Bluebell Inn in Wakefield

Sunday afternoon family Birthday meal with 20 adults and one child. We were seated on 3 tables. The staff were good. The food mostly also good but one or two of our group did have slight issues. The one portion of venison was dry. Some vegetables too hard and Yorkies not the best ! Have to say the 3 courses I had were all good. The wife steak and ale pie was very good. Three of us ordered from the special board but was then told afterwards that there was only one portion of the Venison so two of us had to reorder ! For a large party most of the meals arrived in good time, no one was left waiting. Drinks had to be ordered at the bar, not sure if that was due to the large party. 3 bottles of Champagne was ordered for the toast but unfortunately when a 4th was wanted we were told there was only 3 bottles in the cellar. The restaurant got a little busy with several groups waiting at the bar for their table to be free. That may have been our partly’s fault as our large group over ran a little due to a late arrival. We were never pushed or rushed by the staff. I would recommend the Blue Bell and return in the new year.

Food was great, atmosphere was just right, staff were attentive and friendly. Good choice for vegetarians and vegans. Definitely recommend 😁

Read the reviews online, and the good out wayed the negatives reviews. Parking not so good, and very dark.Agree with the comments from another review, not good for people with mobility issues. Ordered the following; Steak Frites - Steak cooked medium rare Very nice.Served with frozen chips and pepper corn sauce., not so good. Fish pie - Not good, very watery and served with peas only. Very disappointed.Husband said, also a bit tasteless, and felt like it had just been warmed up in the microwave. Belly pork -Served with mash,vegetables and gravey, all very nice.Pork extremley tuff and crackling none existent. Left half of the pork and mash, as meat so tuff. Marks and Spencers, to cook at home, better. Service very good and staff friendly. Ambiance of the pub good. Meal cost just over £70.00 with two pints of lager and one pint of coke.So not cheap, but do not mind paying that if good. We eat out once a week, and a takeaway once a week.We try to choose a differant resturant each time, and do return if good. Did not complain, just paid and left.we had wanted to go for some time, but ùnable to get a table.Not sure if we had built our expectations up to much, but very dissappointed. Unfourtunatley, we will not be returning again, and would not recomend.

The food was spot on and would like to say compliments to the chef who’s name we didn’t get plus the fantastic service from the staff on the floor (Phillipa, Gracie, Lisa and Thomas) Will definitely return at some point

We went as a large family for my nephewsToms birthday and to say it was excellent is an understatement. From entering the restaurant the hospitality was second to none , we were a large party and the seating was very good , attention to detail and the service was outstanding and when the food came it was amazing . The starters were excellent and the main courses were some of the best food we had in a while in a restaurant. The steak was cooked to perfection and the portions were very good . We will definately visit again . Well done you gave us a lovely family party with excellent food ❤️

We booked a table for a family birthday. It was the first time I’d visited. I had the Yorkshire puddings starter, the chicken main special and the sticky toffee pudding dessert. My word what a feast! We were served very quickly the food was hot.. which is a big thumbs up. But the standing ovation goes to the sticky toffee pudding which was the best I’ve ever tasted.. and believe me I’ve tasted a few! I obviously had a taste of the other desserts my family ordered and they were top notch too. The evening was faultless and it deserves the full 5 stars.. thank you staff and Chef! .. the only sad part is that it’s so far away from London where I live .. or I’d be there every week 😁

High quality of food and a wide variety to choose from on both the menu and specials board. The team that run it are very helpful and great at what they do too. Would highly recommend to anyone!

Another fantastic family meal. The Sunday carvery is great - probably the best around and well worth the money. Friendly service as always.

