Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Clitheroe
Hardens guides have spent 33 years compiling reviews of the best Clitheroe restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 19 restaurants in Clitheroe and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Clitheroe restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Clitheroe Restaurants
1. Northcote
British, Modern restaurant in Langho
Northcote Rd - BB6
“Just awesome every time we go. The team… the food… the place. It’s been brilliant for 30 years” – constant expansion, innovation and reinvention has characterised the steady growth in profile and physical size of this Ribble Valley operation, just off the A59: nowadays one of the more recognised foodie destinations in the UK, certainly amongst those ‘up north’. Lisa Goodwin-Allen runs the kitchens with “stunning presentation and incredible light and purposeful cuisine, with her personality coursing through the menu”. MD Craig Bancroft leads “a front of house team with a real sense of character”. “Wine pairing at Northcote is almost as much part of the experience as is the food and head sommelier Magdalena Sleziak is a real asset, presiding over a tremendous wine list (offering both value and extravagance), well thought through with choices from all over the wine globe”. All the above are on display each year during the annual Obsession festival early each year, which the property has turned into a part of the annual social calendar for very many well-heeled diners throughout the North West. And yet more change is now afoot, as in October 2024, the owners for the last five years, Britannia Hospitality Limited (owners of The Stafford in London), put the property on the market with Savills. It comes with planning permission for a swanky new dining room at the rear of the property which may yet further transform the dining experience here. We presume any new buyer will keep the existing team in place, and carry out the planned extension. But who knows? So there is likely some change afoot in the next 12 months, but it’s not yet 100% clear exactly how this one will roll.
2. The Inn at Whitewell
British, Modern restaurant in Clitheroe
Forest of Bowland - BB7
For “unfussy, non-pretentious dining”, plus superb wines from the on-site Bowland Forest Vintners, head to this “truly dazzling, remote inn set in the Ribble Valley”, which provides a “stunning romantic backdrop”. Those who overnight rate the “open peat fires in the bedrooms and sumptuous four-poster beds”, while the locally sourced food – overseen for over two decades by Jamie Cadman, during which time the late Queen Elizabeth II herself popped in to celebrate her 80th birthday over lunch – is sufficiently convincing that “you are happy to eat for several consecutive evenings” if on a longer break here.
4. The Three Fishes
British, Traditional restaurant in Whalley
Mitton Rd - BB7
“It’s good to have Nigel Haworth back in a kitchen” and his 2022 return to this country inn, down the road from Northcote where he made his name (and in a pub that he originally helped run as part of the now-defunct chain, Ribble Valley Inns, 20 years ago) has put it firmly on the foodie map: it’s one of the top-100 most commented-on destinations in our annual diners’ poll. There is a ‘Choice’ menu (mains are typically £30-£40 per plate) or a ‘Farm to Fork’ tasting menu with five courses for £55 per person or eight courses for £85 per person. One local reporter “had a bit of a disappointing experience when Nigel was on holiday”, but most accounts here are of “fabulous” British cooking and “exceptional value” (“this is a regular for us although it’s a 70-mile round trip!”). Top Menu Tip – “highlight for me was the blood orange soufflé with chocolate milk ice cream and honeycomb”.
5. La Locanda
Italian restaurant in Gisburn
Main Street - BB7
“As close to true Italian food as you will find outside Italy” – “Cinzia and Maurizio Bocchi continue to offer some of the UK’s most authentic Italian cuisine” at this converted weaver’s cottage in the Ribble Valley. “There’s more than a hint of agriturismo to the operation, with by far the bulk of ingredients being sourced locally” (Maurizio is a ‘Taste Ambassador’ for Marketing Lancashire). “Olive oils, PDO meats, and wines come from Italy; and the wine list – all Italian – repays a good study”. Top Menu Tip – “Starters and pasta are perhaps the biggest strength. If you can persuade Cinzia to let you order some olive Ascolani, you must: olives, stuffed with minced pork, and deep fried in breadcrumbs: heaven! The coffee menu is almost ludicrously long, but a straightforward espresso is always superb, and you really need to order a coffee to get the excellent biscuits etc that come with it!”
6. The Higher Buck
British, Modern restaurant in Waddington
The Square - BB7
Even in the foodie hotspot that is the Ribble Valley, chef-patron Michael Heathcote’s well-known destination stands out for its “relaxing pub atmosphere, great real ale and copious pub fare at fair prices”.
