The next few weeks will be a busy time for The Prince of Wales and, as the Christmas shopping season begins in earnest, the bar is sure to provide a much-needed haven to hundreds of bored and hen-pecked husbands.
As the missus gives the credit cards a battering, the men will slope off down the cobbles of St Nicholas Lane to the bar that offers a welcome escape from the bustle of Aberdeen's busiest shopping street.
As one of the oldest bars in the city, The Prince of Wales has for the last 150 years been pulling pints of the finest heavy and dishing up award-winning food while offering a friendly, familiar face in a sea of constantly changing bars.
The decor doesn't really seem to have changed all that much in all that time either the emphasis here is on the traditional with wood-panelled walls, stripped floorboards and basic tables and chairs.
Granted, it wouldn't win any style awards. But then it's the old-school authenticity and unassuming atmosphere that makes it such a favourite with drinkers across the board.
The crowd in here is more varied than you'd find in any other city bar a hit with old and young alike.
It certainly is a mixed bag, and, depending on when you visit, you'll find everyone from the classic lone man nursing his pint by the bar to groups of 20-somethings at the start of a big night out.
The bar is also popular with small groups of friends meeting up for a quiet few and it seems to be an obligatory stop for any lively stag and hen parties passing through the city.
Come here on a Friday or Saturday night and you're more than likely to find all of theabove quite happily rubbing shoulders.
During the day the pub is also popular with workers from nearby offices and passing shoppers particularly at lunchtime when they cook up a tasty range of award-winning pub fare.
Everything from steak pie and chips to pasta and toastie sandwiches are on the menu and you'd be hard pushed to find food as tasty at such reasonable prices anywhere else in the centre of town.
The bar is also justly famed for its wide selection of ales.
As well as eight varieties on tap at any one time, they even boast their very own brand The Prince of Wales Ale which is especially brewed for the bar by the resident experts at the Inveralmond Brewery in Perth.
Not being much of a seasoned ale drinker, I didn't indulge. But according to the friendly and knowledgeable staff, the `house' ale is one of their best sellers.
They don't play music in the bar, but it's not missed busy chatter and amusing bar banter fills the pub throughout the day.
And listening in on the rants of some of the older drinkers is much more entertaining than any video jukebox.
Over the years the bar has built up a very regular client base and it can get very busy.
However, you're unlikely to have any problems getting served as the Prince of Wales claims to have the longest bar in Aberdeen. Stretching from the front door to the back wall, the straight bar measures in at a distance of more than 70 ft.
While many other city centre bars undergo constant identity and image changes in a bid to stay a on top of the market, the Prince of Wales continues to stand the test of time.
And the secret of its success? Simple being a friendly local pub in the middle of a busy city centre says it all.
Open: Mon-Sat, 10 am-midnight; Sun, noon-midnight
Food: Mon-Fri, 11.30 am-2.30 pm; Sat & Sun, 11.30 am-4.00 pm
Drinks: Pint lager, £2.18; spirit and dash, £1.80; bottled beer, £2.25; glass of house wine, £2.25
Rating: Three out of five
Details
01224 640597
During the day the pub is also popular with workers from nearby offices and passing shoppers particularly at lunchtime when they cook up a tasty range of award-winning pub fare.
Everything from steak pie and chips to pasta and toastie sandwiches are on the menu and you'd be hard pushed to find food as tasty at such reasonable prices anywhere else in the centre of town.
The bar is also justly famed for its wide selection of ales.
As well as eight varieties on tap at any one time, they even boast their very own brand The Prince of Wales Ale which is especially brewed for the bar by the resident experts at the Inveralmond Brewery in Perth.
Not being much of a seasoned ale drinker, I didn't indulge. But according to the friendly and knowledgeable staff, the `house' ale is one of their best sellers.
They don't play music in the bar, but it's not missed busy chatter and amusing bar banter fills the pub throughout the day.
And listening in on the rants of some of the older drinkers is much more entertaining than any video jukebox.
Over the years the bar has built up a very regular client base and it can get very busy.
However, you're unlikely to have any problems getting served as the Prince of Wales claims to have the longest bar in Aberdeen. Stretching from the front door to the back wall, the straight bar measures in at a distance of more than 70 ft.
While many other city centre bars undergo constant identity and image changes in a bid to stay a on top of the market, the Prince of Wales continues to stand the test of time.
And the secret of its success? Simple being a friendly local pub in the middle of a busy city centre says it all.
Open: Mon-Sat, 10 am-midnight; Sun, noon-midnight 
