The Black Bull, Etal in Northumberland

I can honestly say that this is probably the worst eatery and pub I have ever been in. The food was appalling, cold and overcooked to within an inch of its life. And the salad didn’t have any life and obviously died the week before it was put on my plate. The place was just about empty but it still took an hour and forty minutes for our food to come out from ordering. The staff were extremely rude and unhelpful. Especially the Jezebel behind the bar. I had to take back my beer as it tasted like vinegar and asked for it to be changed to something else to be told it all tastes like that. The fact the place was empty should have been a warning. My advice is to stay well clear.

Absolutely appalling, don’t waste your time or money eating here! Dirty tables, food all over the floor in the cold dog area. Rude staff, awful menu. Food came cold and undercooked, the chips were dripping in oil, rock hard and inedible. The salad was so mouldy some leaves had turned to slime. When we told the manager he was totally uninterested. Filthy toilets which hadn’t been cleaned in an age.. I wonder what the kitchen is like?! Would not go back and do not recommend!!

We had a glass of wine and shared a ham and shredded cheese sandwich I’m sure it’s busy in the summertime. Lots of outside tables for warmer weather.

Woeful !!! Food was awful . Sausages pre cooked and heated up so were hard as nails !! Seasonal veg was equally terrible and was no doubt out of a frozen cheap packet . Meals served at different time intervals . Beer just as bad !!!

Service extremely slow. There was a disclaimer asking patrons to be patient as all their dishes were cooked from scratch; this should not extend to 40minutes, in my opinion, especially as they were not massively busy. The "seasonal vegetables" served with my chicken, ham and leek pie were very obviously mixed vegetable from a commercial freezer pack, as I've never encountered carrot "chips" that were exactly the same length as the chopped up French beans; broad beans are not seasonal in September, nor are garden peas; all these mixed in with sweetcorn kernels. Season? I think not! The pie dish was not anywhere near as hot as it would have been if it was fresh from the oven. The filling of the pie lacked any seasoning, even saltiness from the ham. The plate that the whole lot was served on was cold. The staff gave me the impression of wanting to be elsewhere, and having better things to do than to attend to their customers. To rate this as poor was being generous.

Went for lunch with a you g family, service was excellent and the food was great. Some of the best fish and chips the kids have ever had.

Staff, food, drinks excellent, definitely one of the best steak and ale pies with a pint I have ever had. Staff really friendly and place was really clean. All of us really enjoyed our meals.

From the outside a unique thatched country pub in Etal village. Inside very obviously a heavily modernised dining pub dominated by tables and hard chairs, which has sadly lost its former character, and could be anywhere. Despite the Real Ales from Cheviot brewery, not a place for a cosy evenings drink. However I’m told the food is good, and the staff are friendly. Immaculate loos!

Had lunch here today. Portion sizes and quality were great. Irn bru Chutney with the halloumi was amazing and hubby loved the 3 courses lunch menu. Marking down slightly as although food was great a lot of noise and music comes through from the kitchen, more noticesble when quiet in the restaurant. We would eat here again though as lovely place in great area with fab service

Lovely Saturday lunch. Wish I had chosen what my partner had, which was the Ploughman's. Wow! Generous portions and top quality cheeses. The manager was very attentive and really wanted our feedback. Great portions at the price. Thank you for a lovely lunch. Beautiful refurbishment too.

Had steak, which was served with chips, onion rings, mushroom and tomato. The steak was tough and tasted unpleasantly stale. I wonder if it had been cooked on a griddle that had not been cleaned for a while. Other reviewers have made adverse comments on the chips, and I would agree with them. Service was fine - efficient and friendly. Staff not masked, which I count as a distinct plus. Most of the diners weren't masked either, so the atmosphere was quite relaxed. Nice dining area, and good clean loo. It's just the food that's unimpressive.

