The Black Swan Pub in Northumberland

Called in for a meal when stopping in the town. Nice decor inside, but a littler dark. Friendly and attentive staff. Food was not too bad, But the amount of fries on the plate was ridiculous, we couldn't eat them all. Great onion rings.

We found this place by accident whilst trying to find somewhere to eat after visiting Alnwick Gardens on a Sunday lunchtime. The inside was quite dark (maybe a bit gloomy?) But we were hungry so decided to give it a go. We found a table easily as it was just after 12 and ordered 2 drinks and 2 roast dinners. The Guinness was good so my Husband was happy. Then we had one Cumberland and one gammon roast, both were hot and tasty and reasonable price. Overall very happy with the food and the service (just didn't like all the black paint everywhere!)

** Choose carefully before eating here ** What a joke! French onion soup (6/10) was supposed to come with crusty bread with salted butter. It's a lovely old pub so I imagined a hunk of bread with a pot of butter. See more in food review...

I got the roast beef here and it was amazing!! Such good quality food, and good for gluten free too! The service was great too! Thanks so much

One night stay - that was enough. Nice staff, good water pressure in the shower that is the extent of the positive comments I can make. The owners need to support the lovely people working there and really give this place some TLC as soon as possible.

Called in for an afternoon drink, pub was empty. Very dark & painted all black indide. Trying yo make an old traditional pub modern, which unfortunately for me lost its charm. No atmosphere.

Basic rooms but affordable, nice pub in a good location within the Town centre, pub wouldn't serve a drink after 10pm!

Called into the black swan for a meal. We had the steak deal on Thursday which is two for £20 plus extra for sauces etc. Steak small and far too many chips. My advice would be to not go for the deal unless you like loads of chips. Pub tables could have been cleaned between customers as well. Staff were not rushed off their feet so could have done this. Would I go again? Probably not sorry.

Regular visitor to Alnwick but first time in The Black Swan. Went for Sunday lunch but I very disappointed. Table not cleaned before food arrived and when it did all i could see was large Yorkshire pudding which i could only describe as 'cremated'. Beef was fine but overall food portion was rather small apart from the burnt Yorkshire which apart from been inedible did nothing for the meals presentation. Drinks were fine and pub was cosy but will not be visiting for food again.

Adequate facilities for my overnight stay parking up the road, quite considering above a pub

45 minute wait for 2 sandwiches while others with full meals around us served first and Guinness done in a 1 part pour

We didn’t eat but food looked lovely. Staff were really friendly and will be back to try the food as lots of people we’re saying how lovely it was

Rooms are ok if you are visiting Alnwick as the pub is located right on the centre, however, bed was small and very hard, also corridor was noisy during the early hours of the morning (from 2am onwards) with doors banging, which meant I didn't sleep very well. Staff mentioned they are due to go through a refurbishment so hopefully new beds and quieter closing doors will be considered. Will be looking to stay elsewhere if returning to Alnwick for future stay.

Good food, drink and music. Staff were very friendly

Interesting historical pub. A little dated but served surprisingly good food.

Probably one of the worst meals I've had, i had a basic fish and chips, it looked ok but some of the chips were uncooked, fish was more batter than anything else, There was 6 of us, nobody finished there meal, not because it was too much but because it was just poor, there were empty tables everywhere which had been vacated, all had plates on them with food left so we were not the only ones who were disappointed,

Stopped for Sunday lunch, sticky tables Fatty beef and no roast potatoes! 15.00 way over priced.

Great little find, that goes on and on. Turned up on a Sunday late afternoon, and they even rustled up something from the vegan menu that wasn't on. Staff couldn't have been more attentive

Food took a very long time to arrive. I had high hopes for the Katsu curry at £15, but extremely disappointing with a few very thin slices of aubergine, bland sauce and pile of rice. Feel ripped off and unsatisfied. Partners curried pie was nice tho. We didn't stay in a room just had food.

