I recently made the trek down to Pool bank (quite a way off the beaten track in terms of location) for a friend's 'leaving meal'. The last time I went to this place, it was a rather dilapidated traditional pub - how things have changed. The place apparently underwent a huge refurbishment a while back, and is now a rather classy gastropub-cum-restaurant boasting a mostly European restaurant. There are sharing platters available including a fine antipasti selection, while the main courses range from pastas to salads to steaks to spit-roast chicken dishes. I had the chorizo, jalapeno and salami pizza, and it went down an absolute treat. Aside from the food, the White Hart has a bar area where you can relax after your meal with the weary countryside travellers and a wide selection of drinks. The atmosphere and decor were both perfect too, which led me to the conclusion that this place is definitely worth the journey. read more

White Hart - Photo taken from official website - Gastropubs Near Me - Otley, XWY

I've been here twice, and it is quickly becoming a, "go to" place when you are looking for an upscale pub with a solid menu and well presented, tasty food! What more do you want!? I love the amount of parking available in the rear. There is a great beer garden with outdoor tower heaters and shade umbrellas! The interior has a rustic cozy theme yet still retains a refined feel. The staff is friendly and on point! Simply put, I've had a great expereince both times, not just the food, not just the staff, not just the decor, the entire experience was great both times. Enjoy! read more

Appalling service....mediocre food. Came for lunch on a Saturday and it was busy, so we presumed that means it is good. Service was almost nonexistent and the food when it arrived 75 minutes after ordering was dried out from having sat under a heat lamp. Nobody offered, water, bread, tea, coffee, etc. menu was interesting, but relatively plain. Keep driving and go to Pierre bistro in ilkley for better value and nicer food, or carry on to the Fleece in Addingham. read more

I think you'd call this place a 'gastro-pub', if you were a bit poncey and liked calling places by silly names. I would call this place 'a delightfully decorated, comfortable, high quality pub' or something like that. Or maybe jsut a dead nice place to go for a Sunday lunch. And it's got a beer garden. And lovely flowers and that. It's a far cry from your chain pub carvery, this place. It's gorgeous inside, the staff are great, and the food is absolutely delicious. I had roast pork the last time I came here (great place to bring the parents, and the parents' wallet), and it was tender and tasty and I didn't regret opting for something other than beef which is my usual safe bet. Price-wise, a three course meal for 2 with drinks'll probably set you back £40, but it'll be worth it. read more

I have eaten on a number of occasions here over the years and I have yet to come away anything other than satisfied and stuffed. I have always come for the roast, so can't vouch for their other food, but judging by the quality of their Sunday afternoon fare I'm fairly confident in saying it will be equally good. For me a Sunday roast lives or dies by the quality of the meat (excellent), the crispiness of the roast potatoes (superbly so) and the height of the Yorkshire puddings (suitably elevated). This along with the cosy atmosphere and modest prices make for a winner. In a world of Wetherspoons and other such chains I would encourage you to seek out this little gem and enjoy a Sunday lunch the way it's meant to be. read more

Called in this evening just for a change from the Chevin Hotel, where I stay regularly (qv my review). I was last in here when I lived in the area in the 1970's. The other reviews on here are a bit mixed, but it was only a few mins from my hotel so I decided to give it a 'go' Got off to a good start with pleasant bar staff , and the two main draught bitters are my favourite Taylors Landlord, and Black Sheep. Decided to have two courses in the Restaurant rather than just eat in the bar. There is an early bird menu (2 courses for £10.95), but I elected to eat a la Carte (plenty of choice) as I was 'on expenses'. First had a Duck and Smoked Chicken, it was a coarse terrine, served in one of those small preserving jars with a wired top. It tasted great and it was served with an excellent chutney (also in a small ramekin dish), and a good supply of thick wholemeal toast , together with some greens, seemed like dandelion leaves. The whole was very acceptable. I would have preferred the meat not to be in the jar, it wasnt too easy to get it out bit by bit. I tipped it on the plate (or rather wooden board) in the end. I followed with Rib Eye steak , cooked exactly to my liking, with chips in a bowl, the ubiquitous dandelion leaves again , and a small pot of Bearnaise. Steak was tender and tasty. Probably would have liked some onion rings or grilled tomato or mushrooms with it , it seemed a bit plain as it was. Maybe they were available as an extra. I declined a dessert/coffee. The whole experience was very pleasant, enhanced by the opportunity to exchange a few words with pleasant American young lady who served me. Bill was £28.50 + tip. This is about what it would have cost me at the Chevin Hotel. Four stars. (Later Edit 29/11/11)Visited the White Hart again this evening. Beer wise Black Sheep had been replaced by Leeds Pale, but I settlled fopr my favourite tipple of a pint of Taylors Landlord, as I was brought up about 200yds from the brewery in Keighley. Again had two courses, Baked button mushrooms in a creamy garlic sauce , with foccacia bread . I found this rather disappointing, the underlying taste in the sauce was salt rather than glarlic, and I suspect it had been made with garlic salt rather than fresh garlic. I followed this with a main from the 'Specials' of the day, a Lamb shank set on a bed of root veg mash, with baked asparagus. Id describe this as average, Ive had better, and it wasnt helped by the rather poor lighting at my table which put a godd bit of the plate in the shade. Asparagus was good, and the lamb tender, but again the dish was let down by rather too strong tasting thick sauce, should have been lighter and a bit thinner, and like the starter was rather on the salty side, though not as bad as the shank I had 2 or 3 weeks ago at the Stansfield Arms at Apperley Bridge (qv my review). Bill was £25.50 So this meal was not as enjoyable as the first, and I have reduced my star rating from 4 to 3 . (Thanks again to the couple at the next table I enjoyed a chat with) read more