We called in here for a drink on the way back to our holiday cottage in Branxton. They brew their own beer and the gins are locally made in Northumberland. The staff were very friendly. The pub was welcoming and dog friendly, While we were there we booked to go back for Sunday lunch. The Sunday lunch was delicious, cooked to perfection and we could also take our dog in that part of the restaurant. Would definitely come back again

Five of us came for an impromptu meal. A great choice. Plenty of choice for everyone, so much that my hubby had two starters (and no, I don’t mean instead of a main course, he eats a lot!!)The pheasant starter was easily big enough for a main course, the soup was beautiful and the mushrooms.Four of us had the brisket, it was so perfectly cooked and the mustard potatoes were superb. While we thought we had no space for desserts when we looked at the list we couldn’t resist (good job I’d only had breakfast today).Would recommend to anyone wanting a friendly welcome and lovely food.

Superb pre Christmas lunch with family and the dogs.The pub is just lovely.We got a warm welcome from the staff and this continued throughout our visit.The food was amazing!!! A full Christmas dinner with the best Turkey any of us have ever eaten. We’ve been before but only for drinks, we will be back.

Have called in here a few times of late. The atmosphere is special. The welcome from the young staff is always great. The beer is from the Cheviot Brewery nearby and is really nice. The menu is good and we have always enjoyed the food. When pubs get things right, as this one does, it makes the whole experience very pleasant and enjoyable. Congratulations to all involved. You are definitely on the right track.

We asked our friends to go here as they insisted 'I GET OUT THE HOUSE" to cheer me up and our last meal here was lovely. I have already thanked the people in charge for that one on Rememberance day. However today's meal was even better so we all thanked the staff especially the chef. I had pheasant followed by roast lamb Sunday lunch Top Class. Thanks again

Just been with a large party for our Xmas lunch. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal, which had been chosen from the Xmas menu. A nice touch for large group bookings being the free tea/ coffee and warm mince pie! The food was delicious and plentiful, the staff friendly and polite, the room looked very festive. Would definitely recommend you give it a try.

Love this place. As someone with a meat allergy vegan food is a must. These guys do vegan that doesn’t leave you looking at other peoples food with envy! Delicious Friendly staff Nice fire! Fab!

Visted here while on holiday with my family. My brother is vegan and, after struggling to find places in the area that served vegan food, we were excited to find a pub that offered multiple options. Unfortunately our excitement was short lived. The first hint that something was wrong was when the allegedly vegan soup starter was served with butter. We didn't say anything about this initially as we believed it was a genuine mistake. However, we then discovered there were chunks of beef in the gravy served with the vegan sausage and mash! Although my brother was upset at having eaten meat, he was again willing to give the benefit of the doubt and believe it was a genuine mistake. The manager apologised for the issue and blamed it on the chef using the same spoon for both the regular and vegan gravy. A new meal was brought out which they guaranteed was vegan. Unbelievably the replacement meal contained more beef! At this point my brother was distraught. The manager apologised and took his meal off the bill. He changed his story, now advising that all the gravy they serve should actually be vegan, even with the non vegan options. He went on to explain that the head chef was off the week before and it must have been put in the gravy by another chef. However that would suggest they were serving week old gravy! Unfortunately while the manager had seemed genuine in his apologies at first, we discovered that he had promptly left the premises without another word to us and left another staff member to deal with the aftermath. I suggest you avoid this pub if you have any sort of food allergy or preference as it seems apparent they have a very cavalier attitude towards what they are putting into their food. Next time there could be severe consequences to someone's health rather than just an upset vegan.

On first impression this is a nice pub. Very inviting and nice staff!Unfortunately we ate here! We ordered a vegan option! Ordered vegan soup starter and was given cows butter with this also bread that may or may not have been vegan. Thought this was just an over sight so ignored it! Ordered vegan sausage and mash with vegan gravy, there was beef in the gravy and I mean chunks of beef!!! When the manager was informed he apologized profusely and renewed the dish! To our amazement they served the same gravy with chunks of beef! Our vegan friend was devastated and inconsolable to as he had consumed part of this food! While we do not have the same values, we came here for a lovely family lunch!! This was ruined!! The manager disappeared when we came to pay and further express our disappointment, he expected a member of staff to deal with the situation, which to be fair the lady behind the bar did and we apologize for being less than polite.We were given numerous explanations from the manager, each contradicting the last. Due to this, our friend lost confidence that this establishment offers vegan foods and would not patronise this pub again.A concern here is that while our friend is ethically vegan and will suffer no health consequences, the Black Bull Inn claims to cater the the gluten and lactose intolerant but I would not put a friend's health at risk trusting these people.

