The Cross Keys Inn Esh in County Durham

Delicious food and reasonable prices! I tried a Lamb Shank and it was amazing!

Warm and welcoming, beautiful home made food, and excellent value. Very cosy atmosphere.

Stayed here. accommodation was excellent a great base for our short break. Ate in the pub once and the food was also excellent and good value. Highly recommend.

Food is absolutely lovely!! Staff very friendly which creates great atmosphere 👌 highly recommend 👌

Good beer!!!..... good food!!!!.... friendly atmosphere...... recommend 👍 This now our favourite pub!....warm welcome excellent pint of black sheep and the steak & ale pie is delicious. Very reasonable too

Very tasty Sunday lunch, home cooked, fresh and hot. Only downside was the yorkshire pudding, very stodgy. Service excellent , staff very friendly.

Very friendly and welcoming village pub with reasonably priced good food. Busy 👍

Undecided where to eat, looked at the reviews, wow what a tasty steak and ale pie, apple crumble and custard to follow, fantastic. CJ our dog was made truly welcome by all the staff. Value was excellent, great local pub. In all a lovely experience. Truly dog friendly, meals only in the bar seated area with dog. 5 stars.

Lovely place to stop and have some food/drink. I had the steak pie and it was lush. Make sure to order the homemade chips they are so nice, best ones I ever had. The staff were so lovely and friendly. I will be going again if ever in the area. Thank you.

Delicious food, brilliant service, great view, good music. Can't ask for more.

Very friendly service good clean good menu 5 of us and all different meals could not have been better enjoyed by all good prices xxxxx

We pre booked as there was 7 of us and a baby. We were shown to our seats very swiftly and offered drinks while we looked through the menu. The ladie who served us was lovely nothing seemed like to much hassle. The food was lovely and all served together so no one was sat waiting. After a very filling dinner we were offered the desert menu to the kids delight. It is a lovely country pub.

Good quality food and genuinely great staff.

So so lovely. Staff were super friendly and customer service was exemplary. Food was very very tasty. My positive negative is that I couldn't eat everything! 😂 The chicken burger, and bacon & brie burger were beautiful 🥰

Great family friendly pub, very welcoming situated in a lovely little village would definitely recommend:)

The best food coupled with the best service. Our new favourite place to eat in the area. Absolutely superb.

A great pub to have a pint and chill. Well kept real ales always available.

Had a few meals in the Cross Keys and never a bad one yet, it’s comfortable and the staff bend over backwards to help you.

It was a sad occasion on my first visit. (Funeral) but I would definitely visit again. Polite staff & a excellent buffet laid for everyone. Lovely little village in a area of lovely countryside views. Worth a visit.👍👌

We came for Sunday dinner. Food was nice enough, staff were very pleasant and portions were generally decent, especially for £10 a head. Only one parsnip and one roast potato per dinner though! And a doorbell with a loud digital tune kept going off really loudly next to us which was really off putting.

Best place we’ve been for a while we came out one happy family, home made chips are the best we’ve ever had absolutely everything was perfect, staff are friendly and welcoming not badly priced at all

This pub is absolutely beautiful, the staff are so welcoming and friendly we were made to feel part of the community, the food here is outstanding, it really is, everything is cooked to perfection and takes pub food to another level. We found the cross keys in esh purely by accident but we have definitely made it our regular place to dine and are proud to take our friends and family here. A great friendly pub with excellent atmosphere and service, 5 stars really isn’t enough and if we could give it 10 stars we would. See you soon Craig and cheryl x

Lovely pub in the middle of nowhere, stopped by while on a long walk for a drink :)

Lots of choices to choose from, all served freshly cooked and piping hot. A great choice of sweets to choose from. Would definitely recommend as the price is cheaper than other places and portions are bigger.

Cosy atmosphere, decent pub grub, great selection of draught drinks on the bar. Very friendly staff. Also very reasonably priced!

Had a lovely meal with our walking group.

A truly lovely Sunday dinner ,great food, very nice staff and nice red wine ,a winner all round .

Cracking place full of friendly locals who have worked hard all week and just want to relax with a pint & some friends. Heard some amazing stories & jokes when we popped in here one weekend to see family. Made some great friends & have returned on several occasions since then. Its a really warm & friendly place, just how you'd imagine any local to be.