The White Hart used to be very poor in terms of quality and cost, it was unclean inside, and the staff were miserable, like a typical poor English pub. Since it's renovation though, with a far more modern, classy and continental approach, it is worlds better than how it was before. The quality of the food is exceptional, though quite stingy on the wallet. The selection of beers and wines is also absolutely superb, serving various Belgian ales that you rarely see in other quality restaurants. The only criticism I could make is the lack of 'starters' in a traditional sense of the word, and the limited choices on the menu, but all were of exceptional quality and there is definitely something on there for even the most picky of foodies. Service and staff were very informed and friendly, and knew exactly what they were doing! Highly recommended for a quality continental gastropub, with a good atmosphere and quality service read more

This place definitiely used to be worth a visit. Each time we have been on a sunday afternoon it has been carmmed to the faters, and whilst we knew we were in for a long wait for food, it was always worth it. We went in today, expecting and hoping for the same. As soon as we entered, on a really lovely sunny boxing day afternoon, the signs were ominous. On what should have been the busiest day of the year, the place was about two thirds full, and there was no wait for food. Handy, but ominous. The service was patchy at best, and reached a low point when I was unable to make myself understood when ordering. I would have thought a classic burger, with Chorizo, was fairly straightforward, but after 3 attempts I gave up and just went for the classic burger. The burger itself was classicly dull, and fairly tasteless. Maybe thats what burgers tend to taste like but there is surely no excuse for the chips. Yellowy orange, they looked for all the world they had been reheated a few times, and tasted worse. My partners fish was "poor" and the chidlren, like me, had to suffer the chips. Like oh so many places now in middle class surburban Leeds, the decor is nice, the place looks 'gastro pub trendy', the prices are high, and the food, nearly always, is desperately disappointing. Clearly people are voting with their feet, and I will certainly be joining them. read more

Really rustic place to go. Has a feel of an old country pub mixed with some modern aspects. Food was really good quality and they are not shy on the portions. Some things are a tad over priced but you don't mind paying this as the staff are friendly and food is delicious. Worth a day out on a nice day to sit in the gardens read more

It's easy to forget when you're surrounded by the identikit high rises and chain stores that make Leeds city centre look like just about anywhere else, but Yorkshire is actually a beautiful, diverse county, and you only need travel a few miles out of the city to see it in its full glory. As is the case at Poole-in-Wharfedale, an achingly pretty village just 10 miles outside Leeds, and a day out here isn't complete without a visit to the White Hart. In fact, it's good enough that you could justifiably plan a day out based purely on a desire to visit said pub. More of a restaurant than a traditional boozer, the White Hart offers a great combination of quality 'gastropub' style food (but with bigger portions than you might associate with that term) and a good, varied bar with plenty of real ales. The clientele is a mix of healthy looking, windswept walkers and tourists and a few locals who look like they've been propping up the bar for a fair few decades, and while its a perfectly decent place to drop in for a pint or two its really all about the food. And as most people who visit have spent at least a few hours sightseeing (or in the car to get here), it never takes much persuading to get everyone stuck into one of their delicious sharing platters. read more

White Hart - Photo taken from official site - Gastropubs Near Me - Otley, XWY

The White Hart is in Pool-in-Wharfdale, near Otley and is a lovely pub/restaurant. It is mainly a restaurant now and serves great food. It's an great atmosphere and is usually really busy. read more

Just had a BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich and it knocked my socks off, the surroundings are great too, open fire comfy seats. I don't think i'll leave, if you need me i'll be in the corner near the bar and fire. read more

