We have seen food and drink businesses appear in various Moray communities over the past 12 months.
Some have become well-known for their mammoth-sized burgers, seafood dishes, and vegan cuisine, while others are popular destinations for those after freshly-brewed coffee and home bakes.
The Press and Journal Food and Drink team has collated a list of the top restaurant and cafe openings in Moray in 2022.
If you reside in or are passing one of the listed venues in the future, we would highly recommend stopping by to try it out for yourself.
Torta
With Torta – Hungarian for cake – opening in April, owner Katie Urquhart hoped to attract as many customers with the views as through her baking.
The coffee shop has room for 22 people and is in a historic building next to the Royal Findhorn Yacht Club – at the centre of the town’s community for nearly 100 years.
Address: Findhorn, Forres IV36 3YE
The Deli Next Door
Opening its doors in June, The Deli Next Door was eagerly welcomed by those living in Elgin.
Based on the High Street, the business is the brainchild of local entrepreneur Faith Houlding who has run her other café Scribbles for 21 years in the area.
The deli is located right next door to Scribbles and is an American-style delicatessen that offers the city a full range of meats, cheeses, and baked goods.
Address: 158 High Street, Elgin IV30 1BD
Bootleggers Bar and Grill
The Bootleggers Bothy is known as an impressive outdoor setting. However, the business invested money into its bricks-and-mortar earlier this year after demand proved it was necessary.
Those bricks and mortar were in fact a series of shopping containers that had been refurbished and welded together to form a restaurant.
Bootleggers Bar and Grill specialises in offering a range of fresh dishes focused on what is available locally. Dishes you can expect include lobster, burgers, fresh fish, salads and more.
Address: West Beach Caravan Park, Harbour Street, Hopeman, Elgin IV30 5RU
The New Denver
Located in the seaside town of Cullen, The New Denver has been refurbished in a former bakeshop known as the Denver Bakery.
Run by husband and wife Keith and Tara Marshall, the eatery has proved particularly popular since its opening in October, which comes as no surprise to us.
Expect homemade soup of the day served with crusty bread, toasties, burgers, waffles, pastries, cakes, and baked potatoes.
Address: 34 South Castle Street, Cullen, Buckie AB56 4RT
The Highland Weigh
The news broke in November that Nairn was welcoming its first-ever zero-waste shop, The Highland Weigh.
While this was fantastic in itself for the community, Amanda MacArthur – who took over the spacious premises in September – also revealed that it would boast a vegetarian coffee shop.
It serves organic, sustainably sourced coffee from Green Bridge Organics in Findhorn, as well as locally produced cakes and bakes and a breakfast and lunch menu.
Address: 3b High Street, Nairn IV12 4AG
Catch 79
Formerly known as The Seafood Restaurant & Grill, Kara Scott and Willi Zellweger recently transformed the restaurant on the coastal town’s Clifton Road and renamed it Catch 79.
A series of small bites, starters, main courses, sides, and desserts are available to choose from.
Among them are cinnamon spiced pumpkin bruschetta, grilled halloumi cheese, haggis stuffed turkey roulade, pumpkin ravioli, warm apple strudel, and clootie dumpling.
Address: 79 Clifton Road, Lossiemouth IV31 6DP
Humble Burger
When Jennifer McEwen and her husband Mike decided to swap their Humble Burger food truck for a permanent residency at Elgin bar Foggies, friends told them they were crazy.
But vindication came almost as soon as the Humble Burger kitchen doors opened, with its first few days being the busiest in the business’ history.
Address: Munro Place, Elgin IV30 4LL
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