The Fat Abbot in Selby - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

We had lunch at The Fat Abbott earlier today and unfortunately it was hugely disappointing.. What we got to eat wasn’t great quality, but ok as pub food goes .. However , the main problem was that there was loads and loads of flies everywhere , we were swatting them constantly, they were landing on our food and it was a nightmare.. The manageress eventually came over and told us that there is a fly problem caused by a local farmer that has created the issue..but we would have to question why they were doing lunches with this ongoing issue .. To be honest it was pretty difficult to eat with all these flies everywhere and we couldn’t leave quick enough.. We expected to be offered a reduction but nothing was forthcoming and it’s unlikely we’d return in the future..

Food wasn't bad but the competition with the flies for it... and the heat, made the experience unbearable! No fans, no a/c, 30C and swarms of flies to boot... Not pleasant... Unlike the staff who were lovely.... if unworthy fly hunters!

We had a Sunday lunch and we’re very disappointed, the crackling had hairs on it and tasted disgusting, it was like everything was microwaved, will never return, very poor food, one star rating is too much, horrible

We had an awful meal. Swarms of flys constantly buzzed round and landed on our food. Staff not interested at all. I complained to one waitress who said 'yes, isn't it awful' and another did not address the complaint at all. They clearly didn't care about the problem which we could see and hear was affecting the other diners. We will never eat there again.

We were looking for a pit stop on the way home from a weekend away. Sunday evening/late afternoon can be problematic as many places have stopped serving or have run out of some choices. We were able to book online en route and on arrival were quickly shown to our table. We thoroughly enjoyed our meals, I chose Roast Pork (unfortunately missing the promised crackling and apple sauce. I should have asked!) which was delicious. Roast potatoes, parsnip and carrot plus side order of greens. My husband had Pie of the Day - Lamb, pea and mint - with chips (or mash) equally good. So satisfied we had no room for pudding. We thought this very good value at £15.95 each.

The serving staff were excellent: attentive, helpful and friendly. The food was very disappointing for the price. The sirloin steak could not have been thinner; the chips were ok; the half a tomato and half a mushroom, completed the dish for £24! Maybe would have paid £14. The wife had Ox Cheeks and said it was fairly pleasant. Also, had cauliflower with piri-piri dipping sauce for starters and was the dish of the meal. The fact that I took the family to a small family-ran Italian the week before and paid exactly the same price for 4 that night compared to 2 on this night, tells me it is cashing in on a captive audience.

Just got back from Sunday lunch/dinner - booked for 6pm but they take bookings up to 9pm so would expect the food to be as good as if you arrived at 12 to 2. Arrived and were seated promptly and with good customer service skills - pleasant waiting staff with quick drink ordering and then food order, When going out for Sunday Lunch, I particularly like to have roast beef providing that it is pink. I always ask the waiter if it is pink and make it clear that I want it to be. If they say it isn't pink I will always order something else. When ordering I was assured it was pink and I asked for it to be as pink as possible. When it came out it was well done with a slight hint of pink tinge. I sent it back and was informed that the chef said it would be cold if it was any pinker !! To start with I am very experienced in ordering and eating pink beef - it is only when it is blue that there may be an issue with 'cold' and even then an experienced chef can serve it blue without being cold. I ordered pork instead and this came out shortly afterwards - the waitress did ask if I needed anything else while it was 'cooked' for me !!! the speed the original order came out after the starters showed it certainly wasn't going to be cooked fresh !! The main point I would like to make is that from the moment of complaint the waiting staff clearly had taken my complaint personally - the service turned into none existent and I could have been mistaken but felt we were being glared at and certainly not very welcome anymore. The whole meal was average and the lack of customer service in the end meant we left without leaving a tip which we always do. I would suggest that the staff are trained to realise that the customer complaint is not aimed at them personally and that an apology always goes a long way.

Had a lovely meal whilst staying next door at the Parsonage Hotel. Great food and lovely friendly staff. Can recommend.

