The Bruce Arms in Ripon

Quaint little pub in West Tanfield. Was our only choice as the Black Bull was closed for refurbishment, but didnt mind luckily as it was a very friendly and chilled bar with nice staff and patrons and some excellent ales on draft. Dog friendly too which pleased Storm and Shadow. Didnt have food so cant rate it ... yet.

Had a really nice Sunday lunch at this excellent pub. Great food, service and hospitality. Definitely recommend a visit, but suggest booking in advance.

What an excellent pub / restaurant.The food is fantastic....so tasty.The staff are fantastic...nothing as any trouble.The ambience is lovely.We just opted for a lunchtime sandwich..but what a sandwich. They came in unpretentious ordinary sliced brown or white bread, fries and a mini tomato and basil soup taster. Absolutely delicious.Ask for the ‘Terry McCLeary Special’ sandwich...white bread on the top, brown bread on the bottom. Magic! Why has it taken an American (our guest for the dayto invent this, off the cuff? He’s a star.(Sadly, Terry died back in the US on May 14th 2020. RIP.)

A lovely evening, centred around perfectly executed meals, in a friendly relaxed setting. The venison is a dish I would have again tomorrow, as was the starter to be honest, (Black pudding and crispy duck egg). No doubt we will be back to try out the rest of the menu at some point very soon, (babysitters permitting). 😅Nice selection of ales on too, theakstons and a couple of guest pale options 👍

Fantastic pub either just for a drink or 6 the food is absolutely fantastic and the owners are warm and welcoming the whole place has a wonderful homely feel you wont be disappointed

When we arrived at the Bruce arms it was raining and our table was booked for the 6 of us (and a dogoutside, the staff did their utmost to keep us dry, intially setting up a makeshift shelter from umbrellas suspended above us then finding space inside and providing seating for us. Food was top notch and very reasonably priced, well worth a visit!

Amazing service, Matt is such a great host with a great team - and fantastic food and a brilliant wine menu.

Ate a couple if times during our stay in West Tanfield and would recommend it. Not the cheapest but worth the cost. The samphire on the mussels was a great addition and the bread which came with it was delicious and fries piping hot. Cant remember the last time I ordered a cheese board and it wasnt served straight out of fridge 👏 for serving at room temperature, and a lovely selection of crackers. My only disappointment was scotch egg was not quite runny enough.

Had a right night and day best pub around people was all really friendly xxx

A brilliant roast and desert and warm welcome. This pub is on the pricey side but the cost is completely justified by good food and service. Highly recommended.

Excellent food, excellent service, great atmosphere. Would definitely go again.

Fantastic food and service as always. Throughly enjoyable and well worth a visit.Love it 😍

Went in for lunch today. The sign outside welcomed everyone and their dogs except for racist uncles and that really tickled us so in we went. The pub has recently changed hands so it was good to see what the new owners had done with the place. Tastefully done out but not over the top and you didnt feel like you needed to be in full bib and tucker to be there. Very friendly staff. The landlord ran through the interesting lunch menu with us and we ordered the ploughmans and the market fish which, today, was hake. Food arrived promptly and was really well presented. The hake was fantastic - cooked to perfection on a bed of wilted greens which hid some really punchy samphire and dressed with a caper butter. The ploughmans was interesting with an great assortment of meat, homemade sausage roll and two superb cheeses - the Leeds Blue was the perfect temperature and to die for. A couple of sides of generous hunks of garlic bread and some decent triple cooked chips completed the meal. We left there very happy. The food wasnt the cheapest that weve ever had at around £21 a head including drinks but it was absolutely worth every penny. Highly recommended.

One night stay whilst visiting the area, clean and comfy room. Had a delicious evening meal and a cracking breakfast. Great service and cask beer. Would certainly visit and stay again in future.

An average country pub. Pleasant staff but some customers with no filter! Not what I want to experience as a "tourist." Shame, as its a lovely location, in beautiful countryside with huge potential.

Super friendly staff, lovely atmosphere, great service, excellent food. Bedrooms are well kept and have every thing you can need. Only negative was that I couldnt try the breakfast

Great food, good wines including natural wines. Will definitely return.

Excellent Sunday lunch. Starters included scallops. Mains included perfectly cooked roasts and delicate fish and the puddings included lemon posset. We will return even if its just for the on tap Guinness .

Fantastic food, great range of beers and the staff are super on it.

A food experience..a must go for every foodie out there..But remember to book as we didnt but they did squeeze us in.. and were so grateful for that .. from starter to desserts each mouthful was a taste sensation. The steak melted in my mouth and the black pudding was best weve ever had.. for me the best part was the heavenly truffle that came with my chocolate Tart lets just say it was a " Harry met Sally " moment lol.. husbands was the chicken butter sauce that came with his duck he wanted a spoon to make sure he got every drop..please help support local pubs visit soon

Clean. Comfortable. Great service and food.

Fantastic food. Excellent host and service. Brilliant ambiance..I would wholeheartedly recommend The Bruce Arms in West Tanfield.

We had a wonderful 2 night stay food was amazing staff were warm and very friendly would highly recommend

A characterful old coaching inn, with four comfy bedrooms, in a lovely setting. Really good beer, wines and cocktails, and high quality restaurant food, from very friendly and attentive hosts and their team

Staff seemed rushed off their feet. Good car parking and the side.

