Pub Food in Aberdeen: Where to Eat and What to Order

What Aberdeen pub food looks like

Expect pub classics done with care rather than novelty: fish and chips, hearty pies, seasonal seafood specials and puddings. That is the fair picture of what most city pubs put in front of you, and the bigger pub groups such as Greene King describe their Aberdeen pub food in exactly those terms.

The dish that best sums up the local approach is the handmade short-crust pie, with a filling that changes daily and gravy on the side. Aberdeen also has a strong claim on seafood, so a special built around haddock, langoustine or scallops is usually a better bet than a generic main. For the wider picture of where to drink as well as eat, the best pubs in Aberdeen guide covers the rest of the city.

The Noose and Monkey, Rosemount Viaduct: the Rorie Pie and the Sunday roast

The Noose and Monkey sits at 31-35 Rosemount Viaduct, between Rosemount and the city centre and a short walk from His Majesty's Theatre. It calls itself a locally owned independent gastro bar, and the menu runs from pub classics to seasonal seafood specials. The room is plant-filled with plenty of corners, so it works as well for a date as for a group celebration.

Order the Rorie Pie: a handmade short-crust pastry pie with a daily-changing filling, always served with extra gravy. It is the dish the house menu leads with, and it is the reason to choose this kitchen over a plainer pub down the road. If seafood specials are on when you visit, ask about them before you settle on the pie.

Sundays are a separate event here. Breakfast and brunch run on Saturday and Sunday from 10am, a Bloody Mary brunch covers 10am to 2pm on Sunday, and the Sunday roast starts at 12pm and is sold out often enough that the pub flags it. Book the roast rather than turning up, and treat the Bloody Mary as the starter.

The kitchen serves Wednesday to Friday from 12pm to 2.30pm and again from 5pm to 9pm, Saturday from 10am to 9pm and Sunday from 10am to 8pm, with the bar open later. The venue is closed on Monday and Tuesday except when a show is on at His Majesty's Theatre. Those gaps are the main thing to plan around, so confirm the day's times before you travel.

The pub was established in 2000 and was previously known as My Fathers Moustache and The Silver Slipper. Its unusual name came from a former owner and licensee from Hartlepool. If you like a pub with a story behind the sign, the oldest pub in Aberdeen makes a natural next stop.

Under the Hammer, North Silver Street: cask ale and platters before a show

Under the Hammer is at 11 North Silver Street, in the city centre, and describes itself as an Aberdeen institution that has welcomed drinkers for over 40 years. The McGinty's Group took it over in November 2021 and refurbished it, keeping the character while widening what is on offer. It is a drinks-led venue with a food menu built around platters and small plates rather than full mains.

That makes it the right choice for a pre-theatre snack or a post-work nibble rather than a sit-down dinner. The kitchen turns out signature platters and small plates designed to share, which suits a table of two or four far better than a solo diner wanting a main course. Cask ale is poured alongside the rest of the bar, so you can pair a plate with a pint rather than a long drink.

Opening hours are Tuesday to Thursday from 5pm to midnight, Friday from 4pm to 1am and Saturday from 12 noon to 2am, with Sunday and Monday closed. Those are the venue's own published bar times; separate kitchen hours are not listed, so if you are coming mainly to eat it is worth checking that the platters are being served during your slot. Late opening means it also works as a final stop after a meal elsewhere.

A sit-down pub meal or a quick platter?

Choose The Noose and Monkey when food is the point of the outing: a pie, a seafood special or a Sunday roast needs a table and an hour or two. Choose Under the Hammer when the food is there to support the drinking and the conversation, and you want something to pick at rather than a plated main. The two are close enough to use on the same trip, one for dinner and one for a later plate.

If you are eating before a show at His Majesty's Theatre, book the sit-down option and eat early, allowing time for a starter and a main. If you are meeting people after work and nobody wants to commit to a full meal, the platter route is easier to extend or cut short. Neither venue quotes dish prices online, so ask at the table or read the menu on arrival.

Booking, kitchen times and the Monday and Tuesday problem

The biggest planning trap in Aberdeen pub food is the start of the week. The Noose and Monkey is closed Monday and Tuesday unless a show is on at the theatre, and Under the Hammer is closed Sunday and Monday, so a Monday night out needs a different plan altogether. Build your eating around Wednesday to Saturday and you will have both kitchens available.

Booking matters most for Sunday, when the roast sells out, and for any pre-theatre slot tied to a curtain-up time. Midweek lunch is the easiest walk-in, with the Noose and Monkey's kitchen open from 12pm Wednesday to Friday. Each named place we cover here has its own short guide, collected under Aberdeen pubs and food landmarks.

Sunday lunch in Aberdeen: what to expect

A Sunday roast here follows the British pattern: a joint or poultry, roast potatoes, vegetables and gravy, served from midday. At The Noose and Monkey it begins at 12pm and the pub flags it as a sellout, so booking ahead is the sensible move rather than a hopeful walk-in. The earlier brunch service from 10am means you can also eat before noon if you prefer.

Expect the roast to be the busiest service of the week, with the terrace open in summer and closed over winter. Arrive for your booked slot rather than early, as the pub is also running its 10am to 2pm brunch service on Sundays. For other roasts around the city, the Sunday Roast in Aberdeen guide widens the choice.

What to drink with it

Cask ale is the traditional partner for a pie, and Under the Hammer pours it alongside everything else on the bar. At The Noose and Monkey, the Bloody Mary is the pub's own recommendation for Sunday brunch, and it is a fair match for a late breakfast plate. For something with more depth after the meal, the whisky Aberdeen choices are the local route.

If the weather holds, the Noose and Monkey's terrace is the better seat and stays open until 10pm Friday to Sunday in season. In winter it closes, so plan on the inside room and its corners instead.

Which Aberdeen pub should you book?

Book The Noose and Monkey if you want a proper sit-down meal, above all the Rorie Pie or the Sunday roast, and you are eating Wednesday to Sunday. Choose Under the Hammer for a share platter and cask ale in the city centre, ideally Tuesday to Saturday, when food is a side note to the drink.

Whichever you pick, fix the day first, then the time, then the table. The closures at the start of the week catch people out more often than the cooking does.