Òran Mór

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• What are these?

• Average price 2 courses:
   £9.50 (lunch)
   £9.50 (evening meal)
• House wine: £9.95 per bottle

• High point: Quality food at reasonable prices
• Low point: Limited vegetarian choice
• Food served: Mon-Sat 9am-9pm; Sun 12.30-9pm
• Bar open: Mon-Sat 9am-3am; Sun 12.30pm-3am
• Private dining: Up to 30 covers
• Open since: 2004
• Also offers: Wheelchair access

The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 is now in the shops.

This review is from the 2007 edition.

Presiding over a prime spot where Byres and Great Western roads meet, Òran Mór's main bar is housed in an impressive renovated church, with a more formal dining room around the corner [see Bistros & Brasseries] and performance spaces in the basement and upstairs. Stained glass windows and bare sandstone walls provide clues to its former incarnation, but the large central bar - usually propped up by regulars - and small booths furnished with simple wooden tables and stools give it a 'country pub in the city' feel. The menu is deceptively simple with its traditional orientation, but the food excels at prices that put many city centre pubs to shame. The vegetarian haggis is spicy, with pieces of hot pepper setting off the creamy Arran mustard sauce. Mince and tatties with suet dough balls uses finely-ground beef that's juicy, tender and without a trace of gristle. From a Neapolitan trio of super-smooth home-made ice-creams, the fruity strawberry in particular achieves distinction. Ordering food at the bar can be a test of patience on busy nights, while breakfast (served Monday-Friday 9am-noon) offers a more peaceful experience.