The Gallery in Ryedale

We are walking some of the coast to coast and are staying at the Black Swan. We realised too late that the information we received from our travel agent about this restaurant was outdated. It used to be a creative dining experience, but now it is pretty terrible pub food . look elsewhere.

I was unsure what to expect as the 'wait to be seated' style welcome was a little disorganised at first. The food however was stunning both in taste and presentation. For those expecting to fill bellies after a day walking the hills I would suggest ordering one of the nice sides to go with the main as we did. Sam served us , he was extremely polite and helpful without being overbearing. I would definitely return.

Ten years ago, the Gallery restaurant was justified in asking fine dining prices, the quality slowly declined, but not the prices, so the move by the new owners to shift the emphasis towards pub food with rooms makes sense. We dined twice on the “Dine-Inn Staycation” offer and the meals were reasonably priced good pub food, ranging from excellent fish and chips and an excellent pan roasted salmon fillet special both for £14.95, to a £35.95 ribeye steak. There was good selection of starters and desserts and a limited list of wines under £30. We had sympathy for the staff as they tried their best to communicate behind their Covid masks but despite the circumstances, the service was efficient and attentive and we enjoyed our meals.

I booked a table for our group of 10 friends on New Years Eve in the Black Swan and we had a really fantastic evening. We were greeted with a Champagne reception and served really good canapés. The tables were immaculate in their layout with white linen and silver cutlery, drinking water and wine glasses. The food was divine and every one enjoyed the seven courses. The service at the table was outstanding and the staff here are all very friendly and super efficient, I would particularly like to praise Andre and Lori. The manager Lise worked very hard to ensure that all tables were happy.

The food and service was perfect. The grouse was so tender and pumpkin with blackberries was the perfect combination. My husband had lamb chump, his comments were "utterly delicious". The ham hock starter was mouth watering.White chocolate fondant oozed sauce. The only negative was the room, changed since we were last staying there and rather stark. This would have been a five star rating otherwise. No tablecloths or flowers, bleak infact.. Cloths would improve the noise level and flowers however small would be more attractive. We have already booked to eat there again!

My wife and I ate here on Saturday evening, we had no booking and just walked in. The staff were very helpful and friendly. The food that we were served was delicious and they have a very good wine list.

We decided on the Market menu which has a relatively small selection but sounded interesting. Three truly excellent courses followed with good basic ingredients and skilful but not over-complex presentation. I was so impressed( and not a little surprised) that I asked how long the chef had been there. Apparently only about a month and the new menu just started!! Good wine list with interesting choices and very helpful and knowledgeable staff. Not given away but well worth the price!!

We’ve been coming to the “mucky duck” almost every year for 30 years or more and sadly the restaurant is not what it was. Seated in the bar we made our choices over a gin & tonic, we both asked for the crab starter, I ordered plaice and my wife lamb for our main courses. We couldn’t help hearing lots of folk in the bar ordering the crab and judging by the teaspoonfull of crab we got, the chef must have decided to ration it and compensate by dumping two thick unpleasant lumps of cured salmon on each plate. My plaice was beautiful but my wife’s lamb was tough and the kidneys which came with it, tasted as though they had not been properly cleaned. Slighly making up for the rest of the meal was the prune creme brulee dessert. What we really missed was the crisp linen tablecloths of days past.

As we were staying at the hotel for one night we thought we would eat in the restaurant in the evening . When we got downstairs we were asked to take a seat in the bar first and they would come across with the food menu . Once we had taken a look at the menu we both knew what we wanted to order but first i made a few enquires regarding GF to see if they could modify a couple of dishes for me , The waitress was very helpful and went to ask the chef . I went for the country farmhouse pate which GF bread was given then for mains I had the fillet steak and new potatoes instead of the chips . My husband had soup to start then the roast pork dinner . The quality of the food and level of service was excellent .

Our chateaubriand was one of the best we have ever had for many years. Admittedly we had to wait 40mins after ordering which is we would expect. It was well presented, cooked to perfection and had a fantastic flavour and cooked to perfection The quality is second to none and would definitely recommend the restaurant as the service was very good.

Excellent food, interesting menu, including carved roast from trolley. Great choices including a fabulous cheese trolley. Staff were really good, helpful & friendly. We thought they were brilliant. Fillet steak great quality, if any criticism, peppercorn sauce was very thin & no sign of peppercorns, but didn’t detract from quality of our meal. Finished with a great rhubarb & custard dessert, delicious

The service was really good unfortunately the quality and choice of food is not as good as the last occasion we stayed. Compared to other similar hotels this hotel is not very good value for your money

A night away with the husband at the equally fabulous Feversham Arms we wanted to try somewhere different to eat. We hadn’t booked a table just called in. The staff from the front desk, to the bar staff to the waiters were all incredibly friendly and helpful. The restaurant itself has a lovely feel to it, with lots of beautiful art (it’s a gallery during the day) the waiters couldn’t have been more attentive and were keen to point out that there were a few new dishes on the menu they were keen to get feedback on. I had the moules to start, really good size and the sauce it came in was fresh and delicious, often they are cream and garlic heavy, this was delightful. My husband had the cheese Soufflé, I have eaten at many places and this is one of the nicest dishes I’ve ever tasted (yes I was allowed a mouthful!) light and delicious. We both then had the belly pork, beautifully presented with a selection of flavours and textures, the creamed spinach as an extra went well. We then finished with a Mille feuille and a cappuccino creme brûlée, again both exquisite. The bill came to £100, that was 3 courses a couple of drinks and some extras worth every penny. I am astonished at the reviews for this place because it is most definitely one of the nicest restaurants I have eaten in. Highly recommended and we will go back.

