August 2025 by jedinite128
A very friendly village pub with great staff. Really relaxed atmosphere in a beautiful building. Food is excellent and well priced. Recommended.
August 2025 by K B
Quiet when we went in as it had just opened for the day. Really friendly staff, we had a steak sandwich and hunters chicken. Was lovely.
July 2025 by Leni
Chanced upon this absolute gem whilst mooching around the area, superb gastro pub food, had no idea the head chef was Michelin trained when we went in initially just for a coffee - then booked for dinner later that evening, food was excellent, nothing too fancy just classics done really well, great ingredients cooked to perfection. Service and atmosphere excellent - well worth a trip, only a stones throw from Helmsley. Will 100% be back.
June 2025 by Rebecca Bradley
The portion size was so small. I ordered the lamb shoulder Sunday roast and it would have been about 30/40g lamb! It was cut very thin and spread out on top of half a carrot and 2 potatoes to seem like it was more. On top was a Yorkshire pudding. It came with one broccoli tree and a spoonful of greens. For £22 it was very overpriced and disappointing.
June 2025 by Gary McKendrick
Overall the White Swan is pretty bloody good, I?ll give it that. We went as a family of 5 on Father?s Day for a Sunday lunch; they also had a burger menu available too (something to do with the beer festival that was on that weekend).
The place is lovely, it?s a pub but it?s better than that, like a high end pub but still a pub! Is that a gastro-pub?!! It?s a nice place to be. Lovely decor, great staff, clean toilets and all good environment. The staff were really good, pleasant and professional. One lad behind the bar was leading by example with his customer facing warmth. I was also treated to a free dessert as it was my birthday too. Nice touch when we got the bill. Thank you.
The food was Quality with a capital Q. Very tasty, well presented and not just average pub grub chucked onto the plate.
Now this is where my big debate of 4 or 5 stars starts. Quality ?? Quantity?maybe I?m used to Sunday lunches piled high, with more than enough food coming out to feed everyone.
Here, between the two adult Sunday lunches, there was for example only one small portion of veggies. The missus opted for the cauliflower cheese and paid extra, we thought she?d get the veggies too but no. Now am I coming across as pathetic? I hope not, I?m trying not to. They go Quality over quantity here which isn?t a bad thing at all. I?d much rather dine on quality. And there was still plenty enough to not leave feeling hungry.
In one sense, the not receiving too much food and therefore not feeling like a gluttonous overeater, was actually a good thing. So 5 stars perhaps was earned.
However I have gone with 4 stars for two reasons:
The cheese board portions were very small (lovely three cheeses but such a thin slither of Brie for example).
And yes I know it?s a country pub, on a hot summer days, the doors will be open so people don?t melt, but at our table we far too often were greeted with the outside smokers scent wafting in. I?d get them moved further from the door in the summer. Or maybe it was one rogue smoker not in the designated zone?
If I could do 4.5 stars I would.
Would we return. Yes. Absolutely. Next time to check out the main menu was also looks great.
June 2025 by Anne Newby
We booked to celebrate my birthday and welcomed by Jamie to our table. It was a sunny evening so we decided to eat outside which wasn?t a problem for the staff.
We all enjoyed food chosen from the summer menu , main courses & desserts.
All presented beautifully , tasted delicious & will definetly be back!
Thank you ??
May 2025 by Lee Longthorn
Lovely pub, really comfortable and welcoming.
Well priced food and drink, along with great quality.
Staff really friendly and helpful.
We're only here over the weekend but will definitely be paying it another visit.
Very highly recommended.
May 2025 by Kim Ann
came in April for my Dad's 70th. My first time since under new ownership. The food was sensational. as was the service. The bar staff and kitchen staff went above and beyond to accommodate a few special extras for my Dad. Will definitely return soon. Great to see the pub busy and such a great atmosphere too!
November 2024 by Caroline Duffy
We had a fantastic meal here as a family. There was a great range of food to choose from, including a kids menu. Everyone was so attentive and friendly. Would highly recommend.
February 2024 by Dawn Breary
Just had the roast beef ? dinner ? for 2 it was absolutely lovely....the service and atmosphere was excellent ?...I would recommend and would definitely be there again sometime....and the drinks very good thank you ? xx ??
February 2024 by Becky Foreman
Beautiful pub in lovely setting. Food is fantastic and the owners are lovely. Never had a bad meal here over the years. The belly pork and black pudding is brilliant, as is the fish pie and 5 minutes steak. Highly recommend!
February 2024 by Kyle Boote
Fantastic pub food, proper Friday night teatime atmosphere and friendly, attentive service from all, including Martin. This is a great pub again and we shall return!
February 2024 by Ian Mclay
Food excellent, service not so much and background music horrendous. Far too long between courses (40 mins) with nobody in attendance. We actually left before dessert was ordered as again, she brought the menu then disappeared. Extremely disappointing. Background music way too loud and the wrong genre. Rock tunes from the 60's, 70's etc with screeching guitar riffs. It was Sunday evening for christ's sake!!On a more positive note, the cut of lamb I had was one of the best I have had in years.Sort the service and the music and you will a very good all round pub.Parking: Great
January 2024 by exploringdora2018
The food was lovely but the environment disappointing. We were placed in the downstairs offshoot from the main bar which lacked a warm, cosy feel and was a big contrast to the main bar. Our table was a long thin one which restricted conversation. There were other groups seated in more sociable arrangements. It was a special occasion, the table had been booked well in advance and we were disappointed. We arrived ahead of time and it seemed very complicated to get a full round of drinks. Staff were distracted, it was difficult to get attention. Somehow it seemed like we were less important than other guests.
January 2024 by guidinglight
Really enjoyed our lunch here. Staff were very helpful in accommodating my wife, who is in a wheelchair. Plenty of room in the eating area. We both ordered a small 2- course winter warmer lunch. Very reasonably priced. You don?t often see small size portions on pub menus. These mains were the perfect size though for us, and my only comment would be the desserts seemed quite large. But I can?t complain about the food. All our dishes were deliciously served and cooked. Would definitely recommend to anyone visiting the area. We will certainly go back.
