Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Colne
Hardens guides have spent 33 years compiling reviews of the best Colne restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 23 restaurants in Colne and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Colne restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Colne Restaurants
1. 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.
2. Northcote
British, Modern restaurant in Langho
Northcote Rd - BB6
“Going from strength to strength under the stewardship of Lisa Goodwin-Allen” – this much-extended manor house in the Ribble Valley (just off the A59) built its renown under chef Nigel Haworth and his former-protégée Lisa’s “exceptional and innovative” cuisine maintains its reputation in fine style, thanks to the “really excellent layers of flavour and texture running through all her dishes”. Although its nowadays in the same group as that of The Stafford in London’s St James’s, long term MD Craig Bancroft remains at the helm and “the fact that he is so closely involved and so passionate about wine just shines through in the wine list (of course there are well-known vintages from France etc, but many other interesting options)”. The odd regular fears that “a corporate approach is taking over the uniqueness that is Northcote”, but most accounts applaud the “lovely” setting. A highpoint of the year here is the annual Obsession food festival, which runs annually for two weeks in January and February with a series of guest meals from famous chefs – it has established itself now as a key event in the UK’s annual foodie calendar.
3. The Three Fishes
British, Traditional restaurant in Whalley
Mitton Rd - BB7
“It’s well worth the drive out to Mitton” to sample “fantastic food prepared by an exceptional chef” – “Nigel Howarth, back where he belongs cooking up a storm in Lancashire”. Formerly the culinary force behind nearby regional powerhouse Northcote, he “has revived this lovely restaurant” (a pub he was originally involved with 20 years ago, when it was part of the Ribble Valley Inns chain) “and made it is own” with “food that represents his character and seasonal dishes that keep the menu changing, so there’s always something different to try”. “The service is really good and the ambience is very friendly and relaxed”.
4. La Locanda
Italian restaurant in Gisburn
Main Street - BB7
“The closest you will get to a true Italian Restaurant, without leaving the UK” – Maurizio and Cinzia Bocchi’s “discreet and intimate” “landmark of authentic Italian cooking” occupies a converted weaver’s cottage on the A59 in the Ribble Valley, and is “rare (if not unique) in the north” in terms of its genuine style and high level of accomplishment. Don’t expect pizza – the repertoire is faithfully north Italian and there’s a wide selection of Italian wines, beers and aperitivi. (Although the restaurant runs events supporting Italian produce – for example for olive oil importers – Maurizio is also Marketing Lancashire’s ‘Taste Lancashire Ambassador’ and over 80% of the restaurant’s produce is locally sourced).
5. Banny’s Restaurant
British, Modern restaurant in Colne
1 Vivary Way - BB8
2021 Review: This nautically styled old Harry Ramsden’s remains “very popular with Boundary Mill shoppers” owing to its “great fish ’n’ chips and service” (not to forget the textbook mushy peas.
6. White Swan at Fence
British, Modern restaurant in Fence
300 Wheatley Lane Rd - BB12
This “proper local pub but with Michelin star food” is many reporters’ “restaurant of the year” – with service that’s both “fun and professional, not at all stuffy” and “stunningly good food” from chef Tom Parker, who trained at nearby Lancashire powerhouse Northcote. Top Menu Tip – “the beetroot ice cream is sublime”.
7. The Assheton Arms
Fish & seafood restaurant in Clitheroe
2021 Review: This “lovely gastropub in the pretty village of Downham, under the shadow of Pendle Hill” is part of Jocelyn Neve’s Seafood Pub Company – the interior has been “completely renovated”, but retains a proper atmosphere with its “roaring fires”. Views on its performance diverged a little last year: most reports suggest the “excellent fish and seafood is definitely worth going for”, but a couple of mixed reports (“good but not as good as it was”; “trying hard but no organisation”) sound a warning note.
8. 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”.
9. Freemasons at Wiswell
British, Modern restaurant in Wiswell
8 Vicarage Fold Clitheroe - BB7
“Set in a tiny hamlet in Lancashire’s Ribble Valley”, Steve Smith’s “fine-dining destination disguised as a pub with rooms” is one of the top 50 most commented-on destinations outside London in our annual diners’ poll. “The food is superb, and the wine list well chosen” and it’s all served “in an easygoing atmosphere… you can even take the dog!” Even amongst fans, though, opinions divide sharply over the level of value it provides: what is “very fair” to some is – to others – becoming more borderline (“I know everything is more expensive now, but sadly this is now in the sphere of me not being able to justify the expense”).
10. Breda Murphy Restaurant
British, Modern restaurant in Whalley
41 Station Rd - BB7
2023 Review: “Simplicity” combines with “top quality” at Carlow-born Breda Murphy’s deli-restaurant, a popular destination in the Ribble Valley since 2006 for her Anglo-Irish home-style cooking. “At first it feels overly conservative, but every dish is perfectly cooked, often with a small and interesting twist such as thick-cut lime and soy-cured salmon.”