My friend & myself visited for lunch & we were very much looking forward to it, we sat for 15 minutes for someone to take our drinks order. We had to go to the bar to order our drinks & 35 minutes for a member of staff to come & take our food order, we decided to leave as we weren’t very happy we were being ignored, granted there were only two members of staff on duty but they still could have acknowledged us on a busy Saturday lunch service. We decided to leave & payed for our drinks on departure, I commented to the young lady how disappointed we were having to wait for half an hour before anyone came to take our food order, she replied “well it’s bar service through the day time” but clearly written on the door is a message saying table service!!

Visiting the area, we booked for an evening meal and we weren’t disappointed! Nice and cosy pub, friendly hosts and superb food.

We came here as two couples and was promptly seated at a table. The staff were friendly and clearly good at their job, they were chatty with customers as well. None were wearing masks, which is fair enough since it isn't mandated anymore but I thought I'd mention it just in case it factored into your decision to go here. I went with a Lamb Sunday Dinner, my friends had pork, beef and another had a main course size of chicken goujons and chips as she did not want a sunday dinner. Staff were very accommodating to this. Food was nice, definitely a 4/5 at the very least. My partner liked the chips, as I've seen a few people say they didn't like the chips, I thought I'd add that too.What makes this a 3/5 and not a 4/5 is that the music system was very off putting, the music itself was fine but you could tell it was bluetooth'd from a staffs phone as it kept cutting in and out. After a couple of times, it got extremely irritating and I'd rather have had no music. It's a bit costly, as there's no deals for Sunday Lunch as in 2 courses for £x, 3 courses for £x+4.If I was in the area again, I would look around for alternatives firstly, but I would go again

We arrived just before the pub opened and were given a warm welcome while the outdoor tables were prepared. The thatched roof outside gives the pub character which continues inside with tweed soft furnishings and a mix of wooden tables and seating. The pub itself was so clean with the decorative branches hanging from the roof timbers having no cobwebs on them (I have a phobia so I check!) and the lighting gave a lovely warm ambience.When we entered the pub we were given clear directions about how to order (at the bar at lunchtimes) and what the specials were. The menu offered a good selection of light options (sandwiches/ jacket potatoes) and full meals with vegetarian and vegan choices also available. We opted for soft drinks (the lime and lemonade was the best I've had in a long time) to accompany the steak and ale pie which came with a good selection of beautifully cooked vegetables and delicious chips. The steak melted in the mouth and the gravy had a wonderful flavour, not overpowered by the ale. It was a good sized portion which means the sticky toffee pudding will have to wait until next time, when I definitely want to try the haggis fritters starter with Irn Bru jam! The service was excellent and prompt with staff happy to interact, but not being overly intrusive. We will definitely return.

A tasty lunch served by enthusiastic and friendly staff, washed down with an excellent pint of black hag beer. Tasteful decor and a vibrant atmosphere.

Having chugged here on the Heatherslaw light railway and had a look at Etal's striking and historic castle ruins, we were delighted to find what appears almost to be a model village with a correspondingly charming pub. A good range of locally brewed beers was available inside the cosy, friendly bar and we took ours out to enjoy the sunshine on the pleasant, grassy front lawn, looking over the tiny village high street.A very pleasing way to break our narrow-gauge round trip.

Beautiful pub in a great location. Friendly staff. Partners food she said was good. Reason for 2 stars is the chips were the worst ever, chewy and tasted like had been fried and reheated a number of times. Maybe even microwaved. I also had a hair on a chip, burger was fine, but would avoid the chips like the plague

We had booked the black bull for lunch after being on the steam train. There was a few of us eating here some of us had just toasties and some had main meals. The toasties were nice but main meals were poor and all the chips that accompanied the meals were not cooked. We did mention this to waiter who came to clear table but nobody acknowledged this.