We stayed here for two nights at the beginning of August, while attending a wedding at Alnwick gardens. Good location, room was nicer than I expected - we booked one with a hugeee bath. On checking in we were given keys to the front door and room, and told the pub was closing at 10 - no info about what time check out would be or who we contact in an emergency. We didn’t get to eat here as when we went to ask they said the chef had just left for a family emergency. The bed was quite hard but we got off to sleep well - apart from the first night when the fire alarm went off at 1:20am and there was no member of staff on site to assist which was a bit concerning, luckily another guest had a number for someone who got someone on site to help. We had to sort of guess when check out was, and gave our key to a lovely lady downstairs who told us there should have been an info sheet in our room. An info sheet would’ve helped but overall we were happy with our stay and would come back, might’ve just been an off day staff wise.

Do you have an allergy menu, No because we have a new menu and haven’t done it yet. I think you’ll find that it is a requirement by law to have this available. You should be ok as long as it’s not airborne. Terrible advice. More staff training needed.

Doesn't look much from outside but the food was amazing and the staff were friendly. Fish was the best we have had in a long time!

We came here for a meal, I would recommend.

We have been to the Black Swan on previous visits to Alnwick. Our intention was to grab a bite and a quick drink. Despite the whole pub being empty, we were made to feel an inconvenience to the sole bar person. "We're not seeing food until four." It was eight minutes to four. Large wine was medium and poor quality. Ignored for 30 minutes after being shown to a table, not allowed to choose where we could sit Despite being only customers. Left after drinking part of tasteless wine and room temperature beer.

Me and my partner went in for food. The service was absolutely terrible. After sitting down at a sticky, food covered table, we had to clean it ourselves. We also noticed when one of the workers was clearing plates they didn’t clean any of those tables either. The drinks tasted watered down. After food was given to us we weren’t once checked on or even approached by staff. We got a ‘medium rare’ steak that was still mooing all while the staff were sat at the bar doing nothing on their phones. We also got fish which was nice, as well as the chips. That’s about the only positive thing about our experience.

Me and my partner went in for food. The service was absolutely terrible. After sitting down at a sticky, food covered table, we had to clean it ourselves. We also noticed when one of the workers was clearing plates they didn’t clean any of those tables either. The drinks tasted watered down. After food was given to us we weren’t once checked on or even approached by staff. We got a ‘medium rare’ steak that was still mooing all while the staff were sat at the bar doing nothing on their phones. We also got fish which was nice, as well as the chips. That’s about the only positive thing about our experience.

We had lunch here, as we were looking for somewhere dog friendly. The food was great - we both had burgers. The table was tacky so I gave it a wipe over before our food was served.

The room was pretty nice for being above a pub. I could slightly hear the room across the hall but it wasn't bad. No noise from the pub downstairs. We also ate at the pub and the vegan burger my wife got was very good. The cauliflower pie wasn't bad, but a tad dry. The gravy helped.

Staff were good and helpful. However, menu outside suggest extensive gluten free options. When we inquired inside the menu much more limited and kitchen small so couldn't guarantee no allergens cross contamination.

Really nice meal and not a long wait to be served.

Some of the best wholesome food I've had staff have a great sense of humour and even better service

Staff were fantastic Great food and dog friendly

Looked with interest at the menu here ,and decided to visit to try the Sunday Roast . Perfect location in the town of Alnwick ( Stunning Town ). Our host , Sophie seated us as we entered ( we chose to eat at 1200hrs ). Sophie was friendly , courteous and cheerful . We chose two roast beef Sunday lunch , they came freshly prepared and piping hot . Portion size was excellent, and food was delicious. Beef was perfect , vegetables were also cooked to perfection, and the request for extra gravy was quickly bought to our table. Dog friendly, which is a +plus , great location and atmosphere. Food and service fantastic- would highly recommend it . Booking may be advised as it did get busy after we arrived . Stayed over night in June ( Thank you to Poppy for her super check In service ) , and Sam for her great Housekeeping. The rooms are Clean, and airy - good size bathroom and comfy bed . Excellent value for money and would recommend. Management may want to consider replacing all carpets on stairs to improve the overall aesthetic of the place .

