Slains Castle Aberdeen in Aberdeen City

Great food, great service and a much better pub than it was. Feels like a pub now! Love it

Sad state of affairs. Has no heart or character anymore. It was always overpriced (a handful of chicken tenders cost a fortune.), and the serving was painfully slow much of the time, but it was worth going to for the atmosphere. For the gothic environment, the seven deadly sins! Being boozed up as a teen and trying to find out where the toilet was as I rubbed fake books is a strong fond memory. As all the goth/rock/alternative clubs have dwindled, at least we've always had Slains Castle to fall back on. It was one of the last more unique bars standing in this city.. Now it looks awful. Disappointingly bland. I would have hoped it was at least vibrant and inviting if they were doing away with the classic goth style, but no. It looks like any other boring "appeal to the masses" bar. I know the people who own the place don't care about the negative reviews, I've been told as much directly. Profits are up so nothing else matters. Surprise surprise. Never the less, if it stops one person wasting their time and money, I'll say it. It looks like a generic faux Italian restaurant at the beach. I only feel bad for the floor staff who must be hearing the likes of this all the time. My friend moved away but came for a visit in December and was just devastated by the change. Was the only pub she liked going to here and, in her words, it now looks like a toilet in a restaurant. Sad for my Canadian friends as well, who were excited to go here later this year. I've been telling them about it for years. I'll never set foot in "Slains Pub" again, not even as a point of protest but...why bother?

No longer gothic dark vibe with bookcases which I liked. But also loving the bright new decor. Still a nice bar

Devastated doesn't even cut it. I am extremely disheartened to see that my favourite haunt in Aberdeen lacks the basic characteristics of a haunt. The spooky atmosphere I once knew and loved is gone. The pub is devoid of all personality. Absolutely nothing about this is appealing. If you don't want to take my word for it, two would-be customers walked in and immediately left upon seeing the downgraded interior. What a shocking state of affairs. Previous responses from the owners claim that the upstairs is the same. However, the second level was seemingly shut to the public. Completely unacceptable and unnecessary change to a once iconic Aberdonian venue. Definitely won't be coming back.

what a travesty. :( This was my go-to spot for whenever I am in town & they’ve completely “remodeled” and destroyed all sense of character/ whimsy. Ruined my night. Curious about the customer base they’re trying to attract with this. Not Nosferatu approved :(:( hope they get haunted for eternity for this.

Was looking forward to visiting this gothic establishment with friends for the first time. Being from out of town I was unaware of the refurbishment. I was looking forward to a gothic atmosphere filled with unique charm, but unfortunately was greeted with a soulless sports bar. Will not be back.

Pub needed a renovation Brighter But lacking character

Went to this place for a nice time, bumped into oryx. Had an encounter with him not happy!

This used to be one of 2 bars in Aberdeen with its own charm. Whoever bought it butchered it and turned it into generic shit like tens of other bars and ruined it's uniqueness. Will never go there again.

This place used to be a favourite to go to, but the refurbishment has lost all it's charm! Won't be back.

Slains refurb...oh dear. Must be trying to contend with Jaguar for the worst rebranding of 2024. This refurb is a prime example of a corporation completely missing the mark of what makes a venue unique and is overly focused on squeezing every little extra profit out of it. Instead of liaising with staff about what may be beneficial with the budget, it just fires in with a complete butchering of what it once was. "Let's focus on through traffic from students who come and go and forget about loyal regulars who live in the city and have been frequenting the venue for years"...Fantastic idea. Not disagreeing that it needed some TLC. A bit of paint and a clean would have sufficed. Reviews since the refurb speak for themselves. I'll no doubt also get a generic and dismissive "thank you for your honest feedback" reply. Slains has lost all soul, character, and charm; luckily, the staff are still great. The only charm left in the place is the Wednesday night quiz host.

Great staff. Great pub quiz! Charming resident DJ.🤭 Refurbishment makes the Bobbin look like a goth hotspot.

