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Is Brannigans that good?
If you believed what was said about it I doubt you’d go in there without one of those big guns and motion trackers from Aliens. A team of highly trained marines might help keep you safe as well - but I wouldn’t place any bets on them all getting ... Read review
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Advantages: Big, comfortable. Car park - if someone else is driving. Disadvantages: Dodgy rep. No easy cash access.
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Is Brannigans that good?
If you believed what was said about it I doubt you’d go in there without one of those big guns and motion trackers from Aliens. A team of highly trained marines might help keep you safe as well - but I wouldn’t place any bets on them all getting out alive.
It seems that almost everybody has a friend or knows someone with a friend who’s had a bad experience at ... ...
I’ve been to Brannigans several times and I’ve had bother only once. A single Bouncer was on the door at around 6:30, she was blonde and dressed in one of those penguin-esq suits that “doormen” sometimes like to wear. Why wasn’t I allowed in? I’d changed into jeans and that wasn’t acceptable for the dress code. I can’t honestly say whether I’d been to Brannigans in jeans before. Ah well. ... more
I have to say that I really do love that tag-line. That’s the Eating, Drinking and Cavorting one. It really does conjure up ideas of having a good time in my wanton little mind.
Is Brannigans that good?
If you believed what was said about it I doubt you’d go in there without one of those big guns and motion trackers from Aliens. A team of highly trained marines might help keep you safe as well - but I wouldn’t place any bets on them all getting out alive.
It seems that almost everybody has a friend or knows someone with a friend who’s had a bad experience at Brannigans. In fact, one of my friends from work has a friend who, while out in Brannigans, saw someone smash a glass bottle of some poor chap’s head without any apparent provocation. The Bouncers, I’m told, didn’t seem to want to bother to phone the police either.
That’s a true story. Well. A friend at work really told me that. However, I’m sure you’ve spotted more than one telltale sign of an urban legend in the making.
I’ve been to Brannigans several times and I’ve had bother only once. A single Bouncer was on the door at around 6:30, she was blonde and dressed in one of those penguin-esq suits that “doormen” sometimes like to wear. Why wasn’t I allowed in? I’d changed into jeans and that wasn’t acceptable for the dress code. I can’t honestly say whether I’d been to Brannigans in jeans before. Ah well.
I’ve never seen the place very busy - but I do tend to go about the same time and on the same days. You’ll catch me in there just before dinner on Friday night and sometimes on Saturday. I’ll be there and, ooh, about a dozen other people will be there to - at most. The size of the place and the way its been designed so very well only helps to spread this thin crowd even thinner.
Ooh, but it is lovely inside. Large TV screens. Two bars. A place to dance - well, the dance part is the theory. The tables are well spaced and there are always enough chairs. I think the staff could do with a jump, though. They don’t seem to be very much bothered to serve you quickly. The food is on the pricey side and although I’ve only ever had it the once it was fairly good.
What about the drinks, then? The range of drinks is fairly impressive. This, again, comes back to the sheer size of the place. Don’t think of Brannigans as a club. Think of it as a large pub. The bar will have only a small selection of whisky but at least it will have whisky. There will be a real range of beers to choose from and not just a number of fridges filled with whatever special offer they got from their brewer ally that week. It’s not cheap. I think it would be foolish to expect it to do be so, but, fortunately, we’re not looking at hugely expensive drinks either. That is to say, not expensive for Edinburgh.
Cash is a problem. There is neither an ATM machine nor real bank anywhere near the place. In fact, the location is a real issue. This branch of Brannigans is situated in the commercially risky Fountain Park complex. It is just a short trip by car from the town centre to get to the Fountain Park complex and there’s even a two story underground car park to store your car in. Don’t drink and drive though. If you take your car then you’re going to the UGC cinema there or one of the restaurants. It takes about thirty minutes to walk from the town centre to there. That, to me, is a nothing walk but I imagine for many people its way too far and this is twice as true if you’re considering the place as a nightclub destination. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that Fountain Park is a bad area of town. It’s a little run down (the banks don’t want to be there) and a little dirty but it isn’t a hell-hole.
The music they play at the times I've been there has been nothing more than a whisper in the background. More often, in fact, they've got some sports channel playing on the large projection TV.
Do I believe the stories about Brannigans being a dodgy and dangerous place? To be honest, its easy to imagine the local crowds flocking there with nothing else to do and getting all upset with one another. You’re not very far from a big Edinburgh football stadium. You’re not very far away from some schools either - which means that the Fountain Park complex can be bratling annoying if you get there at around five or six, even though the sprogs don’t really make it into the pubs.
I’ve never had a bad experience there. I wouldn’t want to saunter in, after dark, by myself though.
Advantages: Great night out Disadvantages: none really
When I was a student in Birmingham Brannigans was one of the first places I went to for a night on the town. I had been to places such as Dome II, where there were blokes in Ben Sherman shirts everywhere I looked! I really wanted to find somewhere more individual so I didn't have to try and pretend to be trendy.
My first impression was a good one because I discovered that it cost nothing to get in with an NUS card. I was so pleased bearing in mind it costs so much to get into most places!!
When I got inside I was delighted-none of the thumping horrible 'music' (noise more like) that I'd heard everywhere else, but wonderful, marvelous pure cheese! Abba, Sclub 7, Jackson five, Wham, Take That, you name it they played it!! The dance floor was heaving, everyone was singing, It was such fun. They also have a stage that anyone can get ...
greeneggsandham 10.11.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Brannigans
Advantages: cheesy music, cheap prices and admission is free if you're a student Disadvantages: gets very crowded and the security people are extremely annoying
Believe it or not, the title of this op is the slogan which adorns the tv screens inside Brannigan's, sexual connotations aplenty. As Fromthe Continent requested, here is my opinion on a straight club! Although, to tell the truth, on the strength of the music played, you wouldn't think it was!
Every Tuesday at Brannigan's clubs across the UK (it's a chain) is student night, when the cheesiest records of all time are played at raucous volumes! On the production of any old student card, admission is free. And, best of all, pints of beer and cider and shots of vodka, whiskey and bacardi are a mere £1 each! A spirit with mixer costs £1.50 while all other drinks (bottled beers, alcopops) are at regular inflated prices.
I will take the Birmingham branch of Brannigans as a typical example, because I presume most chains are the same ...
jambo5678 22.06.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Brannigans
Advantages: cheesy music, drinks promo's Disadvantages: rude bar staff, very busy
When it comes to cheesy music Brannigan's is the place to be. I've seen both Jason Donovan (looking rather old and bald I must say) and the one and only Chesney Hawkes (the one hit wonder performed more songs than Jase!?) there and on a Tuesday night the place is alive with the best pop hits from across the decades. If you don't like students then I'd give this place a miss as here we reign. The food is good ( so I've been told)and there's always loads of drinks promotions. The place is admittedly usually packed but then any popular place is going to be. There's a big dance floor and plenty of bars so it's not normally too bad. However, we recently discovered that if you don't fancy the barmen they will refuse to serve you. A group of friends and I had been laughing joking around with the bar staff as you do on a night out when ...
leemarie 06.06.2001 (11.07.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Brannigans