We meet monthly and like to find new places to add to our list of frequent pubs to return to, The Blue Bell last night was our first visit and sorry to say we won't return! The service really wasn't great! The Blue Bell have a speciality dish, their sizzle plates and one of our party ordered this. This came with a choice of rice or chips and at point of order the young waiter asked if she would like "half and half". Oh yes please that would be lovely. No mention of any adjustment to the price. The food was okay, average bar meals but rather pricey. We asked for a bill and all noticed that it seemed a little higher than expected. We had been charged for a pudding that we hadn't had and a surcharge of £2.95 for the "half and half"!!!??? Both items were queried with one of the waiting staff who had to seek a Managers approval to do anything with the bill. Said Manager promptly amended the bill and presented us with a revised one, saying there you go Ladies the pudding has been removed. We challenged her about the cost of the "half and half" as this is not mentioned on the menu and we weren't made aware of an additional cost by the waiter. Her very abrupt and loud reply, making everyone around sit up and listen and us feel very uncomfortable "Well that's how much it is, if you had been before you would know this and I've told him so he will tell people in future" . We were all quite stunned by her aggressive response so didn't challenge her further. Needless to say no tip was left (we are usually very generous tippers) and we won't return! Here's a tip for The Blue Bell......amend your menu to include the offer of both chips and rice with a surcharge of £2.95. Or just give half a portion of chips and half a portion of rice for the price on the menu....as that is what your staff are offering.

We visited on 4/7/2024 at lunch after booking online for 12:00 (and stating it was for my wife's birthday). On arrival at approx 12:03 we weren't entirely sure how to get into the restaurant as the door was closed and locked (luckily someone opened this after we had looked for another entrance. The greeting we recieved was cold, almost as if the waitress didn't want to be there and we were hastily showed to our table. Our drinks orders were taken quite swiftly which was good and our drinks followed not long after. At which point we were asked if we were ready to order. We weren't so the waitress said she would come back. This is where it starts to go wrong. After taking a few moments to decide we placed our menus to the side of the table to indicate this and waited for the waitress and waitress to stop talking with each other and come and take our order. We waiting a good few minutes and in the end I had to beckon the waitress over to take our order. Sourdough Bread Halloumi Fries Steak Frites Bluebell Smash Burger Side of onion rings. Shortly after the chef/waiter/manager (I'll. Refer to as chef going forward) appeared and pointed out that the 2 front of house had failed to turn the lights on, turn the bar/pump lights on etc etc. They did this and just as our luck would have it we had a flickering light above our table. This went unnoticed. UNTIL the chef noticed and spotted it and corrected it, I really loved that attention, it was great. Unfortunately the reason the chef hadn't noticed immediately was because he was writing the specials board that we didn't have the option to order from. Slight disappointment but we were happy with our choices.. For now. The front of house service was severely poor throughout with key things missing, not offering extra drinks, not taking empties when we asked for more drinks, taking a while to clear between courses. Failing to check if everything was okay with the food (until the last quarter of our mains). Although the restaurant was filling with more diners the front of house continued their conversations and what appeared to be checking their phones behind the bar. Everything was poor from them to be honest from the seating to the paying of the bill. All would be worth it if the food is good. It wasn't. Starters: The sourdough bread was burnt on most slices (some charring is to be expected) but one or two were severely burnt. The bits thst weren't Burnt were "tough", hard to describe but our Jaws hurt from the effort of chewing. Then... The Halloumi fries, three, yes THREE skinny Halloumi fries dipped in batter and threatened with the fryer lead to use paying £7 for three sticks of barely warm cheese coated in greasy undercooked batter. Appalling. The mains: Let's start with the steak frites. Ordered as recommended on your menu as medium rare. It came medium but swapped the rare for well done. There was a tiny bit that was medium so not all to loss. Then the chips, as with the Halloumi Fries these were threatened with the frier and were still hard in the center of some of them. The smash burger.... A dried out well done burger is not a smash burger. And that is exactly what I got. It wasn't terrible, as a normal burger with an abundance of condiments thrown on for moisture, but impossible to eat both patties it was that dry. The menu also didn't day it came with a pickle which wasn't a nice addition to the burger but at least that was extra.... Unlike the fries. Now fortunately it appeared the fries were given ample time in the frier as they were borderline overcooked, unfortunately they were missing the skin. Your menu says skin on Fries, therefore I expect skin on Fries, not asda home brand French fries. £70 bill, that was inceremonioisly dumped on the tab with a "go pay over there", for sub par food with horrendous service spoiling a rare child free birthday lunch. Your one saving grace was the attentiveness and, what appeared to be more professionalism, from the chef. Emailed the business and received a poor response.

