Aberdeen has been named one of the best places to visit in the UK next year.
The Granite City is the only Scottish destination featured in Condé Nast Traveller’s Best Places to Go in the UK in 2025.
The travel magazine’s editors “recommend, discuss and debate the places which we’re most excited about”.
They also look at “which corners of the country will have the hottest new openings, the most exciting events and the most interesting ways to experience our home’s natural beauty.”
Condé Nast Traveller highlights several popular Aberdeen businesses and cites a “surprising food movement” as one of the key factors in the city’s inclusion.
Local businesses heralded for making Aberdeen a top UK destination
The list reads: “In the past year, Aberdeen’s streets have gained a new sparkle beyond their famed granite shine.
“Once Europe’s energy powerhouse, the Silver City has moved beyond pipelines and platforms to emerge as a surprising culinary hotspot, driven by the post-Covid revival in oil prices.”
An example of Aberdeen’s food scene was La Tiendita del Sabor on Belmont Street.
The Belmont Street restaurant was praised for its “flavour-packed vegan Venezuelan arepas”.
Second Home Studio + Café on Gaelic Lane was also mentioned, while Sugarbird in Union Terrace Gardens was praised for its homegrown wine.
The list said: “The main thoroughfare of Union Street, previously slipping into obscurity, now connects an eclectic array of newly blossomed global dining spots.”
In the West End, Rosa’s Sicilian Food and Pastries‘ tasty arancini is praised, as well as Thistle Street’s cafes.
The Exchange Pub is also hailed for its reinvention – and there is, of course, a nod to Stonehaven’s deep-fried Mars Bar.
The publication concluded: “The cobbled streets of Old Aberdeen are chock full of history, while the wind off the sometimes-dreich Beach Esplanade whips you awake just in time to explore a line of seaside food trucks selling everything from artery-clogging full Scottish breakfasts to indecently gooey slices of cheesecake.
“When the city’s bustle wears thin, hop on a bus to escape to postcard-perfect towns like Stonehaven, famous (or, indeed, infamous) for a culinary icon of its own: the deep-fried Mars Bar.”
If this has put you in the mood for some good food, take a look at our food and drink team’s recommendations:
- 10 places in Aberdeen to get lunch for under £10
- 5 of the best places to enjoy Chinese food in Aberdeen
- 7 places to enjoy hot festive drinks in and around Aberdeen
Plus, here are our eight highest-rated restaurant reviews of 2023.
Conversation