St Machar Bar in Aberdeen City

Traditional bar in the heart of Old Aberdeen. Once a student haunt of mine. Seems the younger students of today are less drouthy ,with the current day time clientele a bit older? Must go back to sample their excellent range of whisky. They have a whisky tasting offering tasty looks interesting. I had drinks only

First visited the 'Machar' over 40 years ago, the present team is doing a great job with it, definitely worth a visit.

Staff is great. Nachos pretty good and for pub food they are impressive. And I’m from Texas lol that’s high praise. It’s small place so quickly can be crowded. I

An Old Aberdeen institution. Many a great afternoon and evening spent here. A proper traditional pub.

We didn't eat anything but had a beer and a whiskey. There was a larger group that booked for the tasting as it was only a quick visit. Top score for the solid range. We will return. The next day we went there again to sample some whiskeys. After all, they have over 400 units and have won awards etc. Super nice staff and Euan guided us in the whiskey jungle. Even the guests were so nice and happy to talk to us "tourists"... Amy and Danne 🇸🇪

A quiet place for relaxation and reflection

Lovely food and very good portion sizes. Staff were very accomodating to our needs.

Absolutely fantastic. Bartender was super friendly and made us our best fish and chips of our trip. Fun, friendly. I was there as a college kid eons ago - and it is pretty much the same as I remember. Great stroll down memory lane.

Good beer, good service, very cramped when busy, dubious beer garden

Amazing place, great vernacular medicine, best whisky recommendations in the universe from Euan

Great place to have drink. I definitely will be back and can recommend it to others...

Great bunch of guy's very friendly

Amazing traditional pub with new beers added regularly. Great for whiskey too!

A fantastic pub in the beautiful, historic university area. They do a great burger and chips (really fine chips) here and the beer and whisky selection is excellent. Friendly helpful staff and great, busy atmosphere. Cheers!

Wow, the location of this bar is amazing!! Close to King's College and Aberdeen University. The 18th century bar is in period with the surrounding buildings and cobbled Street. Quite a walk from the city centre but well worth the effort. Seems like hundreds of whisky's were on offer at the bar, along with three real ales, which were all on top form! Very busy on matchday when I visited (Aberdeen FC).

Brilliant pub - callum was a triumph on the bar!

If you're either an urban rural explorer, college, or University student, or even just a random /local punter(customer) just popping in for the old school pre nostalgic and relaxed semi-gothic fun-loving pub lifestyle, without having to go into the city centre, or outwith even, Then I suggest you come into the great and few older Bars in Old Aberdeen, for a cheese toastie, chips 🍟, different varieties of crisps, and of course the Use of a 🎶 juke box, between the bar and corridor of the toilets 🚻 😉 and yes All v.i.p sport's are shown, aswell as your music channel, or whatever your choices are, STUDENTS DISCOUNT AVAILABLE 😉, NEED TO SHOW YOUR EITHER COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY I.D CARD, But, also around the university grounds and outwith the St. Machar bar, is the cathedral, clock tower, library, Seaton Park, and multiple other shops cafés and the Red Lion 🦁 aka the beastie, which has a private quiet old school royal green leather chair just upstairs for privacy 😉 😀 😜

It's alright sometimes. Depends who is serving.

Always a great place to be. Love the Fierce Cervaza.

Great atmosphere, very large whiskey selection. Chicken wings were really tasty.

Good bar,good people. Look for the Malt of the Month,come fridays for Fish and Chips

Finally threw a few darts...nice student pub, nice staff, incredible whiskey selection. Delicious snacks like fish&chips, and chicken wing, good time had. Worth a visit.

This is a hidden gem! similar vibes to illicit still for those also feeling a massive hole in their heart after they closed. Just a high quality pub, nothing too flashy just a good selection of drinks, really friendly staff and good pub grub. They are also dog friendly and have a nice beer garden out the back.

Busy wee bar. A huge selection of booze and friendly.

Il bar è carino, riparato, ha una selezione di alcolici che per quanto è piccolo il posto è impressionante, vastissima. Si mangia discretamente, i prezzi non sono bassissimi ma in linea con la Scozia. La zona in cui si trova è bella, vicina al centro, cattedrale e cimitero, anche qualche negozio se ricordo bene.

