St Mary's Inn in Northumberland

Simply amazing, the fish and chips are out of this world, and there is no doubt about it, they were the best I've ever had. This experience was also nicely paired with the customer service, the team are the real asset to St Mary's Inn

Enjoyed a lovely lunch, clearly fresh ingredients extremely well made and very tasty, highly recommended would visit again

This is a review for the restaurant. The food was pretty awful. In fact it is the worst burger I've had in years. I can't be bothered to say any more other than I won't be returning

We had been here a few years back and enjoyed it so thought we would visit again.....that was our first mistake! Since we were last here a full housing estate seems to have sprung up all around it, along with some remodelling inside since our last visit, they've got this badly wrong in our opinion. The food was very bland, our beef was chewy and overcooked and the veg was quite frankly either too salty or tasteless altogether. Service was very average and we felt like a chore to the staff! The pub was very loud and not relaxing in the slightest. When you take into account the prices here it is nowhere near value for money.....we wish we had just gone to the Toby for probably a better meal! Our view is that there are much much better places close by so don't waste your money or time, try some of them instead (look at our other reviews for ideas).

We went for a nice evening meal and thought we would try St Mary’s inn , it was terrible experience the Service was poor we were sat in a small area, left for ages before anyone came to take our order. We ordered shepherds pie and got two lumps of lamb on a plate of peas , half onion and a small dish of a shepherds pie. We were never once asked how we wanted the lamb cooked or if our meal was ok. The lamb was raw and the most unappetising meal I have ever had So we paid the bill and walked out never to go back

Wish we’d read the reviews here before we visited. This pub is right in the middle of a housing estate and more a bar for drinkers….not what we pictured at all from the description on the website (misleading at best)! Service was ok but the food was mediocre, the beef we had was not the best quality and overcooked, particularly a let down given the prices. I hate to be negative but my advice is there are much better places for Sunday lunch in the area, save your money and try them instead!

Fantastic food and a really interesting menu. Service was friendly and efficient and the chef is to be commended for such imaginative dishes, especially the spring salad which was packed with unusual leaves and herbs.

We chose Pate for starter it had no flavour! There was no fish and chips!! Sausage and Mash was good Steak was mediocre Lamb was good Kedagree scotch egg was disgusting! We had a sundae which was fine Apple crumble and ice cream was just ok Raspberry parfait was nice Service was good, nice and friendly Bill arrived they’d added Pipers Crisps to the bill which I may have enjoyed more than the food I had!! All in all expensive and not worth it! We won’t go back!

Such a lovely hotel. Spacious rooms and the open plan public areas are really nice. Like the Pods in the garden areas. Staff friendly and informative. Very good food.

What a complete disappointment. Do not take any notice of the web description. A big detail missing on the site is that the ‘hotel’ is literally in the middle of a housing estate. It’s so far from furthest getting away from it all as you could imagine. Our room overlooked the said housing estate and was v close to the kitchen extractor, so the sound of a generator in our room - lovely! Not! Bed was comfortable and that is literally the only positive. Communal area is clean but far from friendly. Staff helpful but the setting and atmosphere of this place is nothing short of awful! The website needs to indicate the location (in the middle of a housing estate). We would definitely not have booked, had we known.

We loved the hotel. We had a large modern room with a very good bed. There is a pub and a very good restaurant in the hotel. Food was superb. The chicken liver we had as a starter was to die for. The Beef pie and side dishes were also great.

This place has so much potential in a lovely building and well laid out but sadly is getting worse. It’s a fair drive off the main road and settled in the middle of a housing estate. We have been before but not for a few months maybe there’s been a change of personnel but food and service have both deteriorated. We waited a very long time for any sort of service, drinks took about 20 minutes then food about an hour. The whole experience just felt uncomfortable and like everything was an effort. Food was ok but not worth a revisit.

St Mary's inn is at the top of my street so I've been coming regularly since they opened after covid. I have to say the food got a bit rubbish after a while and they kept the same menu for ages. The place was really friendly (and dog friendly) but the food disappointed sometimes. HOWEVER, they've done something about it and the food is brilliant now. Went for Sunday lunch last weekend and it was packed. The food was fantastic and it's really reasonable priced. I absolutely recommend it, but book in advance. Excellent!!

Lovely, attentive staff. Sunday roast was absolutely the best I’ve had! And really good value for money! Don’t usually leave reviews but I felt this was very much deserved!

Super little hotel. A little off the beaten track but ideal to explore the area and for a trip into Newcastle if you fancy!!

Horrendous food. Staff lack interpersonal skills

Fantastic food, all homemade and very reasonable price! All good was perfectly cooked and really high quality. Highly recommend.

Not really comfortable leaving a bad review but hopefully this is helpful. We’d read mixed reviews about this place but friends had recommended. Firstly we struggled with booking online and had to call to book, when we arrived however the booking was for 2 and we had requested a table for 5 so had to wait while a table was prepared. The food must have been waiting too as most of it was cold, the lamb was very fatty and the beef chewy, the yorkshires were hard. The kids menu, aside from offering smaller Sunday roasts, was very limited and our pasta eating child was very disappointed Our main concern was how salty everything tasted it was really overpowering! The service was ok and food did come out quickly but had to ask several times for sauces. Not a great experience.

Excellent food & service.. Love this place..

