Barking George in Harrogate

We popped in for dinner at about half-five (my wife and I, and our six year old). It was fairly busy, but not unusual for a Saturday night. Although the food we had was passable (my fish and chips was OK; the salmon my wife ordered was minuscule, especially for £18; the kids burger was as dry as sawdust), the service was absolutely appalling. My son and I arrived earlier than my wife, and I decided we’d go in and I could have a beer and him a squash. We stood at the bar. When my wife arrived 35 minutes later, we had only just ordered a drink. The bar staff spent probably 60% of their time fist-pumping and high-giving each other, preening in the mirrors and chatting. When they did serve someone, it was consistently the person standing right beside the till, regardless of who had been waiting longest. An absolute disgrace. Several parties of people came in, stood around and then left without ordering anything - it was THAT show. We would have left too, had we not arranged to meet my wife there. The food service was equally slow - 40 minutes to make three fairly standard dishes. All in all, a lot of waiting around and a big bill for what was a pretty disappointing experience. Knowing that parents don’t get many chances to go out for a meal, either with or without the kids, my genuine advice would be go somewhere - anywhere - else. Thees a Nando’s about 100m away. At least there you can get your own drink!!!

Went for a New Year's Eve meal with friends and we felt very shortchanged. £75pp to eat an average 3 course meal, in a side room, away from any entertainment, and with no table service. If you wanted a drink with your meal, you had to go to the packed bar in the next room and order yourself. Wish we'd read the Christmas reviews and gone elsewhere!

If I could give this 0 stars then I would. We were a large party of 12, pre booked months in advance and pre ordered a 3 course meal. We arrived around 2.30/2.45 for our 3pm sitting. There were no members of staff on the restaurant floor and only a single bar man. We were told by the bar man to go stand over in a corner and wait to be seated. We were then rudely told by a woman in jeans and a Christmas jumper that we shouldn’t be over that way as it’s for residents only. We were then shown to a side room and seated. For a 3pm sitting of Christmas dinner, we only started eating and got our starters at 4.30pm. It wasn’t just us, we’d spoken to a few people at the bar and outside who were really angry about the service. £75 a head and the food was average at best. It wasn’t as an advertised and was absolutely not worth the money. I understand you pay a premium for Christmas lunch out, but there was nothing premium about this experience. Completely avoid.

We booked Christmas Day lunch for 9 adults and 3 children for 3pm , We pre-ordered our menu choices and paid £75 per head on 1st December. We arrived at 2.45pm on 25th December to a very busy bar with just 1 member of staff serving behind the bar. We were told to go “over there” and directed to an area at the back of the bar, after standing around and waiting for 5 minutes with no staff members to direct us we then waited in the long bar queue again to be told to go into a side room just to the right of the entrance away from the main bar This was now 3.15pm so its taken us 30 minutes to be seated on a pre booked table for 3pm (ok its Christmas Day and the place is busy) We waited until 4pm without any acknolagement to then go back up to the bar as nobody had come to us to let us know what was happening to see where our food was. We eventually got our starters at 4.30pm, our mains arrived on our table at 5.15. It was advertised as turkey with all the trimmings, i dont think turkey pigs in blankets roast potatoes green beans and broccoli is all the trimmings but it was pointlesss questioning it as it was obvious the whole place was in chaos , the company had over booked and under staffed the venue. A couple in our party had to leave with their deserts which was presented in a take away costa coffee cup , which is ok but once they started eating it was inedible. Also to note is the venue hasn’t had the courtesy to return my email which i sent 5 days ago