Beautiful village, lovely pub, good service, good beer, good food! Recommend! Thoroughly enjoyable lunch

Fantastic! Friendly staff , lovely dog friendly dining area. My husbands starter was Huge (Haggis) my steak pie was packed full of meat and my husband said chicken Etal was one of the nicest meals he had ever had. Quick service too.

Lovely village pub with excellent friendly staff. Meals very tasty. Small menu but good variety of choice. Compliments to the chef. Chicken Etal was amazing, perfect mushroom sauce and tender chicken. Huge portion. Steak was cooked to Order and had a lot of flavour. If you are in the area worth a look in. Husband recommends the local brewed beer.

Booked for lunch at 12.30. Food ordered by 12.40, food arrived 55 minutes later! No warning of a delay, no explanation, and when the food finally arrived it was wrong! One of our party is coeliac and absolutely has to avoid gluten. In spite of ordering a gluten free meal, the steak and ale pie had a gluten-filled pastry top. The staff had no idea why we had to refuse it. The pie was then changed, but there was no fresh plate - so a very real risk of cross contamination. The staff claimed the incorrect meal was destined for another table, and yet no further food was served after us. We know there is a pandemic going on (why did NONE of the staff wear masks?), but we would have appreciated at least an inkling that there was a delay in our order arriving (if they are short staffed - we would have understood that). But the mix up over a very clear requirement for a gf meal is unforgiveable.

A nice country pub with typical pub grub. Unfortunately, none of the young ladies serving us wore face masks.

This pub is worth a visit if you're visiting Northumberland - we had a lovely meal, reasonably priced with the local beer an added bonus!

Have eaten here several times in the last 3 months or so. Food is locally sourced, delicious and a varied lunch and evening menu. Local beers and quality wine too. Dog friendly in the bar. Reasonably priced. Staff very helpful and friendly and we didn't wait long for our meal. Would highly recommend

Excellent food and great service in a traditional, lovely pub. Steak was superb. Good menu choices, but couldn't squeeze in a dessert unfortunately!! Highly recommended - we'll be back

Went here a year ago and had a decent meal but today was poor, waiting staff just going through the motions. Toastie with very cheap cheese and horrible chips and rotten salad with bottle salad dressing, ploughman's lunch was pretty basic. Was not busy so had the time to take more care. Wont be rushing back sadly.

On entering the girl on the entry desk pointed to where our table was situated and did not leed us to the table, I got the feeling she was not interested, bad start. The male waiter was very professional and gave excellent service. The food I am sorry to say was really poor, I had the Haddock fish that was sliced so thin there was more batter than fish, my wife had the stir frie which had boiled potatoes in and over cooked vegetables, so sad and to add insult to injury the cook said the filleted had thick portion to it, never foun that. Will not. Go back

After taking a short train journey into town we were ready for a bite to eat and a cold drink. The pub was very nice and the pie and chips was excellent. The baked potato was a little lack luster and could have done with some butter. Overall a nice lunch with friendly and polite staff.

Visited for lunch today, we had prebooked a table and the waitress directed us to a table in a back room. There were paper menus but these were reused and given to another table after we had ordered. If they are to be reused they should be laminated and sanitised between use. The window sill next to our table was covered in dead flies and the outside of the glass was covered in bird droppings. Not a good first impression but we sanitised our hands and ordered our drinks and meal. Craft ale was on tap at a very reasonable €3.30 for a pint. Our meals were served - a small and a large haddock and chips with mushy peas snd tartar sauce. The condiments were all on the table the salt and pepper mills were gross - very sticky and I had to sanitise my hands again after touching them, a request for vinegar brought a bottle from another table again not sanitised. Every other venue we have visited recently has used the little paper sachets of salt etc and individual portions of sauce. The meals were very nice, the batter was light and not at all greasy and it was all fresh and tasty.A visit to the toilet was the final straw - the bin was full and 3 full nappy sacks had been placed on top, there is no way that bin could have been filled to overflowing in an hour since opening this morning so it obviously had not been cleaned out from the day before. There was no soap to wash your hands only an almost empty bottle of sanitiser. Ford and Etal Estate is great place to visit so please get your act together and improve the cleanliness standards of an otherwise half decent pub.