We had 12 people booked in for Good Friday, we had a big table in a private room which was appreciated. It was so noisy with children on iPads on high volume, playing ball inside, god knows where the parents were. Food was a mixed bag, some had fish & chips, batter on fish was over cooked. Pizza base was very chewy. Puddings was the best thing, everyone praised the sticky toffee pudding. Prices were good. You really need to look at the children’s aspect as it spoils a meal out with the noise. I have children & would never allow mine to go on this way. It wasn’t a pleasant experience even a staff member partially closed the door because of the situation.

Booked St marys Inn for afternoon tea for my sisters birthday. We turned up and they had only booked for two instead of three which was OK. We only paid for 2 and they gave us extra too. The guy who served us JOE made it extra special with a free glass of prosecco for the birthday girl. Every bit of the afternoon tea was delicious, from the egg open sandwiches , smoked salmon fingers, goats cheese tart , sausage rolls to the mini lemon meringue tart , rhubarb choux bun , morello cherry meringue . SUPERB !!! I would recommend 👌 this for anyone's special occasion . We couldn't fault Joe's service either nothing was too much trouble for him. We wish him good luck !!

Glad the price was cheap for Restaurant week, as the food did not live up to expectations. Service was really slow, we waited ages for drinks then a long time to be served the small portions of food. To make up our meal we had to add chips at £4.50 and a portion of broccoli for the same price! The staff seemed overwhelmed but were friendly. My friends steak was chewy and my chicken dish was underwhelming although I did enjoy the rhubarb panna cotta. I feel the restaurant doesn’t know where it fits in the food market there were noisy children, dogs and boisterous drinkers in the bar non of which is conducive to a fine dining experience which it seems the menu is attempting. The decor was delightful but not sure on the ambiance. Overall good for the price but wouldn’t want to pay much more when the offer is over.

Lovely place, really good lunch.

Dined tonight with my husband. Food absolutely amazing. He had crispy lamb starter & I had beetroot and goats cheese. Both had steak in pepper sauce for main. I had cheese for dessert and my husband had the brownie. Each course was faultless. Service was exceptional. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. Can’t wait to go back.

Fabulous Sunday Lunch, seriously the best I have had in a long time. The pork was soft and full of flavour, the crackling was crunchy and salty, and the veg was rich and bursting with flavours. I highly recommend this place to any serious Sunday lunch connoisseur.

Just revisited after previously having lovely food. Big disappointment, Sunday lunch was below average, lamb tough and chewy, beef lovely but not much of it. Cauliflower cheese mushy and cremated. No condiments offered and no spoons to serve the vegetables, didn’t stay to try the puddings.

Best Sunday lunch around! The quality of the food is outstanding, really friendly staff and beautiful venue. Can’t recommend enough.

Attended the wine and cheese evening. Really good experience. Excellent cheese and wines plus grapes, jelly and honey, very friendly and informative atmosphere. Would certainly attend another.

The food was incredible, two evening meals, two breakfasts

This was our first time here and it didnt disappoint,my wife had the chicken liver pate she said was nice ,for mains my wife had the beef sunday lunch and she said was nice but some of the veg was just luke warm (shame ),i had the fish and chips which was amazing was 10 out of 10 for me and to my taste and cooking ,pudding we had sticky toffee to share and i cudnt fault it ...overall i would defo go back and good value for the 2 courses or the 3 courses...staff very friendly .

Haven’t been in a while and always enjoyed Sunday lunch there previously , however today was probably one of the worst dining experience I’ve had, we were having a family get together, what was terrible? The service, waited 50 minutes for starters to arrive, had to send one back as inedible, told no one else had complained about it!! Then had long wait for main courses which were cold when arrived, the beef was 2 thin slices, the cauliflower cheese was burnt and hard and inedible, no condiments offered, sign of poor standard of food when nearly full plates sent back. asked for jug water, brought and plonked on table, no glasses to drink from, we had desserts , crumble and custard cold , told that’s how it comes! Rude waitress who started to argue with us, manager came, knocked some money off the bill , no real apology, told there had been happy customers today which means nothing to us us as we were very unhappy, if you want a consistent high quality meal and service go to the Blackbird in Ponteland , can’t fault it, you take pot luck coming here!

Booked the table and ignored the recent conflicting reviews about the service and food. Ordered our food (a table of 4). The beer wasn’t on, there was no bottled beer. Ok. Ordered food - the fish and chips wasn’t available 🤷‍♀️ so we had to reorder 2 main courses. Then we were told the venison burger wasn’t available 🤷‍♀️ so we had to reorder a main course then we were told the red wine we had been promised wasn’t available 🤦‍♀️ after waiting 30 minutes, lovely venue, what’s going on!! Won’t go back in a hurry.

Extremely disappointed with the Sunday lunch. I am afraid I was so let down with this meal. Pros Friendly Staff Bowl of accompanying Green vegetables good Nice Mashed potato. Cons Tepid meal. Rock hard roast potatoes. Hard dried out Yorkshire pudding. Stringy tasteless roast beef. Pink beef not asked how we wanted it. Tepid gravy. No condiments had to be asked for several times. Table not cleared after lunch had to ask. Puddings had to be asked for. No cutlery provided with puddings had to be requested. I am afraid I would have to see a huge improvement in the quality of the presented food before I would ever have Sunday lunch here again. Sorry

Disgraceful customer service ! Booked table before Christmas for friends birthday 29th January even rang on 28th to ad another person told this was fine turned up to find it closed! Travelled from Durham furious emailed no response spoke to someone last week and said they would look into it guess what? No return call avoid this place as customer service is terrible !