This was the place we went to from the hotel next door as the parsonage doesn't have a chef . We had a sandwich at lunch which was very nice the young girls were very helpful and pleasant. One of them changed our booking for the evening from 1930 to 1800 saying don't worry we haven't got a lot of customers tonight . When we arrived we was put in the corner against a wall peeling in paint . The meal was not fit for our dog no vegetables with out £24.95 steak just reheated chips a mushroom and ahalf a tomato . The steak was a quarter of a inch thick and almost see thru . When I complained to the the guy behind the bar at our seating his said it was because they were very busy .. It was half empty. Definitely one to steer clear of .

We ended up in the Fat Abbot as it was the only restaurant open on Monday evening, the staff were very friendly and the menu was good. I ordered a Chicken Ceaser salad which was nice but if you took the chicken away the rest of it was a very small portion, I honestly wouldn’t rate it. My wife and our friends ordered Chicken Supreme and they all reported that it was really nice.

Good simple pub food served well. Portions are really good. My burger was moist, onions rings crispy. My wife had two starters for a main and mushrooms in white sauce delicious as were the halloumi fry’s !

Great food, wonderful service, but please upgrade the payment system so we can leave a tip via the card machine! Otherwise would be 5 stars.

The place was cold and the heating went off. The service was slow .and not very friendly. The food menu was limited, The food was poor and most went back. What was amazing was the staff were not bothered. We have been quite a few times before and over the last two to three times seen it go down. Will not be going back.

Lovely food and great service the special lamb and mint pie was delicious nice balance between casual and formal we will definitely return

Great pub food.Had lovely garlic mushrooms on sourdough and beer battered fish and chips.Great atmosphere,good music played and friendly helpful staff

Decent drinks selection and the staff on the day were very nice. Please get some new chairs in the lounge. Most are desperately in need of cleaning and some have collapsed seats.

We were staying at The Parsonage Hotel. As they do not have a restaurant but this is their pub we ate here. Staff are hardworking and friendly. Food was tasty. Wine very good

I would just give this place a miss. Called in for drinks just before Christmas, it’s pretty awful, the bar service is terrible, it’s pretty expensive and the place is scruffy. Won’t go again.

Dropped into this place on the way back from a weekend in York and was glad we did. Beautiful Sunday lunch, with fresh veg and mouthwatering lamb of shoulder and beef. Excellent service and quality food for a good price (two courses for £19.95) We'll be back again.

There were too many young and inexperienced staff. All very polite. It's not their fault but the service wasn't managed well. The food is average at best. I stayed at the adjoining hotel and tried the room service as well. Bad mistake.

The Mixed Grill was absolutely incredible. Quality produce. One of the best I've ever had. The staff are amazing and the chef's are brilliant. I've never had a bad meal from here. Thanks Guys. Dan the Bricky. 👌👌👌😍😍😍

Sunday lunch. Young inexperienced staff struggling to keep up with orders, but we all have to learn. They were polite and pleasant. Service further impacted by staff shortages, again, sometimes these things happen and you just have to cut people a little slack The food….generally not bad. The beef was poor. As a person suffering from coeliac disease I have to follow a gluten free diet. I ordered the Sunday roast beef which just came without a Yorkshire pudding, which was disappointing. The service doesn’t fill me with confidence that the rest of the meal was gluten free…..time will tell!!

Sunday Lunch very disappointing , The meat was very fatty, the veg was not done at all!! Service was ok but the young lads never even knew what veg was on the menu, Training comes to mind!! will not be returning, our friends stayed at the hotel Parsonage by the side, the heating did not work the whole experience was not good at all!! Suzie from Riccal .

After reading the reviews i was apprehensive about visiting when my friend mentioned she had booked for an evening meal. Upon arrival we were greeted by a very polite young lady who showed us to our seat. we were left to choose what we would like from the menu, and when we asked questions about the specials on offer she was very informative. The staff on shift were nothing but polite and helpful, and the fish pie was delicious. A big well done to Izzy, who was our waitress that evening, she was a real gem and certainly put to one side any reservations i had previously had . Thank you to all.

