The best restaurants in East Midlands

Had brilliant birthday meal at Smoke & Ice Retford. Delicious food great atmosphere staff couldn’t have been more helpful and friendly if they tried. All the staff were great at helping my mum who is a wheelchair user and took time explain menu and sauces ect. Thanks again for the happy birthday song all 10 of us really enjoyed it and would definitely be back. 🥳🥳🥳🥳

Unfortunately this has now closed, and is a home. SAD to say as was a fantastic tea room. I believe it has been closed for a year or so and property was sold.

This new restaurant/take away is brilliant. All home made from sandwiches and cakes to full English breakfasts. I had the Sausage and Bacon roll, which comes with proper Lincolnshire Sausages. The roll was stuffed and extreemly tasty. The staff were bubbly and friendly. I will be returning at least once a week for my breakfast and hopefully more meals inthe future. Highly recommend. When I popped in around 10:30am the restaurant was packed, not a single seat available. I only wanted takeaway anyway and the service was fast. This new place will be one I frequently visit and so should you.....

Went for lunch here after having walked around the village when it was rainy and wet - we were greeted and given a table in the tearoom where there is a stand full of that day's homemade cakes - which all looked very tempting! We were looked after very well and the food was lovely - we had the vegetable soup and a toastie which really hit the spot! The lady running it (apologies for not asking) said she runs it how she would like to experience going to a tea room, and you can tell she takes pride in this. My only regret is not having enough space in my stomach to try the cakes!

we are regular visitors and always welcomed in a very friendly manner and always feel welcome, however busy the cafe is. there is always a good selection of food and drink available and is always served at a high quality from the friendly staff. Would recommend calling in if you are in the area

This Alice in Wonderland themed cafe is around 10 minutes walk from home so I often take family or friends here either for coffee and cake or a sandwich lunch. All food is made fresh, portions are very generous and the cakes, made by a lovely lady called Colleen, are fantastic…she also makes birthday and Christmas cakes for me.

I visited with a group of 16 last night for a friends 50th birthday. The only negative I can find with our experience is that it’s made me question every five star review I’ve left previously, I need an extra star! Each dish was impeccable crafted. The recreation of familiar dishes into something beautifully creative and full of flavour. The staff were welcoming, friendly and attentive and there was a great buzz in the restaurant, without a hint of pretentiousness. All in all a perfect evening, would highly recommend.

This restaurant was a lovely experience, from the moment we arrived. We were a group of six friends celebrating a birthday. The service and atmosphere was welcoming, and the food is home made so they could answer all our questions. We had mixed starters then various stews, great flatbreads and sublime olives, and a couple of puddings. All gorgeous. We were also able to bring our own bottles, though there is no alcohol to purchase. It was really good and we will definitely come again. Highly recommended.

Great vegan burger and vegan currywurst. Friendly staff. Dog friendly. Great beer. What more can you want after a long hike

What a fantastic local pub, with loads of different beer to choose from. With a wide range great music acts on a regular basis. Made to feel welcome on a great night with a superb performance of Grandpa Rufus & Mr Barry Spears wow what a night thank you 😍

Brilliant pub. Friendly & efficient staff, great menu and great food. Dog friendly too. Steak n kidney pie this visit, previously we have had the steak, gammon & veggie lasagna. All were cooked to perfection.

Very sorry to write this but felt compelled after such a shocking experience. We waited 20 minutes to be served, over an hour for our food and when the food came 2 out of 4 orders were wrong. We got charged £50 for very mediocre food. A small jacket potatoe with no side salad was £7 with 1 filling, plus then an extra £2 for a very small amount of cheese as an extra filling ! a friend ordered a Turkey and cranberry roll which was essentially a basic white roll with some butter and 2 pieces of packet Turkey on it and a side of cranberry to spread on herself. I’ve been before to this cafe and had a lovely up of tea / cake. I recommended it to 3 friends today and was quite embarrassed by how bad it was. They said they were short staffed, but the food quality and pricing does not add up either.

We enjoyed another three course lunch at Sessions. We began with a cocktail each, a Negroni and a Espresso Martini, both of which we excellent. The starter we chose, a mousse from Lincolnshire blue cheese was the dish of the day for me. The sharpness of the blue was at exactly the right level. My wife chose the Masala mackerel for mains while I opted for the boeuf bourguignon. The dish was rich, with succulent pieces of beef and a delicious red wine sauce. We both had apple and blackcurrant crumble for dessert. Portion sizes were perfect and the students worked hard at getting their heads around everything. Well done to Josh for great service to us. Two 3 course meals and two cocktails, £35.

One of the best places I've visited in a long time. Even had time to show us the tasty dressing they had used on the salad. Will definitely be going again