Musa

I’ve been there several times and I must say the food/​service/​entertainment didn’t change.
FOOD — nice and nicely presented, Scottish twist as they say, but for me it was either too HEAVY, bland or too many different flavours at once
SERVICE — very good
TIMING — good
ATMOSPHERE — they have usually something going on, it is nice romantic place with life music in Aberdeen
But in general pretty overpriced place for the food you get, unless you go for the life music mainly and the atmosphere. Not my taste, but then again somebody might like it.

It’s a beautiful space but a few things meant we left feeling a little disappointed in our experience here.
We had a booking and were initially shown to our table on the mezzanine. However, we were then asked to move as they had a booking and were seated at a table against a window which had a draught which meant I had to put my coat back on for the rest of lunch and generally made me a bit miffed.
For my meal, I had the poached smoked haddock with creamy mash, white wine cream and poached egg. Presentation was nice, and it was a generous portion but overall it was a pretty bland dish and I wasn’t all that impressed. I think there wasn’t enough contrast between the flavours so it all got a bit meh pretty quickly.
Our bill came to around £35 for one two course meal, one one-​course and a couple of drinks. For the standard of food I found this pretty overpriced and left feeling a little let down by Musa, as I’d heard such good things about them. It is a really beautiful space though so perhaps it’s worth visiting for just a drink instead.

Dies Restaurant wurde uns von einem Einheimischen empfohlen. Hier wird schottische Küche auf hohem Niveau geboten.
Man reserviert am Abend besser einen Tisch.
Die Bedienung ist freundlich und hilfsbereit. Empfehlen kann ich das Lamm, dass war perfekt zubereitet.

I really enjoyed my night out here. The atmosphere was great. If you are new to Scotland this is the place to try haggis and black pudding. They also have a big list of tasters for the whiskey drinkers.

As a vegan it is hard to find somewhere that has more than one choice on the menu (usually a Greek salad minus feta cheese!). Musa was great, food was lovely, a fully vegan choice, a veggie that was easy to adapt and the offer to make a special vegan dish on the spot! I took the vegan dish — smoked tofu and veg kebabs. They also offered to make alternatives if I mention being vegan when booking. That is service. :)
Top that with lovely surroundings, good service, nice wine and it was all round an excellent evening.

What a fantastic little place. Make a reservation because this place is packed. This place is built into an old church so there is a not much room. It looks like they have bands here on a regular basis, although not the night we were there. Service was fantastic, not only attentive but friendly as well. This was a great send-​off for our last night in Scotland.
Make sure you finish off with the sticky toffee pudding.

I’ve visited Musa on a few separate occasions now, I’m yet to be disappointed with the service or the food. The guys here are closely linked to BrewDog, this is great for the bar as it means there is great beer on draught and in bottles.
The food in here is always changing, the menu reflects seasonality of their ingredients and has a fun Scottish twist to it. I love how they match the food to beers that they keep in stock. Allowing customers to get a great food and beer pairing.
They keep a great stock of whiskies and have a nice desert menu to help you finish off your evening in style.
So if your looking for a fun, different and interesting food and drink experience this is the place to come.