We visited The Black Bull in May 2021 on a Sunday and enjoyed the vegan nut roast. It came with lovely mash, roasties, veg and gravy and was a very generous portion. They did have a vegan brownie for dessert but we couldn't manage it after the roast. They have quite a lot of vegan options on their standard lunch and dinner menus. Etal is a lovely wee village and we'll definitely try to visit again.

Customer service very poor today.Food not up to usual high standards.Will not rush back here. Slow service and staff not very attentive

We went to the Black Bull for lunch today and was expecting it to be packed due to the fabulous weather. We hadn't pre-booked but were shown immediately to a table and orders were taken after we'd had a quick browse of the menu.Brie and cranberry toastie for me, cheese and pickle for my husband. Each came with a lovely fresh salad, home made slaw and home made potato crisps (very nice). Husband had ordered chilli cheesy chips as a side not realising it was BEEF chilli (we don't eat meat). Our server, Ross, quickly took the order away and replaced it with cheesy chips with chilli flakes. Perfect!When we came to pay, the chilli chips had been taken off the bill even though it had been our error and I had expected to pay for them. I hope the tip went some way to mitigating the cost!Thank you Ross - you are a real asset to the Black Bull. Cheery, calm and very helpful. If you're in the area make a trip out to the Ford and Etal estate and pay a visit to the Bull. It deserves to be packed!

Nice pub in quaint village. Friendly staff and though we only had a drink, the food menu looked good. Disappointing lack of craft ales though considering how popular they are now.

We ordered the vegetarian ploughman's lunch. It was £12.95 (so...£13), the same price as the meat based ploughman's. We were very disappointed with the portions of cheese, 2 tiny pieces, and the bread was dry, I think it had been pre-cut so it had dried out. I did mention it to a member of staff that I thought the price was high for what we had received, and she said that the scotch egg was homemade. Not sure I understand the need to 'pimp' the good old ploughman's with the scotch egg, (especially a veggie version) and it certainly didn't justify the price. I would have preferred 3 decent chunks of good, local cheese, fresh crusty bread, and tasty pickles, a proper ploughman's lunch in other words. Then I might not have been so 'cheesed off' about paying £13...(geddit?) We all want to support the industry by eating out, but we still want reasonable value for money. Service was excellent, however.

We had a delicious Sunday Roast lunch where the choice of meats were excellent. The portions were very generous but oh so tasty. The staff were very friendly and attentive and it was just lovely to be back at The Black Bull

Called here for a light lunch while waiting for the next train on the Heatherslaw Light Railway. Stunning from the outside and impressive inside. Staff were very welcoming and all Covid regulations were followed. We had a light lunch, a ploughman’s, which was well presented with locally sourced ingredients. Really enjoyed it. Staff were friendly, helpful and attentive. I cannot understand some earlier reviews. Please visit the Black Bull here in Etal. We would certainly return. Thank you.

Wonderful food, huge portions. Nice atmosphere, great local beer. Ross was a great laugh and we enjoyed his craic. Booked again for tomorrow night!

What a beautiful little place to visit. Staff were excellent. Really friendly and attentive. Such a clean and light interior. Excellent selection of vegan dishes. We had tasty soup and bread, hummus and avocado toastie, chips and salad. It was excellent. We had the plant based sticky toffee pudding with vegan ice cream too which was very good. Will definitely return. Such a good experience :-)

This pub could be unbeatable. But service standards are totally non existent. Sort them out and you will have a winner.

A nice meal spoilt by awful service - The Black Bull needs to take a close look at its lunchtime staff and invest in further training and monitoring.Specifically, the young staff were very slow to respond to simple requests for condiments and cutlery, and our soup was cold before these mistakes were rectified. Unfortunately the staff seemingly had little idea of how to offer an efficient table service. There was no evidence of anyone in charge and the overall impression was one of confusion and a slap happy attitude.Very disappointing.

We had a trip to etal on the heatherslaw railway and decided to stop here for a spot of lunch . We were greeted and after doing the usual track and trace were shown to a table , the pub is thatched and looks lovely on the outside and nicely decorated inside . We both opted for sandwiches that came on bread , my husband had his toasted , came with side salad and homemade crisps and we shared a portion of chips .All were very nice but would be nice to have a option of crusty bread like ciabatta or baguette but that's just my preference , when next in the area we will visit again .