All the staff could not do enough for us .Every day the housekeeper asked us if we needed anything for our rooms .Stayed in a top class hotel last year did not do that. .Local beer on draft very good .I don't work for the black Swan I live in Sheffield. Thank you black Swan enjoyed stay

Very dark and quiet but welcomed dogs so we went in and how pleasantly surprised, had Sunday Dinner with extra portion of Cauliflower Cheese and everything was delicious, lovely staff as well and great value for money

Came for a drink. Cracking atmosphere, music great, good drinks, great service … nice! I’d recommend this place to families and friends

Nice location and decoration but terrible service. Other staff were good, but there was a lady serving who was hopeless, she took a long time to even serve drinks (getting the gentleman next to me’s order wrong) and when ordering food she had to ask me to repeat myself twice before finally putting it through the till. When food arrived (after a long wait) she got to the table and said “is this even your food” before telling us what the food was. One of the meals was totally wrong. She went to speak to the kitchen before bringing the incorrect meal back out and telling us we could have what we’d originally ordered but it would take 10 mins - as if we’d want to accept the wrong meal?! Food was nice enough but we wished we’d gone somewhere else. I also understand why you have to pay upfront when ordering as I certainly wouldn’t have paid full price given the service we received.

Location great, lovely decorated...sadly severely understaffed. Bank Holiday weekend 1 member of staff out front, trying to serve at bar, serve food and clear tables....absolutely impossible. Customers are walking out as tables not cleared. Madness. Could be amazing if staffing levels were right.

Popped in for a beer and something to eat. Very helpful lady behind the bar. I had pie and mash with cabbage and husband had scampi and chips which he really enjoyed. Mine was tasty but a little on the cold side. I should have asked for it to be warmed up really but the gravy helped. We will certainly call in next time we visit and try something else. Very dark place as everything is black but quite like that.

Took over 20 mins to get a coffee which was horrible. Surly staff, service was disorganised and all over the place. Not much from the menu availble. Food was awful. Probably one of the worst pubs I've ever been to!

Nice selection of beers on tap and mediocre food. Located close to Alnwick Castle

We had an enjoyable experience here for lunch after visiting the Alnwick gardens. We were promptly seated and given instructions on how to order. The gentleman serving us was nice and knowledgeable. The restaraunt itself was clean and quaint. There is a sign outside saying that a man is buried behind a brick wall upstairs, which sounds really cool! We didn't have time to check this aspect out however. Additionally, the food was good and had great portions!

Long wait for bought -in food that was pretty cold. I ordered the crispy chicken sandwich - a dry roll with a cheap breaded chicken burger and some luke warm greasy fries. We waited about an hour for food. Waitress asked how the food was, i said not very good at all and she said "oh right" and cleared our plate. Plenty of other places to eat in Alnwick, don't waste your time with this one.

Very good Sunday roast. Staff were very good

Email sent on 11th March with no response.

My partner booked up as a last minute get away for the night, pub is beautiful, staff are brill and can't help you enough, bedroom was clean and tidy, beautiful decor, cheap to stay the night, I am not complaining, I would like to let the business know little things for next customers, we stayed in room 1, massive bath tub but the jets didn't work at all, bed was so hard we didn't sleep a wink & tv turned itself on during the night which put the spooks on us.

Booked a table for the 50% off food offer during February. Food was lovely, good portion sizes and would have been more than happy to pay full price! Great selection of alcohol and soft drinks available. The staff were friendly and went above and beyond to ensure our visit was enjoyable. Would definitely recommend

First time in Alnwick and went here for food and a pint after a long drive from Derbyshire. I thought I would try a pint of something local but the pump ran out after half filling the pint glass, the staff member told me that the beer was now off but I could have the partial pint for the price of a half, I declined this offer and decided on a full pint of Guinness instead. I was initially told by a member of staff that there wasn’t any food being served, after observing other tables being brought food and people successfully ordering meals at the bar my wife asked another member of staff if we could order food, this member of staff started to take our order until the original staff member came over and angrily told my wife that there wasn’t any food available and to stop asking. We were very happy to leave after we finished our drinks, a really memorable pub for all the wrong reasons!

