The Pier Bistro in Aberdeen City

Fast service and food comes out piping hot but when I ordered the chicken bacon and caesar toastie i’d expect to have the bacon element

In Aberdeen for a break from Edinburgh. Searched for a venue with healthy options that was dog friendly and The Pier seemed perfect. However, when we arrived we were told no dogs indoors only outside. If you have ever sat on the beach front in April you will realise that's not an option and therefore the Pier is not dog friendly. Very disappointing.

Up visiting family in the Aberdeen area and the suggestion was to come to The Pier for Brunch/Lunch. I chose the ultimate breakfast which I thought was over priced at around £17!! It came out luke warm at best and has given me a horrid aftertaste since eating it. The bacon was excessively fatty and a tad underdone for my liking. (I didn't specify this at the time so I can forget the doneness to my fault). The sausages pretty much gross. Not sure where they are from but just tasted awful. I felt the quality of ingredients to be sub par. My mother had Scampi and Fries and said everything tasted over salted and that the scampi had a weird after taste. Perhaps the oil it's cooked in? It didn't taste clean anyway. Other dishes had wilted salad which some of it looked pretty depressing. Much like the beach front area these days. The men's bathroom had no soap in the dispenser (I forgot to mention this to the staff as was trying to locate hand sanitiser from family members). Staff are young but lovely. Really nice and friendly. Just ashame the food let it down. Probably the worst breakfast in Aberdeen. I hope they can change it as if like the staff to succeed.

£10 for a tiny cup of cold canned lentil soup and a sanwich with the cheapest brown bread that was falling apart and some slices of supermarket chicken and drizzle of grated cheese without any salad

Friendly staff, large menu, we had 3 pancakes, fruit with maple syrup, were lovely, but we thought £12.00 was a bit expensive!! Easy to park on the esplanade on a Wednesday afternoon in March.

In Monday 26th Feb first time. Family of four adults. First impressions walking in the door, nice. Then, Ar**y young waitress (twice), didn't like that. No coleslaw, just nope, we dont do that. Ciabatta plate average at best as judged by two of the four who ordered it. Two cooked breakfasts were OK, nothing special. Come to think of it, the tattie scone was missing off both plates! Sadly the black pudding was like a hockey puck in taste and texture. Lieing under a hot light on standby I think. That experience cost us £45. Didn't leave a tip, felt bad as the Eastern European waitress was absolutely lovely. Won't be back. Edit after owner reply- The missing tattie scones were not thought of until writing the review. The average ciabatta sandwiches and absent coleslaw came to light when I asked my wife & daughter what they thought as we later walked the front. Same for the unengaged waitress who'd rather have been somewhere else. All 4 noticed the 'tude'. The single coffee off the bill, while appreciated doesn't make up for the flaws. It's not my job to brace you fully on your business when i am out with my family. That's your job to monitor performance and act on it to ensure your customers want to return. You really should as it pulled the experience down. Reading other reviews there is a theme, subpar food & service. Not exactly getting it done in a cafe business is it?

A recurring favourite of mine for the past few years. Service can sometimes be slow but I can usually overlook this due to it normally being fairly busy, and that the food is just so good! However, was very disappointed when I went in over the weekend to see that the loaded fries have been removed from the menu. These were the star of the show (and the main reason I frequented so often)! There are many other options on the menu which are delicious, but PLEASE bring back the Hog Fries!!!

The 5 stars purely for the service staff. They provided us with a wonderful experience in terms of feeling welcome and well looked after. Unfortunately, the food was little short of abysmal. The bacon on my full breakfast was charred on oneside and close to raw on the underside, my egg was only partially cooked and I didn't eat it. The black pudding was dry but also somehow so oily and the toast was closer to stale bread, the only redeeming factor of my breakfast being the beans, then again how wrong can you go heating up a tin of beans? The highlight of my visit was without a doubt the coffee and brilliant service. One thing worth mentioning- the incessant ringing of the service bell from the kitchen side which we could hear clear as day as we were sat near the kitchen door. Having worked in hospitality myself for many years both as a server and as a chef, I know full well the meaning of a bell ringing but the qay it was clearly abused by the kitchen staff was a far cry from acceptable, the poor service staff, I couldn't cope with that! But they did it all with a smile on their face so kudos to them! Will not be back for food but I'd be happy to return for a coffee and one of those delicious cakes I missed out on this time!

