Leyburn Restaurant Guide

More solid reviews this year for the 40-seat restaurant within this attractive old inn, situated in a market town: “really enjoyable” modern bistro cooking wins praise as does the “great service” (including with kids in tow).

King Charles, it is said, is a big fan of Paul & Helen Klein’s “old school Inn”, set in the Yorkshire Dales picturesquely overlooking the village green, which is a well-recognised gem which has reportedly attracted other celeb’ followers such as Daniel Craig. There’s nowt fancy on’t menu – it’s an appealingly retro and “high quality” selection of Anglo-French classics like chicken liver parfait, twice-baked Wensleydale soufflé, or Tournedos Rossini with a few Italian dishes and puds (like Tagliatelle Carbonara or Tiramisu) thrown in for good measure. “They run a great ship at East Witton, the FOH team are always welcoming, the Sunday lunch offering is great value and it’s a worthwhile trip into God’s Country”. “On a sunny day, lunch outside”.

“First-class” inn, set in the Yorkshire Dales, whose kitchen specialises in “exquisite, very fresh fish and seafood” – including a separate menu devoted to lobsters from Whitby – “if you’re in the area don’t miss it”. Reputed to have been a favourite watering hole of Yorkshire vet Alf Wight (better known as James Herriot), the Heifer is appropriately dog-friendly under the management of father-and-son David & Lewis Moss, owners for the past 20 years.

2022 Review: “The quality of the cooking and wine list step up yet another gear on every visit” – agree regulars at Dave & Charlotte Reilly’s Wensleydale boutique hotel, which they opened in a former school 15 years ago. Chef Dan Shotton “has always been ahead on local ingredients” and serves a stripped-down, contemporary menu. Guests are treated to a “fantastic welcome and service from start to finish”.

This “pretty village gastropub in the Yorkshire Dales” has a “really lively buzz to it”, with “great food and service however busy it gets” – it’s a “firm family favourite” and fans reckon it serves “the best roast dinner in North Yorkshire” (with signature leeks mornay on the side).

North Yorkshire’s ever-expanding Swinton Estate, now has a counter-dining option in the shape of this open kitchen countertop ‘watch-and-dine’ location, set in the estate’s cookery school. Former Galvin brothers head chef Josh Barnes presents a weekly changing menu – a keen forager himself, many of his ingredients are grown on the estate, with the rest sourced from nearby producers. It opened in 2024 but has yet to inspire feedback in our annual diners’ poll – reports please!

Darlington-born Ruth Hansom and her team have “the air of knowing exactly what they’re doing” at her new 16-seater in a picturesque North Yorks town, greeted by some early reporters as “the best restaurant in the area by miles” thanks to her “epic” cuisine. The Times’s Gilles Coren also waxed lyrical in his February 2025 review, with his ten-hour round trip to visit fully justified by a venue he described as “full of love and truth”. Overall the food rating in our annual diners’ poll sums to “very good” rather than “exceptional” though on reports of food that’s highly capable without quite discovering the “beauty and genius” discerned by Giles.