Hall of Records

I am still trying to find a replacement bar close by that matched the good vibe Hall of Records had. Miss you guys!!!

Great funky place! I took my in laws here recently. A crazy hectic ordeal usually but once we entered this joint everybody just mellowed out, drank some tasty beverages, ate an incredible salad and enjoyed some classic tunes.
Got to love a place with great vibes.

It has a moderate lounge appeal that adds a sense of class to the place. I will say that its a nice starter for any night on the town. The records played and displayed are absolutely amazing and I can say with absolute poise that there isn’t another place like it in SE. If you’re attending soon, go for the great selection of vinyl that they have to listen to but have low expectations when it comes to service, as they are running the show with only one person behind the bar on most evenings. Overall, it is a nice addition to that part of SE Belmont.

Thought I’d throw in my two cents –
Things I look for in bars tend to be the following…
Good beer? (check!)
Nice staff? (check!)
Good liquor selection? (check!)
Good food that doesn’t cost a metric shit ton? (double check!)
Interesting unique concept? (check!)
Now I know a vinyl bar isn’t super unique (although, quite welcome), but having rotating open turntable nights is pretty rad and I’ve never seen it done before. So long as you’ve got some wax, you get a half hour to spin. That’s pretty awesome.
Also? I DJ there sometimes. And another important thing from my perspective is how they treat their entertainment. They are really top notch about treating DJs well. So if how they treat their entertainment is important to you, then be satisfied that these cats treat us right. Five stars!

Occasionally a lounge or a funky little dance club (Friday nights can get spontaneous) Hall of Records is always an enjoyable place to spend my time and $.
Not sure how I haven’t written a review about HoR before. I love this place. Justin and Katie are two of the nicest business owners around. The music is always spot on, it’s a great happy hour, good beer and wine selection and NOW THEY HAVE A FULL BAR.
When you want a night out in a spot that is NOT a dive, DOES have great prices, and is sure to have a superb mixed crowd, go here!

There’s a little place tucked in the strip on Belmont with dim lights, comfy seating and vinyl so old and cool you can’t help but get a little excited when you hear the crackling of the analog sounds. Chill, funky, down tempo, you name it. I don’t think I’ve been to a cooler bar in Portland. Add in super cheap drinks and food and well, maybe I’m addicted baby. There’s a really good chance you will find me here again.

Had the California sandwich with salad and a couple beers. The owner was pleasant and provided excellent service. The food was great and we will be back for the Blackberry Mojito soon.

Good beer selection. Nice listening stations. I went here because they were host to a special guest speaker that talks about social media (Rick Bakas).
I loved their selections of beers, but most importantly, their Grilled Cheese with Tomato soup was the best I’ve ever had. They use Dave’s Killer bread and have a hearty tomato soup that compliments it well.
If you’re in to vinyl and beer, this is your place!

Listening Stations are pretty cool. Beer is pretty cool. This place has both! Great for locals and people who like records. Less good for the rowdy beer guzzlers. Very mellow place.

Traveled to a part of town last night that I don’t spend nearly enough time in to be able to find the kind of place I’ve been searching for on a whim. What I’m seeking in a bar shouldn’t be too hard to come by in a city packed with people on budgets that don’t include giving up occasional gastronomical delights. All I really wanted was a place with a decently priced menu (whereas I can get away with splitting an entrée and appetizer for under $ 15) hopefully more fresh than fried fare, and a house wine $ 5 or under. What I got at Hall of Records was paradise.
Their menu is amazingly inexpensive. Likely the best for your dollar in the whole neighborhood. We ordered the caprese salad and the vegetable stew. Loads of basil on the salad and a super tasty balsamic reduction with perfectly grilled ciabatta bread of the side. The stew was ok. Not the best part of the experience but it wasn’t awful. Just not my thing.
My glass of wine was a real pour in one of those sexy voluptuous glasses. $ 4 and, though I don’t remember what their house wine was I remember thinking it was a unique choice and several notches above a typical house.
As for the ambiance, obviously the vinyl is the main attraction. They were spinning old school funk I had never heard of. It wasn’t just a pleasurable listening experience, it was a learning one as well. Also, the music was at just the right level. It drives me crazy when I go out with my partner or friends and instead of being social with one another we end up getting ear raped the whole time by the stereo system. The music was just right. Everything else about the vibe of this place gives me that fuzzy feeling. No video poker, great service (the bartender was really nice, a rare quality in this towns service folks), and my total bill for 2 people with 2 drinks each, an appetizer and stew: $ 26. Wow. I wish bars in my part of town were more like Hall of Records. I’m in love.

Vinyl and beer? I love it. Apparently this place shares a bathroom with Circa 33?
I had a pint of Cascade Razzberry Wheat which took me back to a sweltering Sunday in July at OBF. It was fantastic. Good place!
They do Open Tables on Friday @ 8, if that’s your sorta thing.

Decided to check this place out and stumbled in on Saturday just as their Natian Brewery party was starting up. $ 3 drafts!
Without realizing it we spent over 3 hours listening to vinyl at their listening stations and enjoying the delicious brews. Very low-​key, laid back atmosphere. Plus they’ll play any record you want on their main stereo system so you can check out the quality.
I haven’t tried their food yet but I will; especially since I met the lady who works their and makes all their cookies in house. That bodes well for the rest of the menu. :)

While vinyl is spinning on the turntable, I read the liner notes. I’m too old to read the liner notes on a CD. I need a magnifying glass. And if I download tunes from the internet, how do I get the liner notes? Do they mail them to me? Why should I give some record company prick my hard earned money and not get any liner notes? Forget about it.
At the Hall of Record, they understand my concerns and offer lots of big, readable and playable music on vinyl. I ordered a sandwich and a beer and started to dig through the stacks of wonderful old records. They have a great selection of Jazz on Blue Note, Prestige, Riverside, and Columbia.
They have these cool little beer holders so you can keep looking through the records while you enjoy your microbrew. I found about 10 pounds of records that I had to have. My sandwich came, so I requested they spin one of my choices, while I sat and ate my sandwich — which was very good — drank my beer, listened to jazz; pops and all, and read the liner notes.
The Hall of Records is a great place, run by a couple of really nice people.