Very sad to see what has become of the place. Literally amazed someone thought this was a good idea and allowed it to happen. I'm assuming the idea was to make it more appealing to the masses, but in doing so, it lost its identity. Not everything is for everyone. Don't let the world change who you are. Pretty awesome place. It was well worth the visit. The interior is as cool, if not cooler than you'd expect. The Nightmare on Elm St. themed steps are awesome. I only came for a few drinks so I can't rate the food. Plenty of selection for ales, but the only way to order mixed drink is to choose from one of their themed drinks. Which, I wasn't in love with. They were all overly sweet and sugary and lacked any taste of liquor. All in all, it was a good time.

they ungothed it :( it’s now a sad beige baby

Very sad that the new renovation to Slain's has taken away all it's charm and character. It used to be an attraction in Aberdeen and a big part of the city centre. Now, it is a normal bar that is out of sync with the beautiful castle it is set in. I really don't understand why they had to do this. Won't be going anymore.

you used to be great. Now because of the new menu it’s very bad.

Used to be a beautiful themed bar. Unique and fun, with beautiful deco and a fun touch with the hidden bathroom entrance, now it unfortunately just looks like your average cheap pub. The reviews since the refurb speak for themselves…

Oh dear stonegate what have you done ! You had such an awesome looking establishment with an old gothic vibe and now what a bright white interior looking like any other generic company owned bar. Please just sell this establishment to somebody who actually cares !!! If you are you going to keep this at least train your bar staff in how to serve customers and make drinks. After waiting 10 minutes to get a drink I decided to walk out as I could not bear to watch somebody look at the cheat sheet over 6 times while making 2 cocktails it's absolutely shocking!

The decisions in the recent refurbishment have unfortunately stripped Slains of its character. The horror theme really made Slains a stand-out spot, especially within Aberdeen, and one I loved coming back to. I hope a return to the original theming is considered in the future

Came up from Dundee for opening night and had a wonderful time! Lorna, Michelle and the rest of the team on shift the opening night were super welcoming and friendly. Especially love the balloon drop at midnight thought that was a very fun and different way to celebrate Slains. Will be visiting again next time I'm up in Aberdeen.

The friendliest team, food is such great value and a great pint. Always visit when in Aberdeen.

Went in after the refurb to see how the pub looked and although different it's still got so much class. Drinks, food and service were all top tier! Will definitely be back!

Before visiting today I hoped the reviews were overstating how bad the refurbishment has been. Unfortunately that’s not the case. In the Press & Journal Lorna you stated “We have been careful to retain the pub’s much-loved character”. How is a 180 transition from Slains iconic gothic aesthetic to a bland modern and forgettable “design” a careful retention of the pubs much loved character? Especially when features which made Slains-Castle iconic such as the book case toilet doors, the statues, the gothic furniture have been gutted. Though not as harmed the first floor does not have the same charm. Lorna you state your key capabilities are “communication skills” and “experience with brands”. With that in mind I am hopeful you can take some time and communicate why the desecration of Slain identity bolsters its brand?

With the new "refurbish" they've completely ruined the place overnight. From a cool little hangout with a unique vibe and aesthetic to yet another "modern and trendy" dump who's big exciting selling point is that their TVs get Sky Sports in HD... God forbid anywhere be allowed to have any character I suppose, Aberdeen only had a few dozen flavourless generic pub-grills in the centre after all, it clearly needed another. If Slain's ever feel like fixing this atrocious decision and bringing some of the old goth flare back, I'd suggest starting by draping a noose or few from the rafters so you can take whoever was responsible for this "redesign" and hang them from them.

The new decor is AWFUL. Have always loved coming here, staff so friendly and good atmosphere but coming in post-refurb I have never been more disappointed. Before, it felt so unique - now it's just another soulless bland chain-looking pub. Shame on whoever at Stonegate decided this needed happening. CHANGE IT BACK!

Used to love it here. One of the few truly unique bars in Aberdeen, nowhere else like it. Now it's been "refurbished" - or to put it more accurately: "rebranded" into some soulless monstrosity. Such a shame. I doubt myself or my friends will be back now :(

Removed the themed bar what's the point can drink just about any chain pub now

This used to be the most atmospheric bar in Aberdeen. Coming here on Halloween or Christmas only enriched the ye oldy, gothic vibe this place had going. Now it's been turned into just another soulless, safe, and palatable bar that looks more like a cafe you would take your gran. Another instance of chains just not getting it. I don't know who decided this was a good idea, I'm sure they had their reasons. But now I have no reason to come here, and by the looks of it, many others feel the same. I hope in the future they make efforts to change it back, but I doubt that will happen. Really sad.

