Skipton Restaurant Guide

Something of a scattergun of reports this year on this light-filled dining room – a much-windowed, conservatory style building with good country views of the Bolton Abbey Estate and which creates a contemporary dining space at the Duke of Devonshire’s plush country getaway. The best reports say its “great food and service with regular wine tasting experiences” are excellent all-round and another highlight is breakfasting here (“a real treat to start the day”). But there’s also the odd more middling review or disappointment (“Afternoon tea was meant to be a real treat as part of a spa day. There was just so much of it… it didn’t feel like a nice indulgence… better with just the bits they did well: scones and little sandwiches”).

2024 Review: 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.

Adam Frontal and Aussie chef Brayden Davies nowadays own and run this famous Northern establishment, which is located in one of the town’s oldest buildings, has been a restaurant since 1962 and which has cultivated a reputation over the decades as the ‘Gavroche of the North’, having been the launchpad, back in the day, for the stellar rise of Marco Pierre White. The main five-course menu is £115 per person and offers quite a mashup of tastes and culinary inspirations (a recent version includes Tartare of Westholme Wagyu Bavette and Tortellini of English Corn, while revolving around a relatively conventional Yorkshire wood pigeon dish). Some positive feedback this year, but too limited for a full rating: reports please!

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.

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!”

“The best… a real pub, with good ales and wine and unbelievable food!” – Gareth & Laura Ostick’s “fabulous” boozer looks just like a normal pub but chef Tom Parker’s cuisine is anything but and “incredible value”. “Glorious seasonal fare is served by a young and enthusiastic team and washed down with interesting wines” either from a four-course menu for £65 per person; or a five-course selection for £85 per person. Some dishes – Herdwick Lamb with olive oil mash – are founded in tradition, but the vegetarian option in particular is a far cry from it, with dishes such as Pickled Cucumber with Wasabi, Buttermilk and Dill.

2023 Review: Mohammed Sabir was still working as a bus driver in Shipley when he launched his Kashmiri curry business as a mobile takeaway from his Commer van, the ‘Spice Box’ in 1976. The next year he opened his first bricks-and-mortar restaurant Aagrah, which still wins consistently solid marks for its food and has nine branches across Yorkshire.

2024 Review: A “fantastic setting beside the River Wharfe” provides the perfect backdrop for “good Italian food and friendly service” from Alessandro & Sofia Elena Tocca, who have established a strong local following over more than 20 years. Their Italian take on the classic Sunday roast is a highlight of the menu.

2023 Review: “Always reliable for tasty and reasonably priced French food”, this handy venue is one of twenty remaining branches of a national chain launched 29 years ago (six more closed down in 2020).

Part of the ultra-ambitious Denton Reserve project, which combines landscape renovation, food production and sustainable luxury across 2,500 acres of Yorkshire countryside – an ethically minded inn where you can pop in for lunch; have a proper sit-down meal in the restaurant; or retire to the candle-filled snug for a drink (there are also rooms to overnight).

“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”.

“Interesting up-and-coming new arrival” in a “converted Ribble Valley pub” (previously the Buck Inn, in a village near Clitheroe), “still with a small bar for locals but more a restaurant for a frocked-up clientele”. “Personable” chef-patron Bob Geldeard talks guests through “a very ambitious and well-executed seven-course tasting menu for £70 per person” (set, seasonal and Sunday menus are also available), while his partner Kiaja heads “well-drilled staff”.