The Lab

Reviews

• Sandra M.

  star star star star star_border 10 June 2026

  A wee gem of a place and nothing fancy. Even although it's up a lane, it was very busy with regulars.
  
  My friend had haggis, neeps and tatties with a delicious creamy mushroom sauce and I had the vegetarian option.  Excellent choice of vegetarian and gluten free meals which puts most bigger places in town to shame.
  
  Good service and a lovely, friendly, competent  waiter.
  
  Only spoilt by four young females coming in who were extremely noisy.
  
  This will definitely be a favourite haunt.

• Rebecca D.

  star star star star_border star_border 5 June 2026

  I quite like The Lab. It's a small-ish bar just off Buchanan Street and a good spot to stop for a glass of wine after shopping in the evening. It also has a few outdoor seats and when the sun actually hits it it can be a really nice place to sit.
  
  They have a decent selection of beers and wines and a small cocktail list. The cocktails aren't anything extraordinary but they're pretty fairly priced (as are most of the drinks options here). They do also serve food, typical bar snacks mostly and again fairly inexpensive, but at the moment they don't seem to serve it very late. I think the food is more aimed at the lunchtime crowd.
  
  The staff are chatty and, if it's not too busy, will come over every now and then to ask if you'd like anything else to drink. It's not full waiter service and I do tend to go up to the bar to order but it's a nice touch that they're paying attention.

• Steph S.

  star star star star star_border 1 June 2026

  Not what I expected, in a good way...
  
  So, I was meeting Gavin 'Apocalyptic' W whom occasionally likes to frequent uber-trendy style-bars.  So immediately I concluded "uncomfortable evening ahead" - Not with the company you understand? But on this occasion he happily surprised me.
  
  We're in our Forties, but we seemed to be the youngest dudes in the bar. This really perplexed me, as I'd always thought The Lab was a young and trendy establishment - a pre-club hangout, if you will. Don't know why, but perhaps being next to Ted Baker pointed me in the direction of - 'frequented by labelled-up Saturday night types'. Not so :-)
  
  In fact The Lab has the charm of an internal, cosy courtyard (if you can imagine such a thing?) which extends to an actual courtyard seating area. The host is warm and welcoming and the bar is well stocked with hefes, pilsners, ales and spirits. The bar soon filled with all sorts - a true mix of young and old, which contributed to a congenial atmospheric evening.
  
  Good choice Gav

• Tony C.

  star star star star_border star_border 24 May 2026

  The Lab isn't a place you instinctively head towards - or for me anyway, it's not - but I generally always have a good time when I'm there. With a few nice beers on tap, and a large, covered beer garden to chill out in when it's hot, it's usually always busy.
  
  And there's the problem - it's tiny! It's maybe too popular for it's own good? Or, y'know, a lot of people go there to be seen (what I call the Brewdog effect) rather than be comfortable.
  
  If you can grab a comfy seat, or a table outside, then by all means, it's ruddy good, but if not, you'll spend all your time moving to let people by, looking for a seat with the trained eyes of a hawk (if hawks ate empty seats rather than woodland creatures) and apologising for standing on people's feet.
  
  Maybe I'm being too harsh, but The Lab is a great first/last place to stop in, but it's not a place I would be happy staying all night.
  
  It is still a Glasgow institution, and rightly so. I remember the WOW factor when they were one of the first places to have Budweiser on tap... ahh, the heady days of youth when I was easily impressed by watered down American "beer". Good times.
  
  So yeah, check it out, fight for a seat if you must, and enjoy the sunshine outside.

• Annie D.

  star star star star star_border 23 May 2026

  This is located down a lane off Buchanan Street. It's a small bar offering food and drinks, with an outside garden area. We had a cider and it was beautifully ice cold. I like that the bar me came over no asked if we wanted another drink. There was a mix of clientele in today which again added to the visit, I like a place that accommodates everyone. This was the cheapest place for our drinks and appeared very competitive, I'll be back.