Nice historic pub Real ale Nice food great menu Friendly atmosphere and staff

Lovely pub and very welcoming for us and our dogs. Lovely food and nice inside. We were told another venue we went to first was too busy so just stumbled across this pub. Glad we did. Nothing was too much trouble. Even managed to order some sausages for the dogs too. Will return. Thank you

Great central pub. Dog friendly. Delicious pizza. Attentive team.

Had a wonderful fish and chips. One of the best I've ever had. Also, had two Hugo spritz cocktails. Very friendly bar staff.

Very unimpressed. Used their website to book a table for a Wednesday lunchtime (when their website says they're open) for a family birthday and got a confirmation email. Then, 24 hours beforehand, got another email asking to confirm the booking so I did. Imagine my surprise then when we rolled up and found it was shut. No answer to phone. I emailed to ask what was going on. Five days later no response. We went to Dirty Bottles next door and had a fine time but we won't be bothering with the Black Swan again...

GREAT barman Connor. So helpful, friendly and great with old people . The lad never stopped grafting.

Nice friendly staff, great decor very warm and inviting, fish and chips were great very tasty, avoid the curry sauce 😋 highly recommend a visit!

Really good lunch here, nice surroundings & atmosphere. I had the lamb roast, came with plenty veg, good gravy and a side of cauliflower cheese. Partner had a vegan katsu curry which she said was really nice too (hard to please!). All in all, decent lunch, good value and quick service.

We all ordered the Sunday roast, it was served on cold metal plates hence the food was cold. My gammon was so tough I couldn’t cut it. Overall would only give it 1/5 and wouldn’t visit again

Stayed here for a couple of days and tried out most of the menu and drinks. The staff were all super friendly and chill throughout our entire stay. Unfortunately at the time of our stay they were understaffed which did slow down service and parts of our stay. It definitely appears that management does not provide staff with proper supplies nor take enough care of their workers whom were all joys to be around (Barman, cook and cleaner) The drinks first and foremost were fantastic. I wish this were somewhere local to us as it would be somewhere we would visit often. The food ranged from decent to excellent with the highlight being either the goats cheese pizza or sandwich as they were both really nice. Everything was also well priced so we wound up having three meals here (Dinner twice, lunch once)

Cosy pub with nice atmosphere and friendly staff. Clearly has a few regulars. We ordered the spinach and pear salad, soup, two gammon roasts, a lemon cheesecake and a sticky toffee pudding. Came to about £50. The tomato soup was mediocre but refreshing. The spinach and pear salad was nice, but there wasn’t any spinach at all just lettuce. It had a tahini dressing which was an oil rather than a paste but very nice. The gammon roasts were a good portion once we divvied up our gammon better between us. Decent amount of veg, but broccoli was hard and some roasts were luke warm. Yorkshire was tasty but completely flat. The lemon cheesecake didn’t taste of lemon or look like it had lemon in. It looked and tasted like a baked vanilla cheesecake. It was served with strawberry sauce and ice cream. The sticky toffee was delicious - can’t fault it. Overall we won’t be going again, but we wouldn’t object if a friend suggested going. Prices were standard for Northumberland.

I'm a carer and had a couple of people I support with me and came for dinner , staff that was on where so friendly and helpful. both the people I support enjoyed there meal I had a pizza and was told it was 2-4-1 deal so we actually took 2nd pizza back to the hotel we where staying . defernetly would recommend to my colleagues when they bring the people I support back to alnwick to come here . meals where reasonably priced and came very quickly

Just nipped in here for Sunday dinner and it's the best Sunday lunch I've had in a long long time. Superb friendly service. I highly recommend this place. Don't hesitate.

