Jester Bistro At The Retreat in Staffordshire Moorlands

What a lovely surprise this turned out to be. The staff greeted us warmly, the Bistro had a lovely calming ambiance and the food was freshly made on the premises. We had a very pleasant few hours and will definitely return to enjoy the other delights on the menu, at very reasonable prices. Fish and chips Friday is first on our hit list!!

Very tasty traditional afternoon tea. Friendly, personal service with good quality sandwiches, scones and cakes, including a slice of cake to take home. Definitely recommend.

We had such a warm welcome followed by an excellent afternoon tea for two with quality ingredients. The sandwiches were dainty and delicious, accompanied by home made quiche and coleslaw. We then had a scone with cream and jam, chocolate cake and lemon drizzle all washed down with a glass of fizz and a pot of tea. We were even given another piece of cake of our choice to take home! Highly recommended.

Wonderful friendly service from the staff today during our afternoon tea for my friends birthday! Food was excellent!!

I go here regularly for lunch, staff are always friendly and welcoming. They are very accommodating if you something done a special way just ask them. The food is always lovey and the deserts and cakes are yummy. Will be there for lunch again today June 1 st.

A lovely time at the Retreat. All the family for breakfast. Good food and piping hot. Made very welcome.

Ok, so this isn't a personal thing. Purely honest feedback about my visit for breakfast this morning. £6.99 for a full English breakfast Which is a string price and you'd expect a plate full of food. What I got was 1 rasher of bacon, 1 sausage, 1 hash brown and a portion of beans and tomatoes. I exchanged the mushrooms for an extra egg so I had 2 eggs. I'm sorry but it hardly filled me, it was very lovely and tasty but the value for money jist isn't there. A cup of tea was included in the price which was good, but I'd have happily paid extra for a cup of tea had I got a full breakfast. I also had a can of diet coke, when i saw they had charged £1.99 for the can I was gob smacked. Needless to say I won't be returning for breakfast anytime soon.

My husband and I visit this Bistro fairly regularly for lunch. We used to eat there years ago when it was the Jester Restaurant. This is one of our favourites in Leek. The food is lovely, well presented, the service equally so and the staff so friendly polite and helpful AND the prices are very reasonableThe Bistro sits 24 persons. When we have a pot of tea for two it comes in a beautiful china teapot..so civilised. The Bistro is found inside the Retreat..a Beauty Salon. Maybe this could deter some potential guests because they believe you would have to have a treatment as well. Not at all. Open to one and all. Open during the day only. It’s just a shame it isn’t in Leek town centre. It would be really popular. There are a few low steps to access it. Nothing difficult. There is car parking, some of it up a slope behind the Retreat itself. We give it 5 stars. Well worth a visit!

Called in for a coffee and a sandwich while waiting for my partner in the adjoining beauty salon ..... oh my goodness!! ...... £5.75 for a small sandwich and coffee .... I could get a full breakfast for that amount in the town .... and a lot nicer. Sorry but you guys do not get a thumbs up from me .... prices need to be evaluated.

Visited with a friend for some brunch, had a full english and was a definite 10/10! Definitely recommend if you’re wanting a light food. Reasonably priced as well.

Visited with a group of friends and so glad I did. Beautiful place staff friendly but efficient. Service was excellent and the food first class. Pre-booked off the xmas menu everything came out on time piping hot. Only praise about the food I personally had the veggie option .... homemade quiche and it most certainly was homemade so delicious. Then the puddings oh my goodness pure homemade decadence and the after eight cheesecake one of the best iv eaten and trust me iv eaten a fair few. 4 courses for £21 what’s not to like. Well done ladies

We love eating at this restaurant when we come here for a Spa day. The staff are so warm and friendly and can’t do enough for you. The food is lovely and plentiful.

