Where the Prince of Wales sits in Aberdeen

The address is 7 St Nicholas Lane, Aberdeen, AB10 1HF, a lane running off the city's main shopping street. That puts it squarely in the centre, a couple of minutes from Union Street and handy for a stop between shops or before a train. Because it is a side street rather than a frontage on Union Street itself, keep an eye on the lane mouths rather than scanning the main road.

If you are working through the city's visitor sights, this is a central base rather than a destination in its own right.

Getting there and how long to allow

On foot is the sensible way: from Union Street, step into St Nicholas Lane and the pub is on the lane. Allow an hour for a dram and a look at the list, or closer to ninety minutes if you are eating from the lunch menu. Anyone driving should plan to park in the city centre and walk in, since a narrow lane is no place to hunt for a space.

If you are coming for the lunch deal specifically, time your arrival inside the weekday window rather than turning up late and hoping. The pub is worth pairing with a proper look at Aberdeen's other drinking and eating spots, and the Grill Aberdeen is the obvious next stop for anyone building a crawl around the centre, with its own character and its own reasons to go.

Using the whisky collection

The pub group's own Aberdeen guide describes one of the largest whisky collections in the city and a stacked bar, so treat the back shelf as the reason to be there. Ask what is open or pouring by the dram rather than committing to a bottle, and if you are unsure, say what you usually drink and let the staff steer you. Individual dram prices are not listed on the pub's own pages, so check the shelf or ask at the bar before you order.

A dram is also the cheap way to use the pub: one or two, standing or perched at the bar, then out into the centre again. For a beer-led session instead, Fierce Beer is a different proposition altogether and better suited to a longer sit.

The Lunch Club: what you get and when

The weekday offer is the concrete food hook here: a lunch dish and a drink from £8.95, Monday to Friday, 12pm to 4pm, with ciabattas including sirloin steak, haddock goujon, chicken BLT and halloumi, plus a smashed cheese burger and an Impossible burger. Soft drinks, juice, tea, coffee and water are included, and you can upgrade to a draught beer, cider or a 175ml house wine for £2 more. A side can be added for £1.50 and a larger soft drink for £1.

The deal only applies inside that window and the dish and drink must be bought together, so order in one go rather than splitting rounds. Offers like this are withdrawn or amended from time to time, so confirm the current price and window at the bar or on the pub's own deals page before you build a day around it. The pub's listed opening time on the day shown is 10:00am to 12:00am, but that is an example rather than a fixed weekly pattern.

What the room feels like

Expect a busy, tightly packed bar with a serious back shelf rather than a sprawl of tables. That suits a quick drink and a chat at the bar, and less so a long, quiet meal or a large group wanting space. If you are a party of more than four, ring ahead or pick a pub with more room.

One useful quirk: the same pub runs a separate summer drinks list, including cocktails, spritzes and mocktails, but these are a different occasion from the whisky shelf and a different reason to visit. If a dram is the point, ignore the seasonal list and head for the whisky.

Who it suits, and who it does not

It suits shoppers breaking up a Union Street afternoon, whisky drinkers who want range rather than a single malt showcase, and small groups after a weekday lunch inside the deal window. It is less good for anyone wanting a calm, food-focused evening, a big table, or a long family meal, because the room is built around the bar and the buzz.

For a different, sit-down meal in the centre, the Ashvale Aberdeen plates fish suppers in a proper restaurant setting, which makes a straightforward alternative when nobody fancies bar stools. If you want a bakery stop instead of a pub, the Bread Maker is a calmer daytime option in the same central area.

Nearby alternatives if it is full

Ma Cameron's on Little Belmont Street is described in the same pub group's Aberdeen guide as widely believed to be the city's oldest bar, with a snug front bar going back around three hundred years, so it is the pick for character and a quieter perch. Old Blackfriars in the Merchant Quarter is the history-and-whisky alternative, moments from Marischal College, and the Wild Boar near Holburn Junction has more space, booths and screens for sport. The Northern Bar is the neighbourhood option if you want to escape the centre.

Checking the details that change

Kitchen times, the exact lunch window and whether you need to book all shift with seasons and staffing, so ring the pub on +44 1224 640 597 or check its own pages before a special trip. For a weekday lunch the deal is the thing to confirm; for an evening dram, the opening hours matter more. Either way, a quick call saves a wasted walk down the lane.

Is the Prince of Wales worth the detour?

Yes, if you want a dram in the middle of Aberdeen and like a busy bar with a deep shelf behind it. No, if you want a quiet meal or a big table. Find the lane off Union Street, go inside the lunch window if you want the deal, and check the price and hours before you set out.