Middle Earth Tavern in Scarborough

Had a very unfriendly atmosphere. Not dog friendly. Not offered a receipt for drinks, quick to take money, quick to pressurise you to buy more drinks. Just weird and uncomfortable, glad to get out!

Clean, friendly, could do with a bit of decorating on the middle earth front to make it special.

The waitress was not that happy to see the customers, kind of spoilt the atmosphere a little. It was nice that you didn't have to queue at the bar. I rather enjoyed the table service.

Great little pub, gorgeous female bar staff.... what's not to love

Only in here for drink, clearly a fav if visiting Whitby for the folk festival, very busy but enjoyed listening to the singing and music 😊

Immaculately clean and welcoming pub just that little further off the tourist trail but truly worth seeking out. The beer is well kept. Terrace on the front. Go find this gem. UPDATE: 28.08.24. Another visit and I've added the well deserved 5th star because this place is faultless! We sat outside as the weather was glorious. The staff here know what they're doing and told us to find a seat and they would take our order. Not only that, when it was obvious we were nearing the end of our drinks, they politely asked if we would like another. And of course, we did. (I cannot understand why other bars and pubs don't do this.) The Theakston Old Peculier (I had two) was superb, the company of others was great and once again, the whole experience was absolutely spot on. Well done, Tavern!!👌👏👏🍻🍺

The atmosphere has changed, it's now table service, the waitresses were friendly and efficient. Beer was good

Nice atmosphere, nice decor. Friendly staff.

The pub was bought out by new owners. The Lord of the Rings Reference now has nothing to do with what the pub is. Weirdly they want to seat and then bring your drink to you rather than just you taking your drink from the bar. They aren't very open to the Folk singers and the annual folk feastival, and have a disdain for them. The one staff member seemed to have disdain for people overall... Why run or work in a pub? It feels like the pub was bought out by owners from London that want to bring the big city to the North East. The chap was friendly enough to talk to. But definitely doesn't understand what Northern UK pubs are about. Just more southern gentrification and loss of traditional and regional culture. Goes without saying that it was definitely a quiet atmosphere, and plenty of seats available for you to be seated whilst your pint is brought to you. If you're a bit of a soft wuss and don't like genuine pubs, drink with your little finger in the air, and are scared of humanity. Then this is the pub for you. A Middle Earth Tavern it is not. More what a pub would be like if Sauron ran one: Empty and just for him. Far better pubs in Whitby, this one no longer fits the vibe of what otherwise is a very lively and quirky English coastal town.

First experience of Middle Earth, folk festival with music and good company. Even performed myself!

Visited Whitby recently and spotted this pub. As a Tolkien fan, I thought it might be fun for the family. It was then that I noticed huge Reform Party signs in the windows. Why would a landlord do this? Suffice to say, I didn't go in because I don't give money to racist bigots.

Great pub. Lovely atmosphere and the kids love it.

Poor service. 2 children on the bar serving.... too busy being clingy to pay attention to serve. Personality of wet lettuce.. this has to be the most sad place I've had the miss fortune to have a drink in. 🤣 piss poor.

As a pub with a sign of gollum outside and being called Middle Earth tavern I thought yeah get in this is going to be a great place but unfortunately that's where the theme stops outside as inside is modern with absolutely nothing else to suggest middle earth with no creativity whatsoever such a shame really a huge chance missed I think 😮..

Almost seemed like we were a burden. Told us to take a seat and they would take our order but when we asked what wine they have, they sent us to the bar

Was told where to sit and was not able to go to the bar to even see what drinks were on offer. No atmosphere apart from a quite intimidating one due to the Far Right promotion from some of the regulars. This used to be such a good fun laid back space but it is not the same. The statement that they proudly host Reform Party meetings may explain the demise

We didn't eat, but the service was good, and the beer refreshing 😋

Used to love this locals regular but it’s now run by right wing extremists, with gay couples being abused by the owners. Avoid.

Good pub.friendly staff clean and comfy

Covered in far-right Reform posters, and they host their odious little events here too, proclaiming 'Everyone Welcome' - unless you happen to be non-white, non-British, gay, trans, or disabled, presumably. JRR Tolkien must be turning in his grave. Foul.

We were visiting Whitby for the weekend without our little ones. This place is next to the harbour so you get a nice view sat outside. It's also away from the main bit of the town so we found it to be a quieter escape from the young families that swarm to the beach this time of year. Lovely staff and our order was taken at the table. We didn't order food, but we did sink several pints and each time they were brought to us within a minute of ordering. Very fast efficient service. We love LOTR so we enjoyed the name of the pub, but I felt they could have ran with that theme a little more as there wasn't much reference to LOTR other than the taverns name. They also have their political views on show as supporters of Reform. We weren't too bothered about this but thought it was worth a mention.