Dreadful place. Food took over 55 minutes to arrive (a salad and some pasta.) To top it off the waitress stood picked her toes in the doorway, never washed her hands and served us the food. We left without eating. Another pub that tries too hard to be something it certainly is not. read more

Hubby's lunchtime treat - we won't go back..... expensive food & drinks, chicken was so dry it was inedible, slow service, very disappointed with this place. read more

Visited with 2 friends on a Thursday evening and although there were only a few people in, the staff seemed to be running around like headless chickens. We ordered the rustic breads with roast garlic, olive oil and balsamic and as it didn't arrive before our starters, we had to ask again for it. The waitress apologised and said there'd been a mix up in the kitchen and brought it - 4 pieces of bread which for some reason appeared to have been toasted on one side - or perhaps left on a counter under a hotplate? For £4.75 it seemed a bit sparse. A starter of smoked haddock kedgeree was very disappointing, dry and bland. Another starter of smoked salmon and caper fishcake had no discernable capers and was lukewarm. I had the spare ribs which were lovely, glazed in a tasty sticky sauce with watermelon (although I'd have liked some sauce, rather than just the glaze.) A main course of duck confit was advertised as duck confit, honey, chilli, pineapple, shallots, sweet potato and butter beans. The duck was chewy, which for confit was amazing as duck confit is usually meltingly tender. It was sitting on a huge mound of sweet potato, with 3 butter beans and 4 pieces of pineapple. The pineapple was undoubtedly the best thing on the plate, with some chilli heat and a nice sweetness. My other friend's calves liver was very good, nicely cooked, tender and tasty. I had the spit chicken with lemon, garlic and thyme. I could detect neither lemon, garlic or thyme, but at least the chicken was well cooked. Unfortunately the chips which accompanied this and the liver (my friend had substituted chips for the champ mash which should have accompanied the liver) were horrible. They were lukewarm and had obviously been hanging around for ages. None of us wanted to try a third course after being so disappointed by the rest of the food. The bill, with water and a bottle of mid-range wine, was over £90. Sorry, we won't be returning. The Pine Marten at Harrogate, the White Hart's sister pub, does much the same menu 10 times better. read more

Visited at 3 on a Sunday afternoon. And got to say not impressed, my boyfriend had wanted to go for a long time, needless to say we will not be going again. We were seated quickly enough, that turned out to be directly next to the waiter's station. A minute or two after they sat us a waitress came to ask if we were ready yet. We said a few minutes. About ten later she came back took our order and came back asking what we ordered again. Starter was ok. Main came dumped on table no question about sauces/drinks. I finally got someone's attention and got some salt and pepper and a drink. (After they had finished discussing whether they were going to Nandos or TGI for tea) When finished we asked for the bill £60. Not bad for drinks and starter and main but after the service we got and the mediocre food £60 was very expensive. How can you mess up gammon?! Really not the hardest think to do. So very disappointed and will not be going again. read more

Though outside the city, a trip to Pool really is worth it. A small, pretty village out near(er) the airport, vaguely on the road to Otley is home to The White Hart. It was recommended to me by my boyfriends parents, down to the fact they had been, loved it, and had been given half price vouchers. Since then, I have been on several occassions (ranging from a lazy Sunday, a random treat, to a brilliant Valentine's meal) and am never disappointed. A downside to having a spontaneous last-minute trip is having to appoint a designated driver. It is never difficult to book at table at The White Hart, but I would recommend ringing before going if it is your soul reason for going to Pool, just incase. The interior is not your average country pub, it is predominantly a restaurant, the copper table tops around the bar are a nice touch, and the walls hold tastefully hung small wooden objects that remind me of halved South American Güiros. It is comfortable place to have a drink and has a bar stocked with local ales and other British ciders and beers, as well as international tipples. If you're there for lunch or dinner though, you're in for a real treat. The seasonal menu caters for just about anyone, with options ranging from salads to risottos to whole chickens to homely game pies, and rather delicate fish dishes. I have to say that I would now refrain from going for their Sunday Roasts, though by any comparison, they are good. They just do not compare to any of the other choices on the menu. I found mine did not match up to anything else I had had there, which included seabass, plaice, steak and a game pie (I like going there). The roast portion was just too large and flavour wise, just did not do the chefs justice. It left me holding my stomach, feeling desperately full for the rest of the day. But not as satisfied as I had been every other time I had visited. Look out for deals at The White Hart, they do crop up occasionally on their webpage. read more

Went here for lunch today, was served by Judy, who was extremely well mannered, polite and efficient. The food was delicious, presented well. Good car parking, what more I can I say, just go and enjoy. read more