Bruce Arms in Harrogate

Ate here after a terrible experience at the Bay Horse which has gone down all of a sudden. By far this pub is the best one in the small town portion sizes were plentiful and the service was “proper” after reading other reviews it looks like this one is the place to go to for local folk aswell as travel seekers. Keep up the hard work! 😊

This is a great little pub and the lady who served us on Sunday night is lovely. The night before, we'd had an awful experience at the Black Sheep Brewery's bistro so we were looking for an alternative on Sunday night. The Kings Head turned us away, quite rudely, because they were only serving people with reservations (there was a sign outside but you couldn't see it in the dark as the light wasn't working) and the White Bear didn't bother to respond to the emails, phone calls or online reservation attempts. In the end, we tried the Bruce Arms as we'd had a drink there the day before and saw lots of locals eating there. We're so glad we did as the steak pie was fantastic, just blew away the fare at the Black Sheep Brewery. The landlady was really friendly, even though she was on her own looking after the bar and bringing food out and we came in without booking, we were given a warm welcome and just felt really comfortable. We did feel underdressed as we'd not taken our dogs with us but the dogs who were there were all really well behaved and friendly.

Fabulous bacon baguettes - just ask them to leave out the brie and cranberry. Friendly staff. Excellent range of local beers.

We dropped in here for lunch the other day. It was a bit quiet but then again we are starting to drift out of the tourist season. We got a warm greeting from the hosts (who were just opening and setting up for the day). There's a choice of indoor seating and a beer garden out the back. The menu was short - perhaps six mains and about the same number of sandwich offers but the portions were large and the food good quality.

There are a dozen main options for dinner and fairly generous portions. The stacked onion burger was delicious and had a lasagne and salad for something different the next night. Price reasonable around £15 a meal. Didn't really use the beer garden as the real suntrap seems to be in the few tables at the front of the pub

We have visted this pub before in the summer of 2023 and the steak night in the beer garden was amazing and we'll priced £25pp. Defenitly reccomend! However we visted on Sat 14th September 2024 and found that their were positives and some less positives. Menu is not very big but the chicken skewers starters were delicious. All mains recieved and presented well. Between us we had steak pie, Fish and chips and a couple of vegetarian curry's (really nice) Sadly service was not the best, waiting ages for plates to be cleared so we could order desert (orders to be taken at the bar) this is clearly a pub under staffed there was a lovely young girl running around like crazy doing the bar, orders and tables and for a busy Saturday night put they need to look at highering more staff. The pudding is what let it down we were expecting really delicious brownies and they were really dry and tasted over microwaved. So we left most of them, to end on a positive our friend had the sticky toffee pudding and that looked and tatested lovely according to him. Overall a nice pub but possibly a better experience if you visit on less busy days.

Every business' greatest asset is its staff. Never more so than here, great laugh, friendly and all-around great service. As perfect a pint of Theakstons Old Peculier as I've had and the food is fantastic. Can't fault the place.

We’d booked a table for dinner, two adults and a child, on a Tuesday evening. When we arrived we stood at the bar. There was a woman pulling a pint behind the bar, she didn’t acknowledge us or make eye contact even after she’d finished serving her customer. She then walked away and left us standing in limbo at the bar. Another woman came in about and told us we could sit anywhere we liked. She pointed to a blackboard and advised that was the menu . . . no mention of a children’s menu or if our daughter was to choose from the same menu. The woman then disappeared. We waited 15 minutes or so to order drinks and ask about the children’s menu but the woman never returned so we left! There were two customers in the bar and one other table in the restaurant so not exactly busy. We went to the Kings Head instead and had a lovely meal.

Have been to the Bruce Arms for a number of years for the excellent beer garden and the sandwiches. Went back today for the first time in 9 months and although the beer garden is still great the sandwiches weren’t great anymore. With a sandwich the one thing that’s essential is fresh bread and the bread was stale or at least left on the side exposed to the air for a while as it was tough. It’s not good enough just having a good beer garden the food needs to be great. What a shame we’ll have to find another venue for our drives out

We came in for a drink and decided to have something to eat. This is the first time we have eaten here since the new owners took over. I had the chicken parmo with chips and homemade coleslaw which was delicious and my husband had a steak pie. We both thought the food was excellent and will defiantly come back to eat again.

We have not been in for a while it is under new owners and they are doing a great job completely different place Food is brilliant we have ate here 2 now in the past week, beers great too very friendly and welcoming our dog was offered water and biscuits too. We will be back when we are next in masham

Went in as a family of six for Sunday lunch. The meal came out beautifully presented and tasted as good as it looked. Will definitely be going again.