A lovely wee place with friendly staff and good food. I recommend the scampi.

Husband and I fancied a wee treat for breakfast one weekend and saw this place when searching nearby. Staff were friendly but unfortunately the food was subpar; I ordered the fruit stack pancakes which were £10, and I could've made them for £2. Clearly shop-bought pancakes were used, and the smallest amount of fruit I'd ever seen - no exaggeration when I say I had 3 blueberries, one strawberry quartered, 2 pineapple chunks and a handful of melon pieces. I used the butter provided along with maple syrup but nothing could take away the dryness of the pancakes. I also ordered the strawberry smoothie, which was okay, but not worth £6. The music was also incredibly loud for first thing in the morning, and I'm one for a bit of ambiance and music to take away from the quiet in the morning but a dance playlist playing full blast was a bit of an odd choice for 9am on a Sunday haha.

Been here a few times but I must say the service has gone downhill massively. Had to wait 5 minutes to be seated, only one waiter for over 20 tables. The soup of the day on the board was not what was given. I had ordered leak and potato soup but got sweet potato and coconut soup instead without being told. This is a serious problem for anyone with food intolerance or allergies. It seemed like the waiter was not informed of this change in soup either. The waiter was very apologetic, however this was very disappointing

A perfect beach walk ending huge Baked Tatties, huge fillings.

The food is delicious. The staff are very friendly and attentive. Lovely place to go for a bite to eat and a coffee!

Was visiting Aberdeen for the day and stopped by this place to have lunch . The food was amazing . Staff were very friendly and efficient I highly recommend and will definitely be back

Right on the promenade. Locally owned which is always a bonus over a chain. Their food offering includes for example loaded fries, baked potatoes, or veggie breakfast. A couple of vegan options, vegetarian ones are more common. A mixture of cakes available daily.

Decent enough food, but expensive.

What a lovely place and amazing food!! Loved their pancake stack!!

Wonderful service lovely service Happy to help look forward to seeing them soon thank you

I am sad to be writing this as The Pier used to be one of my favourite places to visit. I went with a friend to grab some lunch. It was 20 mins before they stopped serving lunch. We sat down with some menus and after about 10mins we ordered our food and some drinks. We were sat for another 20 minutes before the waiter came over to tell us that they had stopped serving food and therefore could not have our food. I understand that this is not the waiters fault and I am in no way blaming them but we received no apology. I really used to love The Pier but over this past year I have found the service to be slow and the BBQ pulled pork (used to be my favourite) to be dry and not come with BBQ sauce (even though it says it comes with BBQ sauce on the menu), they then charge you when you ask for BBQ. This experience from the other day is the straw that broke the camels back for me unfortunately and I won’t be back :’(

Couldn't rate this place highly enough. I've been in a few times and yet to have a less than fantastic experience. The team are so friendly and welcoming, and even in the busiest times that doesn't waver. The new manager is so on the ball and has obviously perfected her art and enjoys her job. Keep doing what your doing Team Pier, you're doing brilliantly!

Good take away coffee but service is a little slow

Regular visitors to the Pier Nice little cafe on the beach front. Breakfast was huge with plenty of options. I tried a cafe special late and was really nice. Interior is ship esc, with a rowing boat on the wall. Staff helpful/friendly and nothing is ever too much trouble.

Good food with lot's of allergy advice and alternatives

Pop in here sometimes and usually it's okay but this morning was awful...asked for an egg roll and when it arrived it looked odd ...like a pancake in a bun...when I asked the waitress if it was freshly cooked she said it was cooked on a grill then heated under another to harden the yoke.!!..I said it didn't look like a freshly cooked egg but she assured me it was and countered my 'reality' that it looked perfectly normal. Her whole attitude was awful and though I ate it as was hungry I later regretted it as suffered from a sore stomach and nausea for the rest of the day. Coffee was awful too. What's happening to this place ...it used to be good. I won't be back in a hurry

Extremely overpriced, paid over £10 for the ‘crispy bacon and maple syrup pancake stack’ to receive store bought pancakes and fatty uncooked bacon!! No where near crispy!! I could have made my own at home with actual crispy bacon for less than £5. Will not be returning in a hurry and definitely won’t recommend 😞

I ordered food for wife and I. Got food got receipt. Started eating and looked at receipt. Receipt was bogus. Did not have all our items on it. I gave the cashier a 50 pound note and got 10 pound note back. Food totaled 24 pounds. I was shorted about 14 pounds. Talked to cashier and he gave us an additional 14 pounds. He was nice about it but obviously cheated us intentionally. Are all Scot’s like this?