The place has lost it's soul. Now it's just a generic pub, what's even the point. Used to be my favourite spot to bring people because it was unique.

i don’t understand the refurbishment at all. it used to be a unique place with a gothic feel, inspired by the actual Slains castle with a vampiric vibe. now its baby blue for some reason. all character is completely gone and it looks like a generic pub (or a nursery?). used to be my fav place, very sad and disappointing :( p.s. i miss the cool bookshelf toilets

A once wonderful place now devoid of its original personality. A victim to Starbucking, for shame

The new refit is awful! Totally ruined the atmosphere of Slains. So disappointed

Been up from Wales twice now and this place is amazing. It's a must do for me. Back up in October and a new first time visitor is with us. He's going to love the place

Wish I could've explored more of the upstairs, but superb themed pub.

We have visited this pub's sister venue, the Pit and Pendulum, on numerous occasions, it's a favourite so we had to try this one too. An impressive venue, the Gothic interior is housed in a former church, lots of black and red and deep dark wood enhance the Tim Burton feel. The food was great, in fact my coconut curry is one of the nicest I've had. The drinks menu is extensive and, happily, includes cocktails, some of which are lovely and creamy. Forget the pseudo-posh modern cocktails (though there are some of those too), these are milkshakes with a kick, and absolutely yum. The service was impeccable and our server was great to chat to, making us feel most welcome. The only minor grumble is this is a goth pub yet it plays an eclectic mix of music. It's sister venue knows part of its appeal is the music and sticks very much to the goth/metal genre. A brilliant experience all round, just a shame about the tunes.

It was a very interesting place in an old church. The decor inside was on theme (Crypt) and the selection of drinks was brilliant including the Death Cocktail!

Was lovely, had cocktails and shots and a great chat with Tice. He also gave me a smint. Very good

Really cool location, modeled on a castle and in an old church. The cocktails were very interesting and there are also various gin and tonics here. It's worth coming here, especially since the many corners mean you have some privacy as a group.

I love this bar, as Gothic as you can get. The gargoyles are simply fantastic. Love it all. Food is good for pub grub. It just needs to get rid of the sports screens and play music more in keeping with the atmosphere heavy metal and punk for example. I've been a return customer for years, and now my son is too. Don't ever change. If you do can I have first refusal on the gargoyles please!

Nothing barswith Great Staff and upbeat dracula references Great idea

Had a drink and looked around. Cool concept 😎 with great potential. We didn't eat there, but they had a lot of fun drink options. Staff was busy talking amongst themselves, so didn't see a lot of service happening. To be fair, they probably have a lot of people just coming in to look at the decor and not drink or eat.

Nice pub but service was rather slow

Served by Rian. Food was excellent and bar service was magnificent. Rian really improved the experience. Thanks you.

Cool environment and good prices on drinks. Had fun there

Came here on a Sunday night. Apparently there was a pub crawl going on or something, as there were loads of 'teenagers' inside having drinks/fun. Unfortunately the kitchen was not open when we were there, so we switched to a different venue. The theming on the place is excellent, nice 'eerie' interior, inside an old church.

Amazing pub, very old impressive building, toilet hidden behind bookcase, great selection of drinks, bar manager is a bit of a tool

This place is truly unique. I've always loved visiting here and was over the moon to see it was still here, 20 years after my last visit. Their deadly sins cocktail list is great to work your way though of an evening or boozy lunch! Great atmosphere, brilliant venue, good food and brilliant cocktail menus. Good luck finding the toilets... 😅❤️ Nondetail has been forgotten!

Very nice place. A special thanks to the very nice Thijs who went out of his way to show us the upper floor of the pub which was closed to the public on the evening of our visit.