Booked a family table for 12 people in the Restaurant for lunch on New Year Day, very good and easy parking. The bar area was relaxed and the bar service was excellent for drinks with a lovely log burner glowing in the fireplace and comfortable seating. Our dining table was large enough to accommodate all 12 of us with plenty of room to spare we were not at all quashed in which you sometimes find at other establishments when booking a large party table, The Restaurant service was absolutely first class, the leading waitress was very informative on questions asked regarding the menu and looked after us from taking our seats to leaving the building, all of the three courses were served in a very caring polite and friendly manner. The food was really superb we all agreed that the meal was excellent no-one could fault any of the three courses. Thank you to the Chef’s and all the staff at St Mary’s Inn for a really lovely New Year’s Day Lunch, especially the lead waitress at our table.

This hotel is great for everything, a great staging place for the rest of Northumberland. A great place for breakfast, lunch and dinner - honestly the food is amazing. The rooms are comfortable and clean, oh and warm. Definitely recommend a stay or just for food.

Friendly staff and good food. On this visit we all had fish and chips. The fish was beautifully cooked in a light batter. Accompanied by crisp chips, tartare sauce and mushy peas. The inn keeps a wide selection of gins with a number of different tonics to serve all tastes. All in all a very pleasant evening.

For us this time was disappointing, we normally have Sunday lunch about every 3 weeks here and it’s good/great, this time however the portion was tiny, I didn’t start as was waiting for the normal veg bowl and cauliflower cheese (our favourite here). After 5 minutes I called over a waitress and asked where it was and was told you don’t get any of that anymore. So for the same price we had a small portion of Sunday lunch. We waited ages for our ordered second lot of drinks and the kids menu has gone up and the kids pudding is just now ice cream. We arrived near the end of service so it was not too busy.Such a shame as it really was a decent portion but now just bog standard. Much better places around Morpeth for a Sunday lunch now. Won’t be back unless it changes back to how it was. A few people mentioned this whilst we were in the pub so they were obviously regulars complaining about the change.

Visited when under previous owners and swore never to return. Lacked ambiance, food was unexciting and took a year and a day to arrive. Was not surprised when it closed... New owners have made huge improvements. Much more welcoming with warmer ambiance, good service, food very good, would definitely return ! Highly worth a visit.

Confused. Trying to be all things to all people and failing. The old version of the venue had a warm and welcoming feel however the new venture falls to deliver a welcoming atmosphere. It's too big and the extended areas of the pub appear to have been done on the cheap and aren't in sync with the venue, clientele and area. Needs to concentrate on what it wants to be and get back to basics. Drinks fine (service slow) and food, again, only fine. Not in the same league as the previous incarnation.

Just had the best Sunday lunch at St Mary’s Inn. Roast beef was perfectly served (pink) other family had chicken and mixed roast (chicken, pork and beef) lovely taste nice and tender. Plenty veg and a huge Yorkshire pud, roast potatoes and mash. Extra gravy jugs of gravy served with the food which is always nice. Managed to share a sticky toffee pudding washed down with a glass of red wine. All beautiful. Lovely environment, great staff, quick to bring drinks and food. Will definitely be back. Thank you !

A real nice visit. A nice meal. Nice drinks, with 5 star staff.... As well as very reasonable priced food and drinks. Give St Marys a visit, you won't be disapointed.....

Very poor service - attended on Saturday 17/12/2021 for drinks and food. The Bar Supervisor advised abruptly that there was a 50th Birthday Party so there would be no bar meals served - the venue was empty at this time. Advised that only pre-booked tables would be able to order - nothing highlighting this on social media pages or even upon arrival until the point of trying to order. Usually very good service at St Mary’s Inn however this was very disappointing.

Very disappointed with the inn tonight which I have to say is our local. Firstly I tried to order fish and chips to takeaway but no one answering the phone. Never mind I thought we will just walk over and have dinner. Arrived at 4.35 no one else in the restaurant ordered drinks and then waited 25 minutes for someone to come and take are order gave up paid for our drinks and then left. We were delighted when the inn opened again we have been patient as they have grown the business but tonight was just the last straw. Won’t return for food for a while.

We waited 1hr and 30 mins from being seated to be served our Sunday lunch. Prior to that the front of house gentleman had to ask us twice who we were and what time our reservation was for - that was after himself showing us to the seating area. Once seated we had to ask for drinks and our menus. The place was busy and we sat down just before a birthday party - still this shouldn’t be a reason to wait so long. We had to speak to a staff member twice regarding the length of time taken for our food order. 1st time we were told it was due to the weather, staff being off and that there was also a birthday in as well. At this point 55 mins we were offered complimentary drinks. The 2nd time at 1hr 20mins I had to say unless we were served in the next 5 mins we would be leaving. I was told that they “were just preparing it now” after 80 minutes!!?? In my opinion we had been forgotten about, us and another family of 4 who arrived just before us. Food arrived just after 5 mins from that conversation, having been told that the food was being prepared it was galling to see that the meat was dried out from sitting under heat lamps, Yorkshire puddings and roasted potatoes the same. The veg was watery and tasteless - basically the dinner was horrible. All this for just short of £70!Bearing in mind a couple of years ago we had the most fantastic Christmas lunch here with family I am extremely saddened and disappointed to even write such a poor review. What I really find annoying though is that at no point was an apology offered, only an excuse ( which fell down when a couple seated much later than we were, were served much sooner than us! ) , no senior staff offered a kind word, no customer care at all and neither could they even look our way or explain the reason for the delay. I get they maybe embarrassed by the situation or indeed the service but they must st least own it and stand up to the fact. Then I could’ve empathised but now I’m a thoroughly disgruntled customer who most certainly will not be back. Oh…and at the time we left the other family of 4 STILL hadn’t eaten. ‍♂️‍♂️

We stayed at St Mary’s Inn as two couples. Everything about the stay was faultless, from the food , accommodation and especially the staff (Sandra, Alana and Denice). We can’t wait to return. We would highly recommend a stay in beautiful hotel.

