British, Modern Restaurants in North Yorkshire
1. The Orangery, Rockliffe Hall
British, Modern restaurant in Darlington
“A lovely location for a special event” – this five-star property sits in over 365 acres on the North Yorks border, and its more formal dining option (you can also eat in the clubhouse overlooking the golf course) lives up to its name – a tall, striking pillared space with glass roof. Chef Paul Nicholson offers a four-course à la carte menu for £70 per person, or there’s a six-course tasting option for £95 per person, backed up by an impressive 400-bin wine list.
2. The Old Deanery
British, Modern restaurant in Ripon
Minster Rd - HG4
The Old Deanery is a Jacobean mansion in the shadows of Ripon Cathedral. Acclaimed chef, Adam Jackson is surrounded by a buzz of excitement, having a collection of awards and accreditations to his name, and a list of some of the top restaurants on his CV. Ada...
3. The Angel
British, Modern restaurant in Hetton
“The original gastropub” – this North Yorks inn has been famous for decades for cuisine that’s unusually accomplished for a pub (featuring, for example, in The Trip, in 2010) and was purchased in 2018 by current owner Michael Wignall, who swept aside its former old-fashioned looks in favour of a stylish, if perhaps “clinical” new interior (“I’ve lost an old friend, but found a bright, young thing!”). All reports agree that he has successfully re-established the place on the UK’s foodie map: the “really interesting and unusual cooking features some unusual pairings and over three hours engaging staff popped up everywhere and are willing to discuss the food, its preparation and its great presentation, all at a very reasonable price”. At dinner, choose from a three-course menu for £110 per person, or there’s a nine-course tasting option for £165 per person.
4. The Devonshire Fell Hotel
British, Modern restaurant in Skipton
Burnsall Village - BD23
Leafy views over glorious Dales countryside and the river Wharfe add to the occasion at this attractive hotel, convenient for Bolton Abbey. The cooking – Hardwick lamb, market fish, steaks – is not particularly ‘gastro’ in style but contributes to a comfortable and affordable experience, and one that comes at a reasonable price.
5. Samuel’s, Swinton Park Hotel & Spa
British, Modern restaurant in Masham
Swinton Park - HG4
“The formal dining room at Swinton Estate” – “a country house hotel in a beautiful setting that supplies much of its food from local sources” and its own 20,000 acres of grounds. Ruth Hansom has been in charge of the kitchens during 2023 – a year that saw solid all-round ratings for its ambitious cuisine – in advance of handing over to former Roux Scholar Nicole Benham-Corlette following a £500,000 refurb to complete in early 2024: part of the property’s ‘estate-to-plate’ philosophy which aims to reduce its carbon footprint to being neutral by 2030.
6. Skosh
British, Modern restaurant in York
98 Micklegate - YO1
“Clever small plate dishes with exciting flavour combinations” have established Neil Bentinck’s city-centre destination as one of York’s most popular in recent years. “Some seats are up at a counter watching the chefs at work, whilst the remainder still have the atmosphere of being in a busy kitchen restaurant”. “Getting a table can sometimes feel like trying to get tickets for Glastonbury, but it is really worth it for amazing British-Japanese fusion food that’s so inventive but not too expensive, with new dishes being created all the time”. “Relaxing, with a buzz of warmth and efficiency”: “It leaves you with a deeper love of humanity and a sense of what a great local can give!”. “Looking forward to the knock through to next door” – planning permission was finally granted in early 2023 and work is due to be complete by the end of the year.
7. The Bow Room Restaurant
British, Modern restaurant in York
Grays Court Hotel, Chapter House Street - YO1
In summer 2023, Ian Doyle (an alum’ of the legendary Noma, who gained a star at previous haunt the Cliff House Hotel, in Waterford, Ireland) stepped in to fill the shoes of Adam Jackson, who has now moved to the Rattle Owl in Micklegate. Early reports suggest that his tasting menu is “just fabulous” (“exceeded our expectations”) and “what a wonderful setting” the restaurant has in this “amazing ancient property” – York’s oldest inhabited house – situated near York Minster. Top Tips – “make sure to have a stroll around the garden before enjoying the top-notch cuisine” and “also book a room so you don’t have to rush home”.
8. The Alice Hawthorn
British, Modern restaurant in Nun Monkton
The Green - YO26
An “excellent gastropub-with-rooms in a delightful village” – and right on the village green, which has the rare honour of hosting the country’s tallest maypole. Yorkshire hospitality royalty John & Claire Topham, who put the General Tarleton at Ferrensby on the map, are behind its recent national hype, and added award-winning rooms to the picture in 2022. Hearty dishes make the most of local produce and “very professional” staff don’t bat an eyelid if you choose to linger a few hours. PS – they now do pizzas in the garden in summer on Fri/Sat nights.
9. Crab & Lobster
Fish & seafood restaurant in Asenby
Dishforth Rd - YO7
This quirky fish specialist, with exotically styled bedrooms in the 18th century Crab Manor, certainly has an “original ambience” (“if Victoria Wood’s Acorn Antiques ran a restaurant”, it might look like this, replete with assorted “sea-fishing paraphernalia”); there was the odd blip on the service front this year, but also continued praise for some of the “best seafood around”.
