About The Moody Cow - Ilkley
The epithet of “Moody Cow” isn’t usually taken as the best of compliments in Yorkshire, but up in Ilkley, they certainly make the most of it. The Moody Cow pub and restaurant began in Bradford – Apperley Bridge to be exact – but they enjoyed their experience at that location so much that they opened a second on the outskirts of Leeds, where they offer steakhouse classics – the cow is, of course, the star of the show on the menu here – and bar favourites, as well as real ales and extravagant cocktails. Head in to Ilkley town centre and find them on Brook Street.
Opening Hours
- Monday Closed
- Tuesday 12:00 - 14:30, 17:30 - 21:30
- Wednesday 12:00 - 14:30, 17:30 - 21:30
- Thursday 12:00 - 14:30, 17:30 - 21:30
- Friday 12:00 - 14:30, 17:30 - 22:00
- Saturday 12:00 - 22:00
- Sunday 12:00 - 20:00
Further Information
Ilkley is a nice place to live – it’s one of the most desirable parts of Yorkshire for sure – and one of the most compelling reasons for that is the diversity and strength of the restaurant scene. The Moody Cow on Brook Street is right at the heart of it all, bang in the centre of the town and offering a menu that offers something for everyone to enjoy, particularly if they derive their enjoyment from meat, aged for 28 days and cooked on a grill at incredibly high heats. This is a steakhouse, made no mistake about it, as well as a bar.
The steak selection at The Moody Cow is pretty extensive, so let us talk you through a little bit of it. If you want one all to yourself, then there are are rump, sirloin, ribeye and fillet options – as well as pork steaks and gammon – and to share, there is a Tomahawk, the double-sized bone-in ribeye, or the full Chateaubriand. Accompanying the meats come onion rings, field mushrooms, grilled tomato and a selection of sauces, and the range of non-grill options are also decently-sized, with fried fish, chicken and turkey, vegetarian options and bar classics. We could go on all day, but instead, just book at table at The Moody Cow on Brook Street in the centre of Ilkley and wander over to find out for yourself.
264 Reviews
Great food, lovely place, maybe a little bit slow with service , but it was fine, we loved it, planning on coming again with friends
It was our first time at the Moody Cow and it is clear why it is highly rated. The food was really good and the restaurant is comfortable. The staff were friendly and attentive. We will definitely be returning.
Very friendly attentive service with hot and well cooked and presented food. Even the broccoli remained hot for some time. Premises in a good clean serviceable order. Well done to everyone who works there.
Favourite restaurant in Ilkley. Best ribs I've ever had. Pleasant evening. Very friendly staff and reasonably priced. We definitely plan to come again. Highly recommend to others
We dined here for Sunday lunch for my mother in law's birthday and it was lovely as usual. The three of us couldn't fault the food at all, the only thing we feel we should point out and we did at the time too was the temperature of my daughter's plate. She is only 18 months old and we ordered her a children's dish and she loved it however we had to ask for a another side plate because the plate it came on was ridiculously hot. I know the kitchen have to keep the food warm so it all comes out together but bringing a childs dish on a plate that was so hot I couldn't touch it at all I think was a little bit thoughtless. The waitress came right over wth a little plate for her and our little girl enjoyed her sausage and mash! Will definitely be returning for Sunday lunch as the food and price was brilliant. On another note it is also the best place for steak! Haven't found anywhere better yet!!
Fantastic restaurant in central Ilkley. Really child friendly with a super range of menus to choose from. On our latest visit the kids chose from the Calves menu (fresh made burgers - but hold the cheese and sauce, salad on the side). We chose from the lunchtime menu which is AMAZING value; 3 courses for £12.95. The haddock and lentil dahl dish was divine; the chicken and rib combo is always a winner as I love ribs but can't eat a full rack. To be honest you don't need the chicken as the half rack is enough. After a pause between courses and a few games of cards with the kids we shared my favourite desert - sticky toffee pudding! Mmmmmmm. I love the Moody Cow and so do the family, can't fault it. It is our go to restaurant in Ilkley. We're never disappointed.
My Partner & I dinned there before going to the theater. We decided to take up their offer of the Steak Night..2 steaks, with sides and a bottle of wine for under £30 but also decided to have a starter and share some Nachos with some added Pulled Pork. These were probably the best Nachos I've ever had. Lots of pork and cheese and very, very tasty. The Steaks came with onion rings, tomato and mushroom...I had fries and my Partner had a jacket potato. The steaks were cooked just as we had asked...medium-rare & were delicious. We finished off by sharing a Sticky Toffee Pudding with Salted Caramel Ice Cream, which was also delicious. The staff were friendly and attentive. All in all....a really lovely dinning experience. We shall be going back...hopefully soon!!!!