Regular visitor on a Wednesday and love our meals. Such a choice. And the service is excellent. A great choice for any occasion. Recommend to everyone Thank you Philippa and Staff

Excellent service from staff over behaved in a friendly but professional manner. The cheap menu has a good choice. I have been here many times over the years and will certainly hope to come many times in the future.

Very poor service. We were told on booking a table for noon today that it would need to be vacated by 2pm which in Christmas week was quite understandable. After being held up on A1 in a traffic jam two of our part y of...

Poor quality food and a cold restaurant. The sausages and mash with peas and carrots I had was with synthetic mash two sausages little gravy uncooked carrots. My husband had liver and onions , overcooked liver very hard vedgetables and the synthetic mash again. Local...

It’s excellent we had a five star experience with excellent food and staff couldn’t have been happier Thank you

Been one of our favourites for four years now. Each visit seems to get better. The food and staff both excellent Back soon, I hope.

We visited on a Saturday night, 11 family members, reservation made in advance. The staff did an excellent job of getting us all seated, taking our orders, clearing our plates etc. usually all the things that make eating out in a large group an absolute...

Lovely carvery - plenty of food - well cooked, warm and fresh. The service was friendly and efficient. No complaints at all.

We stumbled on this little gem on our travels. Thankfully we booked a table in advance as it was completely fully booked, they were turning people away. I can see why it’s busy! We wanted a carvery and wow, I’ve got to say this is...

Been here a few times over the last year & always been a great night with excellent food. Would certainly recommend & will certainly be back again. Thank you!

Came here on a Saturday expecting it to be busy which is fine, but not to the point where your sat waiting so long! Had a table booked for 7:15 and saw people who came in after us get seated first! Finally got seated at...

Good vegan options. Friendly service. Quality food. Nice atmosphere. Free parking. The place looks like it's been recently renovated

Pensioners special board. Really good, just a smaller portion, but still a good amount Food was hot and fresh. Good service, really nice helpful staff. There but not in your face, which I like.. other diners food looks really nice. Would defunately recommend.

Booked at this lovely pub for my husband birthday. From start to finish we couldn't fault the staff, all welcoming, friendly and all had a smile. Food was lovely, didn't take long to come out and was presented nicely. Would definitely go back again and...

Rarely do you go in a pub and get such a rude welcome as what we did when we visited the Bluebell Inn at Wentbridge, Yorkshire. The staff were pretentious and awkward to the point we left. Despite being many empty tables both inside and...

Our Group thoroughly enjoyed our visit and will be returning. I first visited you in the seventies and have never been disappointed

Met family for lunch, having been previously. Super food, nicely served, very tasty and good portions. Couldn't fit in puddings!! Salmon and prawn salad very filling and plenty of fish.

Excellent reasonably priced food. Pleasant surroundings and friendly attentive staff. What’s not to like

We called in yesterday on the off chance of getting a table for two for lunch. However, we were told quite abruptly and rudely by a female staff member that nothing was available, despite there being several unoccupied tables that were not marked as reserved....

Went with medium size party for a birthday celebration We did book in advance and the table was ready for us, we were not crammed in and had plenty of space Really good range of drinks at the bar, good service there despite the member...

Excellent evening in comfortable surroundings with a relaxing atmosphere. Food is of a very high quality for a pub and we were all impressed with the standard of both the food and the service. Good variety of choice on the menu and a good range...

A few days back in my hometown of Pontefract and a visit to the bluebell is a must. Never disappointed with their food and hospitality, all at very reasonable prices. I would have given 5 stars but after soooo looking forward to a pint of...

Made a return visit for lunch after many months of abstaining. The pub was full of diners on our arrival which was a good start. Unfortunately the number of diners wasn’t an indication of the food being great. Being Friday we ordered a fish and...

