Good evening,one has been thinking of writing a review for some time now. Anyway as lots of people have been writing reviews to great lengths so i thought i would add mine to the fold so to speak. I am 58 i travel around the country on a regular basis and dine out in hundreds of restaurants each year. One never eats alone and i have lots of companions to dine with . Now i have dined in some really good restaurants ,some average and some really poor restaurants. It is difficult where to start with yours,you see it came with really pleasant reviews. The location was absolutely fine ,although one does not like to dine whilst looking out onto a graveyard ,maybe i should of viewed the website in more detail !! The staff were pleasant and friendly enough too,and the whole place was quite quaint if you don't mind me saying.. But one does not go to a restaurant to eat the surroundings and the staff for that matter so i will get to the food right now. For starters i tried the,Potted Whitby Crab with Yorkshire Beetroot Relish & Celeriac and Creamed Horseradish Remoulade. The main course was,Sea Bream with Shellfish Ravioli, Deep Fried Calamari, Cauliflower Puree, Brown Shrimp & Potato Hash with an Onion and Lemon Dressing. I will start with of course the starter,as i have previously stated i've been to many top places ,restaurants around the country all full of michelin awards etc,etc,so one knows what ones talking about here. The first thing one noticed was the plate ware, on both starter and main course were not hot to the touch not even lukewarm!! The potted crab was in my opinion slightly over cooked ,the horseradish remoulade quite completely salty not pleasant at all ,the rest were reasonable. overall i would say 4/10 ,but onwards and upwards the main course was what i was looking forward to tucking into! Well what can i say ! ,Sea bream far to salty,the deep fried calamari was over fried in my opinion and the other offerings well did not matter one jolt !! So the main course a disappointing 3/10!! Was it just me then i hear you say ,no my companions also found their food not quite up to scratch and between gave a modest 4/10 Well there we are a good honest review from a travelled gentleman and his acquaintances, overall summary quite bizarre the staff and quaint pub much better than the food 4/10 below average , the prices also on the expensive side for the small offerings given,,thank you James.. updated 17/4/211.. I had to update today as i am receiving email notifications as when a review has been posted ,and quite frankly from an outsider looking in ,it looks like a conspiracy from a person/s working there (allegedly)that if one puts a negative review on here ,suddenly they are numerous positive reviews daily afterwards ,how odd one asks oneself i personally will be reviewing elsewhere .As for the general public i will leave them to decide if one is right or wrong ,James. read more

three of us went to the bay horse for sunday lunch,I realise that you may not actualy get the same meal you may choose from the sample meals but were does it say that some of it might be missing and not replaced with anything else so your plate looks rather empty! For example it said that potato crush, red cabbage and mash/swede came with the meal but it did not and I am pretty sure that they could have managed to make some mash potato at the very least, it definately was not a traditional sunday lunch and I have talked to a few people about this, including a couple of people who work in restaurants and got their verdict on what they would expect to come with a traditional sunday lunch, some of them eat out a lot and I am not talking about basic pub food which i am not a big fan of anyway. I really think that it was very poor value for money, I can only comment on my lunch and give an honest opinion on that! some people who felt the need to leave comments on my review, which I have deleted, seemed to think that they could comment on my meal?? I didn't realise that they were sat at my table eating the same meal and I don't know why they felt the need to even comment, why not just do your own review???? maybe I can comment on their meals, someone said they were going there on saturday and would put a review on afterwards, should I also do a review on your meal????? oh thats right, I can't can I? as I won't actually be there! so that would be quite stupid wouldn't it? the meal I had consisted of roast beef, which I must say was very nice and perfectly cooked so no complaint there! My yorkshire pudding cold and doughy, it perhaps could have been nicer if It was slightly crispy, the carrots were nice, the cauliflower cheese did not have cheese on it and the roasted potatoes tasted exactly like chip shop chips and i found that a bid odd! The gravy was quite watery and in our opinion did not taste very nice and sat at the bottom of the plate so I may as well have been eating the meal with out it. We did not expect or want our plates to be piled up with food but there was not enough for three people to feel comfortably full, We had more than enough room for dessert and it would have been nice to relax and have more drinks but we were so disappointed that we just left fairly quickly! It was probably the most expensive and one of the worst sunday lunches that I have ever had, I am not one of these people who just go around complaining for the hell of it, I did not want to complain at the time as it was my birthday and it would have ruined the day but I have since complained.. read more

After reading the review at, http://www.theskinnybib.com i thought it must be worth a visit, anyone who is lucky enough to of been to hestons place in Bray must know his food, all too often people review business's on these web sites and don't have the knowledge or understanding to be critical. Well, where do i start, the skinnybib was right on Que, from the initial greeting to paying our bill it was fabulous. We called in for lunch yesterday and got a table in bar by the fire, I had half a Bitter and Twisted, one of three real ales and the wife a glass of sauvignon blanc, we opted to share a bowl of mussels to for starters with a basket of homemade bread, it was fantastic next time im having them to myself. Fo mains we took a Fisherman's Platter, which including mussels, smoked salmon, potted crab & petit salad & a Posh Ploughman's Lunch, a selection of cooked meats, ham terrine, boudin noir, cheeses, pickles & petit salad. The variation in flavors and thought into presentation was fabulous from the mussel pot and small cauldron to clean your sticky fingers, to the wooden tree trunk sliced boards with small kilner jars. To finish I had a rice pudding and the wife a coffee, best lunch Ive had outside London at a snip of the price all for under £45. Cant wait to go again soon! read more