Lovely setting and nice atmosphere.Waited nearly 40 mins for drinks and food actually arrived first this is wholly unacceptable but staff didn’t seem to be aware of this and served food first as if this was the norm.Nice large portions and tasty enough but all food including veg bowls served lukewarm and the beef was tough but I think the blunt knives didn’t help.My husband ordered a Bloody Mary then changed this to no vodka in it, this cost 6.95 hell of a pricey tomato juice.I don’t think we will be rushing back it’s a shame!

Booked by telephone on 10th November for my mothers 90th birthday. Booking confirmed on table 33 for 2pm on the 11th November. On arrival at 1.55pm could not park in the disabled bay due to a large lorry covering all three spaces. By the time we reached the entrance door my mother could hardly speak as she was so breathless.Met at the door by a cheerful lady who said the pub was shut due to work being carried out and the old chestnut of Health and Safety touted as the reason. When I asked why no one had contacted me to tell me that, I was told that apparently the decision had only be made to close 10 minutes earlier. I would add the inside of the reception area looked like a building site and there was carpet protector all over. Plainly the pub could not open as I guess it hadn't the entire day. If this pub wants to continue trading, the previous owners had been forced to shut due to lack of trade on two occasions, then I would suggest a better degree of customer service is needed. I have been a fervent supporter of this pub ever since it has opened the first time and the most recent. My previous reviews will bare this out. We ultimately went to the Ridley Arms where we all had a beautiful meal with excellent service.It will be a long time before I come back to St Mary's. Plainly they don't need my custom so I will spend my money somewhere else.Anyone booking a table here should have a reserve venue in place because St Mary's Inn is not to be relied on.This is my second time where I have been let down by this pub.

I stayed here for three nights with my children over the October half term. As it was coming up to Halloween, the inn was spookily decorated with wonderfully over the top scarecrows, spiders and an enormous ghoul near the bar. Our room was clean, spacious and inviting with a double bed and a large sofa bed for my son, which he said was comfortable. The bathroom was beautiful with a massive walk in shower, two sinks and an enormous bath; perfect for luxuriating in when the kids were elsewhere. The breakfast menu was standard with a Full Northumbrian on offer, as well as toast, cereal, granola, porridge, Eggs Benedict, coffee, tea and juices. Although there was no Vegan breakfast listed, the friendly staff were really accommodating and made me possibly the best breakfast I've ever had: a generous helping of avocado on toast with tomatoes, fried mushrooms, beans, rocket and dried porcini to sprinkle on top. I was thoroughly impressed by the sincere, friendly service at the Inn and I definitely recommend that you stay there if you are in the vicinity.

Visited for Sunday lunch and found the food and service poor. We called ahead at about 3.45pm to check there was a table available and we were told there was but last orders for the kitchen were 4.30pm we rushed to head straight over arriving for 4.15pm. We both ordered the roast beef and then sat waiting for around 45 minutes while the table next to us, who arrived after us, ordered their food and were served.When our food came there was no acknowledgement of our wait. We started eating and the food was cold. We called over a waitress who offered to warm our food up. It went back to the kitchen to be heated. When it came back out we ate our reheated meal, we didn’t really enjoy it, the roast potatoes were dry and the meat was chewy but by this point we were hungry. When plates were cleared we weren’t asked if everything was ok. We were planning desserts but decided against it as the main had been so poor. So we just paid our bill and left.

What can I say turned up and was greeted by Sandra and a wonderful smileOnce seated friendly staff came to take drinks order. Now for the meal both of us ordered the pork and waited for a short while then WOW portion was massive and the taste of the pork was so succulent and the crackling loads of it too was delicious Highly recommend st Mary’s inn advised to book first as this place is busy and rightly so

Sunday lunch is wonderful. Great food, lovely staff and nice booth for dining experience. The food is even better than before, so much so I cannot find room for a dessert!

Well firstly this place has changed and I, for one, am not sure for the better.Entrance vestibule has now been replaced by glass doors. The lobby was there for a reason, to stop the cold air coming in. Furthermore, the area has now been made more open plan, gone are the little snugs.The bar and large separate eating area now house mirror filled walls, the Sports bar area a huge mistake. The noise from there, whilst eating, was a major annoyance. The restaurant area, as was, now has two walls knocked out, fire on rear wall removed, like eating in a canteen.I felt as if I was in a Toby carvery with some of the same clientele too boot. The nadir was the refurbed toilets, gone were the sports pictures and light grey paint, replaced by darkness and the ubiquitous easy frame advertising notices you see in the urinals at a motorway service station.The beer was still good, St Mary’s ale, food was wholesome and fine but lacked finesse. Service slow but it was busy and obvious not enough staff in bar area, probably suffering like the rest of the country.To balance my comments I should add this was a Sunday lunchtime, which is not when I have ever visited previously. Perhaps an evening visit would have been better comparison, but for me personally, I think the ambience has been spoilt along with the cosiness

Lovely lunch, nicely prepared food with gluten free and dairy free options. Great service, staff very polite and helpful. Good value, very attractive surroundings. Highly recommend.