Absolutely lovely everyone enjoyed the meal one in party said the burger was the best he'd had. Well definitely vist again.

Really good food and wide choice of dishes. Reasonable prices and a lovely location. Would definitely return and recommend

Excellent Valentines meal with my partner, All 3 courses! Food was gorgeous, service very swift and brilliant. We arrived early but this was no trouble for the staff they were very accommodating even though they were rather busy. Already can't wait to return!

Had such a lovely time. Food was so good, absolutely stuffed. Thank you. Will definitely go again xx

Sean (DHubby) booked a surprise birthday treat for me this weekend to stay here. ( We came here five years ago as we had been on three consecutive years running but the last visit was not as good as the previous years). NOW 2022 under...

Last Wednesday both myself and 11 of my family members ate here again for my birthday dinner. We certainly weren't disappointed - lovely service, wonderful freshly cooked food (which was all served at the same time) and all reasonably priced. Thank you for making my...

It was our friend's 60th birthday. We booked on advance and asked for a quiet table. When we arrived we were seated opposite a very noisy group with terrible manners, children running around the restaurant and one father stood up opposite our table swingng his...

Excellent food as always. Lovely atmosphere in a really lovely pub. Staff really helpful and friendly. We'll worth the money.

Staff very obliging and pleasant but food did not match the experience! Prawn cocktail supposedly with a taste of bloody.mary? It did nor and was poorly presented. Fish and chips just OK but at £14 well over priced as it appears most of the.menu was....

We tried to visit this pub which looked lovely but couldn’t go in as we had our dog with us and dogs aren’t allowed. How can you call yourself a country pub if you don’t welcome well behaved dogs?

Handy location if heading northbound on the A1, just set away on B6474. Attractive looking pub with large dining area and separate pizza restaurant. We dived in for a quick lunch and were met with very friendly and swift service. The down sides were that...

We went with a party of 7 service was good food was good but the temperature in the seating area was ridiculous we had to sit with our coats on while eating which is not very good

Very disappointed ordered medium cooked steak but came rare cooked, the quality cut of meat was questionable?? And with a (so what attitude) spoiled the occasion.

It’s just off the A1M and sooooooo much better than a services or somewhere like that. Traditional pub food and the odd unexpected more adventurous dish. I always go for traditional but my partner is the adventurous one. EVERY dish we have had here has...

Excellent food at a very reasonable price served by a waitress with a smile (rare these days). Would definitely recommend this place ideally located just off the A1 in a small village.

Had the great experience of dining at the blue bell, food was fantastic, triple home cooked chips and gamon. Worth every penny. And the staff couldn't have been more accommodating if they tried. My partner is in a wheelchair and this wasn't a problem whatsoever....

We stopped in for lunch en-route from Essex to Newcastle.... I did a bit of research in the car as to where we'd be around lunch time and found this place.... and what a find it was. Literally 5 mins off the A1. Lovely atmosphere,...

A group of seven attended Saturday night I went to the bar and wanted a bottle of Sauvig non blanc...they were out of stock of this best seller I ordered prawn cocktail and was very disappointed in the quality ...still frozen prawns on a plate...

I have been tonight with family. To start I had prawn cocktail and the prawns were icy and no taste. For main I had the lamb which was like mush and tasted dreadful the potatoes and veg were not fresh.I asked for it to be...

Absolutely beautiful food - good friends catch up the King Prawn stir-fry was outstanding, also Louis was very pleasant had time to chat to us whilst serving us as all the staff were very helpful.

Covid compliant, great service and tasty food. After nearly 2 years of missing a good pint(I live in Germany) the glass of Tetleys went down a treat and the menu choice was good. Obvious improvements to the decor has improved the atmosphere. Can't wait until...

We go to the Bluebell frequently for Sunday lunch. The staff are always friendly and welcoming. The food is always lovely with generous portions. The Sunday dinners are always nice with nicely cooked meats and vegetables. I would advise that you book in advance as...

