Shepherds rest in Aberdeenshire

I was aware of the special offer of a two course lunch for £12, but we were looking for two small dish main courses. We were disappointed that there were not small dishes available, but delighted when the waitress offered us a full size dish and an extra side plate so we could share it. We had a lovely meal of fish and chips with all the trimmings! Thank you Shepherds Rest. We will be back! Oh BTW, it's great that you are Dog Friendly!

Had drinks in the afternoon and had breakfast next morning - both times staff were busy. We were served by Danielle who was always pleasant and attentive and made sure our eating experience was a good one even when she was extremely busy and always smiling - made us feel very welcome would come again when Danielle was on duty 🥰

Wee were there today at 12pm had lunch 20th jan Michelle our waitress and all staff were excellent wee had steaks superb food and good value will be returning great place

Nice outside area. Fire was on!

On 24th Dec. we had an excellent everning meal. On the 26th and 27th we had excellent breakfasts. Sadly, on arrival at the adjoining Premier Inn on the 24th we discovered there would not be a breakfast on the 25th. Forewarning of this would have been appreciated so that alternative arrangements could have been made. Last minute notification that a booking would not be honoured is not good enough.

Enjoyed a lovely (non festive!) evening meal with a friend on Tuesday 17th December at 5.45pm, I am a tad boring and always choose the Halloumi skewers which never fail to delight little vegetarian me! Indeed, I think I would be quite gutted if they were ever "out of" halloumi! Great price though always such a team member, I think it was Lauren that served us, she has certainly served me before and she is always very friendly, great at remembering the order and very attentive. My only slight gripe was that our prebooked table was not hugely comfortable as we were next to a noisy group hence my friend and I struggled to have a good catchup, in this respect the tables were too close together coupled with being within vicinity of the bar and the kitchen. Would certainly come back and recommend.

Been in many times at lunch and two female staff (more mature, one with mid length dark brown hair, one lighter long hair) have been incredibly rude to customers, acting as though they were inconveniences, leaving customers waiting ages whilst they shuffled menus. My two children (young adults) experienced this also and said they wont go back as they were spoken to like they are dirt, despite being polite and patient. At no time was the pub over run with customers. Please Greene King improve your customer service.

Great atmosphere every time we visit. Food is lovely and very reasonably priced. Staff are all lovely and so friendly and cheery. Carl , the manager has a fantastic rapport with all his staff which makes it a pleasant place to go.

First time we visit the place. We liked the place and the staff were helpful and friendly. Not super impress with the food. I might come back for drinks, food not so much

Our waiter was great. Give him a pay rise! He was so helpful and cheery. Food was lovely

Always good value and great staff.

Excellent buffet breakfast,bacon sausages first class,fried eggs done well.staff very helpful,no rush Thankyou

Cosy, welcoming and friendly staff. Came here after poor service at Brig of Don Grill. Day and night in comparison. Only issue was corn on cob starter car with very spicy but attractive) garnish which our 8 year old couldn’t eat. Good deal with burger and drink for £12.found staff helpful and food good. Great choice on kids menu too.

Staff are lovely, shame Scottish people are so nasty gossipy and horrible.

Again another lovely meal , really can't fault this place , friendly staff who work hard , wouldn't think about going anywhere else for a mesl , well done to everyone involved

Great breakie and great service from Gloria, Lynsey and Danielle C! Had breakfast here 3 days in a row, same high standards every day.

Friendly and accommodating staff who make you feel welcomed within the restaurant. The breakfast team of Danielle, Lyndsey & Gloria are especially welcoming

My friend and I had breakfast here with our children, baby and a toddler. Breakfast was really good, good portion size for children also and service excellent. We were served by Danielle C. and she was lovely, really made the extra effort to ensure we had a nice time, she made a lovely hot chocolate for my little girl and was very pleasant/attentive. Nice atmosphere mainly due to the friendly staff.

VERY Rude member of staff taking my room number . Worst breakfast ever .I am vegan I asked another member off staff if they had vegan bacon to be told no but they had quorn sausage but they were not very nice and tasted like stuffing , paid for beans on toast . My self and 2 colleagues will not be back this is a shame as we travel all over the UK for work using the Premier Inns .We stay next door regularly where I may add the staff are lovely

Nice warm restaurant with great service and food

Recently in to have a family meal for a table we had booked. Long queue at the door and not one member of staff anywhere. Three people left in the time we were waiting so I asked a woman behind the bar about service. I was met with a very rude and abrupt response. Explained I was only asking but she couldn't care less. Obviously short staffed and pouring coffee was already causing her too much stress. Finally taken to a table and not a care in the world from the waitress. Then given a list of missing items before walking away. I totally understand if you are short of staff and people will wait patiently, but if asking causes short, rude responses then it's not a place I will return to. Went up to the Broadstraik and the staff their couldn't of been more helpful and actually happy to have us. Vote with your wallet people because eating out isn't cheap and it's the only way they stay competitive!

