red beastie in Moray

Booked on-line with an added note that we wanted the Festive Menu. They called to explain that the Festive Menu had finished at the end of December but that the Chef had said that we could have everything except substituting chicken for the turkey. Fine by us. The dining room was a little bit on the cold side. We didn't say anything ... typical British .... so that was down to us. Both the food and service were excellent and the cost very reasonable. Well be back.

Great food, good service. Loud in the bar but nice in restaurant

We had a lovely festive menu in the restaurant on Christmas Eve and couldn't fault it. The girls serving were all lovely too. We went through to the bar for a drink but I'm afraid the music was far too loud for us, so we didn't stay. I think for a small bar, the volume needs to be lower

Visited Xmas Eve around 3pm. The bar had a few people in. We tried to order a cocktail but were told most were out of stock. Rather disappointed. Also ordered a Moretti and an apple juice....but no apple juice! Ar 3pm on Xmas eve! After iur 1st round we waited for service....but a group ahead of us were disagreeing with the fact they'd booked a table and the Beastie didn't have their booking. This took a while. We then thought about a 3rd round but the barman was nowhere to be seen for over 5 minutes so we gave up Not like it used to be when it first re opened

We booked via website on arrival told dining room was cold bar was warmer then given very basic bar menus informed Xmas lunch was only via pre order but website did not state this. Bar staff were very pleasant and accommodating We booked another venue and left very disappointed 😞

I visit forres from time to time, but only discovered this pub/restaurant recently and we will certainly be returning. We both had the burger with skinny chips and onion rings and it was excellent. The establishment is clean and friendly and the service Was excellent. Am going back again, two days later to try the fried gnocchi with feta!

We took a group of 10 German visitors plus friends for the £10 lunch deal. We had given our menu choices in advance, but with such a wide range of choices it took a while to work out who had ordered what. However, it got sorted, the sandwiches were excellent and everyone was very satisfied with their choice. The staff was attentive and, since we were given the dining area all to ourselves, the atmosphere was quite intimate.

Lovely roast dinner. However limited desert menu could do with not having so many sugary ones on it

Great pub, best fish and chips I can remember having and super friendly barmaids.

Booked for lunch based on previous reviews and was not disappointed. My husband and I had roast beef Sunday lunch and it was delicious. Staff we warm and friendly. Lovely bar where you can easily while away an afternoon. Well done

Phoned to confirm a last minute booking on a Saturday night and we were accommodated without difficulty. Politely quizzed about allergies on the phone. Pleasant surroundings in the lounge bar area and friendly welcoming staff. Table in a neuk (a smaller space off the main dining area) opposite the entrance to the bar. Good food. Servers attentive, hospitable and chatty. Wonderful streak and Guinness pie with vegetables and scrumptious sticky toffee pudding. Most unexpectedly and welcomed, the option to order alcohol-free Estella lager on draught! Paradise! Our server took the order efficiently and asked about allergies. I stressed that the burger for the teenager should contain only cheese along with onion rings and this was confirmed by the server. Chef thought otherwise. The burger went back to be served as ordered. Corrective measures executed speedily and the teenager thought the burger very tasty. A deviation from the menu was accepted by the server but ignored by the chef. Communication needs to be improved. The customer knows best because the customer is paying for the service.

The meal was really a good time, the meat delicious and the service perfect.

Went tonight and wow so glad we did, best food in forres, we all had 2 courses, starters of pate, mushrooms and prawn cocktail.then mains of chicken haggis, burger and carbonnara and clean plates all round, fantastic food, service impeccable, thoughtful, friendly and quick would highly recommend over any other place in forres.

Small quaint restaurant with huge flavor. All of us ordered different entrees and they were all outstanding! Cocktails were perfect the best lemon drop I've ever had! Delicious scotch pie with mash potatoes covered with gravy we are going back again tonight can't get enough .. Incredible!

Really good experience here! We had a warm welcome and despite not having booked and the restaurant being busy, we were welcomed with a table in the comfortable bar and served quickly. The food was amazing! I really recommend the chicken and haggis bake; so tasty! All staff were warm and friendly but I particularly want to give a shout out to the manager Finlay. He was buzzing around but remained calm, efficient and was doing a great job. So glad we chose this bar to come to 😍

On a very recent fishing trip ate there twice. F&C's the first time, nice but nothing special. The second time had the pasta carbonara with chicken - wow that was. the best carbonara I have had in a very long time. Really nice place to eat and drink, a little pricy but on the whole worth it.