Myself and my husband stopped here for a vegan Sunday lunch. The pub was warm and welcoming, with a wonderfully historic feel. The vegan Sunday lunch was very good, great to see this option on the menu! However the menu did state that ALL Sunday lunches come with Yorkshire puds and mash - but we didn’t get these included. Understandably, they may not have been vegan but worth noting on the menu as I had been looking forward to enjoying a ‘vegan’ Yorkshire pud (which is an absolutely rarity) and was a tad disappointed when it wasn’t included. On the whole, would still recommend if your in Alnwick looking for a cosy pub, with a nice bit of pub grub (vegan or otherwise).

Visited with family for lunch - service was fine although staff looked lack lustre, compared to other visits in the past this pub has definitely slipped - the food was very mediocre and bland with items stated in the menu missing when food brought out and the place could do with a good clean - disappointing and based on this experience probably wouldn’t return or recommend

Food was average. We had two veggie stir fry which were horrible and salty. A fish and chips which was OK and a veggie burger which was also OK. The tables were sticky and the toilets were dirty. The place is in need of some TLC as some of the floor tiles were broken which is a potential health and safety risk. Disappointed.

Not Happy at all with the Food Ordered Battered Garlic Mushrooms which were still frozen inside which got Replaced with more that had probably been put back in the Fryer. Also ordered a Kids Mash Potato and Sausage + Gravy which came on a side...

The pub has a special Sunday lunch menu, meaning a more limited choice. We order a Sunday Lunch and one starter to arrive at the same time. It took 45 minutes to arrive. The starter, crispy squid was small. The Sunday lunch was OK.

Possibly one of the worst meals I’ve ever had. Hoisin duck spring rolls dreadful. Fish and chips basically inedible with undercooked soggy batter and frozen chips. Nice old building and the beer was ok but beyond that not many redeeming features.

Would never eat here again, ordered 2 lamb Sunday Lunches. Came to the table stone cold!!! The guy apologised and took them away, came back with another 2, which were hot......out of 2 Dinners maybe enough meat to cover half a slice of bread, after...

Absolutely loved our visit here - it's rare for three generations to ALL enjoy a pub of my choice but this one did it! Children were happy and didn't need entertaining as it was laid back enough for them to mill about and look at...

We enjoyed a lovely meal at The Black Swan. We shared calamari and halloumi starters, along with a delicious soup which came with two huge pieces of crusty bread. It was 2-4-1 on pizzas and they were absolutely delicious with a range of original toppings....

This is an ok pub in central Alnwick. I had a posh fish finger sandwich which was somewhat bland and the chips weren't particularly hot. They do have gluten free options and it's clean enough, it's not really a stand out place overall.

Called in on the off chance for a Sunday dinner, glad we did. Reasonable price £13 for a lamb Sunday dinner which not many pubs offer, nice to see a change from the usual meats. Roast potatoes to die for, I usually avoid pub roasties...

Went in on 11th July to have the 2 for 1 pizza deal. Great service and perfect pizzas. Lots of topping, great home made bases cooked to perfection and lovely, freshly made side salad. All in all, very good and we've already booked to go...

Fantastic food and great service for a reasonable price. Lovely to find somewhere dog friendly. Great Sunday lunch whilst up on holiday with husband and our three dogs .

Called in on spec for Sunday Lunch and we were very impressed with the quality. We all had a lamb dinner which was delicious. The vegetables were freshly and perfectly cooked, the meat tender, and the portions generous. All four of us enjoyed the food...

Fish with really crispy batter and mega chips with so much flavour. Steak and ale pie also delicious. Unpretentious but great service and really good food.

I was in last night 19 June and had its Steak & Ale Pie with creamed mash , kale & gravy . I who have lived for 65 years have not tasted such horrible food . My friends who also had some food but did...