Have visited here before and by the sounds of other reviewers the feelings are mutual. The service was really really poor, almost to non existent. It was like a chore staff visiting your table and when they did visit to clear items, your drinks, no matter how much was remaining would be taken away… The food was very mediocre and wholly overpriced, it was a real disappointment. Any requests were met with the most could not be bothered attitude and the main bar tender man was very rude and unhelpful. All in all I do not recommend this location and has really fallen short of expectations in comparison to previous visits over the years.

Couldn’t eat there despite being a resident at the parsonage hotel next door as he had a chef off so really disappointed - will skip breakfast now too at £16.99 a day

Disappointing visit with family, extremely poor service from unprofessional staff who really didn’t care. The food was mediocre. We visit every year for my Mum’s birthday but will definitely not be returning.

I stay at the hotel regularly so the Fat Abbot has become a bit of a home from home but as I tend to eat out a lot can offer good comparison. Firstly… you need to book, the hotel is always busy and most people eat in the pub. If you don’t have a reservation you may be able to eat at the bar but not guaranteed. Food.. the pub offers a gastropub menu with a difference. The food is cooked fresh and the pies (usually a special) are hand made on site. They are superb! A good selection of wine and beers too. Service is usually very good and always with a smile.

Nice pub setting and can sit outside, good range beers available. Need to book for dinner or be disappointed, staff mainly disinterested, food comes quickly but poor quality.

Food very poor. Lasagne burnt and no moisture, in face in was like a solid lump, chips were white and salad limp! Service very slow and staff inattentive we had pre ordered as a large group so surprised the food was so bad. Definitely would not eat here again.

There have been a few bad reviews but I have to say our experience was quite the opposite. Great ambiance the food was great and the service was fantastic. Thanks for a lovely evening

Came here for sunday dinner as we were residents at the hotel next door. We booked online. Arrived and we asked if we had a booking after we sat down. Gave our names. Then waited to be brought menu's, no one came. Watiresses just walked around the restaurant. We asked a member of staff for a menu and to place drinks order. Took ages, even though there was only 4 tables in use. Once we got the drinks it took ages to order food as they forgot about us. Again having to say excuse me can we order. We were served by a young blonde girl who was ignorant and didn't look like she wanted to be there. Very unfriendly. The food came and it was the smallest roast you have seen. A small bowl of brocoli and cabbage came for two people that was it. My friend wanted dessert and when it came it was pretty much thrown at her. We just both looked at each other in shock. I just wanted out of there so asked the same unhappy waitress for the bill. Someone else came with a card machine and her name was zara she was nice. I'd never return,

The lovely beamed building has great potential but the furniture was grubby tired looking needs a good update.. staff disinterested food ok Ambiance poor..

Disappointing ! Visited at 8pm as residents of the hotel . Good environment and initial building first impressions good ! . The reason for the poor and terrible reviews of other reviewers were quickly evident however . Attitude of one of the waitresses appalling . One of them was fab though ( the one without the heavily looped earrings was nice and helpful !! ) . Full Menu was very limited as starters and mains were not available ! Had we known this would have booked elsewhere . Surely it is not beyond the wit of the chef to have enough choices such as lasagne available . Perhaps the catering for the large coach party tour wasn’t anticipated . Despite one of our party explicitly requesting no salad on the burger this came with salad as the waitress was clearly disinterested and not really listening . This echoed and was synonymous of the communication skills overall . Food was far from exceptional and portion sizes would satisfy a Thin Abbott perhaps . The warmth of the warm chocolate brownie mirrored that of some of the staff. When it came to leaving and paying the male manager in black shirt appeared stressed and no customer engagement whatsoever : more focused on the till ! Aloof : and echoing the comments of another reviewer the tone of this place needs to change from the top ! Maybe they don’t really try because they have a monopoly with the hotel ! That was the vibe !

Welcomed nicely by a young assistant and shown to our pre-booked table. Given a bottle of water and then waited for our order to be taken- actually asking someone whom took a table that entered after us order. The young lady was direct, not much...

Been here before for drinks and liked the place. So came again for food. What a let down. Disengaged staff. Moved tables 3 times for no real reason. Abrupt older man. Young surly girl who didnt like being told things werent too good. Small only...