Hidden away in a new housing development. We arrived on Saturday evening in the dark (and rain) and missed it. Could do with some illuminated signage.Staff were friendly enough, but the place had an amateurish feel. My wife ordered her drink and pointed out that she did not want ice in it. Sure enough, it arrived full of ice cubes. I had a pint of shandy (local bitter, boathouse), which came with about 1.5 inches of 'head'. Second round I pointed this out, and the second pint was better.I had the burger which was excellent. Compliments to the chef. Would definitely have the burger again. Tasty and filling. When the bill came, I noticed the burger was charged at £13, while it was only £12 on the menu. Quite poor and re-enforced the perception of things not being quite right here. Mentioned this to the waitress and she offered to take off £1, but I would have preferred not to have been overcharged in the first place. I wonder how long it will take them to put this right.Would visit again if in the area, but would not make a special trip.

Came here for Sunday lunch yesterday. Roast potatoes were hard, crackling was rubbery, couldn't eat it. Meat was tough and dinner lacked any taste. Dessert was nice and staff were friendly but food let them down. For £16.00 for a multi roast it was not worth it. The two things that should be so easy to get right were so wrong.

came to start our daughter 18 th birthday off here , with a lovely champagne breakfast , first time been & hope to get back , it’s lovely staff where super so friendly & welcoming & went out there way for us , made my daughter feel special we all had full english breakfast & was lovely

Under new ownership...a hidden gem! This is Are 4th visit now and keeps getting better! The Staff are always friendly and your welcomed with a big smile...always good as hospitality has been hit over the past year. we've taken a few friends recently who all were all very impressed with the new decor -layout - modern clean concept. A great selection of beers- spirts- coffee and cakes on the bar always a winner.Food menus have a great choice of dishes which keeps changing with new ideas, presentation and flavour are fantastic keep up the good work chef. I'd recommended the fish chips to anyone 'huge white flakie haddock in Japanese bread crumbs with hand cut chips and the best mushy peas ever' so much better then the standard batterred fish you get everywhere I'm going to ask for recipe next time we visit, the cheese souffle was 10/10 and creme brule was just devine!!! Was that good We've returned yesterday for Sunday lunch...I now see why its recommended to book the beef is perfect pink and tender - great selection of choice seasonal vegetables and gravy. Well be back next week to sample the new dinner menu

I have nothing positive to say about our lunch at St Mary’s Inn. We did not like the refurb - it felt like a canteen or garden centre. Service staff were rude. No offer of any condiments when we received our meal. My husband’s fish was inedible - really revolting, smelt strange and left a weird taste in your mouth. He asked the waitress to take it away. The waitress just said ‘oh’ and walked away leaving the food in front of him. She returned several minutes later to remove the board the fish was on. She never asked what the problem was or offered an apology. My BLT had one rasher of bacon in between two slices of white bread. We asked for the bill. Nothing was said about my husband’s food. We paid in full but left no tip. We will not return and I advise others to go somewhere else!

Recently taken over and part refurbed, we were expecting improvements on what was already a nice place to eat and stay. Sadly most of the character of this beautiful old building has been stripped away and a more modern interior lacks the charm it once had. IKEA furniture in the bedrooms and cheap hand soap and tea tray offerings do not make for a luxury 4 star experience. In our huge room there was no dressing table and no power point near the full length mirror so getting ready was a pain. The manager said I should’ve moved the full length mirror, I think they should have planned the space better. The bathroom, again huge, was clean and the towels were lovely, but cheap bulk buy hand wash just lessened the appeal. The plug in the bath had to be unscrewed and removed whilst showering as the water didn’t drain away. The room was very clean and the bed extremely comfortable, but a banging door outside the room kept us awake on the second night. Breakfast was really tasty, but it took 40 minutes to be delivered and again cheap bread left us a little disappointed. Our room was £120 a night, which for the area is at the higher end, and I just don’t think it was worth it. The corridors leading to bedrooms had picture hooks and screws in the wall with nothing hanging, which left it all feeling a bit work in progress. All these little niggles are easy fixes, I spoke to the manager about all of this, but she didn’t agree and said most people think they should charge more. She did say they were redecorating all the rooms as it was very old fashioned and musty before they took over. I think that’s a matter of taste, it’s an old building in the countryside and I think it’s sad to loose the character by completely modernising everything. It looked like a chain hotel/restaurant rather than a contemporary sympathetic refurb. I would happily pay around £80-90 for the room we stayed in, but anything over £100 and I think you’d expect more.

We arrived - the manager seemed a bit confused at whatever he was dealing with and still looked confused when we left! We came for Sunday lunch We were seated and about 5 minutes later a family came in with a child who would not stop coughing the whole time we were there! Covid hmm, we will soon find out! Why take a child coughing like that to a restaurant full of people? Why did the staff let the family in? Did you not ask if he/she had a negative test? Fair enough if the child has had a negative test but it’s irresponsible parenting! We never seen one mask the whole time! The food is good, the place is far too busy, we will return when quieter, the staff were hardly seen, they were so busy!

We visited St Mary’s today as there was a classic car show display. So we expected it could be a bit busier than usual. But it was worse than we expected. We’d booked a table but there was nobody to welcome us and instead had to hang around the bar until we could finally get someone’s attention who then “had to get the iPad to find out where you’re seated” only to be told “just sit anywhere”. Somebody came to take our order but we hadn’t yet been given a menu. We ordered a chicken club sandwich and a bean burger specifying no cheese and hand cut chips instead of fries. It came with cheese and fries, the latter of which was replaced fairly quickly. For dessert we both ordered the brownie which arrived minus the honeycomb which was eventually brought out after we mentioned it. We finished with lattés which were pretty horrible.We were in a room of four tables and two other tables also experienced poor service. One of those tables waited over 50 minutes for two bacon sandwiches and, after asking three members of staff to chases it up (none of whom reported back), they got up and left.There just seemed to be no co-ordination between the staff; food was coming out with apparently no idea of where it was going. As we left, there was a huge queue at the bar.Our previous visit here was totally different and based on that visit we’d have had no hesitation in recommending St Mary’s to others; after today’s visit I would be ashamed to recommend it to anyone. “We’re really busy” isn’t an excuse. We certainly won’t be rushing back.

