North Yorkshire, International Restaurant Guide

Living up to its name with a laid-back style and regular evening entertainment (such as ‘music bingo’, or the ‘call my bluff wine tasting challenge’) – this small-plates restaurant doesn’t take itself too seriously but delivers dishes that are much more interesting than you might anticipate.

“Continuing to excel on every level” – Neil Bentinck’s city-centre destination just beyond the ‘Micklegate bar’ is our survey’s top-rated venue in this foodie city and one of the top-25 most commented destinations outside London in our annual diners’ poll. It’s “a small-plates restaurant where every dish on the eclectic menu is carefully crafted and tastes stunning” and “you don’t have to spend a fortune” either. (“Such a rare thing to find a restaurant where you could stick a pin in the menu any day and guarantee what you landed on would be absolutely superb”). “So many dishes are provided for veggies and all dietary requirements, with total flair”. “The only minus point is that the tables are very close together and it’s noisy”, but many diners “love the counter-top tables where you can watch the chefs perform their magic”. In early 2024, Neil expanded into the adjoining property adding a bar with walk-in tables; a private dining room with bar (seating up to 12); and a second dining area overlooking the open kitchen.

Michael Wignall is fully re-establishing this beacon of the North as one of the country’s best dining destinations. It was one of the top-10 most commented-on destinations outside London in our annual diners’ poll this year, and one or two local cognoscenti “go so far as to say that Michael’s food is now almost the equal of Simon Rogan’s”. The pub was long famous (for example, featuring in ‘The Trip’ in 2010) but has really re-established itself since Wignall’s 2018 purchase and his ongoing improvements. “It has a fabulous setting in the national park” and has received a “Scandi-interior make-over” which is “taking it further upmarket”. “When he first took it over it was really very, very good. Four years on, it is much, much better” although prices are on the march too, with the evening à la carte at £105 per person and the evening tasting menu at £160 per person. This is “faultless cooking with intense flavours that takes your breath away”, sometimes with “stunning Japanese influences” and with “strong British ingredients”. “Superb!” Top Menu Tips – “how can you get so many textures and flavour from little carrots” – “lots of utterly delicious components, and a real tour de force of kitchen technique”; “noteworthy Japanese-style milk bread served with lardo, local butter and the smoothest smoky taramasalata”; “not often these days that the main course is a real star (as the main lump of protein in a meal, the starters are often more exciting, I find), but this pigeon really was cracking stuff”.