Thirsk, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

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”.

“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!”

“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!”

“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”.

“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”.

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”.

“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!”

“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.

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.

This ultra-opulent seventeenth-century country house was reborn as a hotel in 2019 replete with pool, snow room and altitude training chamber. Its many eateries include a haute operation by former Ormer chef Shaun Rankin – and this tartan-clad, baronial-style brasserie, praised this year for its “amazing welcome and lovely food” (especially patisserie, if you put your trust in Jay Rayner’s otherwise slightly mixed 2022 review).