The Blacksmiths Arms

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#1 of 2 Restaurants in Swainby££ - £££, Bar, British, Vegetarian friendly

+44 1642 700303+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

12:00 - 20:00

Mon

12:00 - 20:00

Tue

12:00 - 20:00

Wed

12:00 - 20:00

Thu

12:00 - 20:00

Fri

12:00 - 20:00

Sat

12:00 - 21:00

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What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.5

1,292 reviews

#1 of 2 Restaurants in Swainby

Travellers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

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PRICE RANGE

£3.00 – £30.00

CUISINES

Bar, British, Pub, Gastropub

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

meals, features

Location and contact

2 Black Horse Lane, Swainby DL6 3EW England

+44 1642 700303

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Details

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About

We are now in our 29th year at the Blacksmiths, we are a family owned, family run, traditional, independent free house country pub. We like to think that service, value for money and a friendly welcome go hand in hand. We are not part of some faceless corporation - we are just a hard working family who wants to give you the best food and dining experience that we possibly can. We are not robots - we are only human and on rare occasion make mistakes, tell us and we'll put it right - that's our commitment to you - our valued customers, family and friends.

PRICE RANGE

£3.00 – £30.00

CUISINES

Bar, British, Pub, Gastropub

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Drinks

FEATURES

Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Private Dining, Seating, Parking Available, Validated Parking, Free off-street parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Mastercard, Visa, Digital Payments, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Playgrounds

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4.5

1,292 reviews

Excellent

1,114

Very good

Average

Poor

Terrible

Lynn

United Kingdom10 contributions

Yummy Lunch

Aug 2020 • none

This traditional country pub is set in a picturesque village with a river running through it. It has great outside space and a little area where children can play safely. The menu was very extensive and reasonably priced, I chose to have the fish pie which was really tasty and well presented with a good selection of fresh vegetables served by very friendly and efficient staff. A great relaxing way to enjoy lunch.

Written 19 August 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Catherine

3 contributions

Wonderful

Sept 2020 • friends

My friend and I visited today for lunch, firstly I want to say, upon our arrival, Catherine the owner and host welcomed us with a friendly approach whilst keeping all restrictions in place, she made us feel so comfortable and welcome. Lovely friendly atmosphere,in fact, we put the world to rights😁 I was so impressed with everything that was put in place for our current situation with covid.We ordered half parmo,s which came with homemade chips and salad,absolutely gorgeous and at £9.95 per meal was great value. We will definitely be visiting again. Keep up the good work Catherine, and good luck for the future. Best wishes xx

Written 26 September 2020

Debbiedohdah

2 contributions

Fabulous

Sept 2020 • none

We visited last week and had the 2 for £20, my son had the chicken parmo which was delicious and I had steak which was equally delicious and cooked perfectly, and my husband had a couple of starters which was also delicious. We chatted to the landlady Catherine for ages who was really nice and made us feel really welcome. Absolutely wonderful and we will visit again the next time we are in North Yorkshire.

Written 13 September 2020

disappointed customer

1 contribution

Awful service and food

Dec 2020 • family

awful food. firstly waited nearly 1hour 15 minutes for our meal without anyone coming over and apologising for the delay 5 meals ordered, 1 burnt, 2 couldn’t be eaten as the meat was so tough it couldn’t be chewed. informed the waitress about the 2 meals that couldn’t be eaten and her response was abrupt. initially said she would knock off the price for 1 of the meals as the second meal had been ‘eaten’!! i think she meant a bite from each of the meats as no more than that could be eaten as it was too tough. eventually agreed to knock off the price of 2 meal due to me expressing my disappointment again will never return. sack the chef!!!!!

Written 4 December 2020

AD1965

Leeds80 contributions

First visit, certainly not our last, wonderful!

May 2021 • couples

Today was our first visit here, but it certainly won’t be our last! Owing to Covid restrictions, we ate in the beer garden, which is lovely with a nice play area for the children, and a huge marquee in case the weather turns nasty. On arrival we were greeted by pleasant staff, who guided us through the process of table seating and ordering. It is evident that much consideration has gone into keeping it a Covid safe environment, the staff are well presented, all have face masks and the tables are socially spaced. Very varied and reasonably priced, there is something on offer for every taste, and there is also a children’s menu. We made our choice and the food arrived piping hot. We had the mixed grill, which I couldn’t recommend highly enough, the meat was beautifully cooked, tasty and very plentiful. The sausage and mash was huge and also wonderful. We shared a sticky toffee pudding for dessert. Highly recommended, We will definitely be returning again soon, next time to sample the Sunday lunch 👍🏻

Written 1 May 2021

soose61

Stockton-on-Tees64 contributions

Lovely lunch

Dec 2019 • couples

Called in for lunch after a walk with our dog Lily. The Blacksmiths Arms is a lovely old pub, with a warm, welcoming feel and beautifully decorated for Christmas. After a lovely friendly greeting from owner Catherine, we enjoyed a pint of Shipyard whilst we made our choice from the comprehensive menu. We both decided on the homemade pie from the 2 for £20 menu with a choice of two sides. Couldn’t fault it! Perfect pastry, tasty filling, extra gravy and sides of mash, chips, veg and onion rings all cooked to perfection. We really probably didn’t need dessert but couldn’t resist and they were delicious also. Definitely worth a visit, Thank You.

Written 1 January 2020

KBl

7 contributions

A million out of a million.