Poor quality throughout , over cooked and over microwaved

Nice friendly evening with excellent service. Good parking

A real little gem. Wonderful choice of food on main menu and specials board. Catered for our party of 14 people without any issues. Staff were really friendly and helpful. Save room for the puddings. Superb. If you can get a window table, you'll be treated to some wonderful views

Ate here last night. What a great find, we are staying in the village whilst our house is getting some work done. Great welcome from all the staff, lovely home cooked food (I've been a chef for 30 years and hardly ever say this), very reasonable prices and good well kept beer. The staff were also great with our lively 5 year old We will definitely be back as this is our new favourite pub

An excellent pub, the young barmaid was an absolute credit, the locals were friendly the beer was good. When I'm next in the North East I shall definitely return to this pub.

Although we dined it was not the pubs food it was an outside catering services

Buzzing pub. Lots of all ages dining. Restaurant full. Enjoyed our meal so much, booked for the Sunday lunch. Staff and food wonderful. Homely, friendly and excellent home cooked food, tasty and reasonably priced. Cannot fault it.

Great stop for a meal and drink, friendly service, good food and atmosphere.

Brilliant pub, 2 bars one for drinkers 1 for eating in. Food absolutely amazing, fantastic vfm, staff very friendly. So good we've booked to go back and stay at the apartments so that we can try some more of the menu.

Great pub with good food and service. Good portions and friendly staff.

This was the venue for a big family birthday party. The food was excellent and the service great. Would recommend the Cross Keys to anyone.

We had Sunday lunch. Service was excellent and the food was amazing for the price. I had beef and it was the best beef I've had in ages, melted in the mouth. Good selection of veggies too.

Lovely food and a great pint. Staff very friendly and helpful about local area as was viewing a house

Went for daughter's birthday..food was outstanding,staff were very efficient and lovely,had a warm atmosphere.we really enjoyed ourselves, will definitely be back.Keep up the good work everyone.

Food was lovely, good friendly service, busy but not too busy. Good choice of food on the menu, really wanted a dessert but was too full. I'll hopefully get to try one when I return. As Arnie said " I'll be back"

Absolutely beautiful food. Real home made food and a brilliant price. Staff always very welcoming and attentive. Highly recommend

We were there to have Sunday lunch with members of the family visiting for Durham Miners Gala. It was a lovely day all round the food was delicious the staff were exemplary and the atmosphere that of a good pub, sorely missed these days. I would recommend trying it. You will not be disappointed .

The menu was not extensive but what we had was great and very cheap. On a Monday evening it was buzzing so it shows how popular the food is with locals. Great friendly service. Would definitely visit again.

Sunday lunch .I had mixed meats ,wife had chicken.Lovely food ,attentive and friendly staff .lovely setting with friendly hosts,and very reasonably priced food and drinks.

Nice place to stay in the well equipped lodge above the pub. The car parking area fills up quickly because the pub is very popular in the evenings. The pub itself is good, serves big portions of good food. The hosts were great. Highly recommend for the pub and the lodge.

Fantastic meal. Had Lamb and would highly recommend. Staff were lovely.

A great small pub and the food was great, all of the family enjoyed it. Also just up the road

Warm friendly place, pleasant staff and lovely home cooked food, go regularly usuall6once a month.

Lovely food. Lovely staff Nice area. One star off as parking can be difficult.

Good priced Sunday dinners in a cozy village pub.

Lovely friendly staff and best food around

Great food (good portions and the best chips I've ever had) and lovely staff. Used to go to the Cross Keys with my Mum many years ago and was very pleased to discover nothing has changed, was great then and is great now.

Have eaten here before and tonight was no different. Meal was excellent, very well presented , and the service from the staff was great. Definitely coming here again.

Great and I mean huge Sunday dinner...

It was our first time dining at the cross keys and it did not disappoint. The mixed grill was lovely and the staff and service where spot on. We will be returning soon for sure.

Always get an amazing meal here every time. Love visiting here for food, well portioned loveliness and really good value for money. A traditional British pub feel and very lovely welcoming staff

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - this place is easily worth six stars. One of the best home cooked pub meals in a long time. Really tasty, perfect quantity with a great choice at reasonable value. Friendly and welcoming team. We'll be back 👍

Absolutely brilliant food Lovely staff We will be back for sure

Very pleasant staff and quick service. Would definitely go back.

Food here is absolutely amazing can not fault it, always so welcoming and friendly, the cross keys Inn esh deserves so much more than a five star if you have never been this is the only place to go for amazing food and a warm friendly atmosphere x

Excellent food and service, advanced booking advised for busy periods

Really great food, proper pub grub. Staff were so friendly too :).

