red beastie in Moray

Attended a family funeral tea here on Friday 19th January. Fantastic food along with very attentive staff and lovely surroundings. We will be back under better circumstances to enjoy the food again.

We have been searching for a gastropub like this for 8 years since living in the Highlands, and at last we’ve found it! Incredible style, brilliant menu, wonderful staff, just absolutely everything we have been looking for. If the rooms upstairs were open we would have stayed for sure! The roast beef dinner was the best I’ve had and the burger was “insanely good” according to the other half. We will be back probably a bit too frequently now! Loved it!

My husband and I the Bonnie beastie yesterday evening, no complaints. We had fish and turkey, both meals were cooked to perfection and delicious which left us very full! Fabulous service from a lovely young girl who was attentive and polite. 5 stars, great food and down to earth waitress who helped us and was very polite… will be back. Well done guys.

Good selection of food for bar lunch, reasonable price, soups, sandwiches, burgers, sides, curry bowls, 2 specials. Great service. Comfy cosy bar with stove.

Fabulous Xmas Lunch with friends today. Food was delicious. Staff very attentive. Great value at £28 for 3 course Christmas Lunch. Highly recommended will go again very soon 😋

First time I've been here. Love the refirb. Had a fantastic evening at the Beastie. Good food. Good veggie selection. Great cocktails. Friendly staff.

The atmosphere and the place are really pleasant. The staff is very kind and rather efficient as well. The food is good, with copious portions, but less sophisticated than similar places we experienced. A pity that they do not have any draft beer that is Scottish!

Il cibo è buono ma il servizio è da migliorare. Abbiamo aspettato un bel pó per la portata principale e ancora di più per il dolce, e non era neppure pieno… Tuttavia se avete tempo e non vi scoccia aspettare, la bistecca era molto buona e anche il pollo era croccante e gustoso.

Lovely bar, comfortable, friendly service. Good choice on menu, varied selection of specials, salads, soup & sandwiches

We found this lovely pub/restaurant on our way back from visiting Roseisle beach. We had our dog with us, and he was made very welcome. The staff were so friendly and bought over a bowl of water and a dog treat for him without us asking. I didn’t get the guy’s name who served us, but he was so friendly and helpful. The food and service were excellent. We’ll definitely be back, next time we’re in the area.

Last time I visited with my wife, in the afternoon, for coffee, we were advised, by staff that they had run out of coffee and only had instant. We chose to leave after this revelation. Today I had some time to kill and decided to have a drink. I went into the public bar where a young female member of staff was deeply engrossed in her phone and didn't even acknowledge my entry. Thankfully there was a pleasant young man serving who made me feel welcome. I was the only person in the bar. I decided to have a Spiced Rum and ginger ale. He offered a selection of rums and I made my choice. I asked him to ensure that I had ginger ale and not ginger bee. He agreed that there was a big difference between them. So far so good. He poured the rum, using a measure right in front of me. I pointed out to him that he had served a very short measure. This was ignored while he opened a bottle of mixer and placed it in front of me. I pointed out that he had given me ginger beer. His response was that they did not have ginger ale. I advised that as he couldn't give me what I had ordered, I would leave it. His next question was the standard "cash or card". At this point I thought it best to leave.

We chose the Bonnie Beastie for family gathering of 15 , Service was friendly and helpful , timing of food for large group was excellent and quality of the Sunday Roast also very good. The Bar area was warm( unlike some previous reviews). There is a lack of choice of beers The new owners have lost the informality with drop in for a drink trade and opted for a more upmarket food experience. In my 2 visits it appears that this has resulted in a drop in customer numbers with the prices being rather high for a pub type restaurant in Forres .

