Cafes
Aberdeen may be better known for its pubs than its cafes, but the city is host to a wide range of quaint and often unique tea and coffee houses. From beach-front locations to charming courtyards, you can find everything from chocolate coffee houses to special vegan bakeries and bookstore cafes, all perfect places to take a break from sightseeing.
Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.comCafe 52
This café is a central meeting point in the city both for locals and tourists. They serve delicious seasonal food, lighter meals like soups and salads, and also tapas and cocktails. The cafe is small and quaint, but full of style and personality.
Beth Swanson/Shutterstock.comBooks and Beans
Books and Beans, the first independent fair trade coffee shop in Aberdeen, serves light meals and snacks, homemade soups, sandwiches, salads and panini, as well as a range of excellent fair trade coffee, tea and chocolate. The second floor houses a second-hand bookstore and internet cafe.
Mutita Narkmuang/Shutterstock.comCafé Bohème
Both traditional and modern French cuisine with an innovative twist are showcased in this elegant and cozy restaurant and café, including confit de canard and white wine mussels. Visitors would also be wise to try the desserts, such as lemon-raspberry creme brûlée and profiteroles.
Shebeko/Shutterstock.comFoodstory Cafe
Foodstory Cafe believes in bringing people together. They take pride in providing not only a place to eat great, healthy food, but where people can feel like part of a community through art and music. The furniture that fills this cosy space was all donated or built from salvaged parts and is thus completely unique, and helps give the place its one-of-a-kind vibe.
Barbara Dudzinska/Shutterstock.comThe Coffee House
The Coffee House is a spacious but cosy cafe that hosts all manner of great concerts and events. There is a live acoustic night every Friday, and there are plenty of other concerts and dance performances. Some nights even the audience gets involved with Latin dancing or open mic nights.
Undrey/Shutterstock.comCup
Cup is an elegant tea salon that is as famous for its great selection of artisan teas and high-quality Italian gourmet coffees as it is for its delicious and decadent desserts, among which visitors can find cupcakes, pastries, cakes, muffins and many more.
Jan Knop/Shutterstock.comContour Cafe
Contour Cafe is a young, independently-run Aberdeen business whose website says it all: "Good coffee. Awesome sandwiches. Nice folk." Their coffee is 100% fair trade Arabica beans from South America, and their sandwiches can be ordered just the way you want them: plain, spicy "or just downright weird".
bogdanhoda/Shutterstock.comThe Pavilion Cafe
The Pavilion Cafe boasts one of the best locations in the city, right on the esplanade, overlooking the North Sea. Enjoy a hot cup of coffee topped with a mountain of whipped cream and a fresh crepe or waffle along with the beautiful view of the sea.
Iain Cameron/Flickr