Great menu choice with generous portions. All freshly prepared. Lovely salads. The sizzling chicken stir fry was very dramatic. The OAP menu is offered daily too at £10.95 for two courses. Lovely friendly, attentive staff. Need to book as it gets very busy. Only downside...

Visited for a family meal with 9 of us ranging from 5 to 80 years old. We had a range of the starters, mains and desserts and everything was delicious, hot and generously portioned. Service was very good, would definitely recommend.

We stopped in today and had a fabulous lunch. The ladies working were friendly and helpful the food was amazing plenty of gluten free options including pasta, which I had. My husband had chicken breast with butter beans in tomato sauce with sausage and pesto,...

We had both starter and main and they were equally as delicious. The steak had so much flavour and the amount of sauce was plentiful! Will definitely be back

The food here is very good and the staff are very friendly and attentive. The pub is well decorated and has a very nice vibe about it. The only reasons it wasn’t 5* for me are that the tables are a little uncomfortable (legs in...

Fantastic Saturday lunch, lots to choose from. The belly pork was amazing. Two of us had the pork and the other the chicken in Wensleydale sauce. No complaints at all and the service was great. Can’t wait to go back again.

We had a family of 6 for an early evening meal. Food and service was superb , really nice setting Will definitely be back. The restaurant is a lovely size / nice and intimate

Quite simply stunned at the 3 course meal we had at the Blue Bell! The food is not just your standard pub grub.it is beautifully presented and tasted amazing. Cannot wait to return to try more dishes!!!

Delicious food, served in a country pub, reasonably priced, friendly service, local beers, great wine served in nice wine glasses (makes a change in a pub!) - What more could you want! Well Done Bluebell!

Visited here for a family birthday and the food was outstanding. We were quite large group, all our food was correct, piping hot and beautiful. Will definitely be returning for further meals. Really reasonably priced too, considering the quality of food and the lovely location....

12.30 booking for lunch x 3 Chef forgot ROAST POTATOES!! One of the main items of a Sunday lunch!! None of the other staff noticed either We were not asked if everything was ok where as other tables were. We had to chase up a...

Everything OUTSTANDING. firstly, we were surprised to get a booking given how popular this place is. It was our first time at Blue Bell and we have both said we will come here monthly now. The food was fantastic and we really liked the selection...

Very nice and cosy venue with great countryside views. Staff were very efficient and the vegetarian/vegan food choices were good. Food was excellent quality and was enjoyed by all five of us. Will come again.

A lovely pub lunch in very convivial atmosphere. The food was very tasty and the staff efficient and helpful the place its self was comfortable and pleasant.

Sat outside in the Saturday sun. Somersby cider and John Smiths were nice (no soapy pipes). Food was nice and came quickly, staff were friendly and pleasant regardless of the fact they were stacked out inside. Easy for some customers to forget the staff were...

My family visited this place last night and i wasn't able to go due to work reasons. Big thank you to the staff who allowed my mum to place an order (Dirty Burger) for take out.Very kind and friendly i definitely recommend this place.

What an utterly incredible find on way to Richmond! Impeccable service, really friendly staff and so accommodating of our young son- will absolutely be returning. Could have ordered anything from the really impressive menu- had food envy every time a plate came out.

I had lunch here yesterday with my family. The place felt very safe with hand sanitizer and temperature check on arrival and advice to check in on the app. The service was excellent with very attentive staff and the food lovely as usual. Such a...

Great service Food is great Plenty of parking Bit boring inside tho needs a makeover as very outdated but good food and service so appearance is everything

visited on a wednesday evening, was busy which was lovely to see. Food was lovely starters and mains for all 4 of us were beautiful. Steaks were perfectly cooked and a lovely cut. What let it down for us was that non of the waitresses...

Lovely pub serving good hearty meals with straight forward presentation. A good selection with daily specials, limited slightly by pandemic precautions. We stopped for lunch as we were passing by and were impressed with the hygiene measures introduced because of the pandemic - although one...

A really lovely evening meal. My wife had chicken and leek pie and I had the gammon. Very good quality food portion size just right, well presented, and excellent waiting staff. Will return soon, looking forward to it!

