British, Traditional Restaurants in North Yorkshire
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. The Tannin Level
British, Traditional restaurant in Harrogate
5 Raglan St - HG1
In business for nearly four decades now (est. 1985), this stalwart operation occupies a cosy cellar space in the lower ground of a solid Victorian mansion in the city centre (with a small outside seating area for warmer days). The well-rated, traditional-ish cuisine has something of a meat and steak bias; despite the name, the wine list is not huge, but offers quality vintages from a range of countries up to a little over £100 per bottle.
4. 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”.
5. The Black Swan
British, Traditional restaurant in Helmsley
Market Place - YO62
2021 Review: This extended fifteenth-century inn (nowadays with nearly fifty bedrooms) sits at the heart of this very attractive market town. Its Gallery Restaurant (named for its dual purpose during the day as an art gallery) has quite a reputation, and – despite sustained gripes over the years that it’s rather pricey – all reports rate it good or better.
6. Sportsman’s Arms
British, Traditional restaurant in Wath-in-Nidderdale
The Sportsmans Arms - HG3
2021 Review: “Honest Yorkshire portions of high-quality local ingredients” set the tone at this remote seventeenth-century inn near Pateley Bridge, run by Ray & June Carter for more than 30 years. They serve copious amounts of game shot in the immediate area, and have fishing rights on the River Nidd. The décor either “needs a refresh” or is delightfully old-fashioned, according to your taste.
7. The Blue Lion
British, Traditional restaurant in East Witton
Part of the Marquess of Downshire’s Clifton Castle and Jervaulx estates, this well-known eighteenth-century Wensleydale inn is, apparently, a favourite watering hole of King Charles III. “Well worth a drive” for its high-quality cooking – the kitchen team come into their own during the game season when “they demonstrate their mastery of cooking grouse, in the traditional and best way” – and it’s “dog friendly too”.
8. The Bay Horse
British, Traditional restaurant in Hurworth
45 The Grn - DL2
Marcus Bennett’s fifteenth-century village gastroboozer – a regular on ‘best’ UK gastropubs lists, and a consistent scorer in our annual diners’ poll – is a “very dependable” sort of spot, offering “beautifully presented food, especially game in season”; there was the odd quibble this year (“are prices higher” now?) but it still makes for “a good all-round treat now and again”.
9. The Garden Room, The Devonshire Arms Hotel and Spa
British, Traditional restaurant in Skipton
Bolton Abbey - BD23
This “beautiful hotel at Bolton Abbey”, the Duke of Devonshire’s classic country estate, is a well-known getaway, and its very posh and “very good” dining room has also proved a testing ground for exciting chefs (Michael Wignall, Peter Howarth). Chris O’Callaghan, who arrived in 2021, now oversees the British cuisine (afternoon teas and fancier fare), while the open-plan wine cellar feeds into the “superb and very extensive wine list”.
10. Salts Diner
International restaurant in Saltaire
Salts Mill, Victoria Road - BD18
2021 Review: “Hockneys in view” as you dine are the most famous attraction of this noisy but atmospheric venue: a large, post-industrial space in the UNESCO-listed Salts Mill complex, open from breakfast on for a coffee or fuller meal (Saltburger, Caesar salad, etc).
11. Bull at Broughton
British, Traditional restaurant in Broughton
2021 Review: Passed from Northcote’s Ribble Valley Inns group to Brunning & Price in 2018 (and promptly refurbed), this poshified gastroboozer is a “lovely place to visit” for its “agreeable surroundings with nooks and crannies” and “excellent food and service”.
12. Mýse
British, Modern restaurant in Hovingham
Main Street - YO62
Chef Josh Overington and his wife Victoria opened this new restaurant with three rooms in North Yorkshire at the end of June 2023 (well after our annual diners’ poll had concluded) in a converted old pub, formerly called the Malt Shovel (but still replete with beams, flagged floors and characterful details). Myse (which rhymes with cheese) is a follow-up to their Le Cochon Aveugle in York (which enjoyed stellar ratings in our survey) and provides a tasting-only formula, with fifteen courses for £125 and wine pairings from £65. Early vibes – for example from arch northern foodie Thom Hetherington – are very upbeat.
13. The Homestead Kitchen
British, Modern restaurant in Goathland
Prudom House - YO22
Peter Neville made his name in these parts with venues including The Pheasant in Harome, which he co-owns; in 2021, he and partner Cecily Fearnley upped sticks to her home village to open this converted farmhouse restaurant (plus on-site holiday cottage), and by all accounts it’s a “lovely spot” amidst the moors, whose “beautifully presented” local/seasonal cooking wins consistently high ratings.
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