Didn't have food here had drinks very nice inside would highly recommend a visit

Atmosphere was a bit dead and the cocktail was generic and tasted like it was a pre mixed thing. I liked the decor though

Very fun and animated place with a respectful staff and a fun gimmick. Quite impressed with atmosphere as well. Pub Quiz night (Wednesdays) was a BLAST

A truly beautiful and unique venue, completely built inside a horror-themed church. Must visit!

The place is spectacular and the food is very good. A little slow service but a place to meet and eat there

Fantastic pub in an astonish place.

A quaint place to eat fish snd chips. It is located in one of Aberdeen's several deconsecrated churches. I don't recommend the mixed grill but the fried fish and chips are really good. Medium-low cocktails. Sticky toffee pudding good. In short, nothing much.

Place is amazing, very family friendly. Staff were brilliant with our kids. The staff were also so friendly and helpful!

One of the red pool balls has yellow written on it.

Chapel very well recycled into advertising.

Pool table is small and squeezed in around tables and walls that are too close, but the bar itself was great

The whole place was beautiful and the cocktails we're wonderful

Top marks for all the cheeky stuff... We didn't eat anything but had some drinks..,

I'm a local Aberdeen resident and I have visited this pub on three occasions. The reason I have been back 3 times is mostly down to the decor, and taking visiting friends out to places they would consider fun and unusual (and can take some amusing photos of themselves in.) Back in it's hey day, the Eerie pubs were brilliant. I had worked near to the Bell, Book & Candle in London for some time, and I remember that as a great place for an after-work drink with colleagues. Somehow, Slains Castle pub feels like a somewhat washed-out and slightly forlorn kind of place in comparison. Nobody appears to even be trying to live up to it being any kind of diverting attraction, which it once no doubt was. As far as I'm aware, not much in the way of thematically relevant events occur there. For the greatest part, it's like a Sports Bar, with an incongruous theme in decoration...the two don't really fit together. Big screen TV's absolutely everywhere, staff dressed in t-shirts, menu is geared toward 'chicken in a basket', slightly dry steak, deep fried veggies...unimaginative but perfectly edible pub food...if you want better, go somewhere else. Prices are quite reasonable for what you get, so can't complain. The staff have always been nice, and quite attentive so can't complain there either. I believe they run a quiz every so often...yawn. Sports matches will be shown...if you're not into sports, it's another yawn. Don't expect too much. It's a fairly bog-standard type of chain pub that does what all the other pubs do. Pity that there aren't some horror/alternative type events put on by the owners/management to fit in with the eerie theme, or staff wearing Halloween type costumes, maybe around Halloween, for example...it could have been great. Now, it kinda isn't. Meh.

Had a couple of pints here and the atmosphere was neat. Old church made into a bar. Had a good selection of beers on tap.

Nice food, try the Chip Shop Plater.

Curious place, the only thing is that the upper part is only open on the weekend and they told us what the most beautiful part is, the bathroom door is hidden you have to find it 😄😄😄

Loved the doors made to look like bookcases.

Pretty decent boozer, friendly staff

Love stains castle always great service bubbly staff and amazing drinks.

Ok the place is themed but we were expecting more, booked had to pay deposit and restricted to 2 hours. We still had to go to the bar to wait and say we had booked, then again to the bar to order drinks, which we had to pay for in advance. Then back to bar to order very mediocre food. Sorry won't be back.

A busy evening with lots of people doing the speedy pub quiz. Predominently a student style atmosphere but some oldies like us in there. Beer seemed ok, Decor a little unusual to most pubs, girls selling shots of tequilla and a lively feel to the place. A good atmosphere

Nice pub with a horror look. Good beer and board games.

Cool venue, quizz night is alright, drinks tad bit expensive. Unrelated but they sell glow in the dark condoms in the bathrooms lol

We had a burger and a steak. Not bad, but the service is sooooo slow... it took us more than 40 minutes to have our plates and the place was almost empty. People go there especially for the decor, that is nice and allows you some good pics. Finding the door to the restrooms is funny.

A weird and wonderful Gothic Horror of a place to hang out for an afternoon waiting for the sleeper train home. Bar staff were shockingly slow if at all even present behind the bar. Would have failed the 3 minute rule 4 times over waiting for a beer if we had not have already decided to hang here for 5 hours as its next to the bag drop place for the train.