We have eaten here quite a few times and had some very enjoyable meals so decided to come for a birthday treat, some of our guests had traveled over 100 miles. Unfortunately the chef has changed and the menu was very different from what I was expecting. No amuse Bouche and hardly anything but beef on the menu, we used to enjoy the tasting menu and as I am not a big meat eater I was very disappointed. Starters were small tasty but very expensive the main dish I thought was also expensive and I had to wait and ask for my sauce which accompanied my dish to be served this was then slid along the table towards me by the waiter who couldn’t be bothered to walk round the table to serve it. The only vegetable served was a mushroom and a tomato along with chips. Salt was not on the table and had to be requested, I understand chefs are snooty when it salt is asked for in fine dining, but surely not in steak and chips! On a positive note the cheese board was extensive and the waitress who served it knew her subject and was helpful and entertaining in her service. As others have said now the tables are bistro like, cheap no table cloths and out of character with the old building. I am sorry we will not be returning as we do not like steak houses.

Little point in courteous waiting staff helping your linen napkin into your lap at Sunday lunch, when they're about to forget the gravy jug with the main course: you're going to have nothing to wipe from the corners of your mouth. If the dry beef doesn't get you salivating, the effort to crack the roast potato's shell might get you spitting feathers. But don't tell the head waiter: he'll just smile and benignly move on. You're not rushed, for sure. We couldn't decide whether that was a relaxed atmosphere or a slow kitchen. At £35 a head for a limited choice the room doesn't need to take a second sitting to break even. Very fancy cheese trolley, but not a Yorkshire cheese aboard. And the coffee advertised petit fours, but our embarrassed waitress said the chef had made no more so we were out of luck. Gentlemen, take a deep breath before making an early afternoon call to the WC: there appears to be no extractor fan. Stinking Bishop, anyone?

This was our 1st time at the Black Swan for sunday lunch.The staff were very attentive when we arrived and soon sat with aperitives and menus,although the choice is very limited only 3 dishes per course and there was nothing that really appealed as a starter for 2 of our party.I had steak tartar which was exellent,but it went a bit pear shaped after that.2 of our party had beef which they could not cut with the cuttlery provided and had to ask for sharper knives,i had a taste and found it very chewy.We did complain and were given a reduction on the beef.On the whole i think for the price it could be a lot better with a wider choice of dishes.Nice restaurant and staff though.

While the staff were excellent the food was not. Was expecting a fantastic Sunday lunch as it was quite expensive, beef was tough, my friend who advised them that she is gluten intolerant wasn’t offered a suitable gravy or cauliflower without cheese and obviously no Yorkshire pudding. We were given a reduction on the bill which was good. One plus, the steak tartare was fantastic. I’m sure this was just a bad day in the kitchen

Me and partner went for the tasting menu and given the bill came in at around 180 quid was not impressed overall.

We have been here a few times to eat! Have also tried the taster menu, but Sunday lunch was in one word awful! I was presented with a lamb dinner but all it contained was the lamb fat! I had maybe one piece of meat the rest was just pure fat! Not even tasty crispy fat! I was so disappointed I won't come here for food again especially at the prices they want to charge! Shame on you! How can you be a good restaurant and serve a customer a plate of fat! That even your greedy labrador would walk away from?

Booked in for a special treat.Lovely decor and good quality rooms in centre of Helmsley somewhat let down by only average service in resturants.Poor attention to detail ,not pouring wine, failing to offer desert menu, leaving tables without attention for 15 minutes.Good quality food but over priced.

We did not stay here we just had dinner. The market dinner was excellent value and the food really delicious and tasty. The staff were very keen and obviously had been trained to explain everything they were doing and going to do which was slightly intrusive at times but their knowledge of the food was very thorough. The waiter serving the cheese was particularly impressive and really enthusiastic about what was on offer- insisting we tried an extra cheese and encouraging us to try another before selecting to make sure we were happy with it. Wine list though needs attention -poor selection and very pricey. A shame as otherwise we enjoyed our evening very much.

My husband and I were visiting Helmsley today 11th June, and decided to call at The Black Swan for Sunday lunch at around 12.10pm.. We called at Reception and asked where the dining room was located as although we had not pre booked we would like to have lunch. The receptionist asked us to have a seat in the bar lounge and she would organise some menus. We did as she asked no ordered drinks, however no menus arrived so we asked one of the female bar staff if she could get us a menu. When it arrived it was for bar food so we explained we required lunch in the restaurant. To our amazement she said the restaurant was only open on an evening so we said we would finish our drinks and go elsewhere. As we were leaving the same lady said she had managed to get us a table in the restaurant, how she managed this if it wasn't open I'm not quite sure. We thanked her and said we wouldn't bother. We subsequently had a wonderful lunch in The Feathers. I think the Black Swan needs to up its game when it comes to customer service.