Best Restaurants in Aberdeen

So you’re heading to Aberdeen and wondering where it is best to go for food in the granite city?

Aberdeen has a number of restaurants to cater for the tastes of almost everyone and has one of the best vegan scenes in Scotland, which includes some of our personal favourite places to eat.

Sometimes though, with so much choice on offer, it can be hard to know where the best food can be found.

We’ve tried to keep this list as close to local businesses as possible as you can find chain restaurants everywhere and that doesn’t really showcase some of the fantastic food options you can find here when visiting the area that uses local fresh produce.

Let’s run through some of our personal favourite Aberdeen Restaurants and if there’s any that you’ve tried that we’ve missed, just let us know in the comments so we can head there and try it for ourselves.

Braided Fig

A firm favourite with many an Aberdonian is the Braided Fig.

Situated just off Union Street, on Summer Street, is this higher-end eatery. One that you’re more likely to visit on a special occasion, but a great dining experience nonetheless. The Braided Fig takes its name from the live Fig tree that grows in the middle of the restaurant.

The menu is small, but the food is always great and definitely leans more towards the fine dining experience. The menu is always changing and they aim to use as many locally sourced ingredients as possible.

We can assure you that a visit to the Braided Fig shouldn’t leave you disappointed.

Read our full review of the Braided Fig

8848 Restaurant

Somewhere that we only discovered a few years ago but has become one of our top choices for food, whether that’s sit-in or takeaway is 8848 Restaurant.

Positioning itself as a Nepalese and Indian restaurant, this place creates some food with incredible flavours that just leave you craving more.

Try the Vegetable Manchurian if you don’t believe me. It’s such a treat.

A lot of love and effort goes into the food here to bring flavours not often experienced in Western cultures to the locals of Aberdeen.

For me personally, it’s a must-visit.

Read our full review of 8848 Restaurant here.

Moonfish Café

If you’re a seafood lover, then you’re a Moonfish Café fan already.

Set in the medieval alleys next to the Kirk of St Nicholas, this restaurant has been around since 2004 and has won countless awards in that time including Michelin awards.

Definitely more of a fine dining price range, this is somewhere you want to go when you’re treating yourself rather than a fleeting lunch when visiting the city.

Spoil yourself with a nice relaxing meal and enjoy the experience at Moonfish. The small setting means that it’s definitely not somewhere that’s going to be too noisy if you prefer quieter surroundings.

Al Fresco (Formerly Aperetivo)

One of the most loved Italian restaurants in Aberdeen due to the consistently good quality and price point of their meals.

Many people head here for a pre-theatre meal even if not heading to the theatre due to the great value. At the time of writing, you can get two courses for £10.95 or three courses for £13.95 which is incredible value if you’re looking for a bigger meal to fill you up for the evening.

Located just off Union Street on Bon-Accord Street, you won’t have to venture far from the main strip of the city.

Cafe Boheme

Cafe Boheme is a fantastic French cuisine restaurant located on Windmill Brae, just behind Union Street and offers cosy surroundings and great food for anyone craving something a bit different.

Stepping through the doors, you’re immediately transported into somewhere that could quite easily have been picked out of a Parisienne side street.

Operating as a cafe during the day and a relaxed fine dining experience in the evening, this is a great place to head for any occasion.

Madame Mews

Madame Mews has to be one of the most loved restaurants in Aberdeen.

Originally found in the old Aberdeen Market, they have recently reopened in Summer Street offering the same excellent Thai food that the people of Aberdeen have been missing since the market closed down.

One of the most appealing things about Madame Mews is the pricing. It’s one of the best value, if not the best value restaurant in the city.

A firm favourite for many, it’s one that is very rarely quiet and has been gaining even further popularity since moving to the new location.

Try it for yourself or read our full review for some more of our thoughts about Madame Mews.

The Esslemont/Mac’s Pizzeria

One of the newer restaurants in Aberdeen, The Esslemont can be found in the old E&M building at the bottom of Union Street near the Castlegate.

With a traditional restaurant downstairs and a Pizzeria upstairs, this place offers a wide variety of choice for those looking to find some food in Aberdeen.

Focusing on local produce, the menu at The Esslemont is constantly changing with the seasonal food trends and is very often packed out the door.

Mac’s Pizzeria serves freshly made woodfired pizzas with a wide range of toppings including all the favourites and a daily special which can sometimes be some quite bold pairings.

Read our full reviews on Macs Pizzeria and The Esslemont.

The Ashvale

The Ashvale has been around for as long as I can remember and that’s probably longer than I would care to admit.

If you mention The Ashvale to anyone connected to Aberdeen, they’ll know exactly what you’re talking about. This place is an establishment in the city.

A Fish and Chip restaurant at heart, they also serve a wide range of other foods like burgers and other non-fish alternatives for those who maybe don’t enjoy a good fish supper.

Reasonably priced and always a good meal, The Ashvale is one that you probably should visit at least once if you like fish and chips.

I’ve been going here ever since I was young and can probably see myself still going for years to come.

The Dutch Mill

The Dutch Mill is one of these places that is often spoken highly of by many in the city due to the simple but great menu on offer.

The menu itself is nothing fancy. Just hearty pub grub at fair prices. It’s always busy and it’s easy to see why when you go along and visit. Whether it’s just soup and a sandwich or a full meal.

Catering to most dietary requirements they also have a great vegan offering.

The Dutch Mill can be found on Queens Road and is slightly out of the city centre if you’re thinking of visiting. There is parking if you are visiting by car although spaces are limited and the car park can be quite tight to get in and out of.

Six by Nico

Fancy something more along the fine dining side? Then perhaps Six by Nico is where you need to be heading.

New to the city and positioned front and centre on Union Street, this is somewhere not to be missed. A real showstopping experience unlike any other.

The menu changes frequently and features six (hence the name) carefully created courses to match a theme.

We visited during The Chipper theme which was all based around traditional British chip shop offerings and it was stunning.

We highly recommend this one for those on a bigger budget, but be sure to set aside at least three hours to really take it all in.

Read our full review of Six by Nico.

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Have you tried any of these or got somewhere you think should make this list? Let us know in the comments.