Great place for a pint, friendly staff, really close to the Uni so it’s convenient for students after a long day. Only reason I’m giving 4 stars is because it’s quite cramped. Although there’s not much that can be done about that. But definitely a great place. Highly recommend.

I was sorted out for fish and chips on Saturday, and a quick Spey's Cadet before I visited the cathedral, just around the corner. The barmen were very welcoming, and I could only seethe that I couldn't try any of the whiskies.

This is a hidden gem. The staff are very friendly, and I lucked out with fish and chips (normally on Fridays). The Speys Cadet IPA is recommended. Prices are very fair.

Nice bar. Good beers. Great service.

Great selection of whiskey Lovely bar staff Outdoor seating

I really like the atmosphere in the bar; it's warm and welcoming, and lively without being rowdy. The bar staff also keep a "sexist comments" money jar which is used when customers say something sexist (with the money being divided among female members of staff) which I thought was both funny and a good idea. I'd highly recommend checking it out, if you're a student, Aberdeen resident or just visiting!

Sehr gute Wiskey Auswahl. Der Eintopf war okay, aber nicht besonders.

Sitio para tomar unas cervezas , hamburguesas o fish and chips , con gran variedad de whisky.

just a bit expensive and can get really busy during uni term but other than that the place is a great old pub

Traditional old time whiskey bar with great company

Really nice place for such a small bar

Nice bar of the beaten track nice staff nice atmosphere worth a visit

This is a cracking little bar. Not just a vast collection of whiskeys but also great real ales on tap with guest beers from the new Scots breweries. We didn't try the food but others were tucking in happily. There are tasting sessions too. The atmosphere is the kind you only get in bars run by people who are passionate about what they do. We found it because we were staying nearby. But I'd take a detour to spend an evening here.

Eine sehr gemütliche Bar. Mit ausgezeichneter Beratung zur Auswahl von Whisky.

Good mix of people & dogs. Great whisky selection. Lovely setting.

An amazing selection of whisky and it's dog friendly!

Great pub; manages to keep the small community feel even though right in the centre of the uni. Drinks are well poured, the whisky selection is incredible and the food is really decent

Pleasant afternoon atmosphere with great range of beer & whisky

Magic old style bar with good old locals atmosphere

Such a good atmosphere, staff are great. Pub food is exactly what you want and prices are good too. Awesome selection of whisky available! Would highly recommend. A great little place!

Best pub in town. Staff are so friendly.

Nice chill place to grab a quick pint.

Like the St.macher, small but get fine meal or sit in beer garden, good pint.

Excellent selection of whisky, good selection of beers with craft beer on rotation. Always a nice atmosphere and great service.

Very much a positive and friendly experience for this local bar

A pub that's barely changed over the years and does the basics well.

Lovely wee bar in a very Historic part of Aberdeen, huge selection of whisky (colour coded for price /age / rarity) and some nice cask ales. Well worth a look if you are strolling about this very old part of Aberdeen.

Lovely place, great selection of single malts.

Excellent bar - popped in for a quick pint and to get tickets for their whisky festival next week

Great food, great prices, great staff. Always a good experience.

Stopped in with friends at weekend to celebrate a friend's uni course coming to an end. Had not been in to the pub since my own uni days and I had forgotten just what a great wee pub it is. It is a must see in Old Aberdeen. Staff are so friendly and so are the regulars. It was so nice we stayed longer than we planned and had something to eat. Food was really nice honest pub food, not pretentious and better than some of the restaurants in town. We will be finding reasons to come back sooner this time.

Great little bar. Staff and regulars are super friendly. Excellent range of beers, ales, whiskys and gins. Good menu of simple bar food, well cooked to order. A proper bar with a great atmosphere.

"The Grill" of Old Aberdeen. Great place for ales and whisky

Sitio tranquilo a la hora de comer cuando hemos ido, aunque tiene pinta de tener un montón de ambientazo en fin de semana. Tiene muchísima variedad de whisky y una carta para comer o picar algo. Los chicos que nos atendieron fueron super amables en todo momento.

Wonderful variety of Scotch Whiskys

Great little bar in Old Aberdeen, good staff and pleasant noisy locals. The food was very good and the prices and real ales are slightly cheaper than town.

