Òran Mór

Òran Mór could barely have any more strings to its bow: pub-restaurant, brasserie, music venue, theatre, nightclub – there seems to be no containing the inexorable expansion of this hugely successful venue.

It all occurs under the roof – make that roofs – of the grand old Kelvinside Parish Church at the corner of Byres Road and Great Western Road, as it has done since 2004. The glowing ring artfully adorning the steeple guides in punters to Òran Mór from miles around, to eat, drink, dance and generally carouse from morning until late seven days a week. It’s one of the few places in the West End with a proper late licence – until 2am weekdays and 3am at weekends – and so can get especially busy after midnight.

The Whisky Bar is the main boozer, where you’ll find a good range of beers and spirits, as well as a menu of hearty pub-grub classics. The adjoining Brasserie does slightly more upscale dining, before itself turning into a lively cocktail and champagne bar at weekends. The 500-capacity basement Venue hosts all kinds of events – from the popular and prolific A Play, A Pie & A Pint lunchtime theatre series, to all kinds of concerts by major Scottish promoters and Oran Mor’s own in-house bookers, to clubnights at weekends (generally catering for an over 30s crowd).

The stunning, arched-ceiling Auditorium – which is decorated by an Alasdair Gray mural, one of the largest pieces of public art in Scotland – is sometimes used for concerts, but more often private functions from weddings to graduation balls. Did we forget anything? Probably.