The Oban Inn

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Introduction

The Oban Inn has been here longer than almost anything else in town, established in 1790, four years before the distillery, and one of the few surviving buildings from Oban's original plans. It looks the part: dark wood panelling, flagstone floors of Easdale slate, maritime artefacts on the walls and banknotes from around the world pinned along the beams. Upstairs, the lounge bar has stained-glass panels salvaged from an Irish monastery. The pub closed for nine years before Maire, who first owned it back in 1979, returned to reopen the doors in 2007, and it hasn't looked back.

There are no TVs and no piped music. Instead there's live music most weekends, ceilidh bands, folk and acoustic sessions, and the kind of bar where someone might hand you a guitar. The drinks take it seriously: more than 50 malts, 20-odd gins, and real ales from Fyne and Orkney that have earned the pub CAMRA recognition. The kitchen serves seafood and home-style pub food from noon to 8pm daily, with the steak pie the dish people come back for, and there's no booking, you just turn up. It fills fast on music nights, and standing room at the bar is part of the experience.

Location

The Oban Inn stands at 1 Stafford Street, on the corner by the North Pier at the harbour end of the town centre, two minutes from the George Street shops and a few more from the train station and ferry terminal. Food runs from midday, the bar later, and dogs are welcome, bowls and treats included. On busy summer evenings and music nights, arrive early if you want a table.

What's nearby

Oban Distillery, the pub's younger neighbour of 1794, is around the corner with tours and a tasting bar. Oban Whisky and Fine Wines sits along Stafford Street for a bottle to take home after you've found a favourite dram at the bar. The Oban Seafood Hut at the ferry pier handles lunch, the galleries of George Street, including The Jetty and Passing Place, are a couple of minutes away, and McCaig's Tower looks down on the whole scene from the hill behind, a short steep walk for the view over the bay.