Stopped in for lunch on our trip to Skene, Aberdeen. We ordered two courses for 13 pound each. The cauliflower and calamari were delicious. The chicken burger and mini grill were generous servings and also delicious. Super nice pub to enjoy lunch at. Reasonable prices and fast service.

Great food and service and very understanding staff when a family member fell ill while at the restaurant. Thank you to the waitress who was so helpful.

Friendly and knowledgeable staff. A diverse menu of delicious dishes. Now, with outside seating, some of which is covered. Also dog friendly, including an area inside.

Lovely food, good service, friendly atmosphere

Greeted and seated quickly ... Exceptional service and food was very good too ...thank you

Delicious food, great fast service, warm atmosphere, came back twice.

For a chain and the price paid it was a good Sunday lunch, beef was a bit stringy pork and turkey and Yorkshire pudding all good we had to wait a few minutes to be seated but overall was ok

Very quick and pleasant service, top notch food (grain salad and roast salmon, so tasty), and no music so you can talk. Thank you!

Great burger deal on a Tuesday. Tasty

Good food and great service . Ashton served us and was first class . Obviously he was training but the food came out what we ordered and he was friendly and polite.

First time trying here and was impressed. Super dog friendly which was good as we had 2 with us. Food was lovely, no issues. All staff friendly and chatty. Nice outdoor area too if get the weather.

Great for a family meal Calum was great and efficient, very friendly. Meal was excellent. Great value for money and childs money was great

As usual, service food and atmosphere really good. Staff are some of the best we've had. Highly recommended.Thanks. 👍😁

Birthday meal, service from Calum was great. Kids meals were spot on as were the adults for steak and fajitas. Would definitely Italy come back.

Lunch was lovely. Danielle highlighted that chips may not be safe, would check with kitchen. Ordered from the NGC menu. Advised that no chips were unsafe due to potential cross contamination with fryer. A side salad was provided as alternative. Very lovely person who answered and explained everything clearly. Approachable and friendly. Thank you for making a coelaic feel welcome not weird!

We had a great dinner here, friendly staff, good variety of food including vegetarian and vegan options. We loved the overall surroundings and vibe of the place too, we will be back again.

Terrible service from Angie and Carl. Simple requests like asking for a drink were met with defensive and quite frankly rude and abrupt responses. Won't be back. Avoid! *Updated in response to Shepherds Rest reply* I never swore at any member of staff nor was I asked to leave at any point. I suggest you get your facts right before responding with incorrect information. Thank you for backing up my initial comment though! :)

a very decent place to eat a wide variety of foods, nice waitresses, and the whole place has a good atmosphere i would recommend it 100%

Nice pub beside the road with grill....

Went for a pint and a spot of food with a friend a couple of Thursdays ago. The place was really busy but the service was good. A nice section of beers and food was ok at a very reasonable price. The Katsu chicken is worth a try and the burgers looked big!

First visit for us. From entry, staff were terrific. Super enthusiastic and friendly with great service. Food was exceptional value and great quality. We were staying at the next door Premier Inn and would highly recommend a visit here

As we stayed in the Premier Inn my family and I came here most nights for meals and drinks, the staff were super friendly and had great prices on drinks and food! Would definitely return here 👍

I had a lovely birthday tea Hassan was really nice checked to see if our food was OK and was very friendly

Chips were not the best, only warm. Starters very nice.

First time here, food was lovely. Guy serving us was lovely. Good selection of food, reasonable prices.

Had lunch today for my daughter's birthday, food was outstanding had bbq platter was so lovely well worth the money, service was 1st class, would definitely go again

LOVELY restaurant, staff so friendly, great choice and value.

We were heading up to Castle Fraser for the Bon-Accord Steam Fair weekend and booked the Shepherds Rest for our tea. Lauren R attended to us from start to finish and she was extremely attentive, professional and genuinely happy which made us very comfortable. She explained their Friday meal deal and we couldn't fault anything, fast service and nice food and Lauren R you are awarded Five Stars from us.

Lovely 2 course lunch for two. Good service. Only negative was a draughty window. Could not get in today.

This restaurant allows you to order anything off the menu and be fully satisfied with your meal. The extensive menu gives you complete freedom to choose exactly what you want.

