Mara is a wine bar and bottle shop that serves up Italian-influenced small plates. In addition to its wide selection of wines, it also offers gins and spritzes.
Alexander Smail and Ruaraidh Britton Reporter
14:59, 27 Jun 2025
Wine bars have grown in popularity across Aberdeen in recent years(Image: Getty)
The two best wine bars in Scotland have been named in a prestigious new list, and one of them is in Aberdeen.
A new UK-wide roundup picked two venues in Scotland among “19 of Britain’s best wine bars and bottle shops with great food”.
On Tuesday, June 24, The Good Food Guide shared its list of highly-rated venues. Both of the Scottish wine bars featured on the list are located in cities.
The first of two bars that were named among the best for food is Mara in Aberdeen. It can be found on Thistle Street in the Granite City, writes the Daily Record.
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Mara is a wine bar and bottle shop that serves up Italian-influenced small plates. In addition to its wide selection of wines, it also offers gins and spritzes.
Among the dishes on Mara’s menu are caramelised white onion and sage crostino, garlic and rosemary flat bread with white bean hummus, and hand dived scallop with double chicken sauce and cavolo nero pesto. It also includes desserts such as tiramisu and affogato.
Mara has received very positive reviews from members of the public. On Google, it has an overall rating of 4.9 out of five based on 47 reviews.
One customer posted: “Favourite spot for Saturday afternoon food and drinks. Good selection of food and the staff are very knowledgeable (including dealing with allergies).
“Wines have always been excellent (and they do some excellent spritzers).”
Mara has become a popular venue for wine fanatics since opening in 2023(Image: Good Food Guide)
Husband and wife duo Carolina and Ross Cochrane first launched the venue back in 2023, and it previously received a glowing review in the Good Food Guide.
It read: “‘It’s a much-needed addition to Aberdeen,’ says one reader, and they are not alone in praising this Italian wine bar and bottle shop.
“A bright, contemporary space with modish touches throughout, the come-as-you-are ambience seems perfect for working your way through a short, enticing small-plates menu focused on local and seasonal produce, washed down with Italian wines from a modest, well-chosen list.”
Elsewhere the other wine bar in Scotland named among the best in the UK for food according to The Good Food Guide is Spry Wines in Edinburgh. The venue is situated on Haddington Place, a short walk from the city centre.
Spry Wines is a bar and bottle shop that specialises in naturally made wines. It also has both a la carte and five-course tasting food menus to choose from.
The Spry Wines website includes a sample menu showcasing many of its dishes. These include smoked aubergine dip with radishes and rhubarb vinaigrette, charred hispi cabbage with hazelnut ajo blanco and chive oil, and oat panna cotta with cherry blossom and candied walnuts.
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In addition to being named among the top wine bars with food in the UK by The Good Food Guide, Spry Wines is very popular with customers. It has an average rating of 4.7 out of five on Google based on 247 reviews.
One recent visitor stated: “Amazing experience at Spry Wines. The food was amazing and had such interesting flavour combinations! The camembert basque cheesecake was so delicious and so interesting.
“The place is very minimalistic and the staff are all very friendly. The prices are quite expensive for the portion sizes but we were happy to pay the amount for the experience.”
The full list of “19 of Britain’s best wine bars and bottle shops with great food” can be found on The Good Food Guide website.
Dining and Cooking