We had looked forward to having our lunch here last Monday and found a lovely table in the sun to the front of the pub. There was a good choice on the menu. I ordered Scampi and chips, fish goujons and chips for my daughter and my husband had a ploughmans lunch. Mine and my daughters food was swimming in oil and wasn't very pleasant. The diet coke I ordered also tasted like cheap supermarket cola and the tomato sauce in the Heinz ketchup bottle was definately not Heinz which is actually breaking the law. All in all a very disappointing meal!! Spent the whole time wishing we had gone to the Lavender Tea rooms opposite. Such a shame as expected alot better as it's such a lovely venue. The staff were very pleasant the food not so. Has put me off going back.

This was a lovely pub and next time I come on my seaside holiday I will be coming here they had lots of choice on the menus and were very clean both the waiters were great they made sure we felt welcome! 😀

Had lunch here today after a trip on the Heatherslaw Light Railway. After a less than warm welcome we asked to sit outside and were told someone would bring menus. After about 10 minutes, I wandered on to collect the menus and was asked to register for track and trace, which was to be expected and entirely reasonable, but I was a bit taken aback that the original member of staff who promised the menus didn’t explain this rather than let us just wait. Never mind, was looking forward to lunch. Unfortunately, our kids meal was missed. Poor lad who took out order was really apologetic, it was his first day. And this came once the rest of us had finished. We had to go and ask for condiments, butter for the bread etc. And then when the kids meal did arrive it was missing the peas. Sure it was probably an off day for all concerned but rather than offer an apology when paying, or some sort of gesture for the series of errors, the manager just thanked us for our feedback. A shame as the food was pretty good and given how quiet the place was after the eat out scheme, there wasn’t really any excuse for the service. Mistakes happen, that’s fine, but got the feeling management weren’t really interested.

This was the best meal out we had during our week in Northumberland. Even our fussy 10 year old said it was the best meal he had all week!! The steak and Ale pie was lovely - the meat was so tender and tasty. The kids sausage and mash was the meal that got the seal of approval from our 10 year old (the mash was gorgeous!).The staff were very helpful and very friendly, which added to the welcome atmosphere when you walked in. If we stay in Northumberland again, we will definitely be back.

We popped in for lunch spontaneously while in the area and thoroughly enjoyed our experience. We sat outside, at the front. Service was efficient and friendly and the food was delicious. Would definitely return.

We visited twice during our stay in Northumberland. Once for Sunday lunch, which offered a great vegan (nut roast) and veggie (haggerty) choice for my husband and myself. And once more for lunch with family, again good vegan options (we opted for the ciabatta with beetroot hummus and vegan cheviot salad) and the ploughman’s which our family members had was great as well (large portion!). Service was a tad slow but we understood that they had been having a number of new starters. Weather was great so it was no trouble at all to sit in the sun a bit longer.

Called in on way back from Duddo stone circle with wife and son.Wife and I had cheese sandwiches and son had ploughman’s .All very tasty with choice of three types of bread served with potato skins and salad..Beer very nice too.All served by very pleasant staff.Highly recommended.

Took my 10 year old twin lads here on the off chance of having something to eat. What a fantastic place. The food was amazing. Even my kids agreed that their scampi and chips was the best they've ever had. My ploughman's lunch was fresh and very, very nice. Very good value for money meals too, I might add. The pub itself is very well appointed and the service from the staff was excellent. We'll be back.

We had a wonderful Sunday lunch here, so decided to try an evening meal. The photos of the food looked beautiful on fb so had high Hope's. The steak was extremely tough & hard to chew, to the point where I gave up, wrapped it in a napkin for our dog at home. The eggs on the gammon was bust, again the gammon was very tough. The quality of food was good, but poorly cooked, we don't like skins on chips either so we personally didn't favour them. The pub is beautifully done out, serving staff are great, not sure what product they are using to clean the tables but it leaves it very sticky which is rather unpleasant. Maybe we got a bad night, we will try again, and choose something different !!!