I don't know what you pay your chef but he/she is worth every penny. Meal on evening of 28th July was cooked to perfection. Staff are friendly and efficient and atmosphere was just right.Not our first visit and certainly not our last. Veggie wife happy with vegan menu

We've been a few times now and every time the food has been lovely and the staff equally so! We will be back 👌

First time in the restaurant area since renovation. Had booked before but the dining room closed so we sat in the bar. Both areas lovely, nicely decorated. Food was nice, but could have had more choice for vegetarians. Could only see one option on the menu. They did however make me a bean burger which I thoroughly enjoyed. Didn't have a cocktail but have had before and they are fabulous. Staff kind and attentive. Happy with overall experience and will definitely be back. 💚💚

Great food & service. Good choice & selection of menu, to suit all dietary needs & prices. Also, good selection of drinks.

Our Sunday lunch was poor. I took most of mine home and fed to seagulls!

We came here as a group of four wanting to choose from the new vegan menu. First of all, as vegans, it's always really appreciated when an establishment has a separate vegan menu and have taken the time to cater for other dietary requirements. We ordered the onion bhajis for a starter and they were honestly the best we've ever tasted. For mains we had beetroot and butternut squash wellington and mushroom bourguignon and both were delicious. For dessert we had a vegan cheese cake which again was very tasty too! We were impressed that there was a choice for starters, mains and desserts as more often than not in the Highlands there is only one vegan option so in other words, there's no choice. All of the food was skillfully home made the quality was clearly evident. We also had a really refreshing glass of wine with our meal. The service was super friendly and the manager came and asked us for feedback after as we were the first customers to try the new menu. We thought that being asked for our feedback showed great intent from the chef and the Bonnie Beastie management to get things right and take not of any feedback and we will definitely be back!

26th April Visited again for a celebration evening.....food from the new menu was great ....service a bit slow in the bar i think because it was busy in the restaurant but wasnt a problem as we were happy listening to scott ramsay play in the bar. 24th April 2024 New bar menu good range of choices apart from vegetarian.....but then we discovered there is a separate vegan menu....ok if you like spicy stuff. Great service as always, friendly atmosphere, doggy welcome and looked after as well as we were. Great wine. No cakes today but had a great waffle from the dessert menu. 18th sep 23: Another lovely sunday lunch from The beastie team......compliments to the chef .....their salads and cooking of the monkfish is excellent Tried the cheesecake of the day 'strawberry and lime' was lovely but not my favourite of the cheesecake collection. Sept 23: Back again for another lovely sunday lunch. Changed it up a little and had the fish of the day and cheeseboard which i chose only 2 of the 3 cheeses on offer....the kitchen is always happy to adjust things here which means they have a confident staff. Excellent service from Finlay who was so helpful and pretty coffees from Naomi !!! Aug 23: Another lovely sunday lunch at 'the Beastie', great service delicious food and lovely wine. The freshly made cheesecake was yummy and the roast chicken was melt in the.mouth with the usual fruity gravy. We caught it at the quietest time of the day....it was like private dining! Dont all rush there and spoil it for us 😂

Fantastic evening for my family and they coped well with our party of 11. Food was excellent as was service and lively atmosphere.

Steak night £40 for two steaks and a bottle of wine, food was ok steak and salad fine . Side of mushrooms £6.00 don’t bother, there was even a whole mushroom in the tiny tapas dish presented in. Service terrible, got shown to table at 8pm and at 8.25pm still no communication from staff asked again for our wine . Meal came another 30mins later . Had to ask for condiments no salt pepper on table . Then had to as for a spoon to serve the mushrooms with . No one came back to ask us if food ok . There seemed to be adequate staff on here, but need training in the dining area, on how to serve and attend to customers is needed. Staff looked miserable, try smiling and interacting , even a little bit, the customers are paying for a dining experience, and you don’t get it in this dining room.

Best place for dates and special occasion meals in Forres Also the cocktails are great !

Really enjoyed a few drinks & food ,nice place.

Booked our table for 7:15, as the earlier slots said the table would need to be given back within 1.5hours, and we didn’t want to rush as it was a first night out as new parents and as a late valentines meal out. We arrived and had to find someone to seat us, in a near empty restaurant. We ordered drinks and then handed the menu and told several items were no longer available. This was highly disappointing and an issue for myself as what was left was either fish (which I don’t eat) or curry so my partner and I disappointedly ordered just starters (we only ordered starters as we had ordered drinks otherwise we would have immediately left). The two starters we had: soup of the day and Cullen skink were nice; however our whole experience was not great. The waitress was lovely to start but on finding out we were just having starters we got half hearted service which was a shame. It was highly disappointing that the menu we were given was different to that on the website, outside the restaurant and social media. Had we known about the menu we would have booked elsewhere. We have recently moved to the area and had not dined here before but unfortunately don’t think we will return in a hurry.