Food was excellent and had a really nice evening. The restaurant looks the part following the refurb. But it was also absolutely freezing, apparently the boiler was broken and they'd run out of logs for the wood burning stove. Yet, I have heard from people who had been been a month ago who'd had the same experience... I understand there's a need to cut costs for all businesses just now, but surely you can keep the stove on. The most frustrating part of the meal though is the best selection. Just like it's sister restaurant in Elgin, there is no local beer. Why? I honestly cannot understand a restaurant that does not support local breweries, especially when it advertises it's fish batter as using local beer. Bizarre.

I went with some friends for the first time for a meal and had a table booked which was in the bar. The food was lovely, but the place was FREEZING, you could see the steam coming off the food… some people were sat in their coats eating their meal. One couple said to themselves out loud they wouldn’t go back as it’s too cold to appreciate their food. The fire was burning away but no heat was felt from it… you need to get one those fire fans to help with circulating heat around the room… it was never that cold when it was the ‘red lion’…

Fabulous food! We had two vegetarians in our group and were delighted to find a veg Wellington and a Thai style curry, in addition to the usual pub grub. None of the ubiquitous macaroni or tomato pasta thankfully! Fish was also delicious. Well done for creating such delicious food with a menu which has something for everyone.

A rare find in this neck of the woods. Great food, stylish interiors, friendly service. Dog friendly. All wines also available by the glass ( a great perk when in a couple where someone has to be designated driver).

Celebrated our Wedding Anniversary with a meal for 2. Food was well presented but overly expensive. (Parsnips were hard. Didn't get mashed tatties with meal. Would've had to order a side dish for over £5. Broccoli was also a side order £4ish.) Staff were friendly and helpful. Before we got our starter, we were informed that more people were coming in in an hour and a half so we had to be finished and away from the table by then. We should've been made aware of this at the time of booking. The floral leafy decoration looked like a dead pheasant and was very low in the alcove. Had to bend over quite far to get to table. The larger round tables were a nice touch. The pool table in the bar nextdoor had been removed so we went elsewhere for a game afterwards. Wouldn't recommend to friends and family unless they were rich and were capable of eating quickly. Hope the staff get paid well for their quality customer service.

It was a disgrace the manger was rude had a family funeral awake in there and wud not recommended it as was letting anyone walk in manger was a so nit what a manger should be

We rented the beastie out for a family wake and on arrival we could barely get in as only one very small half of the doors were open. We walked into the lounge bar which has so much potential if managed properly. It was freezing...

Called in for a few Stella's and wine for the better half. Nice Savi B and a great pink, all staff (Morgan especially) are lovely.. Didn't eat but had a noisy at the food on the other table and looked good.

We entered The Red Lion at 8:10pm and we went up to the bar to order some drinks and we got served our drinks quickly and we got seated down and after a while we went to the other side and we played a game...

The food was good and the staff pleasant, but I think it was obvious that they were short staffed as service was very slow

Excellent wee find, extremely dog friendly and very accommodating. Went with my partner and our friend and all had a fantastic night - the dogs enjoyed it just as much! Amazing service, would thoroughly recommend!

After a morning of white water rafting we were looking for somewhere for lunch. We were recommend to give the Red Lion a call and am delighted we did. The food was fabulous, my boys were super impressed with their burger and sticky toffee pudding...

Amazing dinner at the Red Lion last night, food was phenomenal, as it always is, cocktails are top notch and the service was exceptional

Came in for a meal a couple of nights ago, food was excellent (lamb curry was delicious) and couldn’t fault the service! Can’t wait to go back again.

This is a traditional style Lounge with good food. Vegetarian options always. Quality is great for low end prices. Popular with Veterans.

The Beastie is an absolute little hidden gem for a lunch. Lovely cosy atmosphere with attentive staff. My partner and I often visit and it's consistently lovely! Great menu with cheaper options too. Includes classic light lunches but also pub grub meals. I recently tried...

Typical ’old mans pub’. Good beers and a great welcome from the bar lady. Some entertaining regulars helped me pass a couple of hours.