Following the guidelines but still a lovely safe atmosphere. Very nice friendly staff and excellent food.

Social distancing excellent. Staff efficient and friendly. Food was excellent - each one of the 6 meals ordered was delicious and hot . Not rushed throughout the 3 courses. Recommend a visit.

We stopped off for a light lunch on our way to Whitby. We had been here about 12 years ago when we came across it by accident and it was so good that we made a special stop this time. The tables were well spaced...

Visited for the first time despite living locally for years, this place has a good reputation & well deserved from my visit. Not a massive menu but still plenty to choose from & all good quality, good portions & decent prices. Would definitely visit again

We enjoyed a lovely lunch at The Blue Bell Inn today. Food was well presented and very tasty, the staff were very friendly and accommodating of dietary requirements (gf). We will definitely be returning soon.

Went during the Eat Out Help Out government giveaway but it was my 4th or 5th visit over the last couple of years. Its always been in my mind as somewhere serving well beyond average pub type food at nice prices and during my visits...

In a near empty pub we had a 45 minute wait for our main course, the fish pie was plenty full but lacking seasoning and was served with a small portion of peas leaving a rather unflattering looking plate , not a memorable meal all...

Been wanting to visit here for a while but never got around to it. Decided we’d go this week and ‘eat out to help out’ Everything was perfect, from sanitiser on entry and temp checking to make us feel safe, friendly service and then of...

We booked here the day before so that we could stop off for food during our 5 hour journey. All covid measures in place. We sat down to order and all decided to have the carvery. This was served to us at the table. the...

Just can't fault this place whatsoever. I asked for alternative bread bap wirh my burger and it was no problem at all. The food was excellent and the staff were friendly and helpful.

We visited the Blue Bell this week to take advantage of the eat out to help out scheme. It was our first time out as a family since lockdown so we were a little nervous about how things would be dining out. The pub has...

Would highly recommend the BlueBell! The food was delicious and tasty, excellent quality and lots of choice. The staff are really nice and helpful. I will be going again in a few weeks.

Booked a table at 18.00 and was told needed to be finished by 19:30 which was fine by us. Turned up just before 6 was seated, 18.15 we were asked if we wanted drinks, food ordered at same time. Starters came out at 18:50 and...

Would highly recommend dinner at the Blue Bell! The food is delicious, excellent quality, whilst very good value for money. The menu is extensive so lots of choice for everyone. The staff are friendly and helpful and the service was quick and efficient.

Came here for my birthday tea. Wasn’t my choice & wish I’d have stuck to my guns about not coming here!!! Hadn’t booked but after 3 of them muttering and looking at all the empty tables, they managed to get us one. Both had steak...

I have been coming here for years and have found the quality of food consistent whenever I have visited

First time here we go out once a month and decided to try blue bell it was very nice pleasant staff and reasonably priced we will definitely go again

We always enjoy it here.Lovely place in a great village and setting.Friendly and efficient staff.Great meals at reasonable prices.

Have been visiting this pub for years and it gets better every time. It always has a great atmosphere, the staff very welcoming and attentive, and the food is excellent. There's a very varied menu, takes me ages to choose, and there's also a specials...

You will not be disappointed. A busy Friday night, good atmosphere with friendly staff. Food was excellent and reasonably priced. Highly recommended from among our party is the Wensleydale Chicken and the Calves Liver. We will be returning again and again!!!!

I was passing by and noticed the sign saying open all day, so just before 1200 I parked up and it was closed. I waited and glad I did. I was first in an thankful I was since many others followed and it got quite...

Fantastic Service, Atmosphere and Food. No nonsense pub food done to perfection. Excellent for the modest prices. Service is perfect and the atmosphere is fantastic! Glad I live close by! I will be returning soon but I will make sure I book this time.

My partner and visited on a Saturday afternoon. The restaurant was busy but staff were accommodating and found us a table. We both had lasagne and was very nice. Good quality pub food. We will be returning to try the attached pizza restaurant