Looking at the Main Menu & Specials Menu, I honestly couldn’t choose what I wanted. Everything sounded so good especially the Black Pudding Dauphinoise which accompanied some of the dishes. In the end, I decided to order Scallops & Razor Clams with Basil Pesto and Pea Shoots to start with and then Venison, Bubble & Squeak, Green Beans, Asparagus, Sweet Potato Crisps & a Juniper Jus for Main Course off of the Specials Menu with a side order of Black Pudding Dauphinoise (I couldn’t resist!). Gillian ordered Haggis and Coriander Spring Roll with Chilli Jam to start with and then Ginger Roast Duck Breast, Braised Red Cabbage, Spiced Apple Purée and Black Pudding Dauphinoise.
Despite my ever growing love for Seafood, I’ve never tried Razor Clams before so I honestly didn’t know what to expect. The scallops were plump and cooked just the way I liked them. The razor clams reminded me a little of squid. Of course, I have nothing to compare it to so I’m not entirely sure they were supposed to remind me of squid… but they did. Both the scallops and razor clams were complimented with the warm basil pesto and pea shoot salad.
MY friend Gillian’s Haggis and Coriander Spring Rolls were amazing. I know that’s a little cliché to say but trust me, if you’re ever in Aberdeen, get your butt down to Musa just to try these babies. Crispy spring roll on the outside, peppery haggis in the inside with a chilli jam on the side. I honestly couldn’t fault anything about this dish (from the bits I tried) and I know neither could Gillian. We could have happily continued eating more of these until we could no longer move. That’s how good it was.
After a short break it was time for our Main Courses. My venison was tender, pink & had a lovely taste to it. It was a little rich but venison is a rather rich gamey meat. The sweet potato crisps were too sweet for my liking, but that’s just my personal preference. Bubble & Squeak was an interesting additional to the dish. I can’t say I’ve ever tried it along with Venison before, however, along with the Juniper Jus it was a combination that worked well. On a side note, it’s great to find a restaurant that knows how green beans and asparagus should be cooked. I’ve been to many an awful restaurant that give me mashed up vegetables that should have been al dente. It’s rather refreshing!
My specially requested side order of Black Pudding Dauphinoise was spectacular. You’d think with the amount of Black Pudding we eat in Glasgow that someone would have «invented» this but I have yet to see this on the menu anywhere in Glasgow. Soft, Creamy Potatoes layered with Black Pudding. Heaven in your mouth. Even though I was pretty full, I couldn’t stop eating this. Someone has to bring this wonderfulness to Glasgow. STAT!
Gillian’s Duck was delicious. Pink and tender, it melted in your mouth. I’m not a fan of «fatty» duck so was glad to see that there was no fat around. The spiced apple purée gave a nice sweetness to the meat and of course, helped give some added flavour to the black pudding dauphinoise which is my new favourite thing. I never tried the red cabbage because quite frankly, cabbage is on my list of «must never eat again vegetables». Gillian did say she really liked it, so I’ll take her word for that! To be honest, if I had to order a main course all over again, I’d go with the duck over the venison. Don’t get my wrong, I did really enjoy my venison but the duck had more of a «wow factor» when I tried it.
We were both of the verge of bursting we were so full but you can’t go out for dinner without having dessert can you? I’m sure there is some law against it. No? Well I’m starting that rule from now, especially when sticky toffee pudding is on the menu. Oh yes. Gillian & I decided to share dessert because I honestly doubt we could eat a full one to ourselves. The sticky toffee pudding was light and fluffy with the perfect amount of toffee sauce smothered all over it. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the drambuie ice cream as it was too strong for me. Gillian on the other hand loved it and ate it all. Looking back, I’m pretty sure we didn’t need dessert but we were greedy and it tasted so so good.
It is a little expensive but in fairness, you’d pay about the same for food in Glasgow which is not up to the same standard. Overall, I couldn’t fault the food or service at Musa and to me, that is worth every penny.

Musa, its cool, its hip, its gotta be one of thee places to be seen in Aberdeen. On top of that, Musa is one of the most unique restaurants in the country, being house in an old chapel with its lovely wooden beams, balcony and fantastic artwork (which you can buy) adorning the walls. Half point for this!
But as much as I love the look and feel of the place I was not particularity enamored with the rather bland and seriously expensive food.
My tomato soup to start tasted like a tin of chopped tomatoes, with a couple of veggies thrown in, good for a pasta sauce perhaps but not a soup, nul points.
Second dish was a fillet of lemon sole, the special! The fish itself was pretty nice and well cooked. However, the breadcrumb mix was heavily seasoned with nutmeg I believe which completely overpower the taste of the fish, sad face :(The fish was plonked on a bed on squished tatties (hmm) and an peculiar mix of veggies and beans. Odd combo it must be said. half a point for the main.
Staff were pleasant enough, but perhaps a little pushy, it did seem like they had been told to up sell, something I’m not a huge fan of.
Being owned by the Brewdog chain they have a well stocked selection of tasty beers, some of which were on tap. I also liked the fact that on the menu they try to suggest which beers go best with which food. Nice idea, a half point to you sir.
When the bill finally arrived, it would be fair to say I felt, «stung». Thirty smackers for a bowl of soup, main and one pint, wowzer. If the quality of the food had been better I may not have minded, but as mentioned I wasn’t even close to being blown away. Won’t be rushing back unless work is paying again.