Spent a week in Northumberland and called at the gorgeous thatched Black Bull both for a quick pint and also for a birthday meal.The beer from Cheviot brewery was spot on and the food very good. The service by the young ladies was friendly, efficient, safe and well planned with no concerns from us. The owners have done their homework and got a fine safe system in place.Go, you'll be glad you did.

On Sunday me and my wife ventured out to take our dogs by the river. We decided to pop into the pub, this is our local but haven't been back since before March. My wife was a tad nervous about venturing into the pub but she was relieved to see Ellie smiling away and greeting us taking our mobile number and allocating us a table. It was very organised and well set up, it put us completely at ease thanks to Ellie and Johnnie. We decided to order food as we felt extremely confident by this time, again professionalism our order was taken from our table. The food was stunning the staff extremely attentive, the atmosphere great and we settled quite happily into the new normal. We would like to thank Ellie and Johnnie and their excellent team for their professionalism. We have booked again for lunch on Tuesday. Thanks again.

Just had a takeaway curry from the pub and was very impressed. Tremendous value, great taste and plenty of it. I know that they are doing takeaway Sunday lunch as well.

We went as part of a group last week and to be honest weren't looking forward to it because we had had bad reviews, not so much of the food but the atmosphere, but I'm glad we went because we had a lovely meal. The interior is not what you would expect from a thatched pub but I liked the decor, clean lines and tastefully decorated. The menu didn't sound very exciting, the usual pub stuff, sauasge and mash, gammon, steak, pie but in reality the food was very good. Everyone on our table had something different and all said they enjoyed and would eat there again. Highlight for me was the sharing platter of artisinal meats, locally produced, organic charcuterie with olives, sun dried tomatoes and crusty croutons.

We have eaten here before and he food was excellent, so we decided to try the Sunday Roast.2 x Pork, 1 x Silverside and 2 x Fish & ChipsThe Pork was very fatty as was the Silverside, the crackling was not crunchy but tough and chewy. Veg were excellent and the Fish & Chips good.I did not complain as we were treating friends to a lunch.Sorry but not half as good as last time.

My friend and I stopped off in Etal for Sunday lunch a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't have been more impressed if I tried. The atmosphere was great, the service excellent and the food was out of this world. Generous portions of freshly cooked food made this a very pleasant experience and I will definitely be back.

Great pub in lovely location, the only thatched roof pub in Northumberland. Fantastic lunch, beer and friendly staff, definitely worth a visit.

Unbooked lunch ,late summer .Made very welcome ,nicely refurbished recently I think . Great meal all choices made appreciated by colleagues. Attentive knowledgeable young staff . Thoroughly recommend

This was a dinner party for 8 of us at the Black Bull. We had a lovely private dining room and enjoyed a great meal. The service was excellent as the waitress looked after us all so well. We'll be back!

Had heard great feedback about the Black Bull and whilst in the area with a group of friends we decided to give it a go. The welcome was friendly and there appeared to be good local support. The refurbished Inn has been tastefully undertaken and both the service and food were first class and could not be faulted. We did not feel pressured to vacate the table and spent a very relaxing lunch time in great surroundings. If you are going I would recommend giving them a call to book a table as I can see this little gem really kicking off as we start the holiday season ....

Like to say that tbe sunday lunch we had today was lovely as always great food and great value for money staff helpful and attentive. Will be back soon .if you havent tryed it you defiantly should wont be disappointed.

Having been sad to see this place in disrepair for a couple of years it was fantastic to visit again. The food was superb right down to the hand cooked crisps served with my sandwich. Vegans and vegetarians were well catered for on the menu. The beer is brewed on the local Ford and Etal estate.Service too was excellent.I’m sure the secret will soon be out and the place will be very popular when the tourist season is in full swing.

First Christmas lunch of the festive season and I’ll be very surprised if I get a better one. Delicious food, excellent service and lovely ambience. Highly recommended.

As a vegetarian I never expect a good meal but the veggie roast that I had at the Black Bull last week was one of the best I had ever had

The Black Bill is at last the pub it deserves to be, cosy, welcoming & serving well presented tasty food. Sunday lunch today was excellent & we will definitely be back.