I'm so glad I chose to come here. I was staying at the Premier Inn next door, so it made sense to use my company's food allowance, rather than go into town, pay on my card and have to claim back on expenses. The venue itself is pleasant, clean, relaxed. The food choices were varied - I want brave enough to try the haggis, maybe next time - the food itself was excellent. It had clearly been freshly dished up, moments before coming out to me, not left to fester on a hot plate for ages!! Finally, the service was great. It wasn't exactly quiet, so the staff were visibly busy, but they still made time to check in, take empties away, and genuinely seemed to care about the customers. No gimmicks, nothing revolutionary or flashy, just the fundamentals delivered to a REALLY high standard. I hope I get sent up that way again.

Was attending an event near by and thought we would give this place a try for lunch. Swiftly dealt with, table, drinks order and then food order upon delivery of drinks. We had hoped for carvery and was told that we place an order and the kitchen plate it all up. went with it an added on a few extras, pigs in blankets, couliflower cheese etc. Waited what seemed like a life time for this to arrive and when it did the order of meats was wrong... the pig ( large single sausage with a slice of bacon dripping in mustard sauce is NOT pigs in Blankets) and we had more plates on our table than we knew what to do with. Unfortunately very poor and will not rush back. Staff on duty dealt with our complaint but over all a very disapointing experience.

Greatly improved from a few years ago. Good food at a fairly reasonable price. Big selection. If the weather permits a great outdoor venue. Worth a look if your in the area for sure. 😁👍

Went in with a pal and we both had the rib eye steak which was cooked and presented extremely well , so well we couldn't manage a dessert. Really enjoyable dinner and service.

Love this place, am a regular customer, Yesterday had a steak ciabatta and all the meat was grizzle! My aunt had the same meal and her’s was fine. Think I got the bad side!

Great service from Lauren H. Pleasant welcoming smile and very efficient and attentive. Good pub food and would come back. Had the mixed grill. Very generous portions of steak, gammon, chicken, black pudding and veg.

Great food at a great price. Drinks are reasonably priced too.

Stopped in for a work lunch. Good food, good service and a nice outdoor seating area. Only marred by the outside customer smoking near the tables.

The place is very well decorated and the atmosphere is pleasant. The attention from the staff has been very good and attentive. The food is good and the portions are generous.

Had dinner here before the darts as was staying in the Premier Inn attached. Food was really good and cheap. Hassan was very pleasant as were the other staff

Good food, great service and well priced. Really enjoyed family here today. Recommend the sharers nachos and crispy chicken burger. Scott was our server - very good.

Thoroughly enjoyed our dinner for two at The Shepards Rest last night, so much so that we are going back again tonight as a table of four. The food was delicious and our server Lauren was outstanding. She was a credit to the team. I hope the Katsu chicken is available tonight but if not there is plenty to choose from! 😃

We were staying at the hotel next so this was convenient. Staff were friendly and served us quickly. No hanging around forever waiting for your food to arrive. Standard pub fare. Good all round

As always such lovely staff and food is great! Food never disappoints, always piping hot and tastes great. Thank you Jane, we had a lovely night and had great hospitality 🙃

Lovely place for dinner / pub supper or drinks. Atmosphere is good, staff friendly and food tasty. Looking forward to the summer days sitting out in the beer garden

We had a lovely meal with fantastic service courtesy of Calum B who looked after us and paid special attention to our 3 year old!

Wonderful evening spent at Sheperds rest. The food was awesome. I can highly recommend chicken fajitas. My server Jane was first class and should be given a pay rise for her kindness welcome hospitality and care during my evening. I will be back. Many thanks.

Have been here a few times and have always enjoyed but today a different story. Slow service when we were early to our table. Pork was dry.

I organised a lunch for 34 lovely ladies and gentlemen who attend my exercise class each Tuesday! We had a very private area to sit in which was lovely. Our variation of menu choices was well received by the group! . The staff were excellent, Hassam. Michel and Campbell! They were efficient, attentive , polite and so friendly! Everyone enjoyed their food very much indeed. Delicious! Very tasty fish and chips! Yummy desserts. Big thank you to the chefs! Clean plates all round! A very successful lunch outing at the Shepherds Rest! Thank you, staff.

Visited Friday 12th April’24. Ordered the Friday fish deal i.e. order two fish meals and you are offered a free bottle of wine (white or red). We plumped for two haddock meals and a bottle of white. Meal was well presented and the fish and chips were freshly made. To add the taste was very good. Extremely good value for two meals and a bottle of wine for around £30. Our server Lauren was divine and catered for all our needs. Lauren and the team keep up the good work. We will be back.

A lovely meal with exeptional service from Lauren. Lauren was very attentive but not intrusive and added to the enjoyment of our dining experience. We will certainly be back.

Lovely meal chicken skewers were excellent and chicken fajitas also great our servers Scott and Callum provided excellent service.