Had a lovely evening in this friendly pub. Great beer, tasty and well priced food and made to feel very welcome by the locals.

My PA booked myself and a work colleague in here Friday night.Fed up of corporate overpriced unhappiness,I needed to change tac.What a GEM !!! Greeted like a football team on winning the European cup,we were shown to our rooms by the most delightful younge lady.This is a home.A comfortable bed and a duvet to block the world out.Bags in straight downstairs.Another charming girl couldn’t be more helpful on choice of drinks.Great choice for ale lager and cider drinkers in equal measure and a wine cellar to keep the late great Oliver Reed happy.If of course he found himself locked in it.Landlord introduced himself and organised our table for forty five minutes time.Wonderful menu that promised good home cooked fair but delivered Michelin grade food without the pomp.Won’t bother boring you with my choice,”yes I will” beef cheek cooked by God himself,with dark chocolate tart and vanilla to end.So re cap. Great Landlord,welcome,barmaids,room,food, service,drinks and hospitality.Can one still use the term barmaid.Well I jolly well can. Will definitely be returning and highly recommend a visit by you whose finally got to the end of my review.

Delicious food. The staff are friendly and attentive. The pub is dog friendly too, which is a bonus for us!

Had a Sunday roast and vegetarian option. Took the dog, staff were lovely, very friendly, food was served swiftly and was a great roast with plenty of veg and a huge Yorkshire pud!

Not much atmosphere and noisy dogs. We like dogs but a lab coming and barking and had a wee on the floor with excitement. Another small dog barking constantly. Didn’t go back and not very relaxing and no atmosphere. Could be so much better.

Basic but comfortable. Staff were friendly and attentive. Food was typical pub grub but absolutely delicious. Best of all 3 tvs showing the England v Samoa match.

Went to the very wonderful Masham Sheep Fair and called in like we usually do for a drink and lunch. Can't fault either the beer or the food but the visit let down by one thing. My first drink was pulled in a plastic glass. When I went up for my second the guy in front asked for a real glass but was told "We are only using plastic glasses today". I looked over the end of the bar and pointed at a guy being given a pint in a proper glass and commented "well he's got a real glass" only to be told 'Well he's a local". Really disappointed as we have been in there loads of times and this is the first time this has happened. After another walk round we went in the Bay Horse over the road and got a proper glass and made a mental note to go there next year instead. Appreciate it was a busy day due to the fair but if you want repeat custom don't treat them like that.

Bryan, Katy and the team at The Bruce Arms Masham provide a real welcome to you. So friendly and go out of their way to provide a wonderful atmosphere for a drink and/or food. On a recent one week's holiday we dined 4 nights at The Bruce after the first 3 night's evening food let us down in other local pubs. Do not miss the Steak Night (Tuesday) when it is on. Excellent. So good, we went back the rest of the week to eat at night and would recommend a visit to this lovely Pub. Do book a table as it gets busy. Thank you, Bryan, Katy, Chris, Amelia and the rest of the team.

Was very average, limited menu, food was OK, but very expensive for what was actually received. £40 for Basic Cheeseburger and chips , Scampi and chips and 2 drinks. Honestly the food was ok, but really nothing special, would we go back, probably not. Whilst we were there witnessed people complaining that they didnt have the food available for them after ordering, kitchen ran out of Burgers, Bacon and Ciabattas, wasnt that busy at the time we were there. Unfortunate, looked quite promising from the outside.

We had a great meal at the Bruce Arms yesterday evening. The staff were friendly and the food was really nice quality hearty pub grub classics.

First of all the pub was busy, the staff behind the bar were brilliant and accommodating. We ordered some food and we’re told there would be a long wait, that’s fine. I’m coeliac so when ordering I asked for gluten free options which I was told were 3. I went for the steak but without the onions rings. When the food came out mine had an onion ring on it so I sent it back, all they did was take the onion ring off and bring the meal back. My wife and son ordered a pizza each, they took one bite and both declared there was an odd taste to them so my wife mentioned this to the staff. Later the manager came out to enquire what was wrong which we explained. His opinion was that there was nothing wrong with the pizzas and quite vocal about that. I then told him about the onion ring on my plate, when I told him I was coeliac he stated “if I had known that I would have matched you out of the door” which I think was incredibly rude, we’re here for a few days and definitely won’t be going back there.