Great table service from pleasant staff, good choice of beer.

We like Lord of the Rings so we walked up to this place. We saw they have far-right political posters in all the windows, and the clientele seemed to be elderly tattooed chain-smokers. Whatever the opposite of "a nice pub" is, this place is it. Avoid like dysentery

We're a family of Lord of the Rings fans so we walked up to this place. The first thing we noticed were the far-right political posters in the windows. The second thing we noticed were all the customers sitting outside were over 65. Then we realised that this is the pub for the elderly racists of Whitby. If you're an elderly racist, you'll probably think it's great. For everyone else, avoid like typhoid. There are plenty of nice, welcoming pubs in Whitby. This is not one of them.

Nice half cider, but a bit odd to be told to sit and it's table service only. Reform are supported here and they have their banner in the window. That put me off.

Really nice place to have a drink. Really good selection, lovely atmosphere, staff were superb. Really enjoyed it, next time in Whitby I will be going back

Great place, warm welcome and gorgeous beer..

Lord of the Rings themed in name only. Shame. Friendly staff and table service though. Typical pub.

Visited this pub with a family of 6 adults hoping to spend the evening there, however it was more of a mean girl experience. There were teenage girls serving behind the bar who made my sister feel very unwelcome. They made it very obvious that they was talking about her. This made the party too uncomfortable to stay so we left. Was a shame really because the pub was nice just a shame about the staff.

Visited this pub recently and it was a very uncomfortable experience. The staff, made up of young girls, were more interested in chatting amongst themselves than providing good service. It felt like they were discussing our party as we arrived, which was very off-putting. In contrast, other pubs in the area offer warm welcomes and a much better atmosphere. On top of that, the Guinness was poured terribly – the head was full of gas bubbles. I would not recommend this pub to anyone looking for a friendly and inviting experience.

I have never ever experienced customer service like this in my whole 18 years. As i work in customer service myself i know exactly what’s expected. I walked in last night Saturday 13th july, and there were 3 teenage girls serving behind the bar around half 6, i’d say a similar age to myself and i immediately felt uncomfortable as soon as i walked by, as soon as i sat down they started whispering to each other and looking over at me and giggling through out the shift. It was an extremely unwelcoming experience as they were making it extremely obvious they were speaking about me in a not very nice manner. As soon as i sat down i didn’t even want to order a drink because i was that disgusted with the experience i had and didn’t want to provide and money for the pub with bar staff like that, so my family ordered before they were aware of what had happened and as soon as they were made aware by seeing it for themselves they had their drink and left as soon as possible. Will never ever return to this bar which is a real shame because it’s a beautiful place just a shame the bar staff are so disgusting.

I was really disappointed with the customer service that was provided at this pub. We walked in as a family of 6 and there were 3 teenage girls stood serving at the upstairs bar around 18:30 last night. As my girlfriend walked by they all looked at her and their eyes followed her across the room and as she sat down one of the girls whispered to one of the other girls and they all looked over and started giggling through out their shift. My girlfriend was extremely conscious the full time sat there because they was constantly looking over at her and giggling amongst themselves, and we didn't even finish our drinks and decided to leave, would not recommend when immature little girls like that are working there with shocking customer service, i’ve never seen my girlfriend so uncomfortable. 2 brown haired girls and 1 blonde I will also add they can’t poor a pint properly, especially Guinness. Disgusting i wouldn't recommend this pub to anyone and ive seen a hand full of reviews about the same young girls, something needs to be done about them asap

I have never ever experienced customer service like this in my whole 18 years. As i work in customer service myself i know exactly what’s expected. I walked in last night Saturday 13th july, and there were 3 teenage girls serving behind the bar around half 6, i’d say a similar age to myself and i immediately felt uncomfortable as soon as i walked by, as soon as i sat down they started whispering to each other and looking over at me and giggling through out the shift. It was an extremely unwelcoming experience as they were making it extremely obvious they were speaking about me in a not very nice manner. As soon as i sat down i didn’t even want to order a drink because i was that disgusted with the experience i had and didn’t want to provide and money for the pub with bar staff like that, so my family ordered before they were aware of what had happened and as soon as they were made aware by seeing it for themselves they had their drink and left as soon as possible. Will never ever return to this bar which is a real shame because it’s a beautiful place just a shame the bar staff are so disgusting.

