Yorkshire’s historic market towns, grand estates, and centuries-old inns have long been centres of exceptional hospitality, providing shelter and comfort away from the windswept North Yorkshire Moors. The county’s wild landscapes, from rolling hills and dales, to rugged coastal shores, are a source of wealth for high-quality local ingredients that continue to shape the menu offerings at the area's finest dining establishments.
Yorkshire’s reputation as a food haven has been cemented by a growing number of Michelin stars, both the traditional and the ‘green star’ for sustainability, which have been awarded to restaurants that champion the county’s heritage, seasonal ingredients and the artistry of modern British cuisine. From the intimate, farm-to-table ethos of countryside restaurants to the refined tasting menus of inner-city dining spots, North Yorkshire’s dining scene continues to rise to prominence as a testament to the region’s enduring legacy of quality, craftsmanship, and warm hospitality.
Forge at Middleton Lodge, Richmond
Nestled in the rolling hills of North Yorkshire, the beautiful market town of Richmond is one of the county's most popular destinations. Shortly outside the town, amidst the area’s rural bliss, lies the Middleton Lodge Estate, home of the Michelin Star Forge Restaurant. Among such fine surroundings, Forge has taken impressive steps towards operating as sustainably as possible with its surroundings, earning a Michelin Green Star in 2025 for its endeavours.
While the term ‘farm-to-table’ is widely used at various country restaurants, Forge head Chef Jake Jones has rather playfully come up with his own definition for the sustainable practices at Middleton Lodge – ‘Estate to Plate’. With an abundance of grounds to grow and rear produce, Jones works closely with the estate team to ensure the restaurant’s six and ten-course menus have as many ingredients sourced at Middleton Lodge as possible. The result is a delightful fusion between traditional English produce and blending elements from around the world. Musselburgh leeks in pumpkin seed miso, kombu-cured chalk-stream trout, and manjari and preserved English truffle macarons – Forge offers a delicious dining affair that harvests the best of its surroundings for a taste of the local area.
The Black Swan, Oldstead
What may appear at first glance to be another one of Yorkshire’s many beautiful but humble pubs, The Black Swan is a dual Michelin and Green star holder, home to one of the UK’s youngest chefs to be awarded the prized accolade, and former recipient of Tripadvisor’s “Best Restaurant In The World” award in 2017. On the edge of the wild Yorkshire Moors, Chef Tommy Banks has spent more than a decade perfecting the food served at this beautiful countryside haven, with special attention paid to sourcing ingredients locally from 30 acres of the chef’s family-run farm.
The restaurant offers a variety of tasting menus, including solely vegetarian and pescetarian experiences. Menus are seasonal, featuring dishes such as smoked eel with fermented turnip, game broth, fallow deer, and black apple and whey pudding. The Black Swan offers a taste of the wild on the edges of one of Yorkshire's most stunning landscapes, with the option for guests to prolong their visits by staying overnight within the comfortable lodgings of this unassuming yet cherished countryside fine-dining establishment.
Roots, York
York is a beautiful mixture of the Mediaeval period and Regency era architectural influences, including the York Minster, The Shambles, Assembly Rooms, and the city’s railway station. From the latter, travelling over the nearby bridge across the River Ouse onto the Museum Gardens, visitors to York will come across another fantastic Michelin-starred restaurant that’s been graced by the touch of Chef Tommy Banks – Roots.
As a proud Yorkshireman, Banks unsurprisingly focuses on the best of what each season brings out of the bountiful fields of his home county. The menu at Roots includes dishes that are made with locally grown ingredients and a few twists on classic regional dishes. Roasted shoulder of lamb with morels, fermented vegetables, and picked rhubarb toasted and poached with rosemary – Roots focuses on hearty rural dishes that have been elevated with modern techniques and bring a contemporary edge to traditional country-style dining.
The Pipe and Glass, South Dalton
The Pipe and Glass has held on to its Michelin star for longer than any other restaurant in Yorkshire, celebrating 15 years since the coveted status was first awarded. Given the guide’s ever-evolving standards and the stiff competition throughout the county, it is a considerably impressive feat. Set within a former coaching house, the pub was taken over by Chef James Mackenzie and his wife Kate – an experience that takes the heart and indulgence of traditional pub meals a few steps further through the application of a fine-dining approach.
Notable highlights from the menu include delicious cider-braised rabbit with a wild garlic crumble, beetroot tartare, barbecued lamb rump, honey-glazed and salt-baked celeriac, and an abundance of other similarly appealing dishes that are as easy on the eye as they are on the palate. The restaurant's beloved, wall-sized blackboard (for yet another callback to traditional pub dining) is painstakingly updated each morning with the day’s specials, which change with the seasons and are always coveted by eager diners due to their limited availability.
The Star Inn, Harome
The recipient of a Michelin star that it held on to for nearly 20 years, The Star Inn was the unfortunate victim of a devastating fire that forced its closure in 2021. Since then, the thatch-roofed restaurant has risen from the ashes like a phoenix and reclaimed its reputation as one of Yorkshire’s best dining establishments. Lovingly restored to its original glory, with a slight refit and expansion of the kitchen facilities to push the food served slightly higher, The Star offers a Michelin-worthy take on popular Yorkshire favourites.
With beautiful exposed timbers and brickwork, slate floors, and soft wood furnishings, The Star provides a comfortable country dining experience that's particularly inviting during the winter when the wood-burning fireplaces are roaring. Evolving with the seasons, both the tasting and a la carte menus offer a meeting of minds between Yorkshire delicacies and those of the continent. Black Pudding Foie gras, ox cheek and Yorkshire blue cheese ravioli, milk-steeped fillet of veal with white asparagus and morels – Chef Andrew Pern knows how to pair the best of the county’s local produce with pan-European flair.
