I don't remember who recommended this bar, but whoever you are: THANK YOU. This was one of the…read morecoolest spots we visited in Aberdeen - it's got delicious beers, a great atmosphere, super-friendly staff and pretty decent grub too. We headed here after the football. We actually left the football a little early (I mean, who could predict that Aberdeen would score a goal in extra time?! Oops) so we got here and grabbed a beer and a seat. There wasn't a huge football crowd here later on so don't go thinking it's a football pub, it definitely isn't. It's got more of a hipster vibe - guys playing jenga in the pub on a Saturday afternoon - but in a charming way. There's a great list of beers on the wall and it's easy to see prices, which ones are available and aren't etc. We both went for the Bottle Cap IPA at £5.20 a pint which was just delicious. We had about an hour to kill before our dinner booking and as I am ever-hungry, ordered a portion of chicken strips. The guy behind the bar did some epic upselling and we added on cheesy garlic bread for just £1.50. He was super friendly and chatty, and recommended a bar to us for after dinner as well as a cocktail which we were pretty impressed by. The food wasn't anything out of this world, but it was tasty, generous portions and a great price. All up, this is somewhere I'd definitely head back to as soon as I go back to Aberdeen.

If you found yourself walking around Aberdeen late on a weekday night, starving and lost, Bridge…read moreStreet Social Club would be the hipster Euro-American friend who'd find you and take you in. We had to chuckle over the fact that we were trying to find a fancy Scottish restaurant originally but ended up at this American-style place instead. We hadn't seen the menus, couldn't find reviews on the place but it looked cool and inviting from the outside. A hand-painted mural of an octopus, floor-to-ceiling black curtains, funky lighting, American baseball and European football on big screens, funk music... And best of all, 50% off food on Monday nights. YES!! We ended up having "The Whale and Fries" and "Chicken Goujons." Essentially, North Sea Haddock and Chicken Breast dipped and fried in their housemade beer batter. It was pretty good. Why don't we do more beer-battered chicken in the states? They had a great drink menu too, full of craft beers and creative cocktails. I have to admit the tables were pretty grimy and some were in bad shape (foam coming out of chairs, etc). Service overall was so slow and nonchalant (good thing we had plenty of downtime!) and the manager who took our tab was in a foul mood. We couldn't really complain too much though since it was one of the few places open late that wasn't a takeaway on a Monday night. The ambience is what it is, just take your time, enjoy, don't be in a hurry if you come here. TL;DR: If you're okay taking it slow, want decent food, fun drinks and have plenty of time to hang-out then this is the place for you.

Great spot for NFL, NHL amongst other American and late night sports!read more

Infinite Degrees Awesome…read more Ok, so this place is all about the beer, no surprises there, and they have a really good mix of their own stuff and local and not so local craft and real ales - beer lover's heaven. Service is good, not great, and the décor is a bit too minimalist for me. The biggest niggle I have is that the bar is not made for standing at and they have the world's dumbest beer tap set up that actually creates a barrier between you and the bar staff - I don't care if it is all about the table service - I like to sit at a bar when I'm getting drunk - deal with it. Like I said the beer range is awesome, their own stuff is all brewed to Belgian traditions, so I normally stay away from that stuff as it's not my cup of tea. The rest of their beers will be a mix if North American style stuff and traditional British porters and ales. The beer is served perfectly, which is never a bad thing. The staff are relatively efficient, though perhaps a bit too hipster, and it is another one of those bars where it seems they are encouraged to hang out talking to their pals and not focus on the newbies who are eager for information to help them sedate their thirst. The building is an old Victorian morgue so the stone work is beautiful exposed granite, which is pretty dramatic. They have gone for simple long beer hall style benches, which I think is great. They also have a mahoosive blackboard that lists all of their beers, though you will get a sore neck looking at it. They have iPads behind the bar which details all their bottled beers, though as is unfortunately the case everywhere, particularly in Aberdeen, they cost a fortune. You can jump on their wifi and get access to the homepage which shares the same info.

This isn't just Aberdeen's best Craft Beer venue, it's one of the very best I've been to anywhere…read morein the world. First off, don't be put off by all the "Belgian styled Scottish beer" stuff - it's a good a place as any to find anything from IPAs through to Russian Imperial Stouts. Staff are unbelievably friendly, even coming to sit and chat beer with us on what was almost certainly one of the busiest nights of the beer. That's not to say they were ignoring other customers; more than management seem to actually provide enough staff not to have a queue at the bar the whole time. We didn't have time to try them but the whisky selection also looked pretty impressive.

Fun place to eat and drink! The food was very good, the drink terrific and the service wonderful!…read more To clarify- this was the boozy core in Edinburgh. The Aberdeen location is closed.

Looking for somewhere to soak up all the booze we had had during the day, we stumbled upon the…read moreBoozy Cow. Didnt look like much from outside but it was really nice inside. We ordered a drink to start which was the Bacon Maple Old Fashioned, which was lovely and I would have ordered another if there wasnt so many different cocktails to try on the menu. For food we ordered the Philli Cheesesteak each with sweet potato fries and wagon wheel onion rings to share. Food came quickly and there was a lot of it, it was well prepared and tasted amazing. I could have eaten another of the cheesesteak but instead I filled myself up with more cocktails. I would recommend the milkshakes, we tried the boozy brulada and chocolate salty balls and they did not disapoint. We ended our visit with two other cocktails, the taste the rainbow and caramel jack (which was my partners but wish I had gotten for myself). The staff were friendly and never had you waiting for long to be served. Next time I visit Aberdeen I will be heading back here, just wish there was one in Glasgow.