To be fair we already knew the service was shocking from the bad service at their Knaresborough and Ripon branches, so we went with low expectations for Xmas dinner but figured the menu was good, £75 per head not too bad and a good sense of humour would see us through. Got there at 2.45 for 3pm seating, thinking we’d have a drink first. At 4pm we still hadn’t been fed. Waited another hour for our mains. When I finally got mine it was taken back off me! Staff didn’t seem to have a clue what they were doing. One girl in a Xmas jumper seemed to be maybe in charge due to keys on her jeans but never smiled, communicated, apologised or did anything for the dining room full of very angry guests or the poor service staff who looked like it was all their first shift. Staff traipsed out carrying one meal at a time and very confused as to where they were going. We had all been seated for 3pm with pre-ordered meals from a reduced menu. Why did it take a hour to cut a slice of terrine and put it on a plate with rocket? They knew exactly what they were serving and how many, before we arrived! The poor bar man was getting sick of complaints. All the guests had to spend more money on drinks which was perhaps the plan? Another couple left after their mains as they had been waiting well over two hours by the time they got their mains. Our table was cleared while two people were still eating. As ever with this chain it’s a management issue and not the fault of the poor untrained staff. Food was ok. They are always let down by sulky supervisors with no communication skills. If you look at the reviews on many of their venues it’s always about shocking customer service and yet they never do anything about it. Even if you just try and have a drink it will be Ivy prices for Wetherspoons service. Avoid.

Zero customer service. Ordered a Bakewell fizz, was like drinking cordial. Only included 100ml of Prosecco. Bar staff wouldn’t add a splash more to make it drinkable. Won’t return.

Fantastic meal, absolutely delicious. £60 for two main courses and a good bottle of wine. Great ambience and the staff were friendly and helpful

Understaffed, poor attitude of bar staff, Guinness £6.50 but no one knows how to pour a Guinness and then get argued with when you ask why it hasn’t been poured properly, if I am paying £6.50 for a pint I expect it to be done properly and get decent service. I was unimpressed with the venue a while ago but thought I would give it another chance after not going for a little while at not much seems to have changed. Fantastic decor but needs some investment in the front of house staff.

Visited 16-8-24, we were initially put off by all the negative reviews on TripAdvisor, but a mix up over our booking ate in where we were staying. Lovely ambience, service prompt & pleasant, food really well presented & very nice. Starters could be better, we had very nice Garlic Dough Balls, but a bit raw inside. Humous could have more taste, but enjoyed. Main courses very tasty, overall reasonable portions, but need to give more chips, it's not expensive & keep customers happy! Recommend to residents

The Barking George / Harrogate Inn (call it what you wish). No photos as I was with a colleague after work talking about more work stuff. A dark, sumptuous and luxurious image to the pub with wel spaced tables and secluded corners here and there. Lovely decor and a great outside area too. Shame the toilets looked like a rugby team had been in there; a real disgrace… Shame also that we moved tables 3 times as they were all dirty, sticky sauce residue on 2 out of 3 (you only notice when your glass sticks to the table as it’s quite dark further into the pub). A Chicken Caesar salad and the monkfish curry ordered we looked forwards to eating. The Caesar salad was good, at least a chicken breasts worth of meat and a good sauce coupled with decent amount of veggies in the salad. Good value for money. Monkfish and Prawn curry - 4 big prawns, a great sauce with the right amount of light spice and delicious aroma, seemingly lacking in Monkfish however with only 1 prawn sized chunks in there. Worth it for the flavours but not really any more than a few prawns in the curry. Overall a 5/10 for the experience and I’ll be back on a sunny day to enjoy the outside space but will eat elsewhere.

Can only echo what other reviewers have said. A lot of money has obviously been spent on the building and furnishings, which are splendid. Sadly the food let it down badly. We had booked a table for dinner at 6.30pm on a Wednesday evening and were shown to the restaurant area at the back. We ordered pie of the week and seared venison steak at the bar in the entrance but both our choices were unavailable and my husband had to walk back to me to ask for my second choice. I chose simply grilled fillet of sea bream which was overcooked when it arrived and the new potatoes were oven baked, which was a surprise. My husband's burger and chips were a rather mean sized portion, lost on the plate, and his seasonable veg was cabbage and kale. The young lad who served us had the right attitude and definitely wanted to please, but his colleagues weren't well trained or supervised, it seemed. We have stayed and eaten at other Inn Collection Group hotels and this one definitely serves the worst food. There's obviously money in the Group for premises, now they need to spend a lot on staff training and recruitment.

