We are regular customers at The Rat because it is such a great place with great food…read more Last night's visit was for my wife's birthday and except for one minor thing it was as good as usual. The Rat is the very definition of an English country pub. Open fires and a cosy atmosphere are exactly what you want from a pub, add in the great food and it is hard to beat. We shared a starter of smoked haddock fritters which was delicious if a little parsimonious for £7. Main courses were superb; slow cooked belly pork and 3 cuts of lamb; delicious, deep savoury flavours that are so hard to accomplish at home. My wife's warm gingerbread dessert wasn't warm which was a disappointment in an otherwise delicious meal.

Love, love, love this place! Have taken four or five different groups of friends or family there…read morefor dinner and Sunday lunch, not one person has come away disappointed or feeling hungry! This is a real gem of a pub, tucked away up the hill just a few miles from Hexham. Have heard this is walkable from Hexham on a nice day but most will need a car - one thing to bear in mind is parking can be a bit limited and a bit of a free-for-all at busiest times, but you should usually get a space somewhere. Alternatively, taking a taxi is a good option, should only cost about £6-£8 from the centre of Hexham itself. First of all, the location and setting is simply stunning. If you park across the road, the views over the Tyne Valley are fantastic. You then go into the pub itself via a lovely garden area with a pergola. Inside is a proper Northumbrian country pub, great traditional decor, roaring fires, with some unusual wall and ceiling decorations (will leave that for you to discover!) Each time we've visited to eat, we've been welcomed by the friendly staff who offer the right level of service, i.e. keeping your table clear, everything in check without being overly attentive. The bar offers a good range of real ales, usually with a local brewery on offer, all of which are very well kept. They have an excellent range of wines and spirits as well, so you could easily go here for a relaxing drink, although the bar area is relatively small. However, if you are here, you really must try the food. Honestly, the Rat Inn has served up some of the best food I've ever eaten, nothing fussy or complicated, just locally sourced ingredients cooked to perfection. What is encouraging is that there are no menus on the tables, instead you'll find the day's menu on a chalkboard, which indicates freshness and illustrates how much they care about what ends up on your plate. In fact, you can find out where the meats and veg have come from as the suppliers are also chalked up on the wall. As the menu changes fairly regularly, it is not really worth recommending any particular dish on here for fear of it not being on next time, but the Sunday roast dinners are superb and the Sticky Toffee Pudding is top notch! Bear in mind you do get hearty Northumbrian-sized portions here, it is difficult to leave here without feeling a tad on the full side... As this place features in the top 50 UK gastropubs, it can get popular and they don't have an abundance of space, which adds to its charm but is also a slight disadvantage - definitely worth booking in advance to avoid missing out. In summary, the Rat Inn really is a wonderful place and one to which I can't wait to have an opportunity to go back soon.

We came here on a Saturday night as it was recommended by a local. We booked a table by the phone…read moreand arrived at 8pm. The place had a nice buzz and was very nicely presented. We were seated right at the back, between the window overlooking the terrace with outside seating and a dark blue wall. The lighting was also not enough so it was a big difference to the rest of the restaurant. Still, we received good service for a pub, but not good enough if they're going to be priding themselves as a gastro pub. Still, the food is excellent. I'm sorry my pictures don't do it justice. (I had to use flash 'cos it was too dark.) We ordered the soup of the day (potato and leek), the salt and pepper squid to start. The soup got the thumbs up and the squid was fresh but it lacked both salt and pepper, which was no bother when the rings were so easy to eat and the batter so crispy! For mains we had a fish and chips - the fish was a bit too dry for my liking and the chips were under cooked but the mushy peas were good; 10 oz rib eye steak - it was wolfed down in minutes it was cooked to perfection; cajun chicken burger - chicken was tender and nicely flavoured and the sweet potato chips were not soggy at all; pork belly with mustard mash - I felt that this was the winning dish (again, sorry my picture looks crap) the pork had the right amount of fat and the lean parts were tender. When I noticed that crackling was missing, the waiter brought a whole side dish of it and they were GOOD! All crisp and no annoying chew! I was honestly too full to eat dessert but our friends ordered a sticky toffee pudding and a hot chocolate brownie smothered in chocolate sauce. They came piping hot and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Both were generously portioned and were tasty according to my friends. Definitely come and try out their food. Avoid sitting at the very back though!

Very good hearty food (recommend the cheese board!), and a nice selection of beers. Very friendly…read morebar staff who are definitely into, and know about, the food they sell. Very relaxed atmosphere. The night we went in (Weds), it was busy with people eating when we arrived, suddenly totally emptied out and then about 9pm, suddenly filled up with older locals coming in for a drink.