Cannot give enough praise to Billie and the entire Team at The Red Lion for a fantastic Christmas Luncheon. 24 in our party and the service was faultless; the food was of the highest quality and the atmosphere was perfect. I thoroughly recommend that serious...

Fantastic waterhole for us old locals ha.ha however went for a lunch/brunch excellent meal as good as the Mosset. Great social felt i was down in my other home on a Saturday shopping then lunch social home again.i highly recommend to the locals go try...

Visited the “the beastie” for an evening meal. It was quiet, which is not always the case. All four of us had the turkey Christmas dinner which was excellent. There was plenty of meat and veg and it was all very tasty. The staff (...

Cosy little pub, with good atmosphere, genuinely friendly service and great food. It is our favourite 'eatooterie' in Forres.

Fantastic food, great Menu to choose from. Great selection of drinks. Friendly staff. Cosy family friendly atmosphere.

Had one of the best steak and ale pies ever! The meat was so tender and delicious, accompanied with mashed tatie and roasted vegetables, now that's what I call real pub food. Outstanding, thank you chef 😋

Out for a meal with friends on Saturday, nice atmosphere good service and the food didn't disappoint, each plate of food looked great with good portion sizes, also a good selection of drinks.

Evening meal for a party of six on a Wednesday evening. The Lounge bar was very busy with family groups . The service was good with efficient friendly staff . There was a good choice of well cooked and presented food . Excellent burgers ,...

Visited the Red Lion as we have been staying round the corner, for the Celtic game. Was pleasantly surprised to see patrons with their strips on but no atmosphere toxic to the day. Lovely barmaid and great clean pints. Thank you.

Called in for a lunch on Sunday and were pleased to see a good variety on the menu! Food was excellent, service was great and the ‘pornstar martini’ cocktails were amazing :)

We were looking for a place to eat on Sunday night and the Red Lion was open till late. Pictures on trip advisor weren’t very convincing but this place was looking much much better than other options. However, when we came there we were presently...

We popped in here for lunch and sat in the bar because we had our dog with us. What a great wee pub we sat and watched Royal Ascot with some of the locals which was entertaining I had the best macaroni cheese I have...

Visited this pub today the red lion in Forres meal was average but very disgusted this pub does not have a disabled toilet. My brother who is in a wheelchair and very ill had to struggle to go to the toilet. We won’t be visiting...

Went for lunch. Both had mulligitawny soup and a roll. Soup was lovely. Rolls well filled. Only £5 each. Good menu. Lovely staff. Would recommend.

This used to have a superb menu for vegetarians with so much to chose from. The pub recently has new lease holders who have obviously scaled menu down and tried to make it more gastro upmarket style menu. I basically had the choice of a...

Great night at the Beastie food quality service perfect.tmTry the steak and onion rings canny beat it

Under new ownership. Said nothing change much but hope to improve / change menu slightly. Menu looks fancy. Word Gourmet appears. Fancy wording for pub meals. Found hard to read, but this just me. We had veg green Thai curry & breaded chicken with bacon...

Had a lovely lunch here with family.There was a special Mother’s Day Lunch on,lots of choices for starters and mains. The lounge was busy when we arrived,but we were seated quickly,and drinks orders taken. Excellent food and service,a lot of local produce used. We really...

Excellent accueil et mets copieux l Sauf qu'il n'y avait plus de moules un samedi soir! Bonne ambiance avec orchestre....

Been a while since we had lunch here so popped in as a treat for Saturday lunch. Good choice of menu I chose from the specials and had the battered mushrooms with a cheese and chive stuffing. They were crisp and delicious. My second course...

The wife and I were on way home from a meeting in Elgin 10 miles from Forres when we decided to have our meal out as it had been a long day. We stopped the car on the high street and found a small inn...

Was invited with a friend for fish n chips here. The fish was beautifully cooked very well presented and good serving portion. The cost was extremely good. I had a pint and really enjoyed the occasion I will be going back

I've only been coming to The Beastie since 1989 so can't really describe myself as a regular quite yet. However, on this occasion I was relatively disappointed on the service we received. having arrived at 5 O'clock one evening with another couple we found an...