What a treat! Amazingly good food, steak was perfectly cooked. Cheesecake to die for. Well worth a visit. A hidden gem

Having attended the Wake, following a family funeral, we were so impressed with the food and service, a group of 6 of us decided to dine there that evening. The food and attentive service was again excellent. I would not hesitate to recommend this venue.

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!

It was the end of our week in Kinloss and we couldn't have spent it in a better venue for our family meal. Friendly people, service Impeccable and food outstanding. This place is a must visit for anyone looking for the finest of foody venues👍👍👍👍👍👍

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.

Thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the Bonnie Beastie. The member of staff who looked after us was a joy. Efficient and friendly. Will be back.

Great food,great service and great prices.x

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

Walked in and were given a table for two. We'll looked after. Excellent menu. Meal served at a gentle pace. A thoroughly enjoyable evening and we shall return. We highly recommend this restaurant.

Very friendly staff, great menu and absolutely delicious food! Our dog was also welcome.

Cosy and friendly atmosphere. Menu small but Great quality.

Friendly and attentive service. Outstanding food.

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 😋

You have the choice of the beautifully decorated restaurant or the bar. The restaurant is beautifully decorated with good space between tables. The bar is also really lovely, Good choice of music and the correct noise level. There are lovely choices for all 3 courses. We chose the pate to start, it was delicious with Melba toast and chutney. Our main course was the roast beef dinner with homemade yorkshire pudding a good selection of veg with boiled and roast potatoes. Everything was cooked perfectly, we honestly enjoyed every mouthful. Had to pass on dessert, was so full after dinner but im sure that would have been amazing. The staff are polite and professional. The bar is also dog friendly which is rare. The bill was reasonable at just over £40 and worth every penny. Will make sure we visit more often.

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.

Si vous êtes français et que vous ne voulez pas mourrir de faim en Écosse, bonne adresse. Très bon je n’avais pas mangé depuis 4 jours. Ils ont du vrai pain ce qui est un atout non négligeable dans les environs. Merci mes frères.

Le service est efficace et les plats sont très bons. Je recommande.

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 pub and restaurant and great food

I cannot fault this place! The staff are just some of the most friendliest people and the food and drinks are amazing!

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.

Delicious soup and very nice chicken burguer!!

Decided to try a new place for Sunday lunch. Great to see Highland beef as a main. Was disappointed when it came, it was like leather, and parsnips were hard. Good sized portion but too tough to eat.Unfortunate as service was good from staff. Expected a small discount due to beef being mostly inedible.🥹

Sooooo glad I booked a table. Probably wouldn't have got a table if I had just turned up they were so busy. Great menu choices, loved the salmon I had from the specials menu, my wife loved the trout from standard menu, 2 clean plates and room left for a cheesecake and affogato with Amoretto, before rounding off the meal with liqueur coffees. Delightful and attentive service. Fantastic atmosphere. Would give 12 out of 10 if I could. Thoroughly recommended and will defo be back every time in area. Very well done and thanks for a very enjoyable evening.

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.

Great food and dog friendly in the bar 👍

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 .

Absolutely fabulous little bar and restaurant. Went in alone as a woman and did not feel uncomfortable in the slightest as most of the staff seem to be young women. Very good coffee, a roaring fire, an interesting menu. Feels like a Clapham gastropub. Good selection of single malts with it being at the start of the Speyside whiskey trail too. Lovely.

Very disappointing experience. After a quiet wed night sitting for 20+ minutes with no drinks or menus in a half full cold dining room. We had to ask for menus an water, even tho we had booked well in advance. We decided to go elsewhere.Short staffed or under trained it left no desire for our group to return. Very sad after reading great reviews.

Very good Sunday lunch ,quality roast beef giant Yorkshire pudding super veg a very good experience .attentive and pleasant service.All in all a nice lunch out with friends in a cosy bar will visit again when we come up from the Isle of Wight to our friends in Forres

Great service, great food and lovely ambiance. Can't wait to come back. The coffee was great too!

Amazing food, reasonably priced, great service, nice ambience. Highly recommend it. Will be back.

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.

The team have done a fantastic job with the beastie. its a lovely little place and the cocktails are second to none

Very nice place, and great food

Just in for a pint,a pleasent experience.

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.

What a transformation. Great looking pub.

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...