Lovely Sunday lunch. Booked a table the day before which was good as it is a small pub and got quite busy when we visited. Lovely food at a reasonable price & the hosts were very welcoming.

I had an amazing gluten free pizza here, it was epic. Great pizza base and loads of toppings, It was bar service only, but the bar man was wonderfully helpful and friendly.

A good traditional pub, excellent service and very good food. What more could you ask for? It was very busy when e arrived on a wet Bakn Holiday, but we were immediately shown a table and menus provided. Food orders taken at the bar along...

The staff were friendly, however they didn’t have a menu for ready for children. After waiting a while I just asked them to tell me what the options were. The pizza’s, although tasty, we’re very wet and sloppy, the steak and chips were cold and...

Terrible it was busy which is fair enough can’t complain about that I am in a wheelchair and all top tables where reserved so my family left me near the door next to a table that was reserved while they went down the steps to...

The pub had quite a nice, vibrant atmosphere and was quite busy. The staff were friendly. However, the food was disappointing. We had a steak and ale pie which was nice but tiny. The steak frites (one of the most expensive dishes on the menu...

What can I say. …. The food was bland I was expecting something exiting like the last menu , come on every pub dose a curry chef please be more creative

Lovely place Lovely lady who served us Would have got a 5* only wood on the fire but not lit and it was pretty cold in here. Just popped in for a beer Toilets excellent

It seemed promising as the young lady that greeted us was very friendly, helpful and proactive so this is no reflection on her. However the food was bland, music too loud and it was really a bit run down, cheaply done. Not worth the visit.

Very nice little pub, great food. We stopped in Alnwick for a a quick bite to eat and found this little perl. The staff are very nice and the food was great. We will come back

I ate there a couple of times during the course of a week working up in Alnwick. The Black Swan is a bit of a local legend. I've been in there on rowdy nights with a DJ, and on quiet nights for a pint with...

Stopped in for a Sunday lunch and had the beef. It was very busy but they managed to find us a table not long after arriving. Will definitely be coming back, friendly staff, great food and a relaxing spot to sit down on the sofa...

Lovely hosts and fascinating building but could be improved. Booked for three nights. My room was just big enough for one. Bathroom and room very clean. Tea and coffee provided. I also had a view of the castle. However ... the bed was quite hard,...

Stopped in without a reservation on a Friday evening and were lucky to get a table right away. The kitchen was a little backed up, but we were told that beforehand. The tomato tarragon soup had maybe a little too much tarragon. The pizza was...

Came here for lunch and had the steak frites special and an “American” pizza. The steak was so nice, cooked medium rare and had Parmesan and truffle fries with a chimmichuri sauce 😋 the pizza was also really nice, was basically a pizza with like...

Lovely British Sunday dinner with all the trimming!! Went for the lamb shank!! The British know how to cook a tender Lamb shank!! Delicious!!

Called in with my wife and had a wine and tonic water for drinks. Staff were very slow and seemed uninterested and customer service skills non-exsistant.

Food great and staff friendly. Decor very dark and seating very hard and uncomfortable. Doesn’t tempt you to stay for more drinks.

This was in a lovely spot in the centre of Alnwick, nice choice of pub grub, dog friendly and a good mix of punters

Great pub, staff were superb. Very friendly. We booked a room for 3 nights and would come back. Well situated in the centre of town ideal for the whole area. Parking is free in the car parks behind the high street and is easy walking...

A great environment with good food, good drinks, and overall good people. If you are looking for a great little snack while drinking I highly recommend the truffle fries. Also in a great location where you are able to walk anywhere.

Visited for a quick meal on route to luna cinema. We both had the steak and ale pie and it was lovely! I had mine with mash which was creamy and full of flavour. My friend asked for his with chips instead of mash which...

Dropped in for coffee and teas. Twenty minutes to get lukewarm coffee, another five to get tea and another five to get milk for tea. No spoons. Apparently, they are short staffed - thought they were simply incompetent . Top Tip : Avoid like plague