Cross Keys in Harrogate

Place used to be great but really gone down hill. Walked in and the smell hits you. When asked what dark rum they has it was met with "what you can see". Asked if they had ginger beer and was answered with a statement that they have ginger ale. I said that i was asking about ginger beer and was answered with same with a cold stare and then I was accused of being rude. I advised that i was asking about Ginger beer and was told again I was rude. Clearly this yiung lady needs some customer service skills or there is a need for onother staff member it stress is felt with just one on duty. If asking a queation is rude timea have cleary changed. Needless to say I vacated (after advising that opinions are like ars***holes as everyone has one) and will not be returning

The pub inside is nice and old fashioned, great beer and staff are polite, the only thing I would say is the outside seating area is very dirty and not very nice ,which is made worse by the drains that stink and are clearly broken.

Visiting Knaresborough for couple of days and called for couple of drinks. The Yorkshire Blonde was amazing, and partner had The Butterly. Ended up staying for couple more. Really great place to chill out. Loved it

With its smart and clean decor, consistently top class ales and excellent service, the Cross Keys is now our preferred starting point when meeting for a few pints in town. Overall, it’s probably the best pub in Knaresborough town centre and has been for a while.

We popped in last night for a drink and stayed all night. Lovely bar staff who made us feel very welcome during their quiz night and even offered free pie and peas. We didn't win but we won with our choice of pub, thank you 😊

Regrettably I have just had my last drink in this establishment.My Sunday lunch-time drink was interrupted by the showing, on the TV, of 'The game' ..I don't care whether it is the World Cup or the Coffee Cup I can not envisage ANY situation where I would remain with TV sport.No doubt the raised volume was for the 'benefit' .. or the 'annoyance' of all in the pub. Whether they wanted it or not. Shame! Because darned good beer!

Called for a few drinks one miserable Friday evening. It was pretty quiet but descent music playing. Lovely sociable barman and great beer . Would definitely recommend you try it out . Extremely reasonably priced drinks .

Popped into the 'Keys' after an enforced lapse of about 4 years. A delightful young couple, Ruby and Ryan, greeted me warmly! Still a fantastic range of CAMRA favourites..especially one of my all-time favourites..BUTTERLEY from Riverhead brewery in Marsden. A delightful pub, with fabulous beers and in GREAT! hands. I shall return ..many times!

Fantastic pub! The barmaid knows exactly how to serve a pint of real ale. Great customer service. Good atmosphere. All you can ask 👍

A good pub getting better a busy afternoon ,with good atmosphere,good service and well looked after beer that's why it gets better.

New patio,same well looked after beer ,same good service,same covid awareness,the new young staff asked the right questions and were polite.

The temperature checks disappeared,the table service gone,what felt like a safe environment gone beer still good though.

we always pop in after walking the dog the dog looks forward to it nearly as much as I look forward to s well looked after pint of ossett blonde

I have been here a few times when visiting knaresborough! My husband loves the real ale, my old son loves the moretti and I love the vino! The landlady can not do more to make you feel welcome and relaxed. The locals are all very friendly and the Sunday lunch is great value!!! You get a plate and a half!!! We love to go on a Sunday with my elderly parents and grandchildren.

The staff are always very friendly and welcoming and the beers are superb! Always a perfect pint. The landlady and staff are all very knowledgeable of their ales. There's a quiz on a Thursday night free to enter with the chance to win a gallon of ale! There's also an optional bonus round for a chance to win some cash. There's bands every Saturday night which are always a good laugh.

After walking around the Castle and surrounding area we came across The Cross keys, we sat outside and had a few beers, a nice selection of draught beers, we did not eat, but will try next time we visit, we will be back.

we used the cross keys after the premises had been refurbished the couple have done a good job of keeping this pub as welcoming as on the night it reopened,the food offering is good and the saltaire blonde is always looked after

We called in several times during our short stay in town to enjoy the fine cask ales - eight on tap - and the conviviality of this splendid hostelry. Ange offers the warmest of welcomes and makes you feel right at home like a regular. This is probably the best pub on town and deserves your patronage. Bonus, they’re dog friendly too.