Aug 2020 • family

We decided to treat our son to a steak whilst the eat out to help out offer was on. We wondered if the food quality would be as good as usual because of the scheme but it was and we were not disappointed. My son used to have steak when we lived in Germany but it was a kids steak and so cheaper than in the UK, so we don't really get him it when we go out now but as a treat and with the scheme we thought we would treat him. He ate some of our starters, all his adult portion of sirloin steak and chips and half my fudge cake so must have been tasty Haha! He said it was the best steak he had ever had and he gave The Blacksmith Arms a million out of a million. My husband and I have always liked the restaurant and often visited whilst back in the UK and visiting family. Now we are back home for good we will no doubt visit more often! This is the first time we have been since Corona drama and everything was in place to make you feel safe. The staff were extremely attentive despite being busy,hot and having their masks on bless them! I also love how personal it is that the owner is always there and checking everyone is okay, chipping in and talking to the customers. Thank you for a wonderful evening and to all the hard working staff for making it a pleasant evening.

Written 11 August 2020

Thomas Burton

1 contribution

Fantastic food and drinks in the sun

Apr 2021 • none

Had a lovely lunchtime meal in the sun today with a friend. Despite the COVID regulations the government are imposing it was very easy to order food and drink and the staff were all very friendly and helpful. We ordered two of the chicken parmos and they were both delicious the chips also deserve a mention for being so well cooked and all at a very reasonable price. Definitely hoping to return again soon.

Written 13 April 2021

jonniebrown

Hutton Rudby1 contribution

Sunday dinner and a pint

Dec 2019 • friends

Called in for a pint and Sunday dinner after a long walk with my dog, I was served by Charlotte who was very friendly and attentive, I had a roast lamb dinner which was cooked beautifully, and served with plenty of fresh vegetables. The pub is lovely and warm inside and looked amazing with all the Christmas decorations up. Can’t wait to go back :)

Written 3 January 2020

India T

2 contributions

Brilliant!

Feb 2020 • family

Visited The Blacksmith Arms tonight for the famous steak on a stone, and was not disappointed! The gentleman who cooked the steak at the table was very friendly and it tasted amazing. Catherine was lovely and made us feel very welcome for the time that we were there, a very comfortable atmosphere. Couldn’t recommend enough and can’t wait to return for more!

Written 1 February 2020

Alex snowdan

2 contributions

Steak on the stone

Mar 2020 • family

Came in for the “steak on stone” on Saturday with my family for the first time, it was absolutely amazing. Our steaks were cooked right in front of us by Damo who was very chatty and made everyone feel comfortable. We were also served by Freya who made sure our glasses weren’t empty and we always had what we needed. Will definitely be coming back very soon.

Written 9 March 2020

Sarah denis

1 contribution

Amazing Service

Mar 2020 • couples

Came in on a Friday night, with my boyfriend we had steak on the stone cooked at our table by damo the chef, they was cooked to perfection. We were served by eliza who was brilliant kept checking on us to make sure everything was okay. Sat in front of a nice fire. Overall experience was brilliant will be back soon x x

Written 9 March 2020

Fairenough_63

Thirsk111 contributions

Nice food , not great value

May 2021 • family

We tried out the new tent, which is really pretty with fairy lights and heaters as well as music playing. The seating is picnic benches/tables and although we booked a table of 7, we got one table and were told to go get our own chairs if we wanted it made up for 7. We booked well in advance, but this doesn't mean you are under cover, as tables aren't allocated, so you just have to go really early and hope for the best. We didn't know that we had to order and pay for food and drink as we went, as no one told us and it doesn't say anywhere. (Fair amount of time wasted waiting for someone to take our order before we found that out). There were no drinks menus so you have to go and guess. When you go to the bar there is often a long wait in the queue. Drinks came and placed on table with no comment as to which was which (it wasn't obvious) and when we asked her, the waitress didn't know. Food was really nice, range of dishes all went down very well. Plates were cold, so with the outdoor dining on a cold day, and being carried over in rain with no cover, food didn't stand a chance of staying hot beyond halfway through eating. Warmed plates a must during this British spring al fresco I think. Prices seemed high - £12 for a roast dinner, £8 for a prawn cocktail, no 2/3 course deals - and maybe OK if the service had been good, but for the experience we had on the day it didn't seem good value. Covid - Bar for ordering is right by the door, so good ventilation. Just the one chap in the room with no mask on.

Written 4 May 2021

Tracy281271

3 contributions

Family meal

Aug 2020 • family

Have been a few times had steak on a stone And Sunday lunch always 1st class... today there was a party of 9 of us and it’s part of the 50% off deal. I believe you claim that back so the bill was very reasonable But they seemed to be cutting corners as to there normal high standards. The starters were very nice . But the main meals were not very nice and there lovely homemade chips were frozen not fully cooked skimped on salad and some of our party said the food was tasteless wasn’t presented as it usually has and the condiments ie garlic mayo etc we didn’t get brought out.. quite disappointed as I don’t think I will go again now .

Written 10 August 2020

Kerri D

1 contribution

Lovely Lunch

Sept 2020 • couples

We dropped in to the Blacksmiths Arms for lunch on our way to Nottingham. We had the katsu chicken and the chicken noodles from the two for £20 in 2020 menu. The place was immaculate with good covid safe measures in place. The food was lovely. The lady who served us, who I think was the owner, was really friendly. We will definitely be back.

Written 19 September 2020