Discovered after our 1st evening that our sheets had not been changed from the previous guests. Body fluid stains on the sheets - disgusting. The room had not been properly sanitised from the previous guests. Given the current COVID situation this must be a health and safety concern. Will never use St Mary’s again.

We followed the signposts for the Inn at St Mary's from the A1 and were not disappointed. We were welcomed and sat in a wonderful part of the hotel/ restaurant with the sun shining in. Great fish and chips imaginatively and well presented with the best mushy, mint peas and tartar sauce I have ever tasted. The waitor and the owner were extremely professional and pleasant, making our lunch experience really enjoyable

First return since the venue re-opened and I was shocked to see that it had been transformed into a very contemporary decorated surroundings, very open rooms instead of the cosy nook type areas... I liked the colour scheme but not sure if I prefer the openness or not. It was a dull wet Saturday evening in August but the place just lacked atmosphere. Food was good but a couple of things which always annoys me, eating food of wooden boards and with it being fish n chips I was suprised that it was not on grease proof paper but directly on board. another member of party had the surf and turf, which I thought the quantity and the price was somewhat expensive. A couple of points which were personal observations but I will return to hold judgement to be fair. The fact that I will return is a positive though and would recommend people to visit and try to give place a chance to improve as I believe it has new management.

My mum and I decided to have Sunday lunch out and were not disappointed! I had the chicken which was great. My mum had the pork which had great crackling and both meals were very tasty. Everything was cooked brilliantly and their were loads of vegetables which came separately. We had the crumble and a crme brûlée for dessert which were spot on. Coffee to finish which was also really good. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. We will definitely be returning.

No atmosphere, despite nice decoration. Extremely slow service. Menu is limited and everything was top price. Small portion of very thin haddock would have been better on a warm plate instead of a chopping board!

I debated whether to give this a 2 or 3 star rating as whilst it wasn’t great it wasn’t exactly bad, just very average.My friend had been for Sunday lunch recently and really enjoyed it so we decided to go for a weekday lunch. The menu was quite limited though this isn’t a problem to me if the food on offer is good. I ordered a sandwich which I expected would come with some nice, fresh bakery type bread but instead it was from a standard supermarket sliced loaf and was really cold, as if it had been kept in the fridge. It came with some crisps and a bit of salad. Very ordinary.My friend had a vegetable lasagne which was supposed to come with focaccia but came with a couple of slices of dried out bloomer type bread. She said the lasagne was fine. The service was very friendly thought fairly slow, especially given it wasn’t very busy. In summary, the meal was absolutely adequate but that’s all. I wouldn’t be in a hurry to go back.

What a lovely and comfortable place to stay. The staff are really helpful and friendly and the food was great. I had the steak burger, and it was cooked to perfection and I will certainly look to stay there again whenever I go to the North East

Our first visit to the revamped St Mary’s Inn .Nick the Manager and the two girls who served us gave us a lovely warm friendly welcome and provided excellent service . The decoration and changes are a 100% improvement.We had food and drinks .The surf and turf from the specials menu was excellent and the burger delicious we left nothing it was all lovely freshly cooked beautiful food .Drinks were reasonably priced .Immaculate cleanliness throughout We will definitely be back for a drink or drink and food … can’t wait …. Well done and Thanks again xxxx

The newly reopened and revamped St Mary’s is a triumph. The space has been redesigned making it a lighter, brighter space that’s tastefully decorated. The outside space is very comfortable.The staff are helpful & friendly, it’s great seeing so many familiar faces back.Now the food, it’s much improved and constantly good. The twice baked cheese soufflé is a personal favourite. The special dishes are changed frequently, are excellent value, high quality and most of all flavourful. The wine list has something for everyone and at great prices.Congratulations & welcome back.

Delighted that St Mary’s Inn has been reopened and how nice the refurbishment has brightened things up. Whilst the menu is still a bit limited we decided to give the food a try. I chose the chicken schnitzel with Rosemary triple cooked chips which sounded quite tasty.The staff were very helpful and took our order in a timely manner and food duly followed . At this point the meal went decidedly downhill. The schnitzel wasn’t flattened at all and resembled a chicken breast in crumb and the rosemary triple cooked chips were nothing of the sort. They were oven cooked frozen chips that were really tasteless. There was no apology or explanation given.Ok giving that things are still bedding in and I’m sure things will improve we will go back, however, not for frozen chips.

We were coming, until lockdown #1 closed this venue - it has reopened in the last couple of weeks and this is the first time we have been able to visit and we are not disappointed - while they are still finding their feet, the service was top notch and the food is equally outstanding. The environment is modern yet complements the nature of the building. We really enjoyed the food and have already booked for friends in the next couple of weeks.