Very disappointed in our visit. It always seems busy and have been looking forward to trying the place out. It was a fairly quiet Sunday afternoon with warm weather so we wanted to sit outside. We were told that people were sat on the couple of empty tables available outside. So after trying for 5/10 minutes to get a table we decided to just go inside. We then saw two of the three tables that ‘had people sat at them’ get different people that had just arrived at the venue - so we could have sat outside where we initially wanted. Then went to order food at the bar and served by a waitress slapping chewing gum around her mouth. One of the things ordered was a large Pepsi, what I received was a glass of ice with a splash of Pepsi. Didn’t bother mentioning it to the server as she seemed to be in a massive mood and didn’t want her to huff and puff again. When I got back to the table after fishing the ice out I ended up with half a glass of Pepsi which I paid £4.50 for - when I could have paid £2.25. The food however was absolutely delicious and props to the chefs. The only thing good about the place, they can cook a roast! It’s a shame really because despite the food being incredible I probably wouldn’t visit again.

Came for Sunday dinner here for the second time. The first time one of the Sunday dinners came out 20 minutes later than the rest and was also cold when it came out. Tried for the second time and half the meals were luke warm and one of the dishes were cold. Had to send this back twice and only on the third time did it come back warm. However the staff were very accommodating. We then ordered a ‘cherry bakewell cheesecake’ which was a normal vanilla cheesecake with 3 cherries on top which I would not of ordered if I would have known. It’s a shame as the venue is nice and so is the food when correct. I would recommend to have drinks and sit outside. I have been for drinks and nibbles before and that was good so would stick to the smaller plates from the menu.

Sadly, I have to agree with many of the recent reviews. A lot of money has been spent on creating a lovely bar / restaurant, however it is not matched by great service. The bar staff are very young and inexperienced, with nobody obviously in charge. We were shown to our table, but no one told us we had to order at the bar, until we went to find out what was happening. When we went to order, a surly young man told us there was no roast pork, or pizza. When I queried why this was so at 12.30 on a Sunday lunchtime, he muttered something about a problem in the kitchen. He asked someone to go to the kitchen, and pork was found to be ready. The food was quite tasty, when it arrived and there was plenty of it. However, there was no sense of being looked after. The restaurant was virtually empty, so I don’t know what would have happened if it had been busy. I think that a bar/ restaurant of this size needs table service and the staff need more customer service training. They were young, doing their best, but with no obvious support and guidance.

Recently renovated hotel. Which is beautifully designed and a big bonus to Harrogate.. The bar is very comfortable and frequented by nice people. Unfortunately what spoils the ambience is the fact that the hotel/bar are very dog friendly and on every occasion I have been there over the past months there are always dogs barking this is obviously the owners fault as they fail to read the room. I believe they think everyone loves their animal as much as they do - let me tell you we don’t. The catalyst for this review is on my last visit a lady was sat on a high stool near the bar with her dog sat on the adjacent stool. Last summer another person had her dog laying on top of the outside table. The same table people were eating at a short time later. As the bar/restaurant serves food I would expect at the very least the dogs should remain on the floor. Big shame as without the dogs the whole establishment would be one of the best places to socialise in Harrogate.

We are a WI cafe group who meet once a month. The ambience is 100% but I stood at the bar for a good 10 mins to be served even though a member of staff walked past me several times. I asked for a coffee but you didn’t have oat milk. I asked for toast and jam assuming it would come with butter but we had to ask. Then a handful of butters were plonked on the table in a pile. Others had the same experience. The bread was cheap sliced bread and only half toasted. We weren’t given knives. Just got a nod to the cutlery in the middle of table! Last time it was lovely sourdough bread, jam and butter with knife. Same price! Somebody had a bacon sandwich and it wasn’t sliced in half with no offer of sauces. It’s a shame because it’s a beautiful setting 😢

Very impressive and large pub which has a lively atmosphere on a weekend evening. There’s two main areas, one more geared towards dining, but each is spacious and well decorated. The full food menu is still served late into the evening which is great and service at the different bars is fast enough despite the crowds. The DJ and live saxophonist was a great addition and created a brilliant atmosphere. I’ll definitely be returning!

Beautifully refurbished but spoilt by incessant UNWANTED LOUD "music". Also feel the name Barking George is unnecessary and disrespectful. Won't be returning while they have this racket spoiling the visit.