Lovely bar but I wouldn’t eat here after seeing the state and smell from the toilet. To be honest the whole place feels sticky and smells like a deep fat fryer. On another note they do have a good selection of whiskey. Will I come back? Maybe. Would I recommend this place for food? No. If the bathroom is unclean what state is their kitchen like. Also did a bit of looking up and their hygiene certificate didn’t get a pass, so yeah just stick to having a drink.

Small place with a wee beer garden but it’s one of the few bars in Aberdeen to sell a few different ales and it’s got a good range of whisky, maybe the second best in the whole city (but definitely the best priced!)

Its a wee gem of a pub. Staff are so friendly and up for a laugh.

The campus bar to go to after class when you just need one beer to egt you home

Really good fish and chips on Friday night!

The food is awful I got chicken skewers nothing like in picture it’s basically what you get from Asda for £1. Chicken wings a teaspoon of peri Piti sauce. Don’t order from for what they charge it’s shocking daylight robbery.

Great location for meeting informally

Un lugar pequeño y acogedor para tomar una cerveza, disfrutar una hamburguesa con papas o unas alitas. Hay varias opciones.

Pub all'interno del Campus..ottime birre e degustazione di whisky fantastici

Best bar in Aberdeen. Nuff said 👍

Excellent staff and great choice of wines spirits. Dog friendly very welcoming

Good bar, lots of single malt whisky. Good range of beer including cask ale. Good chips. Helpful staff as well.

Great little pub! Over 200 whiskeys on the shelf and great staff with great food!

A nice little bar in the heart of the college with plenty of food and drink options. Go during the day and have a quiet lunch!

Real gem of a place. Wonderful staff and food. If your in Old Aberdeen really try and visit this pub.

Great beer garden and great beer. Friendly staff too!

One of my two go-toos for swinging in for a quick pint. Great campus pub

Sat outside in the lovely beer garden, nice selection of drinks and good service

Nice wee bar, great selection of beers, their whiskey selection is amazing with over 140, staff friendly, bar has Covid restrictions in place, spot on after a long shift in local retail

Decided to have a drink outside as we were visiting the Old Town. They’ve set up an outdoor area outside of a church near the pub. A member of staff is always outside to take your order. Very friendly and welcoming. Great choice of rums too!

Terrible outdoor area. Covid rules not explained properly and rude and aggressive staff and customers. If you want an argument come here. If you want a drink. go somewhere else.

Service may be slow but a good variety of beers

Lovely friendly pub, dogs were welcome.

Fab wee gem, staff are always friendly and the takeout food is always ace

Great team that are welcoming, funny and attentive. Food is amazing and very fairly priced.

Great pub friendly staff with beer garden

Always a great visit, food is great and staff are always very welcoming and friendly. Definately worth a visit

Great bar, friendly and informative staff. A pleasure to visit.

Brilliant different class couple of pints

This is a great wee bar in a beautiful part of Aberdeen, great selection of whisky and the barman, Darren, was a great host, will definitely be back next time in the city

Great beer great whiskey great service

Love it. Staff are great foods great drinks great and the amount of whisky.

Very good and quality and olde 🥃 whisky.

Dropped into the St. Machar Bar when I returned to visit my old University Haunts from the 1980s. As it was just post Lockdown we were delighted to find a beer garden serving food and drinks. We had Beef burgers/ Chicken burgers with shoe string chips. The portions were big and the meals were freshly cooked and delicious. The friendly bar man ensured we were safe by following covid guidelines too.

Firt time i ordered from here the burger was delicious.Ordered again tonight and it was awful the burger was that over cooked i couldnt get my teeth through it burnt black.Very disappointed

I got some excellent takeaway burgers and chips there. So if you're looking for some lockdown eating out, it's ideal, I think you can eat out the in the beer garden, but failing that Old Aberdeen's a congenial spot for scoffing burgers.

Didn't realise these guys were on deliveroo. 😍 Burger was delicious, chicken wings were freezing unfortunately but garlic mushrooms were spot on, I can't wait till it reopens so can get a sit in👍

The best Student pub in Aberdeen. A really nice old fashioned boozer, with a great atmosphere and charm to it. The beer garden with heat lamps and a canopy outside is a must for those of us how are celebrating essays or exam completion. Great Pub.

St Machar bar has been my local for 20 years. It has changed hands recently and Darren has managed to transform the place. We have over 100 whiskies and a new Whisky club. There are lots of different beers to try as well as a wide range of gins and rums. Now dog friendly which is the icing on the cake. Well done Darren!