hit and miss. I've now visited three times relatively recently, here's how each visit went. Visit 1: Weekday lunchtime. Two of us bundled in to order burgers which we paired with a pint. The place was empty, service was friendly and pretty quick and they were running some kind of deal (I forget exactly what) so our order was pretty inexpensive. The food was ok for a lunch deal but nothing extraordinary. Some of the items that weren't in the deal sounded really good, but would have been too much for lunch. Visit 2: Friday night drinks. I booked a space for 10 people to enjoy drinks here after work. It was really great and a lot of fun, most of us ordered food which took a little longer to arrive this time, but not too long. Most people reported that they were really happy with their food. However, at ~9pm, a shutter came down to reveal a DJ booth and the music went up to above the point where we could comfortably chat. Weird because there was almost no one else in the place. We all left. Visit 3: Early evening on Saturday during a subcrawl. My partner and I elected to break off from the main subcrawl group to sit in the sunshine in the beer garden, which is really more of a yard. The atmosphere was great and I could easily have stayed there all afternoon if the weather had stayed good. We ordered burgers from the BBQ they had set up, which were £5 each and came with free salad and potato salad (weirdly, fries would have cost an extra £2). The food was fine for the price and I'd order it again if I were back in the beer garden. So, A-OK just about sums it up for this place for me. It usually seems to be fine but occasionally some odd choices are made about how to run the place. Beer garden space is sadly lacking in the West End, so I'll probably be back just for that.

    Nice chilled bar, can't understand why this place isn't mobbed!
    Richard D.

    I strolled in off the street, a little to get out of the rain but mostly that was an excuse to drink a pint of Innis and Gunn. The barman immediate struck up a rapport, easy going environment, exceptionally crisp pint these guys care about the cleanliness of their pumps and lines. Very chilled out during the day, I literally cannot understand why this place is not just mobbed. The cliche of hidden gem comes to mind but that's what this place is. Do yourself a favour, get a group of mates and come and enjoy one of the many sofas that adorn the place. A great, great bar!

    Falafel nuggets and sauce
    Elaine D.

    The beer garden was the big seller to me here today on one of our few days of summer - there is a blackboard just at the edge of the turn off from Byres Road to direct passersby to the beer garden at the back of the bar/restaurant. We'd just timed it well (around 5.20pm) to get a free and unreserved table in the sun before it got even busier than it already was. Had a look at the food menu - everything by Meathammer, and not being a meat eater wasn't really that impressive to me, but I'm sure is to a lot of customers. A helpful dietary food guide at the bottom of the menu which included mentioning vegetarian options could be made vegan. Next time I'll probably give the veggie burger a go (minus the ever-popular-with-restaurants non-vegan breaded roll) but today opted just for the falafel nuggets (£3.95) and shared some triple fried chips with my other half. Chips were nice, quite crunchy, and I really enjoyed the falafel. With their perfect round shape I wondered if they were freshly made or bought in, but I could see whole chickpeas when I took a bite so that made me think they were made on the premises. We did have a bit of a wait for these (maybe around half an hour) but it was really, really busy. The Drygate apple ale wasn't pouring well so I opted for a pint of Innis & Gunn. On our second round I asked about the Innis & Gunn with rum finish listed on the drinks menu but was told they didn't have Innis & Gunn in bottles, and they hadn't had any of that particular drink in for a while. As he went to pour my drinks order I did spot Innis & Gunn bottles in the fridge but I couldn't be bothered asking any further questions. Would have been so much easier if I could just have had the basic customer scenario of picking something off the menu and there it appeared.... The venue itself is quite big inside with sofas and booths which look quite comfy and I reckon would provide a good atmosphere at an event or private function. The toilets: sign on the door with cleaning check times, last time written was 9.50 (not sure if am or pm) and it was then around 7.00 (pm) so not sure how often this is updated or carried out, but was pleased to actually see a sign as so many places don't bother. Handdrier was a bit rubbish.

    Faktory's entrance.

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    Hootenanny

    Hootenanny

    3.6(15 reviews)
    2.0 miCity Centre
    £

    Across from our hotel so we had to check it out - not disappointed at all. Cool vibe with sports…read moreon and music going. Drinks were great and a nice selection of beer and whiskies. Staff is very cool.

    Hootenanny is a nice, decent sized pub in the city centre. For some reason I've never found it to…read morebe overly crowded, perhaps because its most obvious competitor would be something like a Wetherspoons and it's just fractionally more expensive and doesn't have quite such a range of ales available. However, that's a small price to pay for being able to hear yourself think and for a guaranteed seat. We dropped in for what was originally going to be one drink. The idea had been to try a few more bars before heading home. However, they were selling West's Wheat Beer for a very reasonable price and, before we knew it, live music had got going. One guy, his guitar and everything from Preacher Man to Shake it Off. So the bar is comfy and warm, the staff are great and get through the queue of customers are quickly as could be hoped for. The WiFi is free and they have offers occasionally through their Facebook page. The food looks very standard pub-grub-ish - nothing out of the ordinary but decent enough and they have a special offer dish that rotates daily. It makes this a good choice for quick pint after shopping or for a place to meet up before moving on, or a place to drink on a Friday or Saturday night when other options seem overwhelmingly full. I don't know exactly why it's a little quieter, but sometimes somewhere a little quieter is exactly what I want. So I'm giving it a good review, but I kind of hope that it stays as at least a relatively well kept secret.

