There’s also an elegant restaurant where tables are set with glassware and white linens if you’re looking for a more formal dining experience. The food is always excellent, wherever you choose to enjoy it, with lobster, steak and lots of local fish on the menu.
The menu includes hearty portions of things like Yorkshire lamb and pan-roasted chicken supreme with set lunchtime options giving diners lots of sustenance before setting off exploring the area.
Most of the ingredients used in the menu have been sourced within a 10-mile radius of The Saddle Room and the characterful building includes high trussed ceilings and lots of original features. There’s also a casual bar area where you can enjoy a drink before or after your meal.
Stay in the Yorkshire Dales
Best restaurants in the North York Moors
There’s lots of good food to be found amongst the pretty villages and heather-clad hills of the North York Moors. Here are some of our favourite restaurants to try.
The Hare Inn Scawton
This 12th-century coaching inn is located in a peaceful hamlet near Helmsley and has some rather fine food on the menu. The location of the restaurant is close to the top of Sutton Bank which is said to give one of the finest views in England and the characterful dining room features exposed brick walls and low beams.
There is only one tasting menu served at The Hare Inn Scawton and it’s recommended you spend around 3 hours taking your time to enjoy it. Friendly front of house staff will talk you through each course in turn as you are taken on a culinary journey in this wonderfully peaceful setting.
The Black Swan Oldstead
One of two Yorkshire restaurants from celebrity chef Tommy Banks, The Black Swan Oldstead has held a Michelin star since 2013. The land surrounding the North York Moors restaurant has been farmed by the Banks family for several generations and many of the ingredients used in the restaurant are either grown here or foraged in the surrounding moorland.
Fruits and herbs from the land here are featured in many of The Black Swan’s signature cocktails and a tasting menu has been designed so that diners can experience the farm’s seasonal produce at its very best.
Willowgate Bistro
This small and intimate bistro is located just off the market square in Pickering so you can combine a meal here with a trip on the NYMR steam train. Set two or three-course evening menus showcase a range of fresh seasonal ingredients with both vegetarian and gluten-free options available.
A wide variety of wines are available to wash down your meal at this family-run Yorkshire restaurant along with local drinks like Black Sheep beer which is brewed in nearby Masham.
Mallyan Spout
Located near a pretty Yorkshire waterfall, just outside the North York Moors village of Goathland, is the lovely Mallyan Spout restaurant with local produce on the menu. Daily afternoon teas are available with a selection of mini cakes, freshly made scones and sandwiches.
Evening a la carte menus include Whitby fish along with local meats and cheeses with dining pods available if you fancy dining with friends under the starry skies of the North York Moors National Park.
The Eskdale
Located on the banks of the River Esk which runs through the North York Moors from Westerdale to Whitby, The Eskdale is a fabulous dining inn that uses organic, local produce from the surrounding Yorkshire Coast and moorland.
Food at The Eskdale is beautifully presented and it’s a great choice if you’re looking for a really good meal that’s reasonably priced so won’t break the bank with a selection of wines available by the glass. There’s also a characterful bar and lovely beer garden where you can enjoy a pre or post-dinner drink.
Best restaurants in Harrogate and Nidderdale
Harrogate is one of Yorkshire's most stylish spa towns, surrounded by the rolling hills of Nidderdale so it’s no surprise that it is home to some fabulous restaurants.
Horto restaurant
Horto is part of the Rudding Park Estate which is also home to a spectacular rooftop spa garden and 18-hole golf course on the outskirts of Harrogate. Food at the restaurant is garnished with herbs and edible flowers that are inspired by Rudding Park’s kitchen garden.
Alongside a selection of a la carte dinner dishes is a six-course tasting experience which showcases ingredients such as lobster, lamb and stream trout in wonderfully colourful ways.
The Malt Shovel Brierton
This 16th-century country pub is nestled on the edge of Nidderdale close to the market town of Knaresborough. Exposed stone walls, dark wood panelling and open fires combine to give The Malt Shovel a rustic feel so you can enjoy a cosy lunch or dinner with family and friends.
Take a walk in the surrounding Nidderdale countryside to build up an appetite before sitting down to a hearty meal. Weekly specials make the most of seasonal produce and Sunday lunches come with all the roast dinner trimmings.
