Hq Café & Restaurant in Moray

I visited here with my husband and adult son on Sunday and enjoyed a lovely lunch. There was a good choice on the menu and it was all very well cooked, tasty and filling and service was friendly. It was my first time here but my son eats here regularly and I can see why. I'd happily eat here again too.

Had food from here recently at a wedding. Can’t fault what I ate, but my husband was a little disappointed as his seemed burnt on the bottom. Also didn’t find it very professional seeing a member of staff eating a bacon roll with countless pieces of bacon on it, when they didn’t put all the rolls out for the buffet. Also my friends son didn’t receive his meal, so they gave him a plate of chips as they apparently didn’t get an order for him.

We booked the bearded chef to cater our wedding as they seemed to offer an excellent package. They created a brilliant bespoke menu for us and when we went in for the tasting the food was amazing. They also provided a bar, welcome and toast drinks, bacon rolls and said they would clean up the hall afterwards so that all we would have to do is pick up our decorations the following day. On the day the bar was excellent and prices were very reasonable. Our starters were just as they had been at the tasting and my main was fine. During the bacon roll buffet in the evening the rolls seemed to run out very quickly since we had paid for seventy rolls and there were far less than fifty people at the point when the rolls were served, but I did not think anything of it at the time. It was only after the wedding that we actually got feedback from our guests about the food. All of the seven children at the wedding have independently said that they were unable to eat the chips as they were cold and a number of guests said the the Cullen skink risotto was undercooked and bland. It also seemed that some people didn't even get a bacon roll as they were outside when the announcement was made and by the time they got in the trays were all empty. I emailed the caterer after the wedding to point out that they hadn't deducted the deposit we had already paid from the invoice, and also asked for a refund of the kids meals as they were quite clearly subpar, I made the point that since there had been no spare rolls at the buffet I was not happy about paying for the full 70. The caterer proceed to argue with me over the phone and blamed me and my guests for all these things, claiming that the kids were too fussy and that the chips must of been cold because the kids weren't seated at the time the food was served (which was blatantly untrue, I saw the kids sat waiting for their meals). They claimed that hadn't put out the remaining rolls as that would have made them stale, they instead kept them in the kitchen and had we simply asked them to bring out the extra rolls they would have given them to us. Given that this was to be provided as a buffet and that nobody had to ask for the first load of rolls I don't understand how we could have been expected to know that there were more rolls to ask for. An empty buffet normally means no more food. They then sent me a snotty reply email in red pointing out all the way in which I was wrong and they were blameless in any of this. After my complaint the caterer did remove 20 bacon rolls from the invoice and discounted the kids meals by £2 each, but the complete lack of respect with which my complaint was handled is in my view completely unacceptable. To top it off when we got to the hall the following day they had not cleaned to the standard that they had boasted they would. The kitchen was fine but we had to sweep and hoover the hall, the foyer and the bar as none of that had been done. It sounds trivial but one of the main reasons we had spent the extra money to book them was so that we wouldn't have to worry about cleaning a hall the day after our wedding. I must say we have eaten in the restaurant and the food has been excellent, but heaven forbid you should ever disagree with the management about anything or you'll be told exactly how you are wrong and they are right. I won't be going here again.

Delicious choice of tasty sandwiches and cakes plus tea/coffee and a jug of water. All for £9.99🙂 Thoroughly recommend!

The service was ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The food was ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🧁🥪🫖 We had a jug of water without asking which was brilliant. I will definitely return.

Had an excellent meal and service great cakes are so wonderful, and tasty. Have been there a few times, and service and friendly staff everytime.

We have been numerous times for breakfast which is always amazing. We booked for a group of 10 to celebrate a family Birthday. We had the restaurant to ourselves and the table was set out lovely. The service was excellent, very friendly and attentive. The food was delicious and enjoyed very much by the entire group. Lovely starters and we then opted for the Sunday Roast Lunch which was fab. The desserts were yummy with the best Apple Crumble ever !! Will defo return

On entering the restaurant I meet with my son and his wife also my young grandchildren, it was my grandchild birthday dinner a special treat, the waitress arrived to take are drinks order she didn’t have a mask on, so I asked if she would please put a mask on for the sake of the children as they have not been vaccination against covid. At that time the waitress informed me it was all ok as she was the owner of the restaurant and she was exempt from wearing a mask and the hospital was next door, At that point I thought I would leave restaurant, but I didn’t as I did not want to spoil the grandchild birthday dinner. So I kept quiet and witness that all the staff we’re not wearing face coverings at any time, There was no windows open for ventilation, the only thing I seen was a heat extractor fan above the cooker. There was no perspex clear sheeting on the countertops to safeguard staff and customer. At one point a customer entered the restaurant to pick up an order he was not wearing a face covering, he when to the counter and had a conversation with the waitress for approximately five to ten minutes At no point was he challenged about wearing a mask or using hand sanitiser. Poor attitude to government guidelines about covid . Poor attitude about health and safety of customs

Visited today and had a lovely experience. Yummy starters, great roasts with the most delicious gravy you can imagine, finished with a light chocolate cheesecake and the fabulous Sticky Toffee Pudding. Happy tummies all round and have ordered the Christmas pack for home cooking. Would highly recommend.

Lovely little place, very friendly, great service and great food, would highly recommend it. Vegan option was lovely, will definitely be returning

I'll be back, for some home cooked, fresh food, tailor made cocktails, and brilliant banter with the host's

Every time I eat at The Bearded Chef, HQ, I am always so impressed. The owners are super friendly and nothing is too much trouble. The food is delicious and so fresh. I would recommend everything but especially the Sunday roast dinners, yummy. Thank you for your amazing hospitality and friendliness of the owners and all the team.

Very much enjoyed our first visit Staff were lovely and everything freshly cooked We enjoyed the Chip Shop Platter and Spanish Burger Friends said the the fish taco and creamy curry were delish the apple samosas were to kill for Enjoy as a non pretentious relaxed good food night out

Lovely lunch with the family today. Mac n cheese and the chefs homemade lasagna was definitely worth waiting for! The bearded chef and co. (Mrs chef & baby chef) have an amazing HQ and would recommend booking in advance to try them out to avoid disappointment!