My wife and I had a few drinks and a meal 8 June 2021. The newly refurbished inn is outstanding! A pleasant blend of country pub/inn and sophisticated dining. Prices are reasonable.Although the inn has just reopened, in the last few days, the food and service was excellent. I believe they are planning to expand the menu in the coming weeks. Lovely happy staff who couldn’t be more helpful.

wentbtherecwith my wife and dog what a place not far off A1just as you get to Morpeth boundary. Room was super and all the staff were really helpful Dog had just had major surgery and not allowed to climb stairs. Tge staff opened tge disabled lift for us to use. The room was clean spacious and airy. Iam 6 foot7 so it matters. The bed was large and comfortable. There was plenty of parking lots of space.We had arranged for a family dinner and we booked a table for 6. The food wss excellent andcall tge staff were helpful polite and attentive without being intrusive. Lots of choice and all locally sourced. Really well prepared and presented.If I am up thatcway again I will not hesitate to book there. More essentially they have s superb partner property in Jesmond Dene in Newcastle. That really is superb. If you can get the esrly bird menu what a treat. But as at St Marys all locally sourced.St Marys would be thd place for s family function too. The venue is fabulous. When we stayed therdcwas hardly a space on Saturday evening. Speaks volumes about tge placd it was packed. I have to say it is one of tge bedt places I haveveaten and stayed at. if you stay I honestly think you will not be disappointed. Enjoy.Outstanding St Marys.

Just reading some of the reviews regarding st Mary’s inn. We managed to get booked in for Christmas Day. I must say that it was exceptional! The food and staff were excellent and will be definitely booking for next year. Since then we have ate there quite a bit. Sunday lunches and tapas night. Every time we go it has been excellent. One of the best pubs in the region!

Food lovely, staff lovely, decor good. Would definitely go again.Only suggestions would be improving the daily attention to detail and atmosphere. There was a a few candles that needed replacing, a string of fairy lights out, the tables were at odd angles (more open than private) and the music was far too quiet. The atmosphere was the only let down but all it needed was a staff member to have a good look round and 'snag check' some areas.

Our second stay at St Mary’s Inn was as excellent as the first. Stylish room, immaculately clean with well stocked hospitality tray. The food is deliciousand all the staff very friendly and helpful. The iInn has several comfortable eating areas as well as the relaxed lounge bar. Wood burning stoves give a warm welcome. Well placed for touring the local area. A great place to stay.

We had a super couple of nights at this tucked away hotel. The welcome was great, the room was spotlessly clean with a luxury bathroom and the food was exceptional. Special thanks to Nick, Sandra and the lovely lady who looked after us so well at dinner. An excellent location for visiting our family in Morpeth and close enough to visit Alnwick and the coast. We will definitely stay here again and can highly recommend the fish and chips!

So this is a tough one! We had wanted to visit St Mary's Inn based on all the positive press coverage and tonight we did. We arrived with our 4 year old, and pup Alfie to a relaxed atmosphere with a very attentive staff member behind the bar. We ordered food, a steak, a pie and off the children's menu, Tomato Tagletelle and garlic bread. Now our food was fine, not amazing but standard pub food and took a while to arrive. However the Tagletelle was awful! It was tagletelle with watered down tomato soup! How do you get tomato pasta this wrong? When we were asked how our our food was we told the truth. Our food was fine, but the children meal wasn't great. In response, the atmosphere changed and she was very defensive. Rather than just say "oh sorry can we get you something else" and "we will take off the bill", we got ... an astounded look, with "no one has ever complained before" suggesting we don't know what basic tomato pasta should taste like. She then continued down the route of we are wrong and they are right, so we said asked her to taste it and she said she was off the carbs and didn't want too! Blimey this was silly! Anyway I had to ask for the children's meal to come off the bill, as they didn't even offer and we left very disappointed! I said thank you on our way out, and was ignored!!! Sad really as we had high hopes, but won't return. This could have easily been sorted out if the bar woman wasn't so defensive and dealt with our issue properly. Poor, sorry to say, if you propose to be high end, ensure your food is, even if it is on the children's menu! Sadly style over content and would avoid! Go to the Ridley Arms instead!

Excellent Food & Service on our last 3 visits . We called in for Sunday lunch in November & that was excellent , as a result we booked a family get together for 8 plus a dog on a Sunday before Xmas which was just as good - lovely food - ample parking - lovely roaring fire & good service . Visited again yesterday (Saturday) party of 4 again with our Dog - we all had different main courses which were delightful - one desert & 2 coffees - faultless .Many Thanks - We will return

First visit today for afternoon tea. It was really delicious. Scones looked a bit small when they came out however there was more than enough for there for one person and I still feeling full now! My cheese savoury stottie was perfect, pan haggerty out of this world and the desserts were so yummy. My latte was delicious too. Will definitely return.

We visit here for lunch or dinner several times a year. The food is always delicious and the menu usually has a great choice, offering unusual dishes. Setting of the restaurant is nice and ambience good. Unfortunately tonight we had a very poor experience. The first disappointment was the paired back menu offering not the unusual exciting dishes we had come to expect, but a menu with dishes you can get ten a penny anywhere else - steak, pie, curry, fish and chips, sandwiches, burgers. Vegans and vegetarians would have struggled. The service was almost none existent. We had to ask for steak knives, for drinks to be replenished multiple times , never yet got offered the dessert menu or coffees and no-one came to check at any time if all was ok. We waited ages for our starters and main courses. After waiting more than 20 minutes for the bill we went to find the manager to ask for it and advise of our disappointment. The bill arrived not long afterwards by a waitress who was obviously in a huff. We all looked at each other in amazement and it was that final thing which probably means we won’t visit here again, after coming since it opened originally. If the place was really busy we could have slightly understood, but in our section of the restaurant there were 3 tables of 4 seated with lots of empty tables - unusual as this place is normally full up.