Pre-wedding dinner with close family of the bride…we were outrageously well looked after…from opening the kitchens especially for us, to putting up with our raucous laughter and family stories! The food was delicious and the servings were too much to finish…they even catered to a finicky brides pre-wedding carb free diet and gave us puppy treats to keep our little monster happy…! Thanks you for giving us the perfect start to the perfect weekend!

We went for Sunday roast lunch. The pub is charming. The food is excellent. The service was average, very average!

A dull day in Masham and we were hungry so headed in here. Lunchtime food is typical pub grub but there is nothing wrong with that and, considering it was quite busy, the food arrived in a reasonable time. We enjoyed what we had. A great range of beers sold too including from the local Black Sheep brewery. Had we not been driving we may have been tempted to have more! Alas, will just have to go back. Staff friendly and helpful too.

Honestly can never fault Bruce for their food. It's consistently delicious and we're always returning for their stunning pizzas and their parmos 😱😱. Lovely to their locals and always friendly with their customers. Perfect as always

Thanks for a fab afternoon yesterday! We were staying in Snape and always make a trip over to Masham and Bruce Arms. We had a lovely chilled afternoon yesterday in the beer garden. Sun shining, lovely refreshments and live folk music. Thank you to the friendly staff, who worked hard on a warm, busy day! Thank you also for keeping hold of my glasses, which I’d left on the table - you’re life savers! X

This is a beautiful, dog friendly, traditional pub. It stocks an excellent selection of local beer, the food is tasty, plentiful and good value and the atmosphere is welcoming. We have been here many times and hope to visit many more.

What a great find, sat in the sunny beer garden chatting with the owners in the afternoon, returned in the evening for drinks the staff were all very friendly and spoilt our dog rotten, great atmosphere. Highly recommended.

A nice pleasant surprise meal. We came out for some good pub grub, they were serving a Chinese buffet which was great, plenty of food and staff were most helpful. Cheers Guys. P.s dogs welcome and treats galore for good pups. Apparently a weekly buffet...

Writing on behalf of my partner (I was too full of Coronation BBQ from the night before) Well he had one and there was pork,beef and turkey with 7 accompanying veg/pots plus turkey and homemade Yorkshire pudding, where it was all served by the chef...

Told it would be a 30 minutes wait for food, that was fine but then 45 minutes later we received two of our meals and then 5 minutes later they came back out saying they had ran out of burgers asked what else we would...

Great friendly service from al the staff, very friendly with our dog. Food served as large portion and very good quality produce. All locals also very friendly and welcoming

Lovely pub with friendly staff and locals. My husband and I both had the cheese burger. BEST burger I've had in ages. You can't half tell the difference when the meat is locally sourced. Gutted we don't live closer. Would highly recommend and will definitely...

Went into this pub twice in the same week and the staff were exceptionally rude! Won’t be going back!

Lovely pub. Steph is lovely and very polite, kept calling us sir and ma’am. The locals are really friendly and we chatted with quite a few people.

What’s happened to the amazing Sunday roast that you do?. I prebooked a table for Mothers Day today with no mention on the phone that Sunday Roast was no longer served (we have been lots of times in the past and always had s great...

My family had booked a table across the road and the booking fell through when they had misplaced the booking. But the Bruce accommodated us immediately when we walked in and a lovely couple allowed us all to sit on their table with them. It...

Friendly local pub with good selection of drinks and menu. The pie was tasty but definitely not home made and should have been finished the oven, not just microwaved as it makes the pastry tough. Home made chips should be or not advertised as that.

We have been coming to the Bruce Arms for a meal for years and were looking forward to our annual Sausage and Mash with onion gravy followed by pud and their delicious coffee. When we arrived and asked the 2 young girls behind the bar...

Staff and food absolutely fabulous can’t recommend this place enough we ate there for all our stay lucky to find it on first night

The Theakston Best is good, the Black Sheep is good, the Landlord is the best! Lovely big fire in the winter.

Wandered in on a Wednesday night between xmas and new year was quiet but fire was roaring, cosy welcoming with fantastic music Nick Drake to Buzzcocks. The music was just an added bonus to the beautifully poured pint of beer.

Warm welcome just before Christmas. Lovely food produced quickly alongside local beers. Blazing fire. Will definitely be back.

Visiting the area and called in for lunch. Lovely little pub. Had the steak and ale pie and fish and chips, both meals were really tasty and a good size portion.