This is a great pub whose manager not only knows her real ales, she is also genuinely interested in people and gave us wonderful objective advice on which pubs and restaurants to visit. Needless to say, we kept coming back! Highly recommended, terrific value ales perfectly kept at correct temperatures.

a great friendly pub with a wide selection of real ales I recommend the Ossett Blonde !! . Sunday lunches are lovely with good portions served .. and live music at weekends

This pub is our long term favourite pub in town. 7/8 real ales on hand pump and reasonable prices. Some beers less than £3 a pint. Mainly Ossett Brewery beers but guest beers regularly served. Old Rosie cider (7.3%) is good. Also have Blue Moon (Belgian) and High Wire Grapefruit Lager). Good range of wines, spirits and soft drinks too. This is a traditional small town Yorkshire Pub with slate slab flooring and wood & brass fittings. Comfortable and friendly. Welcomes dogs - doesn’t just tolerate them!The landlady (Ang) is always very welcoming and nothing is too much trouble. No food during the week, but a very good Sunday Lunch at an amazingly good price - fill roast with choice of three roast meats - all locally sourced. Homemade Yorkshire puddings too - much better than frozen. Live bands every Saturday evening, but just a quiet, friendly ‘local’ most of the time. Open fire in winter - outside seating in warmer weather. In the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. 10% discount on real ale for CAMRA members. First pub I’ve seen in town to use biodegradable straws instead of plastic straws - something I approve of, not that I drink my real ale with a straw!This is just a very relaxed place to enjoy good beer in pleasant surroundings.

New landlord who has recently took over. He had a nice range of beer's. He gave me some good advice regarding food and drink locally, thank you we will call again

Always our first choice of pubs in knaresborough. The staff are amazing and their choice of real ales is always superb!

We call here most weekends, the staff are very friendly and always up for a chat. Great selection of beers which aren't too expensive. Live music and discos feature here regularly.

This is a CAMRA pub which specialises in real ale from microbreweries as well as real cider, plus a variety of draught and bottled lagers, etc, thus catering for a wide range of drinkers' tastes. We had spotted the pub in our Good Beer Guide - I tried the White Rat, a hoppy pale ale from the Rat Brewery in Huddersfield, which was really refreshing. The pub only serves food on a Sunday, so we bought some sandwiches from the nearby Subway to have with our drinks - the landlord is happy for customers to bring in food. We felt very welcome and will definitely return to the Cross Keys on our next visit to Knaresborough.

We cam a crhoss this pub by chance and it was a good find! Excellent beers from Ossett Brewery; friendly staff and locals and papers/magazines to read as well. There are a couple of tables at the fron athough these tend to be used by smokers, but we just enjoyed the beer before heading off to the castle.

My real ale local in Harrogate has been transformed and no longer a pub where I want to spend time. The up side is finding I am able to drink in other pubs. This one has good beer and is quite a traditional pub in its décor and layout. Pleasant place on a weekday evening to sit and sup a couple of pints.

so just moved to Knaresborough. came across the cross keys thought i would stop for a pint of cask.....nobody in place but got a yorkshire blonde anyways. This is probably the best pint ive had in yorkshire over the last 10 year. cask to perfection beautiful Huy clean lacing all down glass. think landlord was working to save labour.... oh my!!! if your in knaresborough and u like cask then come here the beer here is better rhan the view at castle! well done on standards noone sees your cellar but its obviously oustanding!!! thankyou!

Absolutely cock on pint of Yorkshire blood. You would be lucky to find a better conditioned pint of cash in North Yorkshire. Well recommended.

Caught out somewhat epically by the heavens opening with three kids in summer dress. We sort cover and walked in wet through, the lady behind the bar was wonderful and treated the kids to hot chocolate in staff mugs, that made the kids thrilled.

Tim and Any excellent hosts went over and beyond to ensure 60th birthday party went well. Fabulous band and everyone was very friendly, Sunday lunch excellent value and choice,

A GREAT! range of beers including several from The Rat Brewery! Dandelion and Burdock Rat! Superb! Along with the usual superb service and people!

We use this pub regularly the staff are lovely it has a great atmosphere and gets packed on gig nights

REALLY great, friendly traditional pub. Loads of choice of beer, all in excellent fettle. Very light, comfortable and cosy. One for the discerning drinker.

A superb! new log fire addition to the main bar! Now even cosier than before!! Fantastic!! Fab range of beers, great welcome, nothing better.

Went in for a drink with my family, I have visited this pub in the past. It is a lovely traditional pub which is quite large. There is plenty of seating and was busy when we arrived on a Friday night.

I visited The Cross Keys with family for a quick drink and chat. The staff were friendly, efficient and helpful which instantly made me feel welcome unlike some pubs I've visited!

As is the case with pubs in most towns, the pubs in Knaresborough hit peaks and troughs at different times and it just seems to be the case that several of them are in distinctly deep troughs at the moment.

We stopped here on a bit of a crawl and was pleasantly surprised. Always thought it was an old boy's pub but couldn't be further from it.

On a visit to this lovely town we wanted a bite to eat and came across this place. We were greeted as soon as we entered. We ordered a snack and drinks which came within 10 minutes. Ok for a quick snack at lunchtime.

Really good price for a Sunday lunch. A bit disappointed with the portion and the Yorkshire puddings. But the staff were lovely! And they have board games!! Xx

It's nice to find a pub that has retained originality, one for the locals yet welcoming for visitors. An excellent selection of ales, well kept and served. A great place for refreshments and informal eating.

