The Duke Of York Inn

Driving just twenty minutes east into the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside from York itself is all it takes to reach The Duke Of York Inn, located in the Ryedale village of Gate Helmsley. You can’t miss this traditional British pub’s whitewashed building along Bridlington Road on the western edge of town, and once you’re inside you won’t want to leave. Joining the public house family that includes The Swan & Talbot in Wetherby, Bilton-in-Ainsty’s The Chequers, and The Beehive in Thorner, The Duke of York has been carefully refurbished to bring it into modern times without compromising the rural character of the place, meaning you can enjoy the well-stocked bar and all manner of menus in a perfectly charming setting.

It would be remiss of a North Yorkshire pub with any claim to quality to not make the most of the abundance of local suppliers when it comes to keeping the kitchen stocked with seasonal produce, meat and fish. The menus at The Duke Of York Inn proudly showcase the breadth and depth of quality British cuisine in just this way, offering a mix of traditional pub grub and modern dishes at great prices. Breakfast is served on the weekends from 9am until 11:30am, lunch and dinner menus are available from Monday to Saturday, a supper menu supplements the action in the evenings from Sunday to Wednesday, with a weekly Sunday lunch offering – a local Gate Helmsley favourite – rounding off the week.

The Duke Of York’s main menu features produce sourced close to Gate Helmsley and York, including towns and villages such as Wetherby, Thorp Arch and Harrogate, coming together in a range of shareable platters, starters, salads, grilled dishes and signature ‘haute’ dogs, and generously apportioned traditional British main courses. Of these, you couldn’t get more Yorkshire than the classic steak and Black Sheep Ale pie with mash, but the pub kitchen’s broad horizons are clear in dishes like the Asian stir fry of slow-cooked pork belly with kale, shiitake mushrooms, soy beans, ginger and udon noodles. The Sunday lunch alone gets many a pubcrawler up from York for some traditional dales hospitality, and remember that with a fantastic three-course kids’ menu served from midday to 8pm, the little one are welcome too. Finally, if you’re planning to pay a visit to The Duke’s Bridlington Road perch, be sure to book in advance and online to avoid disappointment.