Amazing and interesting place, food was really good and staf very frendly

Went in and and was greeted at bar by lovely person called Seb who told me the prices and where the menu was. Also ordered a burger and chips. Took about 20 mins to arrive. Food was good and warm and competitively priced. During food was asked how the meal was by Dani which is a nice touch 👍 bar was nice and tidy. Good service all round and will be back 👍

Came in and was welcomed with open arms, ordered food at the bar where I was asked about any allergens I may have (nice of them to be that considerate) food was made by Zoe I believe and it was lovely. All round great bar service by Seb and Dani who were more than happy to have a chat while at the bar having a drink. Very reasonably priced and great atmosphere.

Always a friendly welcome from staff and good service. Food has always been good when having so not much more to say.

Nice place, good service and alright food for fair prices. There's some outdoor seating available as well. Finding the toilet is an absolute pain the first time though.

Nice place, good service and alright food for fair prices. There's some outdoor seating available as well. Finding the toilet is an absolute pain the first time though.

Loved it. Amazing set up. Lovely staff. Dogs welcomed in. Amazing stuff. Highly recommended 👌

Coming here was a really fun experience. The kids enjoyed the over the top horror theme. The food was surprisingly good for what we paid and taking advantage of the lunch deals that come with a free drink the value was overall really good.

The best place to spend your Saturday night! Staff so welcoming and super friendly, always go the extra mile and know how to make you laugh, couldn't ask for better service 🥰. Originally just came in for some food after a long day at Pride, coconut curry was insanely good (it smells amazing 😭) & my friends said their burgers were tasty too 👌. Can't wait to come back to try more of the new stuff on their menu, especially given how cheap everything is, really good value for money at least for us poor students 😅 So glad we ended up staying out as late as we did as DJ (Darren I think?) was phenomenal, really knew how to get the place going. Thank you to all the team for making our Pride night out so much fun!

Good eerie atmosphere tho Sunday lunch terrible. Took 40 mins then chicken overcooked and bad presentation

Entered and there was nothing indicating if we were to seat ourselves. After several minutes we asked the bartender if we could seat ourselves and she said yes. We sat at our table for about 15 minutes and were never even acknowledged. Grabbed our coats and left. The bartender watched us as we walked past and never said a word. Very disappointed.

Something different, good value kids meals and good service.

Perfect place. Good drinks and the food was good, but it took an hour before we got the food (they told us that when we ordered). Slightly sticky floor. Clean toilets, but paper was missing from 3 out of 4 stalls in the ladies' toilet. Was asked to pay a deposit, but was not allowed to use this on the spot - the money will be refunded.

It looks like the pub used to be an old church. Centrally located in aberdeen. Decorated with a "Transilvanian vibe".

Creepy but intreasting pub with hidden toilets, worth a visit!

Super cool themeing, but slightly pricey drinks and not a wild atmosphere for a Saturday night, although we loved Maddie and her test tube shots!

Extraordinary gothic decor! What more to say - a truly unique experience!!

Unique nice atmosphere, food is good, loads of selection for drinks. Liked the moody but freindly vibe of Dani & Sophie. Michelle, Jamie, Zoe, Thijs, Seb, Fraser and Amy were also very accomodating.

My Guinness tasted ok but wasn't allowed settle long enough and had a huge head, needs the gas adjusting. The chicken wings I has were over done and chewy. The haggis bites were superb. The girl serving with the long red hair was beautiful 😍 and pleasant.

Student pub with decent food at a decent price. Dog friendly.

Well-attended pub in a former church, great atmosphere, nicely decorated. Good food and drink at a fair price.

It's a very atmospheric place. More suitable for parties

RIP OJ Simpson you would’ve loved the Slains quiz x

Reviewer? I barely know her!!!!

A pale Wetherspoons inhabiting a church's shell, the staff are friendly but the atmosphere is about the same as you'd get in any other pub nowadays. It used to be a very fun pub with a more rock atmosphere but now it's about the same as everywhere else. Cocktails are pretty ok though at good prices if you get pitchers.

Used to be way better, with music that fitted the decor and a volume you could hear yourself talking. Now it's generic top 40 and way too loud, makes it just the same as everywhere else :(