Welcomed in, and our table was ready and waiting for us, with the two high chauirs that i'd requested. We were in a round corner table, which was a lovely setup as it meant we could 'trap' our two year old and not only have one of the high chair. Drinks were order and arived quickly - and on a hot day, this with the air con was most welcomed. Starters were quick to arrive and were tasy too. The child order was brought with the starters, which the waiter suggested (before we had chance) this was a nice touch. The mains were also qucik to arrive, but just long enough for starters to settle. I had a tasty slection of ribs and wings - they were delicious. All the rest of the party were pleased with theirs. Sweets were declined - but sounded lovely. All in all, a very pleasant evening.
We booked the Moody Cow in Ilkey for Sunday Dinner withe the family. We had noticed the restaurant before but not visit and booked based on reviews. The welcome was warm and we were seated quickly and coats taken for us. The service was attentive and not over bearing. The manager was friendly and said hello. He said that he thought it was the best Sunday lunch in Ilkley. I can't comment on the offereings in ilkley but this was one of the best Sunday lunches I've ever had. very resonable pricing and the roast beef was cooked pink and was perfect. We'll return again. All six of us agreed the food was fantastic.
A good night with really excellent steaks, very good bitter. Couple of other points, when we arrived we received a. Dry warm welcome but the guy said "Verity, table for 4, we'll need it back by 9" but they didn't!! We left at 9.40 with a few empty tables by then. Why trouble your guests, put them on edge, by implying this? Also if "Cow" is in your name and meat is your thing, put a board up with the provenence of the meat, which farm etc. Lastly my chicken bite starter was a bit mean, missing 2 or 3 bites. But overall, good and we will return.
Reserved this location as a stop off for food on our way to Leeds. Booked just before setting off from Barrow-in-furness and got there 30 minutes early which wasn't a problem as we got a table straight away. It happened to be steak night which was a bonus as we had two rumps with all the trimmings and a bottle of wine for under £30. Well worth it and the food and staff were superb. Will be stopping off again
We had a really great experience this evening at The Moody Cow in Ilkley. The service was great and the food was delicious; excellent value for money. We can highly recommend the pulled pork "nacho" fries, and the tuna steak and rib eye were fantastic main courses. Our entire party enjoyed the food and ambience. It's not too noisy because there's no loud music, so even when the restaurant is full the noise levels are manageable. Highly recommended.
Our table was booked for 7pm, we didn't sit down until 8pm as we were enjoying a drink with friends in the bar. There was no pressure from staff to be seated, much appreciated. The staff were friendly and attentive and knowledgable about their menu. The food was lovely. I had calamari starter, which was cooked perfectly, not tough or dry. Mains, we had Fajitas and USDA brisket and would recommend either. Cocktails were great too
Great service and food, this was partners birthday meal/gift and he had the 10 0z sirloin which was cooked to perfection, I had the steak salad with mozzarella and mushrooms and thought I had chosen a "lighter" option but I couldn't eat it all and the waiter later told me it was a 10 oz steak too so be warned it is hearty ! Would go again but as the name implies its a meat fest and I felt sorry for a lady who asked what the vegetarian options were !
The food was amazing, my steak was cooked blue as I asked for. Really couldn't fault the food. Most of the waiters/waitresses were very friendly however the particular waitress assigned to our table was not very attentive, we waited more than 10 minutes after our drinks order was taken before she took our food order- even then we had to ask her too. Then when we asked for the bill we waited another 10 minutes and eventually had to go over and ask another waitress to get it for us. If it wasn't for this I would have awarded a top score of 6 because the atmosphere and food was great!
We were a party of 4 who enjoyed the Steak Night offer of £29 per couple for the steak plus sides and wine. The quality of the food was excellent and we were nicely welcomed and then well looked after. It was thoroughly enjoyed by us all. We also managed some very nice desserts. It was not our first visit and certainly won't be the last. Highly recommended.
Greeted with a lovely smile :-) and given a choice of tables which was nice. really clean and lots of space between tables The menu was extensive with a great choice of starters and mains. we had three course and all the food was well presented and very tasty too. Service was excellent, we were well looked without been hassled. Great for a special occasion but we did think it was a little expensive.
We had a fabulous meal last night,in a lovely setting, good ambience with attentive but unobtrusive staff. We ordered from the specials and the Devilled Lambs Liver was to die for and the special brisket just melted in the mouth! The sharing cheeseboard was huge; we brought some home! We will definitely return and would thoroughly recommend The Moody Cow Ilkley.
The restaurant was clean and tidy. The staff were very friendly and there was a wide variety in the menu to keep all meat eaters happy. We had a shared starter for 4 of us and a main meal each. It was too much food in the end, the cost was less than £23 a head, so between cheap and expensive.
Nice atmosphere, attentive staff. We shared the honey chorizo to start, my husband had the beef fajitas which looked delicious and I had the chicken Kiev which really wasn't to my taste as it was stuffed with a Parmesan type cheese so unfortunately I couldn't eat it. It would have been a nice gesture if it had been taken off the bill!! Desserts were very good although the apple tart would be better renamed as almond tart as you couldn't taste the apple for the almond flavour, thankfully I love almonds.