North Yorkshire, British, Traditional Restaurant Guide

King Charles, it is said, is a big fan of Paul & Helen Klein’s “old school Inn”, set in the Yorkshire Dales picturesquely overlooking the village green, which is a well-recognised gem which has reportedly attracted other celeb’ followers such as Daniel Craig. There’s nowt fancy on’t menu – it’s an appealingly retro and “high quality” selection of Anglo-French classics like chicken liver parfait, twice-baked Wensleydale soufflé, or Tournedos Rossini with a few Italian dishes and puds (like Tagliatelle Carbonara or Tiramisu) thrown in for good measure. “They run a great ship at East Witton, the FOH team are always welcoming, the Sunday lunch offering is great value and it’s a worthwhile trip into God’s Country”. “On a sunny day, lunch outside”.

“Outstanding” former coaching inn with a “great atmosphere” and versatile appeal – whether for a “cosy romantic evening around the log fire; at a beautiful table for two upstairs in the window”; for a “family get-together”; or for “a business meeting in one of the private dining rooms”. Built in the 1400s, it was relaunched by the owners in 2008, with a “tastefully decorated dining room”, a “fantastic walled garden”, and “food of an exceptionally high standard”, all with “great set-price menus available”.

Something of a scattergun of reports this year on this light-filled dining room – a much-windowed, conservatory style building with good country views of the Bolton Abbey Estate and which creates a contemporary dining space at the Duke of Devonshire’s plush country getaway. The best reports say its “great food and service with regular wine tasting experiences” are excellent all-round and another highlight is breakfasting here (“a real treat to start the day”). But there’s also the odd more middling review or disappointment (“Afternoon tea was meant to be a real treat as part of a spa day. There was just so much of it… it didn’t feel like a nice indulgence… better with just the bits they did well: scones and little sandwiches”).

The city’s oldest pub – tucked away for more than three centuries in a narrow alley off Briggate and once hailed by poet laureate John Betjeman as ‘the very heart of Leeds’ – is no mere museum piece, and does a “fabulous Sunday roast” among other hearty dishes based around ingredients sourced from ‘God’s own country’. The ornate and well-preserved interior decor is well worth a look, too.

Darlington-born Ruth Hansom and her team have “the air of knowing exactly what they’re doing” at her new 16-seater in a picturesque North Yorks town, greeted by some early reporters as “the best restaurant in the area by miles” thanks to her “epic” cuisine. The Times’s Gilles Coren also waxed lyrical in his February 2025 review, with his ten-hour round trip to visit fully justified by a venue he described as “full of love and truth”. Overall the food rating in our annual diners’ poll sums to “very good” rather than “exceptional” though on reports of food that’s highly capable without quite discovering the “beauty and genius” discerned by Giles.

“Simply sublime” cooking wins huge support for Josh & Victoria Ovington’s converted pub in a small village half an hour from York which opened in mid 2023 and which is now one of the top-50 most commented-on destinations outside London in our annual diners’ poll; and with a very high proportion of diners reporting their best meal of the year here. It’s not a place to drop by – the main event by night is an eighteen course menu championing the Yorkshire ‘terroir’ for £165 per person; at lunch a mere fourteen courses for £115 per person. Many fans have approvingly followed the couple’s progress from their days in York: “I thought that when they were at Le Cochon Aveugle they couldn’t be surpassed but moving to Myse they’ve pulled out all the stops. Incredible”. It’s a “lovely” place too (“especially in winter next to a roaring fire”), with rooms available for dinner, bed and breakfast.

“The Plough has been providing weary travellers with refreshments since 1498” and “current owners Richard & Lindsey Johns are the latest publicans to proudly continue this time-honoured tradition” (having built quite a name in this area already via e.g., the Hovingham Inn, and Artisan, Hessle). “Richard lovingly transforms the best produce Yorkshire has to offer into hearty, carefully considered dishes, preparing and cooking everything from scratch”, while “Lindsey ably oversees the warmest of Yorkshire welcomes to their guests in a cosy and welcoming setting” that’s certainly worth wombling over to Wombleton to visit.

“Truly talented chef” Peter Neville (ex-Hibiscus and the Pheasant in Harome) and his partner Cecily (who grew up in this “beautiful village on the North York Moors”) serve “creative dishes” in a “pleasingly homely environment, as the name suggests, with its own style rather than smart or corporate”, where there’s a “rare balance between professionalism and warm personal engagement” – “the menu’s always changing and you never leave without at least one dish etched in the memory”. Top Menu Tip – “crunchy beignet with rhubarb compote and star anise-flavoured custard: divine!”.