Was closing too early for us to have tea although other diners next door were still open.

We went here for a family lunch and had the soup (which was delicious) and ciabattas. There was a varied and interesting selection of sandwiches, baked potatoes, ciabattas. I chose falafel with roasted vegetables and a chilli jam sauce which was first class. I ordered a latte coffee which was very bitter even after 3 sugars. When I mentioned it it was replaced promptly and apologies were made. At just under £40 for the 3 of us I’d say it’s in keeping with current prices in Aberdeen and Inverurie.

Me and Mike hit it right. Outside seating sun shining and the bacon rolls were superb! A great finish to our mornings Parkrun

We sat outside. Great food only marred by anxiety inducing birds who monitored our every move at the table from on high. Our fears were realised when a huge seagull saw an opening and in a split second landed with a flapping thump on our table which scared the life out of us all. Thankfully we had just finished eating but that was pure providence. The disappointed seagull then moved to his next victim. To be fair, it was a non discriminatory bird as it terrorised other diners across the seafront, not just patrons of the Pier.

Went for brunch at 11.15 am. Despite not being busy and having plenty of staff on duty in the restaurant, it was 15 minutes before our order was taken. Latte arrived promptly ( but luke warm ) and 45 minutes before brunch arrived. Second lattes were hotter but again finished before brunch arrived. We think there was a definite mix up with our order as it only appeared once we complained - twice. Similarly, we had to ask for a clean knife twice. When brunch finally arrive - eggs on toast with crispy bacon- the poached eggs were hard, the scrambled eggs were barely warm and the bacon wasn’t crispy! Staff were disinterested and unapologetic. We will not be back.

Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Good selection of food. Has both indoor and outside tables.

Food was fine and good choice available. Although the staff were clearly inexperienced, all were pleasant and helpful. My major drawback was being charged £9 for 3 cans of Diet Coke, and £1.20 for a single hash brown. That is an extortionate mark up, and will not encourage us to visit again. Which is a shame as otherwise was good!

Popped in for a quick drink on the promenade. The Burnside Brewery Wulver lager is awesome. Service was a bit slow but plenty of folk having meals so understandable. Good vibe all round. Didn't eat but food looked decent to be fair.

Quick pitstop to fuel up amidst my wee boys birthday day out; my wife has Celiac disease and The Pier has decent GF options. Front of house staff could not have been friendlier and more welcoming if they tried, despite the place being relatively busy with a lot of coming and going. Seated but no drinks order taken (understandable, it's quite hectic). When drinks do finally arrive, the cokes are completely flat but server swiftly swapped them for cans from front counter. Things go awry from here. My hotdog arrived, so over-cooked it was like chewy leather, sitting in the driest bun imaginable, which didn't help matters. A hotdog isn't difficult to cook, hard to excuse even if the kitchen is busy. This however pales in comparison to my sons 'ham sandwich and crisps'. A plate arrives with a disassembled ham sandwich, flopped upon a handful of stale tortilla chips. What kind of barbarian doesn't butter a ham sandwich? and on what planet is a tortilla chip a crisp? nae in Scotland min. I asked that they at least butter the sandwich, but it came back from the kitchen as is, server told me the kitchen staff were "being fussy" and gave me a few pats of butter to do this myself. Needless to say my son never touched a crumb after this fuss. If you can't show food a little love before it gets rolled out of your kitchen, you shouldn't work in a kitchen. To summarise: Very disappointing meal, lovely front of house staff.

Bang average visit with below average service from disinterested staff.

Nice place, friendly efficient staff and good food.