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. Freemasons at Wiswell
British, Modern restaurant in Wiswell
8 Vicarage Fold Clitheroe - BB7
“Fantastic food… fantastic value for money… and you can even take the dog”: this pub with rooms in a Ribble Valley village has emerged in recent years as one of the area’s top food-led destinations despite – in fact maybe because of – its easygoing and “cosy” style and the fact that what it serves is “so much more than pub grub – clever, no-fuss, local food of the highest order, all served in a relaxed environment”. In June 2024, after our annual diners’ poll had concluded, chef Steve Smith departed, and chef Matt Smith (who had previously worked at the pub) returned. Exactly how the dust will settle on this switcheroo is still not definite but we have rated it on the optimistic assumption that it retains its high quality.
9. 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.”
10. The Parkers Arms
British, Modern restaurant in Newton-in-Bowland
Hall Gate Hill - BB7
“The huge success of recent years has done little to change anything” according to the many fans of this “still-cosy, unpretentious and pubby” venue in the Forest of Bowland, whose renown has grown continuously over the years to become one of the top 100 most commented-on destinations outside London in our annual diners’ poll (although, “maybe, at times, those who are just drinking are more likely to be banished to the garden now”). “Really caring” staff are “led by the indefatigable bearer of dog treats for all canine guests, AJ” and create “an atmosphere that celebrates rather than reveres the food”. The main founder of the feast is chef Stosie Madi, whose food “continues to be a touchstone of what’s in season, with much being foraged by Stosie and her assistant in the kitchen, Vlad” (“eg. wonderful local mushrooms and blackberries on an autumn visit”). “In season, game is plentiful and comes from local shoots and farmers”, and fans say that pies here remain a “must try”. “As well as being able to judge cooking of meat and fish over charcoal perfectly, Madi continues to show a very deft hand with desserts, and knows very well why classics such as Mont Blanc or Rum Baba (both exemplary) are classics”. Perhaps inevitably, the establishment’s tear-away growing success inspires some push-back amongst a growing minority of reporters who say that “we keep trying it as it gets rave reviews, but just do not get it how it wins so many awards”. More common though still are those who feel that “the quality is so high, so no complaints!”. Top Menu Tip – “Among other dishes we had a silky chicken liver parfait, a steak that bettered a recent trip to Hawksmoor, a perfect hollandaise sauce, and a Basque cheesecake with local rhubarb that was simply perfect”.
11. White Swan at Fence
British, Modern restaurant in Fence
300 Wheatley Lane Rd - BB12
“How lucky are the good folk of Fence and thereabouts to have such a wonderful restaurant on their doorstep – a go-to when in this neck of the woods”. Fans say chef Tom Parker offers “possibly the best-value Michelin Star food in the country”, served in a proper pub from a nine-course menu (in the evenings) for £85 per person.
12. YU
Chinese restaurant in Copster Green
500 Longsight Rd - BB1
Victor Yu’s “top-notch” Cantonese cooking has wowed visitors to his famous roadside converted Ribble Valley pub (with very bling interiors) for 21 years – “What a chef! And what a great team, the front of house is amazing”.
13. Shajan
Indian restaurant in Mellor
Longsight Rd, Clayton-le-Dale - BB1
There’s “always a good eating experience with plenty of choice” of “excellent Indian food” at this Ribble Valley fixture, founded in 1992 by curry industry veteran Mohammad Ali and extended three times since then to cope with its popularity.
14. 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.
15. Bukhara
Indian restaurant in Preston
154 Preston New Rd - PR5
2021 Review: This large, modern roadside outfit, just off the M6 near Preston, has established an enviable reputation for its “well cooked, authentic Indian food” over the last 15 years. “Pity it looks rather like a works canteen”. Important to note: it is alcohol free.
16. 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”.
17. Italian Orchard
Italian restaurant in Broughton
96 Whittingham Lane - PR3
2023 Review: “Completely consistent… they still do the best ever Pizza Napoletana” – this huge Italian ‘Ristorante & Pizzeria’ just outside Preston was opened in 1985 and has grown over the years to house 300 guests in one sitting, of whom about a third are in a striking glazed extension, complete with al fresco terrace.
18. Coach And Horses
British, Modern restaurant in Bolton By Bowland
Main Street - BB7
“Called in for Sunday lunch after a muddy walk. Found a warm welcome and fabulous food” – this “lovely” pub, microbrewery and inn on the green of a village bordering the Forest of Bowland continues to inspire good feedback for its variety of menus: from a lunchtime sandwich and pub-grub menu to a more ambitious à la carte and tasting selection in the evening. “Not so much dog-friendly… they adore dogs!” Top Menu Tip – “brilliant goats’ cheese panna cotta”.
19. Haighton Manor
British, Modern restaurant in Haighton Green
Haighton Green Lane - PR2
This crowd-pleasing pub once served as a hospital, but since its takeover and refurb’ by the Brunning & Price group some years back, it’s now a proper country gastroboozer (also with a handful of rooms); on the menu – high-quality British dishes abetted by some more exotic influences from around the world.
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