Thank you girls for a fantastic Christmas lunch! Amazing food, nice and hot, plenty of it. Service great, very friendly staff, will definitely be booking for next year. Merry Christmas to you all

Beautiful little gem of a place. The staff are lovely and the food ain`t `arf bad either. I do find the chairs a little uncomfortable but maybe my bum is the wrong shape. . I preferred it with the coffee table by the hearth and a little more space for the comfortable chairs but that's just my personal choice. Great experience, keep up the high quality.

Went for lunch at end of May and then tried breakfast last week with a guest. Yum yum. Its quiet gentility seems to attract a wide age range of people - and of course the quality of food keeps us coming back. I have eaten there several times and never been disappointed.

Just spent a fabulous full day here with my best friend. We booked a special offer for the spa and arrived to a lovely warm welcome with a complimentary glass of bubbly. All of the staff members are friendly, helpful and efficient and we could not have asked for a better service in any area. We had breakfast when we arrived, which was basic but just what we asked For!! The spa is fabulous with great attention to detail on the decor. We had booked the hot stone massage and facial and I could not recommend it enough. The ladies were professional and competent. We even received a small sample hamper which was a beautiful added touch! After our treatments we had our lunch delivered to us from the bistro which was very tasteful and exceptional value for money. We were lucky enough to enjoy all aspects of this place but I would not hesitate to just come for lunch or even coffee and a cake. All staff were friendly and always there if you needed anything. It's a shame this place isn't just around the corner for me as I'd visit much more frequently, that said I will be returning in the future despite the distance. Thank you to all of you who made our visit what it was!!!

Menu not that exciting, but always manage to choose something nice, a little bit dark inside have to put menu up to the light!!

Fuimos al Bistro Jester cuando fuimos en un día de spa, llamé con antelación ya que era nuestro aniversario y nos preguntó si había algo especial que podrían hacer cuando nos vienen a visitar, me sugirieron hornear un pastel para la mujer para nuestro aniversario. Llegamos y tuvimos una excelente comida, luego llegaba el flan, el personal era genial, un guiño de ojos, así que sabía y me dijeron que iban a traer el menú del desierto, en un fantástico vinieron con gran esponja caseros victoria. Mi señora estaba atónita cuando dijo feliz aniversario a ella y puesto. Una agradable sorpresa fue, gracias a la personal. Usted hizo que nuestro día especial.

Mi esposa y yo hemos visitado el retiro por 10 años. Esta ocasión fue un regalo de Navidad de mis padres que hemos tenido tiempo para disfrutar. Como es habitual, hay un saludo amable y profesional (por Julie en esta instancia) que se encarga de garantizar que estás familiarizado con todo y completamente familiarizado con el funcionamiento de todas las instalaciones que se utilizan. Todo el establecimiento es impecable, el ambiente relajante y nuestro mañana inmensamente fue terminado con un ensalada césar con pollo y una botella de cerveza de jengibre Fentimans frío. Perfecto.

Visited the Retreat several times always a lovely experiance. Lovely, relaxing spa, with jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. Always serve excellent food, highly recommend afternoon tea. Also great massage treatments. There is a very relaxing atmosphere, friendly and helpful staff. Highly recommend

I like this place to have lunch after enjoying the facilities of the spa and massage. Good food and friendly staff in pleasant surroundings.

Fui con mi marido y mi hijo. Qué día relajante, justo como lo habíamos esperado.

Ni siquiera sabía que este restaurante era aquí a menos que pagamos una visita a el Refugio Spa. Llamamos hoy para el almuerzo. Que fue una estupenda relación calidad-precio, grandes porciones y absolutamente delicioso. Recomiendo la ensalada de jamón y huevo. Sin duda volveremos. Son publicidad la Cena de Navidad. Haremos en esta semana, así que no te pierdas.

Went for a lovely pedicure and then decided to have a yummy piece of lemon drizzle cake it was lovely just finished of a nice pamper session!!!!

Habíamos reservado la cabaña en el retiro, pero no me había dado cuenta de que era un encantador bistro. Así que nos dimos el capricho de un té y bollos después instalamos en la casa. La variedad del menú es bueno y el nivel de servicio era insuperable, y nos hicieron sentir muy bienvenidos en efecto.