Not very good! Tables were dirty and staff not very attentive. It took a long time to have our order taken, even for drinks. We visited on Sunday 25th June, on a hot sunny day, so it was very busy outside. Despite inside being empty, we were sat at a table right next to the staff service door and it wasn't very nice with staff passing by all the time. We ordered a toasted ciabatta with salad and chips, however they both arrived in a right state with a bunch of brown old wilted salad leaves on the side and some crushed up tortilla chip crumbs. I showed this to the waiter and they took the plates back to the kitchen and brought it back with fresh salad, chopped tomatoes, cucumber, onion and a salad dressing this time. They also replaced the tortilla chips with ones which weren't just crumbs. A pitty it didn't come like this in the first place. Others at our table ordered baked potatoes and they arrived with a very small bunch of plain salad leaves on the side. We will probably not come back. Upon leaving, the staff member (young lady) at the counter asked us if we enjoyed our visit, so we were honest with her and shared our disappointment. She kindly offered a 10% discount on the bill.

We had a wonderful lunch great atmosphere excellent service

Fantastic place. Would recommend to anyone. Staff are brilliant also

Nice food and friendly staff. Service was excellent and well priced.

Fantastic little cafe, great for lunch, with a lovely beach vibe right on the seafront

Love it. Atmosphere was amazing

A small, intimate, cafe which I regularly go to for breakfast. I generally have the full Scottish breakfast which comprises of tasty, fresh, produce. There are lots of other options including vegetarian & vegan dishes. Good, attentive service and reasonably priced.

Not too many options, don't try chicken, meat is rubbery and big chunks

We love brunch at the Pier! A lot of options and a very friendly environment! Food is really good and there is also a big variety of drinks and smoothies. The location by the beach is ideal for a walk before or after food! Love the option that you can have your dog with you at the outdoor tables.

Tasteless, overpriced and stale. We called in for sunday brunch, ignoring the 50-minute wait for coffees and food to follow soon after it certainly was not worth the wait. Two dry, toasted, stale softies (ironic name) , over cooked brittle bacon was what was presented. Even brown sauce could raise the moisture. Pulled pork loaded fries, were tastless, lacked in "load" and seasoning. Needless to say the food was abandoned. 2 coffees, 2 fizzy drinks from the gun, 2 bacon rolls, and a loaded fries for the princely sum of £36. Save your money and try the streetfood vans further along the prom instead!

Personally one of the best place to eat, both at the beach and in Aberdeen as a whole. The interior is well decorated but, obviously, the food is also delicious! We usually go there in the morning for brunch; their savoury and crispy sausages and soft but well toasted roll, always makes a great combination for a morning roll full of flavour and texture. Their menu is also pretty extensive with a selections of Scottish breakfast, panini's, and salads so I would definitely recommend a visit if you're at the beach or nearby!

Service is typical of students who don't really want to be there. For what you pay for the breakfast, it is shockingly poor value. Our order had to be requested after 20 mins of waiting. Understaffed and a bit grubby. Been here a few times and always left hoping for better. VERY popular for young families. Perhaps this explains why it is typically busy on a Sunday. Personally will be trying somewhere else from now on.

I have visited this cafe a few times over the past few months and thought a review was well overdue! Every time I have been I have felt well looked after, despite never seeing the cafe less than 3/4 full, and left full and satisfied! The food has been great every time, especially their black pudding!! The staff are lovely and very clearly well worked as they're always on the move! Highly recommend for anyone looking for a quick bite by the beach.

Came for Burns night tapas which were amazing! Food and service were spectacular couldn’t fault it!

Had issues last time I visited the pier glad to see the standard has improved

Visited the cafe on a Saturday afternoon. Left to wait a good 5 minutes before a member of staff acknowledged us. Only to be told they were not taking any more customers. This despite the fact there were vacant tables. Strange when the hospitality industry is going through a challenging time at the moment. Won’t return.

Highly recommend, excellent service. The food was outstanding and was spotlessly clean.

Came for lunch, was told the whole menu was on all day, including the brunch menu, which was great to hear. The ultimate breakfast is huge and well worth the £16. Great tasting pancakes and the bacon is some of the best I have tried. Service also very quick and friendly. Will definitely be back.

Really nice atmosphere. Probably best cooked breakfast in Aberdeen. Friendly staff. Great food and coffee and a good selection of tray bakes. Keep an eye for special events like the Big Cheese. My favourite choice at the Aberdeen beachfront!