Very busy but lovely place to eat, lots of variety & good prices. I had the Caesar salad with added chicken & bacon, very good portion size. You need to book to make sure you get a table. Staff very friendly, helpful & accommodating. Will...

Visited the hotel for a family meal during our stay in Yorkshire . Pleasant service on arrival . Decent prices available on 1-2-3 course meal you decide . Went for starters of garlic mushrooms and prawn salad both excellent value good size portions . We...

Lovely little pub just next to The Parsonage hotel. We both had a cheeseburger which was delicious. The portions were very good and the quality was great too. Staff were very friendly, polite and accommodating. Considering the pub and hotel is outside of York they...

Service was prompt and friendly. Decor and location are lovely. The food, however, was dreadful. I had salmon bites for starter. They looked and smelled like cat food, mushy and covered in a browny/grey mess. My husband had the chicken skewers which were so dry...

Ate here for 2 nights as part of package along with hotel stay. AMAZING. Had cauliflower bite starters, salmon with noodles, chicken supreme, beef bourginon, a pie special and sticky toffee pudding. All food was piping hot, beautifully presented and delicious. Full of flavour. Couldn't...

Two evening dinners, midweek April 2023. Our group of eight ate here twice while staying at the Parsonage. Yes it’s pub food, but it’s very good pub food. Plenty of choice to suit most tastes. Several dishes had an interesting twist. For our group of...

We met a friend for lunch here on Sunday, first time visit for us all. We were taken straight to our table in the lovely conservatory area, menus on the table, although we had to ask for the wine list. Order taken promptly after a...

An 'ok' experience but nothing special. Very restricted menu, just a glorified pub. No complaints, but don't expect too much.

Locale carino in posizione comoda per visitatre York e lo Yorkshire. Collegato al ristorante vi è anche un ottimo albergo...

Accompanied my mum for Mothers Day lunch. The place was relatively empty, which was surprising considering the day. We opted for the Mother’s Day menu priced at 32.50 each. To start with we ordered drinks, two half’s of lager and lime. We were brought two...

Popped in on a very busy Mother’s Day, all staff super helpful especially barman Max who went the extra yard..top job..👍

Food was fantastic for the price, portion size was perfect, wine choice and knowledge by staff was spot on. 10/10 recommendation.

Lovely setting. The staff helpful at first. My wifes Caesar salad was a disgrace. Constructed without care or the right ingredients. The fries with my burger weren't completely cooked. The staff clearly happy to chat to one another but really had no interest.

We popped by for lunch it was relatively busy, there was only one waitress & bar man/manager. Service was ok, we ordered sandwiches & chips the food was nice. The waitress was young & busy but pleasant even though she was rushed off her feet.

I was a little worried having seen the previous poor reviews but everything was fine. The lamb and the fish pie was particularly good, and the mushroom starter was plentiful, and tasty. This was the first time we had been to Parsonage/ Fat Abbott for...

Visited for Saturday lunch , I was slightly put off by the negative reviews and considered cancelling and going elsewhere. I’m so glad I didn’t . The bar/ restaurant is such a nice place it’s bright and cosy . We were greeted by a lovely...

Disappointing sunday lunch too much piled on plate gravy nearly to the edge of plate I had pork why would you cut meat so thick not nice lots of fat. Would have looked more appetising if not piled up. And the coliflower cheese looked bad...

Turned up on a quiet Wednesday afternoon and the lady behind the bar looked up and we asked if she was serving food. The answer was ‘no, we are busy’, then she said ‘half hour wait’ which was acceptable to us so we waited for...

We were disappointed with no steaks which could have been ordered from local butchers. Not acccomodating chef when asked for alternative sauces for fish dish. I don’t go out for burgers at an establishment like this, only Burger King, they were over cooked too. You...

From start to finish atrocious. Indifferent and inexperienced hosts. Menu filthy covered in the previous guests muck and food debris. Peroni flat. Prawn cocktail looked as though it was just defrosted. Chicken satay dry bland. Ceaser salad- bright yellow lettuce, bland chicken and limp bacon....