Another of my Hexham favorites. They do a great breakfast and a pretty good lunch menu. Service is…read morealways good and their prices are reasonable.

Walking into the Back Bull pub in Gilsland, England, was a real treat. The pub is over 300 years…read moreold and oozes charm. However the service and the food were absolutely terrible. We would order something and 20 minutes later were told that they didn't have it. Several times. Finally 1 1/2 hours later we got our food. My order of fish and chips was the worst meal I have ever eaten. No fish to speak of, just extremely over cooked batter. My suggestion. Go for a beer then go somewhere else for dinner.

My brother and i stepped off the Hadrian's Wall path looking for a pint and some sustenance. Tucked…read moreinto a corner of Haltwhistle's market square we found a charming pub. As we walked inside we found the right space was packed with locals at the end of the working day. The cask ales (a variety of yummy local brews) came quickly as did our meals. The fish and chips were big and hearty as was the chicken fillet my brother ordered. I noticed that a young lady near us seemed to have some piece of more gourmet fare. This was just the experience we were hoping to find: busy and unpretentious (although the wifi password was painted in handsome script above a doorway). If we didn't have to get back on the trail we'd probably come back another day.

This fish and chip shop/Chinese has been run by the same family for as long as I can remember which…read moreis more than 10 years. They have a great reputation amongst locals and visitors alike and it's the stop-off for many a Friday meal, post drinking session bag of chips or takeaway. It's tucked away just up the street from the centre of the village but easy to find, just ask anyone on the street. The Chinese menu and food is also really good. My favourite and all I ever seem to order is the Special Fried Rice main with prawns (admittedly from frozen), pork and bits of beef with an awesome gravy. The other dishes are all great too as many a friend and family member has testified. Not too pricy either as they don't seem to have done much to the place in the last 10 years..

We have used this shop for over 20 yrs now and we can honestly say we have never been disappointed…read morewith the food on any occasion. The family are wonderful, very efficient and an integral part of the community. The pricing is very reasonable and the portions are excellent. Waiting time is generaly very quick but this obviously depends upon the volume of custom, regardless the wait is relatively short. Highly recommended the best F and C's in the North East, you wont be disappointed! R Thompson

Just popped in here for a quick tea as we were passing . Lovely sausage and chips and the…read moreassistants were very friendly polite.

Greasy and not good cod :( Downstairs is cold and damp…read morethough spotless. Scampi is good but a major let down by the greasy chips

A popular bistro style restaurant tucked away on Westgate in Hexham…read more The interior is very homely, with a big fireplace and domestic wooden furniture. There is an eating area at the front, and further tables on the upper level at the back. (NB Toilets are upstairs.) They have an a la carte menu, but most people go for the fixed menu, which provides one course for £19, two courses for £23 and three courses for £27. Additional items can be chosen with a supplement from the main menu. There are also daily specials, also with small supplements. We had creamy mushrooms on sourdough toast to start; I had the halloumi and vegetable skewer with sweet potato wedges and salad, and my partner had the Seabream fillet with fishcake and tarragon sauce, served with vegetables of the day and roast potatoes. For pudding my partner had the Belgian waffle with vanilla ice cream, butterscotch sauce and walnuts. I had the baked rice pudding with nutmeg and sultanas. Overall, the meal was excellent. My partner was particularly happy with his choices, especially the main of sea bream and fishcake. My main was very nice, although the wedges would've been better served separately, as they picked up some of the seasoning oil from the skewer. However, I had plenty of halloumi cheese on the skewer, and the vegetables melted in the mouth. The only thing I was slightly disappointed with was the rice pudding, which was made with cream, rather than the creaminess coming from the milk and rice together. However, with a drinkeach and Service, the total bill came to £70, which was very good value. Service was polite rather than friendly, but it was very efficient. We would very happily go back.

Everything about this place drips with quality 5 of us each…read morehad different meals so we tried a little bit of each others food from smoked haddock to Belly pork to Mediterranean chicken salmon and everything was mouth watering what a Gem. I made the mistake of saying compliments to the Cook my colleague replied don't you mean the ‍ chef? Oops my bad Great place you won't be disappointed we loved it and will go again when we visit Hexham waitresses are quite and attentive

I went to pizza daddy and didn't expect it to be that quick. The man at the front desk was…read moreextremely polite and friendly so the service is realy good. The inside of the place was smelt so good. Overall 5 stars.