The best ice cream in Aberdeen.🍦🍦

Fairly good food though only half slice of bread with soup of the day. Main complaint is that they added beans for our daughters kids meal (£3.95) but charged us the adult breakfast item price (£1.50)!

Small sandwich for gluton free and pancakes did have maple syrup but not crispy bacon

Popped in today as a treat for my kids. My daughter and I ordered hot chocolates with cream and marshmallows. She had a big spoonful of the cream and immediately stated it tasted off. I tasted mine and right enough it had a really awful taste, we scooped the cream off the top and had the hot chocolate as it tasted ok. I mentioned it to the ladies behind the bar when I paid, they took the carton of cream out of the fridge and smelled it, said they don’t take cream but it smells ok and they popped it back in the fridge. I advised that it really didn’t taste ok, I’m not one to order and pay for cream just to scoop it all off. I had hoped they would deduct it from the bill but no such luck. I never complain in cafes as I know how much of a busy job it is and everyone’s trying their best to make a living just now, however my feedback was dismissed today. Fingers crossed there’s no tummy issues later on! The cafe itself was nice and comfortable, the cake my son had went down well!

I came here Monday lunchtime. The place was very busy and lively - I was lucky to get a table. The service was good. The food was delicious. I’d highly recommend their tomato & basil soup. The prices are very reasonable. The location is idyllic on the beachfront. It’s very cosy inside, and they have free customer WIFI. I could not recommend this place highly enough.

Great place for a snack and nice coffee. Always seams to be open when others are closed. ( within working hours)

Really nice spot with a view of the sea. The fresh fruit with the pancakes are very good!

First time there, food absolutely amazing and staff so friendly and helpful and service was so quick, prices are reasonable too definitely going again, never seen toilets so clean! Well done all staff excellent, highly recommended a visit 👌😁

Good food. Service was ok. Pretty small menu but everything wondered was tasty 2 years later..... the menu is ace, theres heaps on that id have enjoyed. Was hung over af! Couldnt decide , healthy and light or belly filling greasey grub so went both. Vegan ciabatta and then steak chips and chimchurri and a iced caramel coffee...... absolutely fantastic! Staff were great too even if they did have a laugh at me being so hungover 😅

Lots of coffee shop and restaurants along the prom. Great beech

Great place to stop at while exploring Aberdeen’s beach. Friendly staff and lots of options for food items catering for both gluten free and vegan. Food came fast and coffees were lovely, along with some tasty ice cream to takeaway!

Popped in here for a spot of lunch. It was nice and relaxed. The food was great (I had the Mac & cheese fries) & the staff were super friendly and helpful in giving recommendations for things to try. I only wish I’d saved room for dessert!

Nice cafe with friendly staff and quick service. However, £7.30 for 2 americanos and another 80pence for 2 splashes of Soya milk seems a bit expensive! Croissant was very small and £2.95!

Had to leave as was waiting to be served but was too long a wait. Only wanted coffee and cheesey chips which was known by waiter

Yummy and very busy. Get in early!

Great new cafe, good addition to the selection of places on the beach

Not keen to leave an anything but excellent review given our may past visits over some years now, but breakfast on Wednesday left much to be desired. I ordered my usual poached eggs on a toasted croissant - eggs were good, although a couple of gloopy white strands were not cleaned off the plate before it was served & croissant was overdone to the point of burnt at one end. My husband ordered his usual - the small Scottish breakfast - bacon was a multi-layered hard overcooked lump (which looked very unappetising), sausage was burnt at one end & underdone at the other & the fried egg was absent. This plate was removed at his request & duly returned with egg, new bacon (still in a lump) & sausage, but white toast instead of the brown ordered - ho hum! At this point he decided not to make a thing of it, but only ate about half of what was on the plate. He did say he wondered if the chef/cook would be happy to receive a similarly presented plate of food. On our first time back post pandemic we had a chat with the staff & told them it was lovely to be back, & were informed there was a new chef & a new manager in place, so I wonder what went amiss on Wednesday? Though the service was as efficient & friendly as ever, there was just something lacking in the attention to detail. This latest experience would not stop us going back, as we are fans of this & their other establishments, but if the same thing happened again we would definitely ask to speak to a senior member of staff.

