The best restaurants serving British food in England

This was our second time dining at 263 and it was just as wonderful as the first. I had a family member visiting and the team had very kindly signed a menu as a little memento - what a great touch! The food was once again incredible with a few changes from the menu on our previous visit - impossible to pick a single highlight but the salt aged beef was certainly the best I've ever had, and the black trompette madeleine instantly unlocked treasured childhood memories of freshly baked cakes - a perfect way to finish the meal. The team were fantastic, a slick but personable service that shows their commitment to the craft. The Sommelier was able to flex her knowledge of wines by expertly helping us select a bottle for the table based on our tastes - never an easy task when there are three people, but it was the perfect accompaniment to the meal. Overall just another brilliant experience from 263 and I'm already excited to return!

Spotlessly clean, nice decor, friendly service. Visited with my daughter today. Both had toasties which came with kettle crisps and side salad. Great selection of wonderful looking cakes, but today the diet wouldn’t allow. Will be back !!

This was my first ever menu tasting and it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Our waiter was Josh who was a bit nervous to begin with as it was his first time waiting at table but soon began to relax and did an excellent job. The food was exceptional and was a very enjoyable evening.

Appreciate we haven't been here for some time but what on Earth has happened to lunch options ? Only pasties/sausage rolls now available. Used to do sandwiches/salads/ploughman's. Such a shame. Will not be returning.

Food is average. The service on the other hand was dispicable. Asking a family to leave purely because there 2 year old son may make too much noise is not acceptable in my opinion. If this place doesn't welcome children they should state it when you book and not embarrass people in front of there family on the day. Extremely rude

Delicious ice cream & friendly staff! Maple and pancake flavoured cream was sooooo creamy. My son’s ice cream was served with a small piece of candy floss. The cobweb ice cream was delicious too! Highly recommend a visit even on a cold and wet day!

Lovely tea rooms fabulous location food was lovely staff were lovely apart from not very child friendly told the grandchildren to be quiet one staff member we overheard saying we have neighbours which made us feel a little uncomfortable although other customers were interacting with the children

Gran comida con un gran servicio y relación calidad-precio. El personal era muy servicial y la comida era excelente. Un lugar obligado para visitar para los amantes del puré

The staff were great and the food fantastic the ambiance superb. The waitress who served us made us feel we were the only ones there and nothing was ever too much trouble for her. The food selection was varied and exciting will be back soon.

Bowley's is truly an outstanding restaurant situated in a lovely country pub, run by a team who clearly love what they do. Locally sourced, fresh ingredients turned into mouth watering dishes which we thoroughly enjoyed. The staff's attention to detail is second to none and they catered for our Dietary requirements with ease and professionalism at short notice. My husband really enjoyed his Birthday here. I can't recommend Bowley's enough and we'll be back sooner than later.

Debbie and the team provided platters for our wake at a nearby pub to celebrate my mums life. She was so friendly and helpful, understanding our order perfectly and giving us the perfect selection of baguettes, even taking them to the pub so we didn’t have to worry about the logistics of getting it there on a difficult day. Thank you so much Debbie. I would highly recommend this company and everyone loved the selection.

We booked for Sunday lunch as it was on the way to our holiday cottage. The menu was fairly small, we had the lamb shank and roast beef, it was all delicious. Along with the tasty cauliflower cheese and vegetables. It was also great value and the service was great. The staff were welcoming and friendly. A really lovely pub.

We enjoyed the Sunday roast recently , it was very tasty and plentiful, looking forward to making it a regular thing over the coming winter!

The reason why we came to Helmsley was because we had eaten at the Rattle Owl in York when Tom Heywood was the head chef there. We had the misfortune of returning there after he had left and it was not even close to the original experience. It was our 25 wedding anniversary and the night previously we had the taster menu at the Star Inn at Harome. We chose the wine pairing with some trepidation as we have often experienced unfortunate pairings which Sommeliers’ have tried to convince us are a match with some course or other and yet seemed totally arbitrary. I am delighted to report that for the first time in my experience of high end eateries I could actually ‘taste’ the connection between each of the courses and the accompanying drink. I say ‘drink’ because it wasn’t always conventional wine in fact we had a coffee/chocolatey stout accompanying the bread course (both delicious) , an local Solaris sparkling white wine from Dunesforde Vineyard, Yorkshire with the trout (I didn’t believe it was possible but a fantastic wine) and an orange wine from the US with the scallop dish perfectly complementing the food. If I haven’t gone on about the food it’s only because I was expecting it to be world class and it was. Every course perfectly presented and singing with flavour. The was a mushroom mousse course on the menu and coincidently also on the menu at the Star Inn - there was no comparison. The Pignut mousse melted in the mouth as it should sadly the Star Inn’s version was stodgy and forgettable. Every course was light, succulent and tasty. Service was very attentive without being overbearing and Lauissa explained the ethos and the journey for her and Tom. In short unbeatable.

Excellent food and service. Know their regulars well. The coffee and breakfast are recommended, as are the wide variety of cakes.