Christmas Trip to Masham with family and friends. Went to the Bruce Arms and the land lady could not have been more welcoming. Great service and a friendly welcome

One word Fab u lous! The food was absolutely delicious. Not one fault. The service was impeccable and the servers were extremely friendly. Highly recommend

On visiting as part of my 50th celebrations with a group of close friends, we found the landlady very abrupt and rude. What could of been a simple polite request for us to move so a couple could use the table behind us, she came...

This pub is the best possible pub you can ask for. Brilliant service, friendly staff, and delicious food. Whether you are a visitor or a local I implore you come here.... No I demand you! Buy theakstons and have a true yorkshire experience. Best pub...

Fantastic pub friendly staff & locals, food is excellent, I had the pie (to die for) wife had the scampi which was equally as good. Highly recommended

The pies oh the pies are to die for . Best pie ever , sweet meat and pastry was outstanding. Along with the fish and chips which beat me . Thank you bruce arms , masham

The BEST roast dinner I’ve had in a long time. Extra gravy as standard - wow. Huge portion. Lovely girls behind the bar too! Thank you

Never been here before but what a lovely little pub, Gemma was so welcoming really made me feel at home. The food is outstanding highly recommend you give it a try. Will defiantly be back

Friendly pub with a nice choice for lunch. We had the sandwiches - both beef & pork and they were happy to switch the bread to our choice. The sandwiches came with chips & gravy and stuffing if we wanted it. It was all fresh...

Lovely food would highly recommend. My chicken was absolutely delicious. The dog was welcomed even though he was a pain. Will definitely be back.

Having read some negative reviews of The Bruce Arms, we decided to give it a visit anyway, as we were staying in Masham and fishing The Ure (salmon) and Leighton Reservoir (trout). Well, our first evening visit was so good - great pub food, lovely...

We didn't eat here but I have to say if you are looking for a welcoming dog friendly pub (we have 3 dogs) which serves good beer and has a stunning beer garden then do not hesitate to visit the Bruce

We saw the special board on the bar saying roast beef/pork on a toasted Brioche bun with stuffing, gravy and chips! (Stuffing only came with pork, we asked if we could get on the beef but eyes were rolled at us) we got one of...

Went to Masham for the day. Was a lovely little town and we stumbled across this place. The food was very good. Best meal I've had out in a long time. Everything was fresh and very generous portions. Staff were very friendly too. If I'm...

A friendly local pub tied to Black Sheep but also serving arch rival Theakstons beer. Dog friendly too. Does great steaks on Tuesday night.

Our second visit, this time for a relaxing Sunday night stay. The Bruce is in a great location for a walk along the river, followed by a wonderful roast beef dinner, some great beers and equally great red wine. There's no food service on Sunday...

Wanted to revisit Masham and have a pub meal. So pleased we came to a pub with great atmosphere and great service.

We had originally booked to stay at a large chain hotel but my husband convinced me to look at an independent guest house. As much as this pains me to admit, he was 100% right in this instance! The hotel is in a pretty little...

Vegetables were hard and undercooked, meat and gravy were cold. Wrong order originally came out. Not good at all!!

my friend and I visited the Bruce Arms for a meal and a few drinks. The food was amazing as was the atmosphere and the hosts. when leaving we tried to book a taxi home we were unable to get one and nearly ended up...

We visited The Bruce Arms for an early dinner on Monday 13 Jun, The staff were lovely and very welcoming, There was a very limited menu on offer but the food was nice, lots of extras with the steak, peas, onion rings, mushroom tomato, salad,...

Great fresh home cooked food and super helpful and friendly staff- pleasant evening. Gave us good local info too. We’ll be back

Came across this pub just off the Market Square tempted by the sign on the roadside for Sunday Roast. Didn’t disappoint; beef for me, veggi option for my wife, with all the trimmings. Friendly staff, great pint of Theakstons Lightfoot. Nothing fancy; typical Dales pub....

Been the the Bruce Arms a few times. Really good beer! Possibly the best Theakstons pint ever. Today, however, we popped in for a pint and some dinner. The place was full of 'travellers'. They were loud and intimidating. Totally spoiled the atmosphere. There's a...

We had an ok meal here but it was just that - menu was standard pub fayre but nothing really stood out. On the plus side, service was very friendly.

Never been in this establishment before. We ordered two meals and they both came with chips. To say the chips were poor is a understatement. It was quite obvious they had been left over from lunchtime and re cooked about 2 or 3 times. The...

Enjoyed a delicious meal with a friend there last night. We both had sirloin steak with all the trimmings. Cooked to perfection. Best meal we have had in a long time Staff were exceptionally friendly and welcoming, nothing was too much. Whether you fancy a...