10. ChefsTable at TRUEfoods
British, Modern restaurant in Melmerby
9 Hallikeld Close - HG4
“A true gem” – chef-patron Mitch Mitchell’s utterly unlikely venture, located within a factory unit on an industrial estate that manufactures sauces and stocks. The 14-course tasting menu (Fri/Sat night only) caused Giles Coren to invoke Noma no less, and reporters this year all concurred that it is “an experience not to be missed”. The “only tiny issue is who you sit next to, as your neighbour could be totally loud and full of self-importance – but this place deserves a star at least!”
11. The Black Swan
British, Modern restaurant in Oldstead
“It’s very difficult to find fault” at Tommy Banks and his family’s famous pub out in the boonies of North Yorks – head chef Callum Leslie’s ten-course tasting menu is £175 per person, and even if “you may be heading for bankruptcy at this level of pricing, the cooking is astonishing”: “we even thought it good value! with some of the most interesting and tasty desserts encountered in any starred restaurant”; “it lived up to all expectations despite (well-founded) cynicism about these things!”
12. The Stapylton Arms
British, Modern restaurant in Wass
“Great pub food and proper Yorkshire hospitality” are the defining features of Rob & Gill Thompson’s whitewashed inn, a fixture in the village for almost four centuries. “Everything is a big cut above the average – highly recommended”.
13. The Hare Inn Restaurant
British, Modern restaurant in Scawton
“What an amazing experience: loved it!” – “husband and wife team” Paul & Liz Jackson “deliver quality in every department” at the 12th-century inn on the North York Moors they’ve run since 2012. Paul’s cooking is anything but traditional, featuring “Asian-inspired flavours in a tasting menu that doesn’t overwhelm”, alongside “interesting drinks pairings – not all of them are wines”, while the “small number of tables” means “service is attentive and friendly”. There are also “very pleasant rooms to stay overnight”.
14. Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall
British, Modern restaurant in Grantley
This “handsome old house” makes a “brilliant” showcase for Yorkshire-born chef Shaun Rankin’s talents, honed by decades in Jersey and London. Valeria Sykes spent £70 million converting the country pile into a hotel, and given its almost “intimidating” level of luxury naturally “you may need a second mortgage before booking” (“from the iron gates policed by a uniformed guard, along a coiffed drive, we found a forecourt occupied by four Rolls-Royces, a Lamborghini and assorted top-model Range Rovers!”). On all accounts, though, it’s “quite outstanding in all respects”, not least results from the ten-course ‘Taste at Home’ menu for £145 per person.
15. Mannion & Co
British, Traditional restaurant in Helmsley
5 Castlegate - YO62
2021 Review: “Splendid cafe/restaurant in a charming building overlooking Helmsley's picturesque stream that’s on another plane altogether from Helmsley’s other establishments”. Sibling to the York original it serves “delicious, wholesome café food”: “the selection, especially from the specials board, is always interesting, and uses lots of local seasonal ingredients”.
16. The Pheasant Hotel
British, Modern restaurant in Harome
“If you want a hotel with a really good restaurant, this is the place for you” – Jacquie Pern’s “slightly formal” but reliably “quality” venture, occupies a “lovely setting” in a North Yorks village. “With the terrible fire at The Star Inn (next door, and run by Pern’s ex-husband), the Pheasant was taking the lead in looking after dining for the two operations” – but thankfully the Star reopened in Nov 2022, a year after it was laid low by an arson attack.
17. The Star Inn
British, Modern restaurant in Harome
Harome - YO62
“Back after the terrible fire which is great news!” – Andrew Pern’s famous pub in rural Yorkshire is, say fans, “back at the top of its game” and – having “recently refurbished” out of necessity is “everything a top restaurant should be”. One of the top 100 most commented-on destinations outside London in our annual diners’ poll: “it’s not really a pub” anymore and the interior is “as beautiful as the food”: “delicious cooking, using mainly local produce”. It would have scored even higher ratings this year, were it not for a couple of reporters who felt the offering didn’t live up to its high billing, but even they still rated it decently well. And most regulars are just plain delighted to have it back: “I make the pilgrimage there from London twice a year and have done so since 2004. It is just a fantastic all-round experience that never disappoints!”
18. Bettys
Afternoon tea restaurant in Harrogate
1 Parliament Street - HG1
A Yorkshire “legend” – “the epitome of an old-fashioned afternoon tea room, and with a great pianist too”. “You might have a long wait in the queue to get in, but it’s worth it” for the “delicious pastries and well-filled sandwiches” served at this flagship of a family-owned business founded in 1919, now with five venues across North Yorkshire. “Places that are described as an ‘institution’ are often a stuffy, stilted let-down – Betty’s is none of the above”: “even the fish ’n’ chips are stylish”.
19. The Ivy Harrogate
British, Modern restaurant in Harrogate
7-9 Parliament Street - HG1
2021 Review: A “bustling” ambiance that “gives a lift to the spirits” is the chief plus-point of this brasserie offshoot of the ever-expanding London luminary. Even fans concede it’s “expensive for what it is”, and “could be said to be a little formulaic”, while a couple of other reporters noted meals that were positively bad.
20. Clocktower Restaurant, Rudding Park Hotel
British, Modern restaurant in Harrogate
Rudding Pk, Follifoot - HG3
Attached to a luxurious spa hotel, this modern brasserie is open all day (with other options in the hotel being the more ambitious Horto, or afternoon tea in the Conservatory). One fan notes it as a good place for a relaxed business meal, but there is also the odd concern that its “good ambience can be let down by average results at excessive prices”.
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