The best restaurants in Whitehall Blackburn with Darwen North West

We have a group meeting and meal every week there.

Disappointing Stay – Falls Short of 4-Star Expectations I booked a 2-night stay at Astley Bank Hotel for 3 people (1 adult and 2 children) via Hotel.uk, paying £200 for what was advertised as an Executive Double Suite. At that price, I expected a higher level of service — and for breakfast to be included. On arrival, I was told the booking was for a standard suite, not the executive room I had paid for, and was asked to pay an extra £44 for a third guest bed — despite clearly booking for 3 people. The two gentlemen on reception were polite and apologetic, and offered a complimentary breakfast as a goodwill gesture. After the first night, I raised the issue with a staff member named Sue. She said she would speak to the manager, who was in a meeting and would call me — but I never received a call. Sue seemed unwilling to resolve the issue and was generally unhelpful. On the morning of checkout, we had no hot water at all in the room, which made an already frustrating stay even worse. Breakfast was also disappointing — guests had to walk down a corridor to a separate room to access milk and juices, which didn’t feel like a 4-star experience. The lady serving us was attentive and did seem rushed off her feet. At checkout, another member of staff, Lisa, did eventually manage to resolve things, although it took some time and further explanation. To top it off, I noticed the price for the same room dropped to £88 per night shortly after I booked — significantly less than what I paid. Overall, the stay didn’t reflect the service, comfort, or value I would expect from a 4-star hotel. A disappointing experience.

Amazing little place just out of the centre of Darwen. We contacted them on the day to see if they could fit us in for afternoon tea and they had absolutely no issues in accommodating us. The afternoon tea was one of the best we have had, the staff are lovely and the restaurant itself is unique and beautiful. We will definitely be returning to try out the breakfast and maybe some lunch at a later date but please try this place and make sure places like this stay open.

Beautiful restaurant the food is delicious. The staff are friendly and helpful and up for a laugh. The do take out so you can take away your leftovers which is a bonus. Well be back

This remains to be a lovely setting and place to treat yourself. We have been used to impeccable standards and I fully expected to be reviewing this at 4, if not 5 stars. We had booked for our anniversary and my wife had added drinks on arrival as a surprise, which was undone by the staff not being aware of this. The restaurant main area had a very large family party (30 or so people) and we hadn’t been made aware of this during our confirmation call - as we may have asked to be placed in a quieter area. The food was excellent and hot, although quite swift in service, so we felt somewhat rushed. It’s a shame that this didn’t love up to expectations, and our experience of our numerous previous visits.

As traditional as a pub gets, massive building with open fires, great selection of beers- Hawkstone lager on tap for £5, if that’s not a reason to visit I don’t know what is. Nice people, ideal stopping place for a refreshment after a walk round Darwen Moor with the dog. Few pubs like this now, so get in and enjoy it!

We had a Mother's Day lunch, it was very nice. Good atmosphere, very polite and friendly staff. The food was excellent and very well presented. Service was a touch slow but they were quite busy. Good value.

This was the first time we had returned to the hotel, since we got married there 15 years ago.. We had the same room and took advantage of the gin experience and ate there as well. Firstly the staff are amazing. Blake leads a fantastic team, every single member cannot do enough for you. Our room was perfect and so big. The meal at dinner was unbelievable, very high quality at a very competitive price. The high light was the gin experience. Blake is so knowledgeable and engaging.. We actually made our own gin that we took home with us… The bar was well stocked with local beers and obvs house gin… Breakfast again was perfect. We will deffo be back and not leave it so long next time…

Always love the chips and sausages from here. Puts a smile on both me and my gf's face!