    Photos
    Hootenanny - Local Tennents. Cold and refreshing.

    Local Tennents. Cold and refreshing.

    Hootenanny
    Hootenanny - Hootenanny

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    Hootenanny

    Press Bar

    Press Bar

    4.0(4 reviews)
    2.3 miMerchant City, City Centre
    £

    Press Bar, a Glasgow drinking spot synonymous with journalists and journalism - hence the name…read more While over the years that industry has changed markedly, therefore Press Bar's clientele also has, it's lost none of the charm I first encountered in 2005. It has the feel of a proper neighbourhood bar, which always warrants a thumbs up from me, especially in this day and age. The surrounding area seems to have been constantly undergoing developments and changes for as long as I can remember, but the Press Bar, fundamentally, hasn't changed much. On offer you have the usual selection of drinks, but there is the nice addition of a guest ale or two - on my most recent visit it was Harviestoun's delightful Bitter & Twisted. Great value too. The staff are lovely - the prices are reasonable - and it's a nice wee bar to have a few quiet pints. I like!

    It's hard not to admire the Press Bar…read more Standing defiantly in an area full of new builds, this inconspicuous little pub used to be a thriving hub for journalists. Not only did it attract staff from the old Herald building next door, but rather from across the entire writing scene in the city. Those, of course, were the days in which newspapers were thriving. These days, the whole atmosphere surrounding the impression is grim and socialising plays less of a part than it once did. For those who remember the glory days, the Press Bar remains a nostalgic nod towards better times. Personally, I'm just pleased to see a good, solid old school bar remain in this area of the city.

    Glasgow University Union

    Glasgow University Union

    3.6(8 reviews)
    0.6 miHillhead, West End
    £

    As far as student's unions go, this one is actually pretty good in terms of facilities. It has all…read morethe usual characteristics - a few cheap cheap bars and eateries - as well as a shop, ATM and...a Subway! My friends from other universities were always jealous of that Subway. It was far too handy for me and my fast-food cravings. I spent much of my time at Glasgow uni here - during the day at least. The 'reading room' is perfect for a relaxing cup of coffee on those huge couches or a chat with friends. At night time though it was somewhere I tended to avoid - not so much due to the tackiness of being a student's union but the often arrogant rugby guys and friends who ruined the fun atmosphere. The building itself, like much of Glasgow University, is stunning to look at.

    Ok, the GU gets some pretty bad press amongst students. I'd like you all to consider a few things,…read morethe building itself is very big, old and traditional; it has a wood burning fire at the main entrance. It also has a subway, a café and a shop. It has loads of bars and two separate night clubs, a large debating chamber which hosts comedy and live acts and a rather grotty beer garden. Upstairs it has amazing snooker tables and a reading room. As unions go this one is excellent in terms of facilities. The prices are also very good. Two problems, you have to be a student (when it suits them to be honest usually when they are busy) and quite often the places is overrun with arrogant ignorant rugby goers who make for terrible chat. I think that it is best for day time drinking.

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    Glasgow University Union
    Glasgow University Union
    Glasgow University Union - Getting our rock on in preparation for tomorrow

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    Getting our rock on in preparation for tomorrow

    The Pot Still - 1000 whiskies

    The Pot Still

    4.7(153 reviews)
    1.7 miCity Centre
    ££

    Small pub, massive whisky selection -- and I mean massive. We're talking over 1,000 whiskies on the…read moreshelves, plus a solid lineup of beers on tap. It's cozy, crowded, and buzzing with life -- often standing room only and packed shoulder-to-shoulder with locals and travelers alike. If you're a whisky fan (or even just whisky-curious), do yourself a favor and try one of their Scotland whisky flights. It's like taking a mini tour of the country's whisky regions without ever leaving your barstool -- and without worrying about driving. The bartenders really know their stuff and are happy to guide you toward something you'll love. A quick heads-up: no football colors allowed, which keeps the atmosphere friendly and relaxed no matter who you support. And speaking of friendly -- the locals here are as welcoming as they come. This is exactly the kind of place where Scotland's famous pub culture shines. Prices are surprisingly reasonable too, so you can sample a few drams without feeling guilty. Whether you're a seasoned whisky nerd or just looking to experience the local vibe, this is the spot. Pull up a stool (if you can find one) and enjoy a proper Scottish night out

    Even if you are not a whiskey fan, this place is worth visiting if you're in town. Just to see…read moretheir ginormous, or hmm, whiskey-normous, selection of bottles lining the wall, and the bartenders going up and down the ladders to fetch them. This may prompt you to feel like ordering a drink. You are in good hands and they can totally recommend something that you may like. Their selection is so huge they don't have a menu, you just have to ask for your label or take their recommendations. Naturally, most of the selection is Scottish whiskey, but if you somehow prefer otherwise, (say you are a local tired of Scotch... or just want to reaffirm nothing beats a Scotch?) they do offer whiskey from other countries, as well as beer and ciders, as well as gin, rum and the like. They do offer pies and other bar food, but we went after dinner and just couldn't stomach more food, tempting as they may sound.

    Photos
    The Pot Still - Amazing whisky selection!

    Amazing whisky selection!

    The Pot Still
    The Pot Still

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    The Record Factory - divebars - Updated May 2026

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