Great morning relaxing in the spa and then lunch, lovely staff and nothing too much trouble. Big well done to them. Had a treatment in the spa which was fabulous and totally relaxed and full of food, plenty of complementary drinks all morning, just great loved it will be booking again soon.

We were treated to a spa day at The Retreat and really enjoyed it. The car park was full and we feared the worst but there's so much else going on we were the only ones in the spa area for a good while. It's good that they limit numbers as it's easier to relax when it's quiet. Julie and the staff looked after us well, without constantly being there. We each had a back massage which was better than ones we've had before so thanks go to Nicky and India. We had a snack in the spa dining area it was tasty and very reasonably priced. We will recommend both bistro and spa.

Having been for lunch at a nearby Gastropub which didn't offer any GF deserts on the menu, we made our way to the Retreat in Leek to get some cake! We weren't disappointed. I had GF chocolate cake with cream which was so light it melted in the mouth (very rare experience for GF cake!). My companion had the normal Victoria sponge with custard which she said was the best Victoria sponge she'd ever had! Well done and thank you to the Retreat for making our day with your delicious deserts.

Visited the Retreat for a treatment and called into the bistro for a drink and discovered that in addition to the Gluten Free Scones, they had Gluten Free Cake (Victoria Sponge and Chocolate Cake). I had the Victoria Sponge with Strawberry Jam and fresh cream filling and it was delicious. It was so light and fluffy, which in my experience of being GF for the last 16 years was unique. As always the staff were extremely helpful and nothing was too much trouble. Definitely recommend.

Had hair done, so had coffee and a scone I between other clients, staff fab and helpful, calm atmosphere,

Visited the spa today, it was a perfect day! From the moment we arrived, the staff were friendly and attentive; nothing was to much trouble. The facilities are very good and the hot stone massage and facial were wonderful, so relaxing. We had lunch in the restaurant and it was exceptionally good. Two other ladies were having afternoon tea and that also looked really good. If you feel the need for a little bit of "me time", a bit of pampering, then this is the place to go. Would certainly recommend The Retreat and will certainly return myself. Thankyou to all the staff for a lovely day. x

Extremely excellent service, quality and value. the breakfasts, whether the budget [ before 11.45 or the all day] is second to none. The coffee is the best I have tasted too. Would highly recommend this place, will be going a lot more.

I stayed at the cottage at the Retreat, and had breakfast here every morning. It was absolutely perfect and the staff were very helpful with gluten information. A lovely spot!

Visited the spa and had dinner here. Very good prices for food, loved the prosecco, new favourite! The staff are lovely, especially Julie who was always checking in to see how we were. Lovely relaxing atmosphere in a cute little setting. Would happily be a regular if I had the time! Prices for treatments were very affordable and the fact that they do parties has just persuaded me even more to return. Couldn't fault it.

Had a warm welcome chose 8 item breakfast with cappuccino and orange juice for £ 4.99 absolutely gorgeous thankyou

Lots of folks in the area don't realise that there is a bistro tucked in the back of the Retreat Spa centre well let me tell you they are really missing out. Staff there are really friendly and helpful, the food is freshly cooked and is very well priced not to mention it's really good food. If passing through and you fancy a top English breakfast it's currently £4.99 for 8 items plus hot drink and orange or apple juice. Lots of other things on the menu but the breakfast is a personal favourite.

Four of us visited the retreat in July 14. What a lovely day we had the staff were extremely friends couldn't help us enough. The spa was very clean at all times. The treatment was amazing very highly qualified staff. We also visited the jester for lunch and again a very good experience the food was very good value for money.came out piping hot. Will definitely be visiting again !

the bistro over the past few weeks has consistantly given short measure of food for the same amount of money that they gave some six or seven weeks ago, I notice a lack of customers each time I go, unfortunately the reduction in the portion this week is a forkful too far and I will now give the place a wide berth, too much money for too little food