Stopped for a meal as I was in Forres for the night. Really nice welcome from the staff and they were keen to impress. A reasonable bar menu and people in my group all had different meals. My hunters chicken was very nice but my...

Visited fr lunch whilst on a weekend break in Forres. Tastefully modernised interior. Food is delicious. Staff were all very friendly & helpful. Would definitely visit again

passando da forres abbiamo pranzato cenato in questo pub, visto il loro cane a tre zampe, nessuna prenotazione, trovato tavolo...

We stopped in Forres in an Airbnb just in the same street as the Red Lion and met family for dinner. A great little popular pub, friendly service, good food and real ale ( should have been local).

This is our favourite place in Forres and we eat there regularly. The food is great, atmosphere nice and staff friendly. Sometimes we eat elsewhere in Forres, but nowhere else is as good (and Forres has quite a few nice places to eat out in)....

Nach unserer Tour zu den Destillen haben wir dann in Forres einen Pub gesucht und mal den Bewertungen der Tripadviser...

En nuestra ruta por las Highland paramos en el pueblo de forres y nos decantamos por el típico pub donde...

Netter Pub, tolles Bier. Das Essen war nicht lecker (Fast Food). und die WC waren nicht sauber. Es roch auch...

Best lasagne I've had in years!!!!!! Great menu choices ( kids menu also available), great food, and super friendly staff! Will definitely return next time I'm in forres.

We had a excellent meal in very pleasant surrounding, the food was very good but what was extra special was the excellent service we received. The young lady serving on the bar was very helpful and pleasant, an absolute credit to the place. My brother...

Brilliant pub- if you don’t stop in here and get a Beastie Burger, you are truly missing out on something special. The staff were wonderful and very helpful. It was very nice to clearly be in a pub that the locals love. We will most...

Fantastic, friendly service, tasty food, lovely surroundings. I ordered a delicious Sunday roast which was great value for money and delicious. Thank you for a wonderful visit, we will return.

Es un bar y restaurant en Forres, el ambiente es agradable y la comida muy sabrosa y bien presentada La...

The red lion is also referred to as 'The Beastys' in Forres. It is a lovely little restaurant which has a pub and a separate lounge as well. The food is amazing, the best I would suggest is the steaks.

Corey provided excellent service and listened to our drunken stories! Great hospitality all round and excellent food.

This is a really lovely pub, very welcoming and friendly with really great food. The chicken skewers and chicken curry were lovely.

What a lovely wee place to eat. Pups welcomed and met a few locals as an added extra. Portions were very good and tasty, the staff were very friendly. What a lovely find.

I went in to the bar of the Red Lion Hotel known as the Red Beastie, for a couple of drinks prior to watching the Calcutta Cup match on the TV. This is a great old fashioned bar with lots of character and had a...

Had a lovely Supper here last night before going to Colours of cluny As soon as we walked in i knew it was a friendly and cozy place as a local man who was sat there said hello Service was perfect The girl who served...

Went for lunch with husband. The only good thing to mention were my minted mushed peas. His lamb burgers were bought in, not homemade. Bland taste and chewy texture.The coleslaw was run of the mill bought in stuff. Horrible taste of that low fat acidic...

Food service and drinks always good in red lion - beastie - pub. Food is great pub grub and very reasonably priced

4 of us went here for a bar supper whilst staying in Forres the girl behind the bar was very pleasant and they had several real ales on tap .Our meal was very good and excellent value .Agood spot to drop in for a drink...

We stopped here for lunch and were more than pleasantly pleased. Above average pub wine, decent whisky selection, good homemade chili, lamb burger and fish and chips were a hit and the Mac and Cheese was, possibly, the best I had ever had. Pub was...

