My favorite bar in Oxford! The bar men are very kind, and pleased to make you your own…read morepersonalized, prefered cocktail. Open seven nights a week, live DJs every night (all sorts; house, electronic, r&b mixes) and a pleasant, trendy atmosphere. The door policy makes sure its doesnt get too crowded, because Thirst is not that big. Although, big enough to dance, drink and chat. Great place!!

Hilarious night out, but not the best quality. Been in here a couple of times now, and while I have…read morealways had good nights here, I credit that more to my level of intoxication rather than the club. I do really like the outdoors seating area, even when it is raining it is dry and warm. The dancefloor is packed which is always a good sign. The music is nice but I did get started on by a 50+ year old man on the dancefloor which i wasn't expecting. Good night out, but I cannot comment how it would be if sober.

You must try the Rose Vodka Martini. The bartender (ours was Greggor), make the sir own rose gomme…read moreand the rest of the syrups. Very comfortable and inviting bar for a prequel to dinner. Comfortable couches and alcoves with experienced bartenders. Love it. The best martini that I've had in Scotland.

Gregor provided wonderful service and the drinks were delicious. A group of us stopped in for some…read moredrinks before dinner and were not disappointed! Would absolutely recommend coming here!

We loved our experience at Jam Jar! Service was excellent everyone so friendly! We tried haggis…read moreand black pudding as appetizers ! I even had a Moscow Mule!

My friends and I are from California and we are visiting Scotland. We stopped in Glasgow to see the…read morebeautiful sites and converse with the locals. We decided to stop at the Jam Jar in Paisley and it ended up being one of the best restaurants that I, personally, have ever been to. The food was excellent and the service was top notch. We had a young woman and gentleman wait on us and they did an excellent job. They were polite and professional. Another gentleman (possibly the owner) came up and checked on us as well and he was also an incredibly friendly person who added to the warm and welcoming ambiance. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who is lucky enough to be in such a wonderful part of the world.

Fantastic atmosphere , great food and very reasonable prices. Christopher Murray is the owner and…read morepersonally comes around the tables for a chat and to make sure everything is well. I highly recommend this establishment.

On my first visit to Ayrshire, I stayed in Irvine at the Marina View Guest House, and The Ship is…read moreright next door They have a healthy beer & wine menu, but I wanted to try something different and uniquely Scottish. I asked if they had any kind of specialty drink that they did, and he said no and then he paused and he said "well you could do Irn Bru and vodka." So I said "sure, I'll give it a try." The waiter was cool - attentive and friendly. I ordered the crab cakes as an appetizer. They were good. The consistency is a little different than what you would get in the states. I think there was more of whatever the binding agent was (flour and egg?) than the way I've had it back home so it was more cakey and held together better than the way I'm used to which falls apart easily. I had the steak pie which was delicious. The meat was tender and just fell apart. The veggie mix was excellent - carrots, snap peas and maybe parsnips. The snap peas or peas in the pod were absolutely perfectly prepared. They were hot throughout but still were crunchy and slightly sweet. I didn't finish my steak pie only because it was hearty and filling and I wanted to save room for dessert. And oh what a dessert! I hadn't heard of Jaffa cakes, so while I was imagining cake and ice cream like in the states, that was not what arrived! Jaffa cakes are like little wafer cookies with chocolate on one side. It was basically a sundae made with Irn Bru ice cream, chocolate syrup and Jaffa wafer cookies broken and arranged on top. I was the last customer to finish my food and next to last to be rung up. Unfortunately, the machine was having an issue and declining everything. They employed the number one IT recommendation to turn the machine off and turn it back on again. Problem solved, bills paid. I didn't catch the names, but these two who are the closing staff were so good-natured and funny, we were joking around, like we were all old friends! I had a great experience all the way around and highly recommend that you try it out. I look forward to the next time I visit the area and have a meal at The Ship.

I used to find myself in Troon quite often there are so many good things about this place, great…read morebeach when the summer comes, lots of independently owned tearooms and a few nice little bars and this bar is one of them. Weekends There is always some form of entertainment on from quiz nights to karaoke and even for a quiz night love been here and there only being two in the bar but l recon this is more of a sports bar with all the unusual items plastered on the walls and ceilings mainly from golf. Drinks Aren't always the same here they change the selection quite often but I'm not sure if that's a good thing, they used to have west on tap but then discontinued soon after. This has to be one of the better bars in the area you can have a few drinks here and not have any hassle.

Popped in for a welcome drink after a long cycle ride . Nice welcoming bar with a great gantry and…read morecomfortable surroundings . Sport is available on TV and newspapers to peruse . Great selection of whisky to choose from as well as cask ales .

Terrific new neighbourhood pub tucked away in an historic stone walled candlelit basement. The…read morenewly opened Smoking Goat bar has been totally remodelled and the result is impressive. If you remember the much missed Fouters Bistro you won't recognise the place now! The Smoking Goat is primarily a traditional pub with cosy nooks and crannies, real ales on tap and in bottles, and a great wee bar menu. The lunchtime options feature rare breed beef burger, venison sausage sandwich, pulled pork slider, smoked haddock fishcake, black pudding scotch egg with whisky mustard and more - all pretty imaginative stuff for this part of the world! Vegetarians are valued customers and it was a rare treat to find myself swithering over the menu. I narrowed things down to the red pepper falafel or the jerk spiced portobello mushroom burger with pineapple salsa. I went with the latter and it didn't disappoint, though I could have done with a few more of their lovely crisp fries on the side. Yay for free wifi without a password. I found it impossible to get a data signal down there so it came in handy. Customer-wise this is a good spot for socialising as well as dining. There are events going on throughout the week including pub quizzes and they have a pull down screen which I think they are showing the 6 nations rugby on, though this is not a 'sports bar' and there are no TVs. This is just a personal opinion, but I'd love to see the music turned down a wee notch to make conversation easier, and the lighting turned up a wee notch so the menu can be more easily read. Despite all the hard stone surfaces the acoustics were excellent. I can see this being a good venue for the occasional intimate music gig. Recommended!