We (my husband, daughter and I) went here for our third time in November 2010. We were disappointed on three counts. Issue 1 - For a starter I had musssels which were delicious and very nicely presented in a stainless steel lidded pot, however, the sauce was full of shards of mussel shells which I discovered when the first bit hit my newly filled back tooth - ouch! This immediately put me off. I sent them back and the young waiter said sorry and asked if I wanted something else but if Ihad it would have spoilt the mains and I would have been eating a starter when my husband and daughter had finished theirs. Onto the mains and issue no. 2, my husband had a side of chips, nicely presented and crispy but tasted like chip shop style where they had forgotten to change the fat. Finally issue no 3, we were charged for the inedible mussel dish. I refused to pay for them so the bill was adjusted but no apology and no comment from the chef was forthcoming despite asking, just the young waiter saying sorry, it's just one of those things. Well in my view it's just one of those things that can lose a restaurant it's Michelin star/s and definately it's clients. We won't be back too soon, we think complacency has set in. read more

We first heard about The Bay Horse in Hurworth, Darlingtons first Michelin Awarded pub in the local newspaper, on our first visit we booked in on a Tuesday Evening, they have a French menu every Tuesday, 3 course diner and a glass of LP champagne for 24 pounds, brilliant on all counts - food, service and value. On this occasion the waitress offered to show us the private rooms and on the way home I mentioned it would be great for a group of friends to have diner in one of the private dining rooms as they had a great feel. So on Saturday the misses said we where doing diner just the two of us, on arrival we grabbed a pint and gin & tonic at the bar, where the manager offered us a table in the snug whilst our table was been prepared. In the snug were a dozen friends, champagne and canopes - it was a great start to the evening and it just got better, I had the whitby crab starter, the best belly pork ive ever had for my main course and a delightful English cheese board to finish. The whole party commented on the excellent standards of the food, service and especially the red wine, Medoc, it was fabulous. A must for any foodie...... read more

Just had an amazing meal at the bay horse. Took the wife for a treat and she was as amazed as I was. A good pint of Wensleydale beer by the open fire, while the wife had a glass of wine. The waitress showed us through to the lovelly restaurant, with exposed beams, candles and low lighting. I totally agree with the previous review, the restaurant is smart yet relaxed with a good atmosphere. The waitress recomended the potted crab as a starter that the wife had followed by sea bass. I went for partridge breast for starter followed by an 8 hour braised beef. We shared a curly kale side order. All the food was presented beautifuly and tasted great. We shared a rice pudding for dessert followed by coffees in the bar. This is now our new favorite restaurant and only a short drive from town. We will definately be returning and soon..... read more

Went out with friends to the Bay Horse in Hurorth on Saturday night. I looked at the sample menu on their website which looked great. Unfortunately it seems to be an old one. The prices were definately old!! Prices on the current menu are approx. 15% higher than the website menu. The food was excellent, perfectly cooked and presented and the staff were great. As beautiful as the food is, the portions are tiny and I mean 'tiny'. When you pay £17 for 12 hour braised beef that is 2"x"2 and all vegetables are extra! Not good value. I don't expect massive plate fulls of food but I do expect to feel as though I have eaten something after 3 courses. Good food but a bit od a rip off!!! Just short of £190-00 for four people and still peckish afterwards. read more

I was very suprised to read negative views of this restaurant! I have eaten here many times and celebrated by brother in laws 50th birthday in the private room upstairs. Every meal I have eaten has been fabulous - top class and I have eaten at many five star restaurants around the world during my travels. Yes there is a graveyeard but I was always told that the dead cant hurt you so what is the problem! I have never had a bad meal here, the staff are attentive and the food top class - keep up the good work and I will continue to eat! read more

Have been here a few times and always been impressed and would have recommended without hesitation, however eight of us went on Saturday and were all disappointed with portion size and food warm not hot. Emailed to let them know and got 'thanks for your comments'. Think they could have responded in a more professional way, at least say 'sorry the meal didn't meet your expectations'. Getting a bit complacent perhaps?! read more

Had lunch at the Bay Horse ,the location is pleasant and the place has a nice atmosphere,The service was fine,although i have to say was disappointed with the food and the small portions after dessert was still hungry(im not american )my conclusion is that since my last visit 2 years ago this place is trying to compete with upmarket fancy restaurants ,which it is not. read more

I went there for Sunday lunch last week (10th April) and had a fabulous meal. I had the roast beef and my wife had the belly pork. All I can say is the yorkshire puds and gravy was best I've tasted (better than my mums - can i say that?). The service was great and the satff were very attentive - certainly worth the money and the michelin star. read more

This gastro pub is simply one of the best and deserves all the fine reviews from the professionals. An exciting menu perfectly cooked fresh food in charming surroundings. Friendly, efficient and helpful waiting staff. I love the place read more

I had the most wonderful meal at the bay horse,the food was delicious the nicest meal i have eaten for a long time .....great atmosphere and very friendly staff nothing was too much trouble for them i cant wait to go back. read more

what can i say except 'FANTASTIC' ... I love this place as much as sardis in Darlington Food is out of this world, the portions look small at first but are so filling! First class! read more