Visited here on Sunday night after a long drive from the borders. Excellent service, good food with nice sized portions, nice decor and friendly staff. It was very busy so must be popular! If I'm in the area again I'll be back for sure!

I have eaten dinner and lunch here and been entertained with live music. Absolutely brilliant pub. Not rowdy, not over bright, great food and house wine!

Spur of moment bar meal invite with family & friends. Clean tables, nice quiet atmosphere. Friendly & helpful staff. Specials available & looked good. Had chicken curry & was excellent.

Stopped off here for lunch for four people during a visit to the area. We all ordered different meals from the menu - no starters just from the mains section. The food duly arrived and was heartily scoffed by all and very good it was...

Newly moved close by so looking for places to eat and drink. Give here a try, brilliant atmosphere and great food, have been in a couple of times now and cant fault it. There was also live music on from 9.30 till late

Wmemorablee visited Forres to attend a wedding and was very pleased with the quality of the food and also the friendly attentive staff who made our visit

Das Pub macht von außen einen einen einladenden Eindruck. Auch innen ist es gemütlich. Das Essen dagegen war unterschiedlich gut....

Abbiamo cenato in questo caratteristico pub scozzese e siamo rimasti molto soddisfatti sia dalla cena che dalle birre. Tipico menu...

Often here for bar lunch or tea - friendly helpful staff with good food - a variety of live music - very enjoyable for young and old.

Had a meal here, very traditional mans pub felt very intimidated would not go back food okay but not great

I visited two times the Red Lion Lounge Bar and I really enjoyed the good food and a good malt whisky. The atmosphere was friendly and I enjoyed with my freinds.

We visited this cosy restaurant and were immidiately taken in by the good vibes. Warm and friendly service as well as great food (personally loved the fish & chips, Mac & cheese and the scotch broth). A lot of variety of ciders on tap as...

Me and my family came to the restaurant on Sunday for some lunch. The chicken skewers where so good and the best av tasted. It's really good value for money. The kids food was good too boys enjoyed there food and ate the lot and...

Really really good food and great prices! The resturant staff were lovely and very accomodating. Recommended if you are looking for something local to eat :)

Have visited this pub before for meals as live locally. This week we decided to go there for evening meal. Very disappointing. The 'house wine' was the most expensive on the menu and the waitress did not offer a choice. It was pretty rough and...

The good thing here is that they allow dogs in public bar so could keep dog out of the sun and eat too. One of our lunch dishes was good - sandwiches - but the Mac Cheese was a bit average really but then it...

Visited The Red Lion with family last night and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. We've all been before, either for drinks or for food (all visits have been of an equally high standard) but last night we ate from the Sunday menu and what's really...

It's over 50 years since I visited the "Red Beastie" and, externally, it looks much as it did in the mid-60s. However the variety of the excellent food, the beer and the friendly service made this a very happy return trip. Most of my family...

Went here to listen to live music, after being in the public bar through the day, what a difference, it was like stepping into another world, nice range of spirits, comfy seats, nicely decorated.

Really good food and value for money. Good service and nice surroundings will recommend to others who come up from our Company.

Probably the best pub I've been to in the area for a combination of good beer, good pub food (macaroni cheese & sweet potato fries - both excellent) and friendly staff. The lit fire was a nice addition. Would come here more often if I...

Steak and ale pie creamy potatoes veg gravy on side in a cute cow gravy boat so You could take it or leave it ,service friendly .food very tasty and didn't have to wait long reasonable priced

Great pub and food. Fab platter to go with presseco 🍸 followed by chefs curry which was delicious very tasty

Firstly I noticed the menu is different to that on the website. Ordered ribeye steak Med/rare no tomato. I got sirloin, Med/well with tomato. They resent the steak and this was perfect. Husband had fish and chips, he said it tasted great but the fish...

Stopped in for breakfast, greeted by the hostess Billy, who was super friendly and professional. Breakfast was really good, chef done a outstanding job. Will be back on my next visit. Thank u