The closest thing Ayr seems to have to a hipster pub. Not in itself a recommendation but mentioned…read moreto give an idea of the general decor and atmosphere. Stocks a good range of newer beers in cans & bottles as well as having a couple of ales on handpull. Probably does cocktails to an extent. Quite a few nooks & crannies to sit in, giving it a nice amount of privacy if that's what you're looking for. I can see how the low lighting would be an issue when reading the menu but, in terms of just being in for a drink it was okay.

I usually try to only do one big splurge whilst on a vacation and we did that in Edinburgh…read more However, I couldn't get the idea of Etive off my mind because I had heard so many good things about it. I decided to change my thought process and allow myself to have another splurge since this was in a different city, in a different part of Scotland. I'm so glad I did because this was a magical experience I won't be forgetting for a long time. Making a reservation was a bit nerve-racking because I know how a small town like this can book up. Also, the website was being a bit of a pain so I decided to email the restaurant directly. I communicated with David over email a few times and I was impressed with how happy he seemed to be to have us dine in with them. Walking in, the place feels so homey, with a tartan carpet and a lot of wood accents. The tables were cute and beautifully set. We were the first inside, so we were able to choose where we sat, which was a nice touch. Not to worry, the restaurant filled up pretty quickly after that. David was our server but he was also training a new employee. She was shy but just as lovely as David was. And David is quite lovely. So friendly, so knowledgeable. He made us feel so comfortable and gave a lot of fun stories to go with the wine we were drinking. We went with the Land & Sea, with the wine pairing. I'd highly suggest the wine pairing. A lot of unusual wines that are masterly matched to the food being eaten. And this food is so good, you want to be able to have a lovely drink to accompany it. Everything was just fresh and tasted sublime. The potato dish with the Isle of Mull cheddar and truffle oil is the only thing that doesn't come off of the menu and I know why. It's an amazing dish and I could eat it everyday if I had to.

When planning the Oban leg of our Scottish tour, Etive Restaurant came up time and time again as…read moreone of the premier fine dining establishments in the region. The venue is intimate but not stuffy, swathed in a darker blue color palette with tartan-print carpeting and plenty of maps adorning he walls. The cartographic imagery was very much in theme, as Etive has a clear central driving force: it is a love letter to the terroir and sea-equivalent (merroir?) that produces the best Scottish ingredients. The name itself is a reference to Loch Etive, near which where the restaurant's predecessor was located in Argylle prior to its move south to Oban in 2017. The restaurant was commended in the Michelin guide starting in 2018. David, one of the co-owners and resident sommelier, was our waiter and his passion for both his roots and the restaurant program clearly shone through. We started off with some pre-dinner aperitifs, of which there are but two choices: a Gibson martini and a negroni. Both were sensational. The martini told a maritime story by marrying a local gin from the island of Iona, stinging nettle liqueur, and some briny pearl onions. The negroni comprised of local 100-proof gin was rich and well-balanced. We also had a lovely Rioja with dinner (Arzuaga Ribera del Duero Crianza 2018) that was a solid recommendation. Then commenced the tasting portion of the evening which, for me, was the "Land & Sea" experience: Homemade bread with cultured butter - simple but delicious. Not sure what it is about the butter in Europe, but it's so complex and well-salted compared to the stuff back home. Smoked Salmon and Steelhead Trout Tarts - two little savory fish pastries in flaky pate brisée crust, served on a framed topographic map as a plate. Delicate and smoky flavors and pretty presentation. Crab Cornetto - crispy cones stuffed with crab meat and topped with thick trout roe. The crab was sweet and fresh, but the caviar was surprisingly not especially salty and I felt that the bites could use some extra salinity. Atlantic Brill - thin moist fish over a stew of eggplant, tomato, and eggplant. There were nice tangy and rustic flavors here, but this wasn't the most memorable dish. Potato chowder - pureed and whole potatoes in an impossibly decadent dish with funky Isle of Mull cheddar, truffle oil, and finely chopped chives. Like a classic baked potato on steroids, in the best way. Venison Loin and Haunch - the lamb was just perfectly cooked, one of the best iterations I've had. The deer - served two-ways as both a juicy steak and shredded meat - was paired with earthy and vegetal elements in the form of broccoli puree, foraged chanterelle mushrooms, and crunchy leek. The tangy and full-bodied sauce underneath was wonderful as well. Oban 14-year-old Whisky Ice Cream - tasted just like single-malt whisky, which was just fine for me. The wood and sea spray notes came through, as well as some nuttiness from the toasted oats. I do think it could've done with a little more of the heather honey to give it a tad more sweetness, as it is a dessert after all. Bramble Souffle - an excellent finish that married tart blackberry with sweet, aromatic English tea in the form of a gooey warm little cake with a creamy scoop of Earl Grey ice cream. We absolutely loved our experience here, not only for the delicious food but to witness the respect the team has for Scotland's natural bounty. How many restaurants makes the effort to list the specific lake, village, or island of origin for every major ingredient? Run don't walk here if you are looking for a memorable meal in Oban.

A pub and not particularly good. Terrible choice of drinks and very little atmosphere. The bar has…read morebeen through a few sets of management in recent years.

2012 New Year New People took over! It's a lovely place to be! Good Atmosphere! I would recomend to…read moreeveryone, go along see for yourself! 10/10 from me!!!!