Waiter service, reasonably priced drinks.

Disappointed, Distinctly unmiddle earth like.

Nice pub, good beers, good location

Great little bar and a lovely view. Staff were very quick to serve and bring your drinks to the table.

Nice pub. Waiter service joth inside and out. Doesn't do food though. Definitely recommend

Be aware this is a Reform pub. Posters for the Reform political party are outside the pub and they hold meetings there.

Nice pub over looks the harbour

Nice pub good location, nice beer.was better before waitress service was introduced.

Watched England here in a lovely chilled atmosphere no drunken louts

We booked a nights stay and only have great things to say about MIddle Earth Tavern. Great seating area outside and it was a sun trap. Our room was really nice very clean and a good size. Free parking just across the road outside of the site was a bonus. Only 5 minutes walk and you’re at the centre of Whitby. We would recommend here to anyone who is thinking of staying. We will be back

A nice Whitby pub, reliably good with a lively welcome. I'd give 5 stars if the wine wasn't those mini bottles of.....

Great little pub , unusually they bring the drink to you , good idea , but there weren't many in when we went , ido wonder what it's like when it's packed there were only two staff I can't see how they would cope

A great British pub, I loved every part of it down to the decor to the personality of the staff. I will returning 100%

Great pub and hotel clean staff really nice

It is table service which is ok but if you walk to bar to look at drinks available you are asked to sit at a table to be served. Which doesn't allow you decide on your choice of drink

Great place sat in the sun out side

Had a pint of ale, as close to perfect as possible. Whoever is running the cellars must be a wizard. First class.

It's a while since we last came here, the pub has been modernised since our last visit. Good Copper Dragon, which is a plus. Very busy when we visited.

My first visit so not sure what to expect. On entering immediately greeted by a very polite, efficient and smart staff member. Shown to table and order taken on her tablet - this venue is table service only. Drinks arrived within a minute of ordering and served with complimentary snacks. My pint of Draught Guinnesss was excellent and at a good price. Would definitely visit again.

One of my favourite pubs very friendly staff

Services the best pint in whitby with fantastic service

Great beer, great views and a warm welcome.

Used this pub every evening absolutely brilliant service friendly people great pint lovely place to spend a few hours

Lovely place with lovely atmosphere, shame they don't do food

Walked in went to the bar to order drinks told very politely to sit at a table and they would take my order it’s a supposed to be a pub I want to stand at the bar and before any comments I always move out the way if some one needs to be served

Nice pint, good service, welcoming atmosphere 👍, I was there on goth weekend, so it was busy, waited about 10 mins for a seat, definitely use again

I adore this pub and the service and food are second to none, firmly recommend it

Lovely place been to Whitby manytime and only found this place will visit again next time👌👌

Popped in for a drink.Lovely place with nice views.Pleasant music playing in background and table service was very quick.Lovely touch with the free bar snacks with the drinks,I'll be back 👍

Expected something a bit thematic, but just a run of the mill pub. Music was really loud.

Found this bar whilst wandering around Whitby and sat outside for a few drinks. Nicely decorated place with open fire, and table service. Sounded like a dj was playing but it was just music with a recorded dj talking, which was a bit odd. The bar itself wasn't that busy, which was good as most of the other places in town were really packed, so we went inside for a bit when it got too cold.

Thank you Middle Earth Tavern for a great afternoon. The service, the atmosphere .... Impeccable

Lovely place, waited service. Great surroundings.

Was a little bit squashed. We were told to share a table with a couple who were already sat down. Felt she was a little bit too assertive. The couple soon left.

Little pub . First time I have ever seen table service in a pub for drinks.

Nice bar, you are encouraged to mix with other people, with how the seating area is arranged. The girls do a fab job of serving drinks.

Absolutely great service. Table service was amazing

Poor management, gave 2 stars for waiting staff, I dislike being sat where I'm told, table service only, management push young staff to get more drinks orders, has had all atmosphere ripped out

Came here for old peculiar theakstones which was very good perfect temperature but still they insist on table service for some reason - the funny thing is if its not busy the bar staff hear you tell the waiter what you want and have already pulled your pint before the waiting staff have got to the bar to get it for you. The black horse have given up on this method - its time you did too. I will be back because your old peculiar is good and well kept but I don't need table service.

Dog friendly. Great sauce on tap. Real fire. Fantastic service, table service, really attentive. Friendly staff, welcoming and warm.

One of the best bars in Whitby. We stay near the harbour and this is our first bar we go to. Excellent service and a good atmosphere.