No table service, large dining area, decorated beautifully for Christmas, but shambles when it comes to service. Everything has to be ordered at the bar. We were a large table so it was a bit chaotic. Food was good, but I probably wouldn’t return or recommended based on the lack of service

Excellent food whilst visiting Harrogate. We had the soup, steak, prawns and pizza. A really varied menu but tasted super! Ordered at the bar and food didn’t take long. Setting is stunning, the bar looks amazing with Christmas decs! Will return next time we visit harrogate

Looks fabulous inside Only had drinks but decorated lovely Bar has been refurbished recently Food from what we saw looked plentiful

A large group of us met for a girlie night , the place is stunning inside and friendly staff , the meals came out relatively quickly I had the roasted veg on bruschetta and the burger with fat chips , the food was tasty but cold , most people had steak which they said was cooked lovely and tasty but again cold , it was a large group and the service was good , advice ask people on sauces before mains come when a larger group as food mostly eaten when sauces came , But overall place amazing , service good food good , will try again in a small group !

Food was nice but not much choice for vegans, despite this I was given 3 vegan courses. I had a set menu prearranged. My meal was given to another diner therefore I had to wait for another one to be prepared. I had to keep reminding the staff of my dietary requirements. Staff very nice

We dropped in for a morning coffee and were very impressed with the decor and general layout of the two bar areas. The drinks, including a decaf coffee with oat milk, were very good and not over priced. We liked the place so much that we returned in the early evening for a couple of their handpulled beers. The Old Peculiar and Sea Fury were both in good condition. We went at quite times and didn't order any food, so can't comment about those aspect.

Awful service. Chaotic. The bar area is so badly thought out as is the deployment of staff for a busy Fridnight.

We spent around an hour and half here, first sitting outside on a pleasant warm early evening and then moved inside to order some food; the pizza and cheese was just what we wanted, nothing too huge, and equally fairly priced, as were the drinks. And, 10/10 for the barman who knew who the singer was on my t-shirt !

Dirty tables outside. Not busy. Chaotic staff serving. More training is needed. Not best for dietary requirements. Tiny kids portions, not value for money. Hair in a dietary meal, managers comment was ‘what do you want me to do’ refused to pay’ wasn’t offered alternative but to be fair you only get one chance to make a first impression. Wouldn’t return as they have a long way to go to be up to the standard of a lot of restaurants/bars in the town. Only positive… great location. If they got food/staff improved it would be great. Would not feel confident at any of the new Inns they’ve opened. You are only as good as your chef.

We decided to try the new look George Hotel recently with friends. We had excellent food the service was great and the decor lovely. We are all very impressed with our evening at The Barking George.

Clearly the fit out has cost a fortune as vast and expensively furnished and decorated. Sadly, for now, this place is definitely best avoided. Lots of staff but it’s still hard to get a drink or order a meal. The cask beer was poorly kept (cloudy when should be clear); the expensive food slow was to arrive and average quality, at best. Any form of organisation or management was lacking - generally chaotic…..

I was astonished by the transformation of this old hotel. This place is surely going to be the No.1 venue in town. Food and drinks were excellent and staff very friendly and attentive.

Brand new when we dropped in. Service was very good, the standard of the refit is extremely high, the stain glass dome is very impressive Will return

A beautiful day in Harrogate with the town buzzing and the variety of people enjoying themselves. We decided to go into the Barking George as it looked inviting in the sunshine. We were greeted politely and found our seats to dine. The menus were clearly...

The renovation is done and we were very much looking forward to our lunch. The building is gorgeous and the decor is stunning. The outdoor seating is also very well done. The food and service were a great disappointment. Ordered the burger and the minute...

Cocktail, Mad King George. The top cocktail on the menu. £9 for a small glass of what was effectively pink Jif lemon juice that would have been significantly improved if it came with a pancake and some sugar. Raised it at the bar and told...

I was impressed how beautiful the restaurant and the bar were. The food was really nice, good quality, staff friendly. We had a great time!

Terrible service Tables filthy. staff are untrained I don’t blame the very young staff I blame the person who didn’t train them it’s basic training in hospitality. If you walk out and come back always bring something back don’t return empty handed. Also staff didn’t...

Not a great start for this big investment. We visited the new Barking George Bar as it looked great on line. “I’ll have a pint of Doom Bar” I said, the lady behind the bar on her own couldn’t find it despite a row of...