If you have just started studying in Aberdeen, then I bet you are currently still trying to work out what the best places are to go food shopping, where the shops are located and how to get there.
If you are an EU or international student, you might not even be familiar with the different supermarket chains in the UK, how expensive different shops are or what they offer.
Luckily for you, I have created a guide to food shopping in Aberdeen, which should hopefully help you find the ideal place for your weekly food shop.
Where can I Go Food Shopping in Aberdeen?
There are a lot of options when it comes to food shopping in Aberdeen. Some places are more expensive than others, some are quite a long walk away (especially if you are staying in Hillhead). In this guide, I will give you a rough estimate of how long it will take you to walk to different shops and also about the possibility of getting a bus there.
Although there are probably many more places, I have focused on the main food shops Aberdeen University students will go to when staying in halls of residence or private accommodation in the vicinity of Old Aberdeen.
If you are thinking about studying in Aberdeen and want to find out more about student accommodation options, check out my guide here.
When I first moved here, I was unsure about where to go and how to get there, so I really hope you find this student guide to food shopping in Aberdeen helpful.
Food Shopping in Aberdeen –
A Guide For Students
Morrisons
Right, let´s start with one of my favourites: Morrisons!
Morrisons is located on King Street and as a pedestrian, you can enter from that side via a small footpath. You can access the car park from the other side (West North Street).
Depending on where you stay, walking to Morrisons can be a bit of a trek. When I stayed at Unite Students King Street Exchange, I´d say it took me about 25 minutes to walk there.
But, if you are staying in any of the other Unite Student Options in Aberdeen (Causeway View, Spring Gardens or the Old Fire Station) Morrisons is the best place to go – it´s literally just across the street! The Student Roost Mealmarket Exchange is also just around the corner.
From Hillhead, it probably takes at least half an hour to walk to Morrisons. For everyone else, I can give the rough estimate that it takes about 15 minutes to walk there from Campus.
If you think it´s too far to walk, there is a bus stop right outside Morrisons (Jasmine Terrace). If you are heading up/down King Street you can get the Number 1 or 2 Bus (the service is also known as “The Bridges”) by First Bus, or any of the Stagecoach Busses with Numbers in the 60´s.
When I stayed at Liberty Living Linksfield, I sometimes used to walk to Morrisons and get the bus back.
Why walk to Morrisons?
Morrisons is one of my favourite places to go because they have pretty much EVERYTHING you could need in terms of food.
Unlike Aldi or Lidl, it might be easier to find more “special” items, such as “free-from” food, baking ingredients or herbs and spices, etc., in Morrisons, as they have a much larger selection.
The selection of fresh fruit and vegetables is really nice, they have a deli section in the back (great salads to go and freshly baked bread!) and you can also buy kitchenware or birthday cards if you ever need something like that. Oh, and there is also a Pharmacy and an Amazon Locker located inside the shop, which might come in handy.
I´d recommend getting a student Morrisons More card, as it will allow you to collect points with every shop and eventually you might get a £5 gift voucher or something.
Asda
The ASDA in Aberdeen is located at the Beach Boulevard Retail Park.
For most people, ASDA is quite a long walk away (at least 30 minutes from Campus I´d say) and the bus connections aren´t great. If you want to get the bus home from ASDA, you need to get the number 15 from there to Union Street (it stops at Castle Gate) and then get the Number 1 or 2 up King Street.
Something else you could do though (I did this in first year), is walk to ASDA with your flatmates. Everyone can do their shopping and then you can split the cost of a taxi home.
ASDA does home delivery!
Or EVEN BETTER, ASDA also does home delivery!
You do, however, need to spend a minimum amount to qualify for home delivery and also pay a few pounds for delivery. Again, this is something you could do with your flatmates. If everyone is buying things, you´ll easily get over the minimum price and if you´re lucky, you don´t need to pay more than 50p each for delivery!
Despite being a bit inconvenient to get to, ASDA is one of the best places for students to go food shopping in Aberdeen!
It is HUGE and has everything you could possibly need but best of all it is CHEAP.
The selection at ASDA is probably even bigger than at Morrisons and it´s also a little cheaper. It is, unfortunately, less convenient to get there though. But as mentioned above, there are a few options to get around that.
Because the ASDA at the beach is so big, they also have George. For everyone unfamiliar with ASDA, that means they also have a special home section where they sell bedding, stationery, kitchen equipment, books, DVDs, birthday cards, etc. and also a clothes section.
Aldi
The Aldi in Aberdeen is also located at the Beach Boulevard.