Disappointing experience. Food is tasteless, bland. We order the prawn as a starter, the prawns were still with the shell (new one requested, twice the issue). Drink are poor.

The best battered fish we have ever had great size crisp delicious my husband and I had the same will definitely be back on our next trip to York

Very dissapointed after reading good reviews. Staff need training. Starters delivered before drinks. Mushroom starter was pleasant but very dissapointing roast with 3 small hardly roasted potatoes, crackling inedible due to amount of salt, no apple sauce. Was asked if we wanted anything, requested apple...

We booked into the adjoining hotel and could only book a table the following day at 17.30. I only wish that we hadn't been able to book a table at all. We tried to have the bread and olive oil and balsamic vinegar, the oils...

We ate in the Fat Abbot on the night of our stay at The Parsonage but I wasn’t blown away by the choice of food or the service. It took ages to take our drinks order then when food was ordered our starter and mains...

Our family of 4 visited on the evening of our 25th wedding anniversary. We chose the restaurant because it was adjacent to the Parsonage where we held our wedding reception. We had also looked at the menu in advance and noted the fact they appeared...

Not a huge menu but excellent quality food. We ate fish pie, Barnsley chop, duo of duck and had delicious wine over our weekend break. Attentive staff and reasonable prices.

Booked a table for our first night in Escrick, glad we did as it was quite busy. Friendly staff and food was not expensive as some of the reviews had led us to believe. Particularly liked the fact that our dishes were served with plenty...

Stopped in here after a night away and was blown away by the standard of food and the value for money, will definitely pay another visit for lunch

We've been here quite a few times. The food was, as always, absolutely delicious. However, you need to seriously train your staff. Our server took our order and wrote down everything (well it looked like she did). I asked for a bottle of tap water...

We are regular visitors for lunch, dinner or even a drink. Highly recommended and this is passed on to out visiting guests. We are walking distance from our site and is easy to access and plenty of parking if needed. A variety of options and...

What a disappointment. I am gluten intolerant and was delighted that the menu showed nearly everything could be gf. Well sadly as far as they are concerned that means leaving off anything with gluten in!!! No Yorkshire pudding, no biscuits with the cheese and biscuits....

I was looking forward to eating here However the service let me down No one came over and asked if your meal was ok( felt ignored) One member of staff seemed more interested in the bar man then customers I managed to rise my voice...

Went for our lunchtime treat today. Although the menu is limited for choice, there is plenty of options. On arrival we were made feel welcome and shown to our table, staff were helpful and curious. Our food arrived well presented and looked very Appetising. I...

What an outstanding meal beautifully prepared and staff catered superb for an autistic child Perfectly sat in a quiet area of the pub outstanding service from all will def return thank you to russ and ovi and the bar staff

The menu is limited but is excellent. And they have gluten free options if you need them. I'm not a fan of pub food fish and chips, but have had theirs a few times now and it's highly recommended. Was hoping to try the burger...

Lunch with a friend. Both ordered fish and chips. It turned up very quickly, suggesting that the fish hadn't just been cookedbut had been hanging around for a bit. As it turned out, the fish was OK; a bit overcooked but not bad. The chips...

From the moment we entered shaun made us feel welcome and couldn't do enoughfor us, we were stopping at a local lodge and this was one of the recommended places to eat, well we weren't disappointed. Our server Josh was a delight again couldn't do...

Very pleasant area and the male manager was helpful but very busy, he needed more training of the female staff and they should have been more proactiv. All our food was excellant

Set in beautiful grounds this restaurant is perfectly poised to offer a fantastic dining experience. The venue itself is spacious but still maintains a cosy atmosphere. Unfortunately the experience was slightly disappointing. Having chosen a bottle of Chardonnay, which was very good, we noticed the...

Burger had no garnish at all just a solid burger, with a piece of bacon and smidgin of cheese in a plain bun with a separate dish of French fries. Overall dry and boring. The chocolate and orange mousse had no chocolate or orange in...