Came to St Mary's Inn on a Thursday for a Northumbrian Afternoon Tea. Did not dissapoint, service was fantastic and the venue is very relaxed. I particularly like the fact it is a dog friendly pub, and will be visiting again.

I was interested to visit St Mary's Inn since its somewhat unheralded reopening and was pleasantly surprised. It is about a four mile drive out of Morpeth in the Tranwell Woods area, but it was well worth the effort, and I do intend to return. The building itself is impressive, an old hospital conversion with a myriad of nooks and crannies to eat and drink in. It was a Sunday before Christmas and was fairly packed with family gatherings, but it is very spaciously organised so you never feel claustrophobic. Service was charming and the food was excellent, most of us had the Sunday dinner options. It had that great combination of efficiency in a laidback way, and was very good value. Will be returning to try Afternoon Tea sometime soon. Great place to take guests to.

Nice place, quite big. Food and service very good. We both had fish and it was excellent. Will be going back.

We had the most fantastic family meal out this evening. Sat next to a warm fire and enjoyed amazing food. The starters mains and deserts were all delicious. We were also very impressed by delicious vegan options. We would recommend it to anyone.

Excellent service, kindness and friendly staff. The choice of food and drink is second to none and the Chef in the kitchen has a wonderful creative flair.

Super friendly and well run hotel, restaurant and pub. Stayed 4 nights with our dog and couldn’t find fault with anything. The rooms are spacious and well laid out with plenty of space for dog bed and very well looked after. There is a large grassy area out front and plenty of dog walks. My parents (one with limited mobility) had a lovely, accessible walk in shower in their room and a lift to get them up and down from the bar/restaurant. They were also always able to park in one of the disabled bays right by the entrance. The food was fabulous from breakfast to dinner and along with great beers the bar staff mix a mean cocktail! We had an amazing family meal here in one of the private rooms back in the summer and because of that decided to come back and stay over Christmas. Best decision ever. This is a really well run hotel with a brilliant team of people to look after you. Thank you St Mary’s for a lovely Christmas.

Overnight stay. Great food, lovely atmosphere, friendly staff. This was our second overnight at this Inn and we continue to be impressed. Rooms are to a high standard, very comfortable, quiet and clean, The bar and restaurant are superb.

Although a bit off the beaten track, St Mary's is well worth seeking out. Morning coffee is especially relaxing, with the calm and welcoming atmosphere of a country inn, wood burners on a cold winter's day, good scones and coffee at very reasonable prices. Lunch has just enough choice including old favourites - try the excellent fish and chips, in two sizes depending how hungry you are. Seating is arranged in small, cosy areas, with their own wood burners, and larger rooms are available for functions. We have enjoyed lunch, dinner, morning coffee and a Sunday lunch party here this year, and all were excellent.

I have reviewed this place many times, as it is out of the way I don't think it gets noticed as much as it should. Been a couple of Saturday nights recently and starting to get busier. Still cosy and staff good.

We had Sunday lunch here whilst staying overnight. We had the 'bit of everything option' and it was yummy. Desserts were very good too. Good place to stay too.

Very pleasant location, super rooms. Good food and well served champagne. Breakfast was too much for me but nevertheless good quality We had tasty beers before the others arrived incidentally

Went to the restaurant with relations, when on a short break to Newcastle. The service and attention was very good, we ordered Sunday roasts and I had the Thai curry vegan option, which was very spicy and tasty, just as it should be. The Sunday roasts had plenty of meat and a generous potion of veg, it was plated, but it would have been better to have the gravy on the side as one of the party does not like gravy. The Restuarant it's self is nicely set out spotlessly clean toilets and a lovely warm fire perfect on a cold day.

Worth the effort ... we came here for an overnight nighter en route. The hospitality was excellent, breakfast superb and room outstanding. Will come again.

I had read about St Mary’s as being one of the cosiest pubs in the country and Was so happy it lived up to this description. It is a beautiful building and when we visited roaring fires were on the go, the decor is lovely and it was very welcoming and comfy. We were grateful that it was dog friendly and there was lots of room for us to bring our baby. The food was delicious and really good value. There was lots on the menu which looked enticing but I went for the fish and chips and the fish particularly was one of the best I have ever had - really light and tasty. We indulged in puddings too- warm chocolate brownie and parkin, both delicious. After a few days in the North East we drove back to Manchester and made a detour back to St Mary’s this time for breakfast. Unfortunately we arrived at 10.15 and the breakfast finished at 10 however the manager arranged for the chef to make us some bacon stotties which were delicious and we were so grateful that they went out of their way for us in this manner. It is clear that the staff at St Mary’s will go above and beyond for their customers and it is a really gem of a place. My only complaint is that it is three hours drive from home otherwise we would be regulars! Thank you for two great visits!

Can’t recommend St Mary’s Inn highly enjoy - fabulous place. We went for afternoon tea which was delicious. Good choice of sandwiches, pie and scones were gorgeous and the sweets were phenomenal. Beautiful decor inside, friendly and helpful staff. Really good price. Saw some lunches coming out which looked fantastic. Definitely recommend and will definitely be back

First visit to St Mary’s Inn,we enjoyed a lovely Sunday lunch,service was excellent,all staff were friendly,polite and very helpful. The surroundings are warm,cosy and comfortable. We can’t wait to return.!

Just enjoyed a brilliant Sunday lunch with excellent service at St Mary’s Inn. It is a little off the beaten track but it is well worth making the effort to get there.