Nice evening meal here - friendly landlord/landlady - tasty main meal, good portion size and, wow, that apple & rhubarb crumble - we would go back just for that!!

Warm welcome when we first arrived - sun was shining so opted to sit in the garden! Lovely open beer garden. The staff were friendly too, ordered two lunches and they were delicious! Proper chips which were amazing! Started our little holiday off right!

We called in at the Bruce Arms at the end of a lovely walk with our dog. The pub looks nice from the front but the beer garden around the back is a must & a lovely surprise if you haven’t been before. The views...

Stopped in Masham to break our journey and returned to The Bruce Arms. It was good the first time we visited and it was just as good on our second. The staff are friendly and efficient. The scampi and chips - oh my - just...

Very dog friendly, with good beer & steak and ale pie & chips. Outdoor seating available. Dog looked after with a treat too.

We popped in for an afternoon pint in the beer garden which was well maintained & dog friendly. There was an accordion group playing in the bar, which was quite fun.

A really nice good old fashioned Yorkshire pub. Good grub and a friendly host, well worth a stop at and a good pint of beer into the bargain

We were greeted at the door as if we were old friends, and couldn’t have received a warmer welcome. The service was fantastic, staff attentive and friendly. The food was amazing, with the menu varied but not overstretched. Our party opted for steaks, sea bass...

We visited for lunch whilst passing through Masham. On arrival we had to wait a short time to be served, but were acknowledged whilst waiting. The service was helpful, pleasant and friendly throughout our visit. The menu provided us with a perfectly adequate choice and...

Had a lush Sunday dinner and a few pints! The owners were present and made us feel very welcome. Had a game of darts with some local ale - what Sundays are for! Excited for summer as my dogs love the size of the beer...

Excellent service. Lovely atmosphere. Dog friendly and the bar staff extremely friendly was made to feel so welcome. Will be back.

Went in with my friend. The landlord was insulting to one of the kitchen staff so the whole pub could hear. My friend and I walked out as this behaviour was unacceptable and embarrassing

Visited today for the 1st time since Covid. Don’t know if it’s changed hands ( was owned by the same people who ran The Richard Third in Middleham ) but we’re met with a bar full of beer pumps with 3 out of 5 not...

Absolutely shocking service, staff were ignorant and couldn’t care less that we are paying customer. If you’re with family or friends I’d avoid and take money else where, I will mention the fact that they threatened us and basically kicked us out with F words...

Having seen the excellent reviews for the Bruce Arms we had a ride out to yesterday for lunch. We received a warm welcome when we arrived but unfortunately the Steak and Ale pies that we ordered were cold and the meat was very tough, So...

We visited for lunch on a cold, rainy day with our dog , who was welcomed. Comfy, cosy pub with friendly service. We had a sandwich for lunch which was well presented and very tasty. Definitely recommend a visit of your in the area.

Three generations - including small children - staying nearby in a self-catering cottage. We wanted a straightforward pizza type meal one evening and spotted the Bruce Arms during a daytime walk around Masham. We opted for an early reservation (5.45pm) because of the little people...

A very poor pint of ale served that was the end of the barrel, was palmed off by being told it was the first one out. Shame because the pub looks so inviting.

That’s what you call a steak pie. Visited on a day in Masham. Full of locals lovely fire in the bar. The food was fresh hot and ample portions.

Really friendly local pub. We had a lovely meal, the portion sizes were large and great value for money. Will visit again next time we’re in Masham

This place looks to be more of a locals haunt. Pretty sure that my dad had bad guts after having the dregs of a cask that then had to be changed. Shouldn’t have reused that glass for the fresh cask. Didn’t come across as very...

Popped in for a couple of beers & some lunch. I had cheeseburger & chips, hubby had steak and ale pie & chips. Both were lovely. Hubby was going to order fish & chips but was worried being pub grub it may be frozen &...

Very cool and handsome staff, a young gentleman in a red shirt was very polite (and easy on the eyes) Great prices and will be coming back

Good food at a great price, welcoming staff and great local pub. If you’re in the area, would definitely recommend for a relaxed evening

Good food very helpful staff and of course food beer Theakstons and black sheep good service from Gabby

Arrived around 12 with my 3 year old daughter who wanted pizza for lunch, even though it wasn't on the menu they made one specially for her. Fantastic staff and food, will definitely be returning

Arrived at the at 12 o clock was told food wouldn’t be served until 1230 , we came back then was told no food until 1245 so we said ok we’ll get a drink and wait , 1305 still nothing so I went to the...