Popped in for lunch today, we were well looked after by Lauren. Food was tasty and arrived with us quickly. Looking forward to our next visit.

Lovely experience at The Shepherds Rest and SO dog friendly! We had a fantastic meal here with our 3 dogs in tow. Danielle was so welcoming, as was a lovely guy (name started with H - but didn’t catch it all) and both made us feel like valued customers. We definitely shall be back! Many thanks! 😊

Had burger and a steak sandwich with wine and beer. The place was busy on a Monday night but Kiera was so efficient and lovely at the same time. We will be back for sure ☺️

Very good haggis, must recommend!! 5/5. (Waiters are really kind ---> "Lauren") The beer semlls awesome and the parents love it!!!!!!

The food was great! Proper pub food and grill items that tasted great! The service was also lovely, attentive and friendly.

We dine here regularly so probably take the service and food for granted. We are so lucky to have a restaurant like the Shepherds Rest as our local. Every member of staff from start to finish is so friendly and efficient and the food is always perfect. You really couldn’t find fault with anything. Special shout out to Danielle C who served us tonight with her usual smile and banter.

I was staying in the Premier Inn next door so went to the pub for dinner. Then, for breakfast, as this was included in my stay. Dinner: The food was just okay, really nothing special. The server Danielle was trying to get me out before I had seen the dessert menu because they had put me on a 4 seater table, and it was only myself, and I guess it got a bit busy. But I was shown to the table, not like I chose it Breakfast: It was awful. My work is picking up the bill, but I feel bad that they had paid this for me cause it was £10.99. Everything was cold even though they seemed to be on hot plates.

We booked a table for Easter Sunday as we expected it to be very busy, but it wasn't too bad. There was 4 adults and 1 child in our group - we opted for a variety of meals, myself and a pal had their Sunday Roasts - I went for the turkey and my pal the roast beef (specified to make it well done as it's noted as being served "pink"). All the meals went down well and we had left sufficient room for a pudding which was scrummy 😀 This is a standard Greene King pub, no issues with food or the facilities and the staff were attentive. Will definitely be back at some point.

Great place to grab a steak and coffee l, amazing food, real friendly staff will definitely go there again 😋

Very disappointing. Most of us ordered the sirloin of beef from the carvery. Beef was extremely tough and inedible, the Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes were so dry they were also inedible. We informed the serving staff but we were still charged the full price.

Been a few times now and love this place. Staff are excellent, really nice, friendly and helpful. Food is also fantastic, really good pub grub, and a step above many similar places. One of my new favourites.

Couldn't fault the food, or service at all. Lovely feel in the bar/ restaurant too.

A lovely place to eat. Often go here with my parents and young family. Staff are friendly and always welcoming. Food is consistently good and very reasonably priced.

Family meal looking for mothers day carvery advertised. No roast beef no fahitas. Slow service and even slower to clear plates. Come on you can do better than this. Not enough staff I think

I'm obsessed with the phone mast out side, but the food is great!

Great food there staff are happy to help you. Let you now where best to sit as well. Thank you

Food was very nice and the layout of the pub was very different. Service was much improved from our last visit the staff were great and very helpful

The staff are great, very hard working, the place is spotless, Agnes is a diamond, great pet.

The food was great for the price and the service was mostly great, we did find that once we'd finished our food it was next to impossible to flag down a member of staff to pay, aside from that it was great

Ate there twice whilst working away, food was really good and the service was excellent, especially Kieron who couldnt do any more, credit to the management, top man.

Good pub grub. A national chain establishment, so you know what you're going to get. Hard working, friendly staff.

Great pub and grill friendly attentive staff great food large portions highly recommend here

Food was lovely staff attentive

Shout out to Hassan. Great service and made us feel instantly welcome as a family. We will definitely be coming back!!!

Thoroughly recommend this place for a lovely meal, reasonably priced and great staff,

Had a great meal here, and the food was fantastic. Star of the show was our waiter, Frank. We had a great laugh with him, and he was very attentive to our needs. Overall we had a great time. I would recommend going here for a meal.

We had a table of 8 booked in for Saturday night, the first 2 from our group arrived 10 mins early but were ignored by 4 members of staff before finally being seated. Drinks were ordered but never arrived. The rest of the group arrived and we were left for a good 20 mins before drinks were offered. We did get an apology during the meal due to several lengthy delays in between ordering food and drinks and us actually getting them, apparently there was a lot going on at once?! Our server tried her best to make up for the issues by being super attentive but we were past the point of caring by then and just wanted to leave. Nothing wrong with the food, but everything else seemed chaotic despite what seemed like a surplus of staff floating around.