Again.. I have enjoyed, as an overseas visitor, many daily visits.. I absolutely cannot fault this Emporium of fine beers, great service and!! I discovered!! a FREE and superb eclectic array of delightful bar 'finger food' on.. Not only! Friday.. But Saturday and Sunday also at about 1700.. What a great pub!

I am so pleased I tried this pub for Sunday lunch best food I have tasted in a long time! I asked for a small lunch so pleased I did I got roast beef, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and a dish of mixed vegetables all this for £4.95 no way could I make this for that price and no washing up! My mum and me have decided to make this a regular meal out! The landlord and landlady are such a lovely couple Tim and Anj nothing is to much trouble!

This is our favourite pub in Knaresborough for an early evening drink for many reasons, not least the large range of real ales, most from Yorkshire (with discount for CAMRA members), and the very friendly welcome for our dog as well as for us. This really is a traditional small town pub, clean and comfortable and popular with locals. There is a small outside seating area, popular when the sun is out. Live music every Saturday night when it gets busier, but usually just a good friendly civilised pub.

After climbing a massive hill we were starving and stumbled across this pub. The staff were chatty and friendly. We ordered a steak pie with veg and a choice of potatoes. We were told that there would be a wait as it was all made fresh! The meat was soft and tender (no fat!) and lots of meat in the filling and the veg was fresh also. I would recommend if you want to eat somewhere quiet, average priced and friendly

Fantastic food. Polite staff and loved the different selection of ale, would highly recommend this place to eat or even just for a few beers in the afternoon and night

The Cross Keys is an absolute hidden gem. While it seems to be a quiet little pub from the outside and often is through the week, on Saturdays it becomes an electric, buzzing music venue. I've never seen anything like it. Knaresborough is lucky to have such a great pub and such a great landlady! She's warm and witty, having created an atmosphere that's welcoming and cosy and she's a great cook too!! What more could you want? The beer's amazing too. I'll definitely be back.

From the first time I walked into this pub some months ago I have visited regularly. What a wonderful, friendly welcome I receive EVERY time I visit. Anj, Eva, Tim..Lovely people. Great regulars, NO FOOTBALL! , fantastic, inexpensive range of beers kept beautifully, I have looked high and wide for a pub like this... I found it!! Please keep it up!

Another cracking Ossett brewery pub, lovely setting, great beer. Food served Friday to Sunday only. The music is just for background, so we can have a decent conversation without shouting

We stop in the Cross Keys regularly as we really like the atmosphere. The staff are always very friendly, the beer is good and the food is always fab whenever we have eaten!

I visit probably once or twice a month, the atmosphere is friendly and the staff great. Thoroughly enjoy my visits, to this cozy local

I just popped in for a pint with friends and found the town cryer in his break, great atmosphere, friendly barstaff exellent beer, thankyou very much

Brilliant guest beers!! Love this little pub with 8 proper hand pulls!!! Nice and traditional and do a gorgeous Sunday lunch every week!!! X

There's so many SAMs smiths and johns smiths pubs etc so it's a lovely alternative. I would deeply recommend a visit to the keys in Knaresborough. The staff are extremely friendly and made us feel welcome from the moment we entered. The regulars are very nice people and everyone joins in and chats with each other. The real ales are diverse and the lines are obviously cleaned regularly because the beer tastes so much nicer than usual. I'm joining the real ale revolution! Thank you For a wonderful experience:-)

Goodness knows what irked the previous reviewer but let me put a completely alternative take on the situation.I visited the pub last month, being desperate to find somewhere for Sunday lunch after a day's tramping the streets of Harrogate and Knaresborough. Although they had stopped serving, they kindly rustled up a fantastic roast dinner for 4 of us with Yorkies and crackling!Very tasty, very hospitable, great beer ..... whats not to like.I'd recommend the Cross Keys to any visitors to Knaresborough.

Food only on Sunday but a great lunch with a choice of meats or a bit of everything. Beer is good with a wide selection of Ossett Ales and a couple of guests. Staff are friendly, overall a nice experience.

We visited for Sunday lunch as a family. The food was superb, traditional Sunday roast with a choice of three meats. My partner couldn't decide and had a bit of everything! My daughter cleaned her plate which is usually unheard of!

The Cross Keys was once one of the best pubs in Knaresborough. Unfortunately the new manager is extremely rude, abusive and very often extremely drunk! The manner in which they treat the customer is very unusual, I always thought that landlords were there to help diffuse situation not entice them! The amount of times I have unfortunately been witness to some very unpleasant moments between the manager, customers and even musicians booked for entertainment has been one too many. When does a pub openly shout for the musicians to "Get out of my Pub"!? When a manager starts to harass customers provoking and attempting to incite them, you've got to make the decision to never go back again! It's a shame that such a great pub has fallen to these levels. Otley brewery should look into things before its too late!