Great pub! Seems to be a bit of an undiscovered gem. Good beers etc and the food is also very good…read morealthough you dont get chips which is strange with a burger, not taking away from it though, the food is tasty! Also this place has a great range of whiskey and your guaranteed a good pint.

Not sure if this is still the case, but this was always the only place in Aberdeen to get a pint of…read moreDirectors. They did not do many other ales, but who needs them when Directors is on. Interesting very obviously home cooked food is available my particular favourite was a cookie cheese cake.

Food was pub food: fish n' chips was good; baked potato w beans and cheese so so. Local beer and…read morewhisky were good choices. Loved our waiter and the ambiance is fun. Definitely a fun place to meet w your mates and have a few beers.

Was walking around The Granite City when it was raining (shocker) and my stomach started rumbling…read more I was looking for a pub to pop in to as it was my first trip here and wanted to get my bearings. Saw The Stag and figured I had to go in as my favorite pub in my hometown is The Stag's Head. The Stag is apparently one of the newer pubs around. When I walked in I was grossly outnumbered by males, but I think that is to be expected :-) Super friendly staff. The guy behind the bar gave me a couple samplings of beer so I could figure out which one to order. I had fish and chips for lunch - was delivered half a whale in fish. OK, that was an exaggeration but the piece of fish was huge and I ended up taking half of my plate home with me. They have real ales, lagers, wine, and whiskies. Several TVs playing sports which was nice to pass the time given the fact I was traveling alone. I would definitely come back.

Went there at 1:00 to meet friends. Our age group had been going to the PoW pub for 40-50 years…read more We had main meals and later on we had some snacks as well as our beers. At around 9:00 we were told that we were being cut off (no more service). So I asked the management: Had we been rude? No. Had we upset other customers? No. Were any of our party of four staggering around and overly intoxicated? No. So why were we cut off? "We have a duty of care - company rules". Ok. Understood. But what duty of care is required for people who are not overly intoxicated? "It's just the rules. Thanks for your custom. See you soon". No you won't, Prince of Wales. After 40-50 years, we won't be back. This is a sad day.

Definitely a pub! When we went it was completely packed. A nice couple shared their table with us…read more We didn't get to try the food, but I definitely got more of a "happy hour" feeling from the place. Apparently, a very popular local spot!

A perfectly cozy, dark, moody pub in the corner of Aberdeen's city centre…read more Been in for a pint and few times, and I just love the nooks that you can find to enjoy your beer (or cocktail) and conversation in. Illicit Still is definitely not trying to be anything it isn't, and it isn't calling to a flashy or young audience, but if you're in Aberdeen and looking for an authentic British pub experience, you'll enjoy it here. The location, across from the townhouse was very convenient to where I used to live on Schoolhill, and it's easy to get to from anywhere in the city centre. With the recent construction and changes to and around Broad St, the pub is even more visible and might get higher traffic. Now that I've said that, I'm curious if it is! Definitely worth a revisit!

This was one of the top pubs I wanted to visit on our stay, which didn't disappoint. It's a…read moredownstairs pub with very industrial lighting and decor. Their gin drinks were a new and well received experience. The rest of my party enjoyed their beer selection. This is a good night spot and I would definitely go back.

We were excited to try this place on recommendation from our taxi driver from the airport; I also…read morewas intrigued by the history noted on their webpage. We were a group of 6 visiting from California, fresh off the boat, as it were. Grand old pub look, low ceiling, old beams, etc. A few modern items were a bit out of place and didn't blend but keeping up with the times I suppose. The food was good, more adequate than outstanding. It didn't measure to a few other pubs we went to. The food took a really long time, I think was very busy for them, kept hearing on their walkies that they ran out of certain main items (like chicken!! ). The bartenders answered some questions but honestly seemed bothered we were there, and frankly maybe bothered that they were working. Both were often sitting behind the bar scrolling on their phones, and seemed put out when someone approached for a drink. Not the business's fault but despite our effort to be respectful of the space we received several glares and dirty looks from other patrons. We weren't loud and certainly weren't saying anything disrespectful, it gave me the same feel as the staff - that we were intruding on their space. Possibly, this is a locals only pub in the middle of town?? Not likely a place we would return to eat - maybe give it another go as a later-evening pub experience.

Location speaks for itself. While visiting Aberdeen my wife and I came for lunch on a Sunday…read moremorning. We shared the crispy squid as a starter. Then a steak sandwich with side of onion rings, steak & ale with a side salad (which was a full size). A Belhaven Black to complete the meal. The food was delicious. The service was excellent!! Far beyond what we found through out the week at other pubs. Bringing us food, clearing dishes and checking on us through out.

We went to Cognito on the Corner for Christmas lunch at work. A very nice setting, friendly staff…read moreand a very good three course meal of terrine, turkey and cheesecake. A very pleasant experience and a restaurant well worth coming back to.