So, as mentioned with ASDA above, it is not that easy to get to. And Aldi, unfortunately, does not do home delivery…
If you do however live close to the beach, Aldi is a good, cheap option to buy food. However, their selection is a bit more limited.
Since you are right next to ASDA anyway, I´d recommend going there instead! If I´m honest, I have only been to Aldi here once, just to be disappointed by the poor selection, and ending up going to ASDA afterwards.
Lidl
Ah, Lidl. With Morrisons, definitely my FAVOURITE FOOD SHOP. And to make things even better – a second Lidl just opened about 4 months ago – in a really convenient location!!! Lidl in Aberdeen was made for students!
The “old Lidl” as it will now forever be known, is located at the Bridge of Don. It is ideally situated for everyone staying at Hillhead Student Village. It´s only a 10-minute walk away, the only downside is, is that the walk back is uphill… It´s also situated perfectly for people staying at King Street Exchange (Unite Students) – it only took me about 10 minutes to walk to Lidl when I used to stay there.
The “new Lidl” has just opened on Hutcheon Street. It is the perfect location for everyone for whom the “old Lidl” was too far away. It is literally right next to the Spring Gardens and Causeway View (Unite Students) accommodation! Also, it´s only a 10-minute walk for everyone staying at the Old Fire Station, the Student Roost (Mealmarket Exchange or University Walk) or in private accommodation in that area.
“Lidl is one of the best places to shop as a student!“
I love Lidl, as they have a great selection of fresh fruit and veg, a fairly good selection when it comes to meat and dairy products and your other student store cupboard essentials.
They also have a bakery inside (it´s very hard trying to resist buying some of the muffins or doughnuts there!) and they also offer some PROPER BREAD! Haha, that can be quite hard to come by here and I like buying the sliced rye bread.
Lidl in Aberdeen was made for students, everyone goes and 90% of people you see in Lidl are students. And all I can do is recommend going and adding to the number of students that go 😊
Tesco Express
Tesco Express on King Street is an absolute LIFESAVER. Being so convenient obviously results in it being a bit over-priced, however, I probably go there about 3-4 times a week!
It´s not the place to do your weekly shop (they don´t have a wide variety of things anyway), but it is extremely handy if you are just wanting to pick up a pint of milk or some bread on your way home from Uni!
Tesco is also great for getting yourself a £3 meal deal on your way to Uni. It´ll give you some lunch to look forward to during your library study session (also, the sandwiches at the library are really expensive and don´t taste very good in my opinion…).
M&S Food
There are three Marks and Spencer (M&S) Foods in Aberdeen. One is located in Union Square and another is just outside the St. Nicholas Centre. Both are in town, so a bit further away if you are walking. Hence why I only really go in if I am in town anyway.
The third one is quite small and is up at the hospital in Foresterhill.
Insider Tip: If you are ever up at Foresterhill for uni, you can nip into M&S before you go home in the evenings (the 9U bus stops right outside). At that time they may have some reduced foods to offer!
It´s probably the most expensive place to buy food in the UK, however, Marks and Spencer is very good on quality.
I don´t go there often (also, let´s face it, it´s a granny shop), but sometimes I go in to treat myself to something nice. I´m not one to opt for ready meals, as I prefer cooking for myself, but I make an exception when it comes to M&S meals. They often have quite good deals on (e.g. “Dine in for Two”, where you get a side, main course, dessert and bottle of wine to serve 2 people for £12).
And M&S is definitely the best when it comes to sandwiches! The meal deal is not much more expensive than anywhere else, and the sandwiches are truly delicious! My favourites are egg and cress, chicken salad or, of course, the BLT. It has become a thing in my family, to always quote the old M&S advert: “It´s not just ANY sandwich, it´s a MARKS AND SPENCER sandwich…”!
Last but not least, M&S do my ultimate guilty-pleasure treat! Iced Spiced Buns! They are soooo good, I cannot recommend them enough! Actually, I haven´t treated myself to one of those for quite a while – high time to go and get one!
Let´s summarise…
Besides other small corner shops like Spar, Coop of Sainsbury´s Local, there is also a large Sainsbury´s and Tesco, however, they are quite far out of the way for most students.
All in all, I would say Lidl is the best and most convenient place for food shopping in Aberdeen, followed by Morrisons and ASDA.
I really hope this guide to food shopping in Aberdeen has been useful for you! Click here for other university tips and make sure to like my Facebook page!
If you have any other questions about student life at the Unversity of Aberdeen just leave me a comment below this post!