Oh Musa… This restaurant as a testament that Scottish food isn’t all deep fried confectionery and that you don’t need to be in Edinburgh to experience first class cooking. Set in an old 19^th century church in the bottom of Aberdeen, Musa is a wee gem just waiting to convert you with top food, drink and occasionally music too.
So to the food, oh the food! I began with the haggis spring rolls while my companion had the wild mushrooms on garlic toast. Beautifully presented and really tasty, these are the sort of starters that get the stomach rumbling in anticipation of the next course. My companion is not a native to these shores so raised an eyebrow at my starter, but having sampled it just smiled and said «ahhhhh…» Not a bad introduction to haggis I reckon!
Onto the mains — he took the ginger roasted duck and I had the sun dried tomato and goats cheese ravioli. The duck was cooked to perfection with the dauphinoise potatoes providing a brilliant base with the braised cabbage. My pasta was packed with the zing and punch of the tomatoes but still enough bite to the pasta. The pesto and rocket was divine, we were practically licking the plates clean!
The tie in with Brewdog means that there is a wide selection of their beers but also some carefully selected beers from outwith the Fraserburgh brewery. The menu also suggests beers to go with each dish, which is unusual but goes to show beer can match food as well as any wine.
As a former Aberdonian resident, I miss being able to frequent this beautiful little restaurant as much as I once was. However I love recommending it and taking visitors to eat here as they never fail to be impressed and won over by the care and attention lavished on the place by the staff. A must stop visit if you’re in town!

Had lunch here in a group of six. Great experience overall. There is a lunch special where you can get a starter and a main for £12.90, and all of us took this option. I had a goat cheese crotin to start and a hake, tomato sauce and cous cous main. Delicious, all of it, and very good value. Many of the dishes people had were local specialties (e.g. Skink soup). The restaurant itself is very nice, pretty funky. Our waitress was incredibly on her game. There is a decent roster of BrewDog beers and a few offerings from other breweries. Also a nice selection of wine and spirits. There were no musicians performing on our visit, but I think that would be an awesome bonus. Musa is conveniently located, just a few minutes walking off Union Street. Definitely worth visiting.

A restaurant/​art venue in a nice looking converted old church (I think). My girlfriend and I went there for an anniversary dinner after a recommendation from friends (they also serve lunch) .
The restaurant has some sort of link with the local Brewdog brewery and each dish on the menu is paired with one of their beers.
We had haggis spring roll and smoked salmon to start, both excellent. For the main course we went for lamb with goats cheese mash which was also outstanding. Dessert was a very tasty sticky toffee pudding. Overall, the bill came to about £65, including a couple of beers.
It’s not the cheapest place to eat in Aberdeen, but the menu is really inventive (and changes monthly), and the emphasis on local and fresh ingredients is a nice bonus. We highly recommend it.

fantastic food and a great range of craft beers

I am not quite sure what Musa is… is it a coffee shop? Is it a restaurant? Whatever it is, I like it. They seem to tout themselves as a coffee shop (or «café»), but really they are a restaurant.
The husband and I wondered in there for coffee and dessert the other night and really enjoyed ourselves. There was live music. We ended up ordering some of the cakes, which are like ¼ of the price of desserts from the restaurant menu. The cappuccinos were so good, we went back for seconds… the draw was probably the fresh shaven chocolate on top!
As far as atmosphere goes, I give it 100%. At night, it really is a restaurant and not a café/​coffee shop. I don’t know the atmosphere during the day, but it is definitely worth trying out.

i saw a posetr for this when going through the railway station just after new year, looked fab unfortunately it was shut when i tried it, it is now my mission to give it a go will report back

this place is excellent, high quality of food and service, fantastic atmosphere and lighting, live music and art displays, its a truely brilliant place.
its not over-​priced and its close to the city centre, without a doubt one of aberdeens hidden treasures

This place is a real find, it is a venue that doubles as an art gallery, restaurant, private hire and music venue.
The food is really very good and the portions are good which makes it good value for money, the menu is good Scottish ingredients done well.
The wine menu is extensive and reasonably priced and they do some unusual beers.
The greatest thing is the great atmosphere, it is lively and the staff are friendly.
This place is equally as nice for an afternoon coffee or a drink. Don’t let the location (down near the train station and harbour) put you off, although you may struggle to park your car in the area as it is usually very busy and there is no private parking available.