Just had a lovely meal, nice portions, staff were very pleasant courteous and helpful. Will return in the future.

Fab pub, great atmosphere. Starters were excellent, really good selection to choose from using local produce. Cheviot beer is a favourite of mine & I was not disapointed. Visited as part of a family celebration & staff are very welcoming.

Had lunch yesterday, and have had two evening meals since the re-opening. All 3 meals have been superb. Great choices for vegetarians and vegans. Very tasty food, and very friendly staff.

Having seen the Black Bull on numerous visits to Etal we were delighted to see that the Cheviot Brewery has renovated and reopened it so booked in for Sunday lunch. The roast beef was superb and the vegetables were perfectly cooked, really generous portion size too. The service was good and they’re dog friendly too. Would advise booking for Sunday lunch as they can be busy.

Been several times to the Black Bull since the new management team took over. Each time there's been a good atmosphere with friendly service whether calling in for a drink or having a meal. Tried several dishes from the new menu, all have been delicious. Well done to the full team. Best wishes for your new venture.

Been for Sunday Lunch,amazing meal,perfect,also my favourite Northumberland beer from Cheviot Brewery

After a couple of false starts The Black Bull at Etal is where it should be - best in the area. Now managed by the local brewery (Cheviot) and with the internal decor tastefully completed, it is a very pleasant destination for both food and ale. The new chef and revamped menu make the place well worth a visit. I have had dinner and Sunday lunch there with my wife. Dinner was a delight with a sirloin steak cooked to perfection but the crowning glory for me was the Sunday lunch. As well as Loin of Pork and Leg of Lamb the menu caters for both ends of the beef spectrum - slow cooked silverside (for the well done brigade) and sirloin served pink for for the rest of us. Total joy. Well worth a visit.

Recently under new management, this beautiful country pub has transformed itself. A huge effort has been made to create a warm and welcoming ambience. The menu is simple but we'll thought out and we'll presented. We were a group of three and wanted a quick meal to avoid cooking! We had two burgers (one rare) and sausage and mash. All was perfectly presented including the rare burger. Dessert portions were a little small but otherwise excellent. Initial service on arrival was slow but they made up for this. Good value, good food and a perfect location. And an excellent selection of local beers from a mile up the road.

The little village of Etal is charming, and the Black Bull with its thatched roof looks the part. Inside, it's a bit of a surprise to find a much more modern look. Having the dogs with us, we were shown to a room away from the bar - fair enough. We'd visited the Black Bull for drinks in the garden on a few occasions before, so got along fine with the staff, who were all pleasant and efficient. Mrs Popfeebs doesn't like butter or cream, so was disappointed she might have to miss out on a fish dish she fancied. No problem - waitress consulted chef, chef went out of his (or her) way to produce a Mediterranean vegetable salsa-type accompaniment instead. Any restaurant willing to do this sort of thing gets the thumbs up from me. I look forward to revisiting the Black Bull.

My husband and i decided to give the backbull another try as its under new management and so pleased we did as our meal was lovely and they had a nice menu to choose from the staff are helpful and friendly nothing to much trouble for them lovely atmosphere will definitely be goi g back for drinks and meals fab job guys

First impressions last...they certainly do! The Black Bull has been refurbished since our last visit and looks amazing. Fantastic lunch served until 3.00pm,very friendly waiting staff, quick service and excellent pub lunch. Dog friendly in the bottom section of the bar area and a steady flow of customers/walkers as we had lunch..got to try this wee gem.

We visited this lovely, warm pub on a wet Wednesday with 2 young children and a wet dog.As no food was being served, the friendly barman allowed us to sit by the cosy fire and eat our picnic along with some of his excellent beer, the welcome could not have been better. In the summer sun, the outside seating will be great, hopefully will make a return visit.

Restaurant was not reopening until 21 October and we visited on Sunday 13 October. Lovely pub just refurbished good beers and friendly staff. We would try the restauarant when next visiting this part of the country

Loved this pub! Old wooden low beams, fireplace, and friendly atmosphere. Eat in the room to the left of the bar. It is conducive to talking to other travelers and local. Our food was very good.