Superb food and superb beer. The bill was so low I had to check if I had been undercharged. Definitely visiting this pub again.

Staff brilliant, lovely food, big portions and great prices, couldn't ask for more! 2nd visit and still excellent 👍

Thank you Karen, Steve and staff for a lovely New Year's Eve. Food was excellent and the atmosphere was brilliant. So lucky to have this pub on our doorstep. Would highly recommend.

This pub is a little gem,really cosy. We visited here on Boxing Day as a family group. The food was delicious & red hot & the staff were more than helpful. Thank you all for a wonderful lunch.

Lovely food and get prices, cheap aswell

Lovely village pub and always a warm welcome from Karen and Steve.

Awesome mixed grill, food is fab

We stayed in the rooms above the Inn for 3 nights. It’s well equipped and we all slept well. We also had an evening meal on our first night and was so impressed we booked for Sunday lunch and it was superb. Thanks for your generous hospitality, greatly appreciated.

Excellent pint. Friendly service. Food good portions, tasty and good value. We eat here weekly it's that good. Try the chicken in mushroom and garlic sauce with great home made chips. Real food with real ales.

Nice little pub. Staff are very welcoming and polite. Has a good range on the menu and reasonably priced. Scampi was great with a good salad. Chips were good, a little well done but OK. The pie was full of meat which was excellent, but some the chunks were a little dry though. Desserts are great too. Overall we enjoyed our meal.

Best Sunday dinner I have had for a long time. You just know everything was fresh and cooked on site. Yorkshire pudding amazing. Nice atmosphere, friendly staff.

I hope you're hungry when you go!...We had a lovely meal. Food was great and the portions were extremely generous. The staff were welcoming and the prices are very reasonable. Highly recommended.

Beautiful Sunday lunch & excellent value

The welcome was really warm and the food was really good quality and freshly cooked. We will definitely be back!

Lovely atmosphere with excellent staff. Food is excellent and they have a superb choice of drinks

Went here with my hubby for a meal as we were looking for somewhere different to our usual haunts. We were so glad we chose The Cross Keys. We haven't been for years and now can't wait to go back, it was excellent. From the warm welcome when we came through the door to the first class service which was swift, friendly and very menu knowledgeable. The friendly landlady advised against getting two portions of potato skins as they were massive and she was definitely right. We shared a huge plate which were lovely and really well cooked. Hubby went for Chinese chicken curry with rice and chips which he said was lovely. I had chicken kiev which was also very tasty and filling thanks to a huge bowl of homemade chips between us. Would have liked to sample dessert but honestly didn't have the room. Maybe next time!!

Lovely food, lovely staff, can't fault it. 😋😋😋😋😋

Very tasty food. Excellent and friendly service by the staff. We thoroughly enjoyed this local pub.

Surprise wedding anniversary meal here with family and friends. Helpful staff, good atmosphere. Will definitely be visiting again

Wonderful place to stay some of the most friendliest people to ever meet food was amazing and the price to was outstanding.

We stayed at the apartment over the pub in July 22, great set up with lots of space and well-appointed.

lovely atmosphere and incredibly good food and staff are awesome highly recommend

Absolutely lovely place, very friendly staff and excellent value for money 😁

Fabulous, the staff fantastic the food excellent can't wait for my next visit

Went for Sunday dinner today and it was brilliant. Food was epic, staff were great and wasn't badly priced at all. Will be returning again soon!

What fantastic pub/dinner, great atmosphere, cosy, and relaxed. Food excellent, great choice of drinks.

Absolutely amazing pub, great staff, extremely friendly and welcoming. Real nice cozy atmosphere. The food is absolutely tremendous, and great selection of real ales. Would highly recommend to anyone. We enjoy every time we go.

Stayed for 2 nights with family. Beautiful apartment and the pub grub is well worth the money.....will be back at some point.

Great atmosphere. Good prices. Service is excellent.

Just had a lovely meal there. Lamb chops were delicious. Staff very good too.

Great food, friendly staff, great pub!

Brilliant little pub. The owners are realy friendly and welcoming. We stopped in the apartment above the pub on a working away trip. The apartment has everything you need and its very smart with lovely views over the surrounding hills. The food is realy nice and very good value. We even got out food delivered to our room. Thanks to the owners and staff for making our working away trip feel like a mini holiday

Excellent food with ample portions. Nice feel to the place. Lovely friendly staff. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.

Absolutely brilliant service and food was excellent staff couldn't do enough for you nothing was a problem

Always an excellent meal and great staff!