The Dining Room at Goldsborough Hall
The sumptuous dining room is located in the exquisite surroundings of a 16th-century stately home. Goldsborough Hall near Knaresborough was once the home of Princess Mary and you can look out over landscaped grounds and gorgeous gardens as you tuck into your fine dining meal.
The restaurant features chandeliers, carved oak furniture and original paintings and sophisticated tasting menus are served in The Dining Room at Goldsborough Hall to match your royal surroundings.
Fat Badger
Located on Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road which is well-known for its stylish shopping boutiques and set near the public park The Stray, The Fat Badger is a classic gastropub that serves small plates, chargrilled steaks and classic main dishes.
There are lots of cocktails and fine wines on the drinks menu and an outdoor terrace that looks out over Harrogate’s green spaces – the perfect spot to sit out and enjoy the sunshine during the warmer summer months.
Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall
The Michelin-starred Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall restaurant is located in a grand country estate near Ripon and features a Kitchen Table where you can watch the food being prepared by an expert team of chefs led by Shaun Rankin himself.
The ‘Taste of Home’ tasting menu features ten different courses with ingredients sourced from Grantley Hall’s own kitchen garden as well as local Nidderdale farms. We recommend taking a walk around the estate’s gorgeous grounds and gardens before tucking into your spectacular meal.
Best restaurants in York and the Wolds
York is regularly voted one of the UK’s favourite cities and its historic walls are filled with excellent restaurants. To the east of York are the rolling Yorkshire Wolds with pretty villages and popular towns like Malton and Beverley.
The Star Inn the City
An Andrew Pern restaurant with one of the best spots in York, The Star Inn the City looks out over the River Ouse from the old Engine House on Lendal Bridge. Both breakfast and all-day menus are available at this bistro-style restaurant so it’s an ideal choice for shoppers looking for some sustenance on a day out in York.
The food on offer aims to bring a taste of the Yorkshire coast and countryside to the city with options such as Yorkshire lamb, Yorkshire venison and North Sea halibut available to diners.
The Pipe and Glass
This former coaching house stands on the site of the gatehouse of Dalton Park with parts of the building dating back to the 17th century. The dining pub has been run by the Mackenzie family since 2006 and held a prestigious Michelin star since 2010.
There is lots of local food on the menu including Yorkshire Dales lamb, East Yorkshire stream trout and Yorkshire fine fettle cheese with herbs and vegetables grown in the kitchen garden of The Pipe and Glass. It’s served in a restaurant that manages to be both rustic and refined and afterwards you can grab a nightcap in the cosy bar.
Ogino
Ogino is a Japanese fine dining restaurant in the heart of Beverley, which is a lovely historic market town in East Yorkshire with lots of historic buildings and a growing collection of stylish bars and restaurants.
The menu at Ogino features traditional sushi and sashimi along with main courses that pair local Yorkshire produce with big Japanese flavours and style. On Wednesday and Thursday evenings, a range of Asian tapas-style dishes are available if you fancy sampling a selection of the food and flavours on offer.
Chapter One Bistro
C
This bistro restaurant is located on the market square in foodie hotspot Malton and serves breakfast favourites, light lunches and a regularly changing dinner menu which includes lots of fresh fish.
There’s plenty of homemade cakes available at Chapter One Bistro too along with a selection of cocktails, wines and hot drinks. It’s the perfect spot for a catch up with friends and you can combine a visit to Malton with a trip to nearby Castle Howard, one of Yorkshire’s finest stately homes.
Le Cochon Aveugle
Le Cochon Aveugle is located on Walmgate in York and translated in English as ‘The Blind Pig’. It serves a constantly changing blind tasting menu so diners will always be surprised by the dishes that are served.
The French-style restaurant is owned by Josh Overington who trained in Paris and there are just five tables and four counter seats available each evening. All restaurant guests are served at the same time with dishes explained by the team of chefs that have cooked them.
Plan your getaway to Yorkshire
If your taste buds have been tantalised by the sound of these fabulous restaurants, then why not plan a foodie getaway to Yorkshire?
You’ll find lots of lovely cottages where you can rest your head after filling your stomach and plenty of scenic Yorkshire walks to help you burn off those extra calories after an indulgent lunch or dinner.