Pub of the week: The Record Café, Bradford

Craft beer emporiums have been springing up all over the place, calling themselves cafes and throwing us off the scent. Walk into one and usually you’ll find slightly battered furniture, exposed brick walls, a huge blackboard behind the bar with a long list of craft and cask ales and a chap with a full beard dispensing them. If this sounds a bit snarly, it’s not meant. I approve of these places as long as they’re not replacing traditional pubs.

Owner Keith Wildman had a dream; to bring together great music, great food and great beer under one roof. He opened the doors in November 2014 after almost a year of planning.

Record’s USP is well, records, so their poster says ‘Vinyl. Ale. Ham’ which is pretty much what’s on offer. Upstairs, a record ‘shop’ with vintage music posters and racks of the latest vinyl releases and reissues. Downstairs, brick walls, battered furniture and a blackboard. On the pumps an ever-changing list which on visit consisted of Mallinsons Simcoe, Great Heck Blonde, Atom Bunsen and Revolutions Clash London Porter. There’s a terrific choice of bottled world beers – around 24 from the UK and another couple of dozen from Germany, Belgium and the US. There are six ‘craft’ keg lines and an interesting range of speciality gins and a short but quality wine list. On a wet, miserable night the place was jumping, with all sorts of folk – a pub crowd. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

The Record Café, 45-47 North Parade, Bradford BD1 3JH. 01274 723143, therecordcafe.co.uk Open: Sunday to Thursday, 11am to 11pm. Saturday, 11am to midnight.

Record shop open til 6pm. Food served til 8pm.

WELCOME 5/5

DRINKS SELECTION 5/5

ATMOSPHERE 4/5

PRICES 4/5