Feathers, Helmsleyback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
They were turning people away last Friday, thank goodness we had pre-booked. Our table was just to the left as you walk in so unfortunately we couldn't see much of the rest of the pub with no wandering about allowed. The Black Sheep was drinking very well indeed and the service was faultless.
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Nice hotel, good food, and a proper bar attached to the side for the drinkers. A couple from Black Sheep on - including Baa Baa.
Juke Box appealing to the younger members of society. Until I get on it and load it up with Iggy Pop.
Nice place.
Visit blogged at http://bit.ly/2Jb9inN
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While staying in the village for the weekend, we visited here first off late on the Friday night and it was packed, mainly with youngsters who looked like they were getting tanked up before going on somewhere else.
The atmosphere on this visit wasn’t the best with a lot of the locals pretty drunk and loud.
Our second visit was on the Sunday evening when it was a lot quieter and more relaxed. We got the barman to put the boxing on which went down well with a few of the locals
4 ales on, Black Sheep Best Bitter, Tetley's Cask, North Yorkshire’s Mayhem plus one more which I didn’t get the name of. My pints of Tetley's Cask and Mayhem were all well kept and served.
The Pickwick bar has low wooden beams and is done out in a country style, apparently throughout this bar and the hotel bar (where the food is served) are 10 pieces carved by the distinctive Robert 'Mouseman' Thompson. On the Sunday evening we stayed until closing time (11am), the barman was extremely friendly and helpful and most of the locals were alright. A very different pub to the Royal Oak, maybe not as welcoming but this is more of a locals pub than the Royal Oak.
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Popped back into Helmsley today after the steam fair at Pickering and the bar is called the Pickwick Bar (?) and has another door off the main street without traipsing through the hotel bit.
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Well appointed North country hotel in Helmsley Market Place. A multiroom layout ,there is a more traditional bar reached via a snug like room to the left on entering and a dining room to the right also with a bar counter. Drinking only is frowned upon in the dining room as the profusion of computer generated A4 notices will confirm. There is also a large function room to the rear. Usual keg offering plus Black Sheep bitter from the whizzy new pump plus Tetley cask and �Feathers� a very drinkable porter / stout brewed for the hotel by the Yorkshire Dales Brewing Co, possibly a detuned version of their Yorkshire Penny stout. The rooms are generally small and cosy, tastefully decorated although the tartan carpet clashes a bit. The food was pretty good and the service mostly sharp and efficient although the disappearing bar staff trick can be witnessed here. Locally made Mouseman and Beaver furniture, country prints and a relatively quiet atmosphere much in keeping with Helmsley itself.
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A group of 10 of us ate here two nights running and although the bar staff were very friendly the food was the usual overpriced and not very good pub food (I think we went back the the second night because no-one wanted to say we didn't think it was good and it could fit us in, so we stuck with it).
We had puddings the first night and three of them were pretty awful - which is why we had starters the second night - big mistake as it turned out. My thai fishcakes starter at �5.50 consisted of 3 obvious small packet fishcakes with pretty much no taste. Other starters were poor - 3 cold smallish stuffed mushrooms , and a scarcely dressed walnut and stilton salad - all at �5.50. Battered cod at �10 was far from fresh, a rare sirloin steak at �15+ was overcooked, my Barnsley chop at �13+ was both over cooked and cut too thin, a venison casserole was - well, you get the picture. The usual dish of various veg was almost tasteless, except for the new potatoes, which were sour from sitting in warm water for too long. There were, I agree, a lot of chips.
To cap it all, our waitress seemed to be irritated with us most of the time - both nights.
At these prices I can eat locally in a range of restaurants with great chefs in the kitchen producing very good food. The problem of overpriced mediocre pub food in this country doesn't seems to get any better really.
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I have been to the Feathers a number of times as the North York Moors is one of my favourite places. I really like this pub. I have always found the beer to be never less than satisfactory and the food to be excellent, with huge portions and a side order of chips given with almost everything. I would recomend it.
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Have had excellent, well kept ale in here, also had beer that was off. Over time, therefore, one has found it rather variable. The main bar can get very crowded, though, so it is obviously doing something right. Retiring to the other bar to get some peace rather puts one amongst the eaters and families, not a personal preference!
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Up and down like a whore's drawers, but fair play to the place- what is it supposed to be ?
tourist 'classy' food emporium ?
tourist 'cheap' food emporium ?
hotel ?
tavern ?
shooting party drinking hole ?
local's local ?
It falls half way between them all and, quite naturally, somewhere local beats it into a cocked hat on each count.
For all that the victualling is OK and check out the maker's mark on the woodwork !!
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Went to a christening here about 2 weeks ago and had the Sunday lunch served by an excellent chef who knew what customer service meant. Fresh veg, 4 choices of gravy and a generous portion of meat was what i got for �7:50. I'll be going again in the very near future.
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called in today and had a meal, was very disappointed, my wife only eats turkey/chicken, the turkey she had was 'processed' I had lamb chop? never seen meat like it... which was all fat and gristle....and it cost �16. We wrapped most of it and took it home for our resident fox.
wish I had registered my disappointment to the friendly staff.
A place to avoid for us, and we made a special day out to the place my father was born.
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