Perfect combo, vinyl, sandwiches, beer and wine!
Hubby dived right in to the music. found him some great jazz. but I’ll let him tell you that in a different review.
In the meantime, we ordered some vegetarian sandwiches and we each had 1 half of a hummus/​basil/​tomato veggie grilled on –you got it –Dave’s killer bread and 1 half of the caprese tomato/​mozzarella sandwich. Along with that comes salad or chips, which we did one of each. The salad dressing is a lovely vinagarette. Food was definitely tasty and they have a number of vegetarian choices which is always welcoming in our crowd.
The folks themselves that run the place were just very friendly and welcoming as well as quite knowlegeable about jazz! YAY!
For those of you that don’t do jazz they also have other lesser genres of vinyl music as well. ;)
I kicked back and had me some chardonnay while hubby perused the records and we got to listen to some of the jazz on the turntable.
Speaking of turntables, they also have a couple of them out there for you to try out your music before you buy.

Cozy and cool, this place only gets 3 and ½ stars (sorry– I know there’s only three here: damn you Unilocal!) because the concept was a little over-​sold. It’s not so much a music bar as it’s a «music themed» bar.
Was looking for a record store with booze (i.e., Easy Street Records in West Seattle). Found a hip tavern with few crates of records. Still rooting for the place, and everyone there seemed nice and friendly. More vinyl please!

Hall of records brings something much needed to the area. It’s nice, but afforable, its relaxed without being a dive. It’s the goldilocks bar, «just right» and It’s managed to stand out in a highly saturated are a of bars.
Most nights there is a DJ and during the day they normally have some good music going. I’ve had a few appetizers which were great. I know Monday is half price sandwich day at 6. I need to get on that, they look delicious. Prices are very reasonable. They have happy hour daily and all day Sunday.
I’ve been a few times with a book and just relaxed and read. it’s just that kind of bar. Weather your doing work, reading, or hanging out with friends — it’s a good vide.

Hall of Records is a sweet concept — half record store, half bar, one-​third restaurant. If my math is correct, that’s a whole lot of awesome.
This little concept occupies part of the former It’s a Beautiful Pizza space and is in my opinion quite an upgrade. They’ve got a little couch seating area up front in the window, a short little bar, and tables down one side. The other front corner is occupied by a couple of racks of rare groove, funk and Blaxploitation records with a couple of listening stations and a set of turntables.
The bar itself serves beer and wine only (that’s why this place is missing the elusive 5^th star), but they’ve got a good selection of beers wines, and they offer some sandwiches and similar snacks for the hungry. So really it’s a great place to spend an afternoon digging the crates for some serious rare groove gems and then capping it with a frosty beverage.
At night, DJ’s commandeer the turntables up front for guest gigs that tend to focus on hip hop, funk, downbeats and similar. It’s a chill spot to gather the troop for a few cold ones and kick back to some funky grooves.
I’m super stoked on this place and look forward to spending more time here. A chat with the owner (super cool guy) indicates that they might seek that OLCC license soon… maybe. Even if they don’t, you’ll probably find me here on occasion kicking back and enjoying some of my favorite music genres with a nice brew.

I love Hall of Records! I always get a really good vibe when I’m there, the drinks are cheap/​fair price and microbrews/​local and a good selection, the music is fabulous, and the employees and owners are the best!
It’s the most brilliant idea – bar meets record shop. On top of that, the owners are both living out life dreams! One always wanted to open a bar, the other a record store. Boom! Half the rent, twice the awesomeness.
The first time my fiancé and I went was on a Tuesday. The place was full, not packed, but still all but 4 seats were taken. On a Tuesday! The live DJs just bring people in. We’d been planning to grab a drink at Alto nearby, but we just had to go inside. And I’m so glad we did! We went back this Friday and it was packed, but in a good way. The people it draws are fun and interesting. Despite being in Belmont, it wasn’t a hipsterthon at all. People were dressed casual dressy and there was no «I’m cooler than you» to the scene at all. Very welcoming and friendly.
All I can say is: Go to Hall of Records as soon as you can.
They have pint nite on Tuesdays ($ 3 pints all night long! And they have this new brew called Natian which is delicious) and open DJ night on Fridays. So if you DJ for fun at home, it’s the perfect way to show off your chops in a relaxed setting. No pressure to move the crowd all night, but the ability to share your skills and personal collection. Plus you can discover other DJs.
They say when things are made with love it shows, and all the hard work and love that’s gone into this place is definitely apparent. Little details like having 1970s copies of Down Beat as reading material while you lounge, the bar wall being made out of the wood paneling from the pizza joint that was there before, the chalk art on their menu… they all just show how truly unique and awesome Hall of Records really is.

What a lovely place to spend your time. Hall of Records is a cozy little haven. I expect it to be the happy hour place for my girlfriends and I this coming winter. Great music. My friend and I were drinking the house white — very flavorful and only $ 4 a glass. We also split two of the sandwiches and enjoyed them both. I highly recommend it and will be back soon!

Things I like…
Awesome selection of rare vinyl
Local beer on tap & Tecate tall boys
DJs spinning at night
No ‘tude
Great food (sandwiches and salads) fresh n’ non-​greasy
Aaaannnnd this might sound weird but the bathrooms are really clean and smell good…