11. The Higher Buck
British, Modern restaurant in Waddington
The Square - BB7
Chef-patron Michael Heathcote has established a solid following for this Ribble Valley establishment, where he celebrates a decade this year. The “top-value Sunday lunch” is a big attraction – along with “exceptional fish soup”.
12. The Box Tree
French restaurant in Ilkley
35-37 Church St - LS29
Without huge fanfare, Simon Gueller and wife Rena have moved on as owners of this ‘Gavroche of the north’ – set in one of the town’s oldest buildings; a restaurant since 1962; and famously a springboard for the career of the young Marco Pierre White. Since September 2022 it’s moved into the hands of local businessman, Adam Frontal (who ran Cookridge Hall Golf Club for nearly 20 years) and – although reports this year were not super-numerous – feedback is encouraging: “Under new ownership this great old timer is getting back its mojo, with great food and service in a traditional, if quirky, setting… not fully back to their old selves yet but they are getting there”. In October 2023, chef Kieran Smith moved on, perhaps as a result of his recent brush with a serious heart condition – no news as yet as to who will be replacing him, but his Insta suggests a smooth transition is in place, so we have maintained ratings. Top Menu Tip – “a very classy Sunday lunch”.
13. The Burlington at 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”.
14. The Parkers Arms
British, Modern restaurant in Newton-in-Bowland
Hall Gate Hill - BB7
“The pies are world-beating and the staff are the friendliest people ever!” at this ever more famous pub in the Forest of Bowland – nowadays one of the top 100 most commented-on destinations outside London in our annual diners’ poll, and fans still say “impossible to fault” thanks to its “brilliant and varied cuisine at great-value prices”. “Chef Stosie Madi’s star is burning bright, and rightly so, with daily- or twice-daily-changing menus using produce that’s as local and as seasonal as possible (which often means foraged by Madi on the days they’re not open)”. “The food continues to be exceptional, and the most reliable for miles, combining an unerring flair for simple deliciousness with a remarkable mastery of a whole range of techniques”. All this said, popularity is starting to weigh somewhat on feedback. “Prices are still not punishing, but they are much-increased, and the menu is now restricted to a three-course format, with appearances on the Hairy Bikers and the Top 50 Gastropubs keeping them full”. And disappointments – though still largely drowned out by fanboying feedback – are no longer completely unknown (“it’s just a pie when all’s said and done, but the cost!”)
15. The Brasserie at The Devonshire Arms Hotel and Spa
British, Modern restaurant in Bolton Abbey
The more casual (and vividly hued) dining option at this hotel owned by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire turns out “good food” of a brasserie bent, featuring plenty of produce grown on the estate and in the hotel’s kitchen garden. A “great open-plan wine cellar” and terrace add to its charms.
16. YU
Chinese restaurant in Copster Green
500 Longsight Rd - BB1
Victor Yu’s “exceptional” Ribble Valley landmark celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, serving delicious Cantonese meals with a real sense of occasion. “Love this place, service is brilliant and Victor is an absolute star”, say fans – “the tasting menu offers something for everyone; it’s expensive, but worth it”.
17. Host
British, Modern restaurant in Ilkley
58-60 The Grove - LS29
2022 Review: A “very good value, high-quality place in Ilkley” where Joel Monkman’s large and small plates of British seasonal fare continue to win plaudits three years after its founding; also on the menu, lunchtime BBQ Buns and hearty Sunday roasts.
18. Bettys
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Ilkley
32 The Grove - LS29
2023 Review: “Afternoon tea IS Bettys!". This old-fashioned tearoom is “always worth the queue” for its epic teas and fine spreads of pastries and sarnies. It’s also “a great place to meet over a very good breakfast. Coffee, understandably, is excellent!”
19. Engine Social Dining
International restaurant in Sowerby Bridge
72 Wharf Street - HX6
“Blimey, these guys can cook” – the tenor of most reports on chef Mark Kemp’s converted pub (est. 2018); “the menu (all in the tapas/small plates mode) ranges far and wide” (“something like gyozas stuffed with sobrasada and basil, served with a makhani sauce”), but despite such adventurous combinations, there “isn’t a single duff note” on the menu – which is also “tremendous value” and “utterly, indulgently delicious”. Top Tip – “it now opens Wednesday to Saturday and getting a table at the last minute is nigh on impossible. Book in advance and enjoy… just don’t take my seat!”
20. Gimbals
International restaurant in Sowerby Bridge
76 Wharf St - HX6
2021 Review: “Fantastic food” (“always plenty of interesting seasonal options, including great vegetarian choices”), that’s “great value” too, ensures the continuing popularity of Janet & Simon Baker’s eclectically decorated stalwart.
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