Went for a family breakfast. Friendly staff. Great service. Delicious food! Ultimate Breakfast was delicious and very filling! Highly recommend.

Overall the food was excellent..but service poor, they was a lack of beer and white wine..was told they had ran out...so, why no one gone to cash and carry before that happened. Sandwiches got mixed uo also..would zi return..no

Service not great. Croissants were not fresh even though they were warmed up.?.had to ask for cutlery when Breakfast was on the table .

Very good food and excellent service best on the prom

Went for a father's day brekie and it was lovely

Sehr nettes Café mit guten Essen und freundlichem Service. Toll gelegen

Really sad to leave this review came here lots of times before and enjoyed but this time not so the staff did not seem to know what was going on.... my sons pancake stack came with a burnt pancake hidden amongst the stack .... being a chef know the tricks of the trade ..... when I went to pay and said about it nothing was really said .... I tried to get the attention of staff to complain before paying bill which they were aware of but chose to ignore... previous visits been exceptional but not thos time

The breakfast included many things, and ALL day brunch which is amazing!! However just only order their signature dishes, making your own combo can turn out kinda boring. The cakes and sweets are the most delicious ever

Now being gluten free they gad an excellent choice to choose from, staff friendly & helpful service impeccable. There are tables to sit outside if you have a dog & they even cook sausages for your dogs!! Brilliant place very clean as well, thank you

Perfect breakfast if it wasn't for the seagulls! Open earlier than other breakfast places locally which was good for us early risers. Very hearty rolls and Scottish breakfast Inc haggis and Black pudding. All tasty. Good coffee and tea too. Lovely day so ate outside...

We were at the Pier today. We been coming for a number of years since it was opened. We were at table 3 we didn't looked at the menu we should have. We just automatically ordered 2 fruit scones, 1 latte and a pot of tea. We were charged £12.45 which I thought was rather pricy. The bill wasn't itemised.

Doggos always love it here! Always get a fine treat!

A late breakfast for 7. All the food was freshly cooked and used good quality ingredients. Prices were good and the coffee was delicious!

Was in the Pier this morning for brunch. Sat at table 4. The place was busy with nearly all the tables taken. Service was attentive and prompt. However, when our food was served, we had to return it because it was cold. Pleased that when our order was re-served, it was freshly cooked and not our previous order just reheated in the microwave. So a bit disappointed really but rectified promptly.

Great coffee friendly service comfortable place

Went for ice cream only. Was a bit expensive at over £11 for three people but everyone enjoyed it. Good location on the beach front

Polite service, delicious food.

Absolutely beautiful food great service

Excellent service food is amazing taste so nice would definitely recommend the full breakfast also kids sausage beans fries and sausage bun with cheese and fries and Easter shake Will definitely go back here again yes had to wait for table as really busy service is great

went to the takeaway window waited a good 15 minutes before being served asked for 2 cheese and oinion toasties portion of chips when it came it was just two cheese sandwiches whith caramelised oinion and a sprinkle of chips in both no salad etc went back explained we wanted toasties they took it and tried to toast the same sandwich came back soggy complained again they took them back then 10 minutes later came back toasties still not done properly not even cut in half same cold chips gave up put them in the bucket 14 pounds for that won't be back

Its a lovely cafe with very yummy food. Its always busy which says alot about the place.

Have not been here since pre pandemic, & our last visit then was not so great, however previously high standards seem to have returned, thankfully, as we've been here twice in the last few weeks. Toasted croissant & 2 poached eggs for under a fiver...

We ate lunch here and the menu has plenty to offer and the food was good. However, the service was very disappointing. We were waiting inside without anyone approaching or even acknowledging us for 10mins when eventually one staff member told us to wait outside...

Visited The Pier with friends for lunch. The food was nice - however, it is a shame for the rude, unwelcoming staff. We were told to stand outside for a table to be prepared for us despite the fact we had been standing inside being...

Their breakfast was decent just slightly over priced.

Went here for a quick bite for lunch and really enjoyed it. Food was really tasty and the staff were very friendly and helpful. Hope to come back soon :)

Nice place to eat , had to wait a while to order , fruit scone was a little dry but the carrot cake was delicious , little mix up with the coffee,s but overall good