Came in yesterday just for one drink, several drinks and a meal later we left after a fabulous time. The food was excellent and all the staff are beyond friendly, could not recommend this highly enough

Super nights stay in this lovely coaching house. We were booked in for 2 nights but had to leave after 1 for a family emergency. Very friendly hosts and staff. Super comfy bed and nice little touches such as fresh flowers and fresh milk. Good shower.Absolutely fabulous evening meal and breakfast.Would certainly recommend.

Warm, friendly and happy. Cant fault the landlord, he was amazing. Really friendly locals. Made the visit! To top it off, had a nice and cozy sofa in front of the fire!! Only intended for a quick drink, stayed there all night. Even gave us snacks from the food menu, when we only had drinks. A* service, definitely worth a visit!!

Highly rate The Bruce Arms, Matt, Philippa and the staff are amazing. Friendly welcome, very comfortable atmosphere. The room and amenities were great, loved the duvet, pillows and the freshly ground coffee.I cannot say enough about the food, both dinner and breakfast were excellent, well presented, enough of it and definitely compliments to the chef. The garlic bread was the best and well worth a try. Good selection of drinks available and not all the common ones you find everywhere either. Overall a very pleasent and relaxing two night stay.

Apslupley Gorgeous! The scotch egg was divine and to die for! A great price for the quality and quantity of food! Just stunning

An absolute gem of a place. Matt and his team are so welcoming - the service is great and the food is absolutely delicious. The Sunday roast is incredible - and they have an Amazing gin cocktail list to choose from too! Highly recommend

Pleased we came across The Bruce Arms. We were staying just outside the village for a weekend away and decided to pop in for a couple of beers after a walk. Ended up booking Sunday lunch. Great food, great beer and great service from a family run business - a refreshing change from the faceless chain pubs that seem to have appeared everywhere. Would return when we are back in the area.

Great food, friendly service and superb choice of drinks all carefully curated by Matt. Fabulous.

Had dinner here with my wife. Great service. Well thought out menu. Good quality food, well presented and with sensible portion sizes. Will definitely return!

Very nice pub the staff a so helpful and the food is very good.

It is very welcoming and friendly. The food was exceptional. I will definitely go back again.

Great food, classy restaurant with the atmosphere of a cosy pub. Staff were friendly and professional, helpfully answering all questions put to them and asking for clarity from the manager/chef when they were unsure. Will definitely come back.

We went to The Bruce for my dads 90th birthday. Matt could not have made it more special for him. Even asking him what music he wanted to hear! Service was prompt and warm without being OTT, and the food was fantastic. I cant recommend this place enough 😍

So pleased this has reopened, just checked in for a beer and will be back soon for a meal. Great atmosphere nice staff, good ale. 👍

Brilliant establishment, with a publican that really has a passion for great food and drink.

Absolutely superb. Lovely cosey pub. I had the chorizo scotch egg and my partner had paté to start, both were delicious. My partner had the fish pie with muscles whilst I had the monkfish in Parma ham. We could not fault this pub. Matt was amazing and the team were very attentive, even moving us infront of the fire to finish our drinks. My partner and I both agreed this was the best meal (food and servicewe have ever had. Would love to come again.

The staff are are very friendly and welcoming and I love the atmosphere! The fish pie was good, but I really loved the salmon starter. I think next time I would order multiple starters just to try them all. 😍 I was also very impressed by the vegetarian options!

Went and had food the other weekend. Me my partner and 2 kids. Was a really nice warm and Friendly place service really good and well looked after. The food came the kids fish and chips was massive. They couldnt eat it all so I finished it off and the fish was amazing. I had the wagu burger and it was by far one of the best burgers I have had. We had pudding after and again they was lovely. We will defo be going again and I highly recommend this place to anyone

A remarkably busy pub with a lively clientelle who travel far and wide to sample the great food, excellent service, modest prices and did I mention the beer? I shall definitely make the effort to visit again soon!

Went in to book a table for a family event. The lady behind the bar was so helpful. Let us see the room used for groups of 12 plus, it was perfect and we booked. Looking forward to our meal in November and hope we can add one more star.

We were staying with friends for 2 nights as we were at a wedding nearby. Katy and her lovely staff couldnt do enough for us. We had a wonderful lunch before we set off,comfy beds, superb breakfast and nothing was too much trouble. Highly recommended we will definitely be back.

We have just returned from another weekend break at The Bruce Arms - and again we are looking forward to our next visit ! Everyone is so friendly and really goes out of their way to make your stay so enjoyable - the rooms , location , meals are excellent. !A very big thank you to Katie - my wife left a pair of shoes in the room - i phoned Katie the following day & she sent them back for her - she was so helpful - thanks for that my wife really appreciated you going to the trouble - thanks for the nice note as well !see you all next year

Hadnt been in to the Bruce Arms for many years but after reading reviews & about various awards they had received decided to go for Sunday lunch on my birthday 14/07/2019. I had some fantastic local 36 day aged topside of beef, the best Ive tasted since moving to Yorkshire from Scotland 15 years ago, my wife had the crispy lamb joint which she thought was delicious, seasonal veg, Yorkshire puds & Roast potatoes, all prepared to perfection. A small but great selection of desserts, all served up by very friendly staff & a good wine / beer selection. Will definitely be back, maybe to try the al a carte menu one evening. :-)

Wonderful meal great service. We were lucky to get in as we hadnt booked, made our anniversary very special.

Very good food served in an attractive dining area by friendly and helpful staff. Best to make a reservation as not always open on a Monday or Tuesday.Sunday lunch served throughout the day in Sunday.