I had high hopes for this place going in. As an avid Lord of the Rings fan I was more than thrilled to see Gollum on the sign. I went in and had half. The pub is dog friendly and has great views of the harbour. It also has an outdoor seating area. Inside, they provide table service. There is a pool table and darts board. We had to sit with another couple which was weird. They were nice. The pub was playing music videos on the TV. They were rather loud. If you like Lord of the rings, this isn't the place for you. If you are after quick drink and a community feel this is the place to be.

Although away from the main hustle and bustle of Whitby town, middle earth tavern is a great find for those looking. The atmosphere is fantastic and large booths shared by locals and tourists means you can strike a conversation with others if youre willing. Staff made you feel very welcome and the added touch of table service made us feel very accommodated. I'd recommend to anyone visiting Whitby.

Quite possibly now my favourite bar in Whitby

Another understated (from the outside) pub. Great service and like the way tables and chairs are set up that encourage you to sit with others. Perhaps not to everyone's liking but I think it is a great idea.

Nice enough place. Table layout could be improved to make more seating space. Table service is unusual in a bar - but very prompt. Thought it was going to be olde worlde inside but quite a modern feel. Worth a visit.

Here is like home been coming for 30+ years and never disappoints happy smiling bar staff and The Best pint of Old Peculiar anywhere. This place is awesome

Lovely pub, just a little upset that we had to stop playing darts, what is the point having a dartboard if you have to stop playing. Beers is good

2 stars for the beer, the management is awful, told a couple to stop their dog bothering people, when the people had called the dog over, manager told young glass collector off for standing about when he had nothing to do, push the serving staff to get people to order more, table service, not allowed at bar, have to be seated. Don't recommend, used to be a nice pub Sad

Only had drinks...fantastic..table service,which is really nice..staff lovely and friendly..Great choice of real ales.

I remember this as a spit and sawdust pub but it has gone through a major excellent transformation but it is now too clean and tidy. Wood fire has also gone despite a good gas wood effect fire. Ales good and staff excellent but don't expect a prancing pony experience.

Nice place was warm enough to sit outside in November was suprised by table service which was really good.

We revisited after 5 years...back then a real ale pub. Looking forward to returning again we popped in. As we entered looked like the pub we remembered ....proper pub. Short lived however. Went to bar to order a pint only to be told abruptly we needed to go upstairs and order from a table. We went upstairs despite wanting to remain in the downstairs area. What a shock....it was like entering a function we weren't invited to. Tables of all sorts scattered around. Tacky fairy lighting and silks hanging from windows. A closed bar. A random exotic fish tank......honestly looked like a deserted Chinese restaurant with terrible furnishing. No atmosphere. No real ale. Felt like someone had been tasked from the TV show the apprentice.. What a terrible shame. The pub has no idea about its identity. Customer service shocking.

This is our favourite pub to visit when we are at Whitby, always greated with a warm welcome. Nice clean pub, nice and friendly atmosphere and brilliant table service. Will be back next summer.

This pub is a little off the well trodden tourist track, and consequently I would call it a 'hidden gem' albeit in plain sight. We have visited on several occasions previously, this time for my birthday weekend. The bar/serving staff (it's table service only) are fantastic and friendly. The price of a drink is a little more expensive than home (South Yorks), but is probably much cheaper than southerners are used to. Comfortable and clean, unobtrusive 80's music videos play in the background, allowing a bit of a dance if you want one, and still facilitating conversation. I cannot recommend this pub enough. Thank you so much...

Lovely beer, excellent service. So clean and new the place is effectively sterile.

Great pub, good pints of Doom Bar and friendly visitors.

Lovely friendly staff. Great way to start off a birthday session.

Absolutely love this place been twice and booked again for next year

Only had a few beers bit really nice friendly staff and the beer was spot on

Didn't have food great music atmosphere

Well priced, cosy atmosphere great service. 8 for a pint and a half of ale and a coke

Brilliant great beers friendly family atmosphere well worth a visit 1st class 👍

Just called for a quick drink sat outside. Table service is good and quick. My wife went to the toilets and said they were clean and the inside looks very nice.

Not how I remember it this pub, quite modern now. Couldn't go to the bar to order drinks table service instead for some reason

Great pub . And you get table service 👍🏾

Fantastic land lady and staff ,lovely place with great music 🎶 we popped every evening and enjoyed every second at this lovely place ...We are popping down on sunday for the day and will definitely pop in for drinks and play pool 🎱....Thankyou Middle earth 🌎 neil and laura /shane and liz