The Fat Abbot should just be called FAB because it is. The food is always top quality and the service and staff excellent. Will continue to visit whenever we are in York

Fantastic restaurant and were able to accommodate at the last minute,food was great and service excellent special mention to josh who asked us twice was everything ok,great choice and was so good we went back a second night again great service highly recommended it

Evening meal as part of spa package at the parsonage. Mushroom starter with Parmesan was heavenly. My steak ( cooked blue) was perfect and tender. Service prompt and polite. Place very clean. Not rushed. Lovely toilets also.

Where do start,we went for a birthday meal as a party of 6.I had read reviews online & thought i would give it the benifit of the doubt Nice place,but then it went down hill.They call them selves a gastro pub,well i cook better at...

Good service and value for money but food quality and looks was a bit average. I was hoping for more given the quality of the hotel next door.

I have just returned home after a very pleasant sandwich lunch with friends. We each chose a different sandwich - chargrilled chicken, ham and fish finger. The food was well presented , tasty and we were served by a charming young man. I did find...

A midweek evening meal with friends. The menu is limited, but our food was good and the young staff were brilliant - attentive, cheerful and keen to look after us. Full marks to them - thank you. The restaurant was busy and hot. Although the...

Good pub grub. We ate twice at the pub whilst staying at the Parsonage as part of a weekend deal. The menu is a little limited, probably due to Covid but other places doing much more variety now! The menu felt dated with garlic mushrooms,...

This is my third visit to the Fat Abbot and the best so far. The service by the young staff was excellent, they were very attentive and efficient. The food was very good with most of us opting for the Sunday lunch option. I had...

First visit with family and friends… a very nice place with friendly staff and good service . The menu had limited options and we were not informed of the special and I personally found the food to be just ok nothing to rave about ....

We called in today on the off chance as we had never been before nor had we booked. The staff were friendly and attentive, the food was the Sunday menu but it had a fair choice, we chose the lamb which was absolutely beautiful, vegetables...

Having parked our motorbikes in the stunning grounds of the Parsonage hotel and settled into our well appointed rooms, we decided to go for a bite to eat and some drinks in the affiliated pub next door. Being early in the evening and with lots...

The food here is good but not amazing but the staff are amazing friendly and very accommodating. We ate here because we were staying at the parsonage hotel. We were not disappointed

Have been here 4 times over past few years when staying at the hotel next door. Always for an evening meal. Previously, there were 2 vegetarian options on the menu, the standard mushroom tagliatelle and a burger, now only 1 - a bean burger, which...

Recently we went for a meal here. (Over 10 in our party) we were asked to pre book our food because of the large number of guests. We did this only to find out that they had sent an old menu to our email and...

Fabulous staff nothing too much trouble great food homely atmosphere. Awesome manager extremely professional and helpful An asset to any organisation

A really delicious meal in a lovely setting. We had a drink outside, which was lovely in the sun, and then dinner in the restaurant. It was well-spaced and not at all cramped. Service was prompt and very friendly. Between two of us, we had...

I have eaten at the Fat Abbot on many occasions and the food, service and building have all been great. However, my lunch today with two of my (adult) children was so far from being anything close to acceptable I felt I had to warn...

Truly dreadful food on last two visits. This was a second ( post lockdown ) try. We said if it had not improved it would be our last. Veg not cooked through . Roast potatoes white. Parsnips to ' bony' . Cauliflower cheese tired the...

Every member of staff was happy and very welcoming food was great my stake was one of the best I have had for a long time no complaints at all would definitely come here again.

Came here for my daughter birthday. She has coeliac disease. She ordered gluten free fish and chips which was lovely big portion. She then wanted a chocolate brownie desert. This was a supermarket slice brownie with a small scoop of ice cream which was priced...

Food terrible and overpriced, undercooked and just genuinely disgusting. Service was decent but all cocky young girls. Don't go here ever. It's awful.

We have just returned from a nights stay at the Parsonage Hotel and I had pre booked a table for the evening for dinner, we both had a steak and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. The triple cooked chips were amazing! And although we would usually...