2024 Editor's Choice Pubs-with-Rooms
The UK’s best gastro pubs-with-rooms
The Felin Fach Griffin
Brecon
With views to the Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons, this pub, owned by the Inkin brothers, set the style for elegant simplicity. Manager Julie Bell, who joined in 2006, is the life and soul of the place. The friendly staff, imaginative menus and an ‘exemplary’ breakfast win praise.
The George of Stamford
Stamford
For 50 years Lawrence Hoskins, who died in March 2023, ran and shaped this landmark coaching inn. Happily, Lawrence’s wife, Andrea, and family continue to espouse the timeless values and traditions that make The George so special. A British classic that’s expensive, say readers, but worth it.
From £195.00 per night
The Gurnard’s Head
St Ives
The second venture for brothers Charles and Edmund Inkin, pioneers of the laid-back dining-pub-with-rooms style, earns the customary reader approbation this year. Expect friendly staff, great food, a commitment to local produce, artists and the community, and a good breakfast to fuel a South West Coast Path walk.
The Cat Inn
West Hoathly
Old-style hospitality abounds at Andrew Russell’s dog-friendly 16th-century pub in a South Downs village. It’s a buzzy, real-ale, beams-and-inglenooks kind of local, with a menu of high-quality pub classics and more inventive dishes, while the four simple bedrooms are the cat’s pyjamas.
The Punch Bowl Inn
Kendal
Beautifully presented dishes may be a little nouvelle for fell walkers in search of calories at this South Lakeland village inn, but they pack a gastronomic punch. You can swing by for a pint in the dog-friendly bar. Beamed bedrooms have plenty of character and views over the Lyth Valley.
The Angel Inn
Skipton
Some might dispute The Angel’s claim to be the original gastropub, but this 15th-century Dales inn certainly elevates pub dining to a very high level, under the ownership of Michelin-starred chef Michael Wignall and his wife, Johanna. Chic, bedrooms, friendly staff and the relaxed vibe all win plaudits.
From £70 per night
The Rose & Crown
Snettisham
A proper locals’ drinking pub, the 14th-century Rose and Crown is family-friendly, dog-friendly and refreshingly unpretentious. There are spruce bedrooms, a garden with kids’ climbing ship – and decent pub grub for those days when only crispy fish and chips and a good pint will hit the spot.
The Mount Edgcumbe
Tunbridge Wells
A snug in a cave is a real novelty at this Georgian gastropub a stroll from the town centre and the famous Pantiles. But it was the relaxed welcome, boutique-smart air-conditioned bedrooms, and eclectic menu of high-quality pub food that swung it for our inspectors.
The Meikleour Arms
Meikleour
Sup a pint of the Lure of Meikleour in the dog-friendly bar at this picturesque cottage-style inn on the Marquess of Lansdowne’s estate – or sit down to a Gallic-inspired meal of farm produce. Run by chef-patron Sam Mercer Nairne and his Bordeaux-born wife, Claire, it positively exudes joie de vivre.
Wild Thyme & Honey
Cirencester
The pub is the stripped-back 16th-century Crown at Ampney Brook, where imaginative farm-to-table dishes and whizzed-up classics are dispensed from an open kitchen. Wild Thyme and Honey, alongside, is home to 24 bedrooms, launched at the end of 2021, the last word in rustic Cotswold chic.
2023 Editor's Choice Pubs-with-Rooms
The UK’s best gastro pubs-with-rooms
The Cat Inn
West Hoathly
‘Fabulous as ever’, this 16th-century, timber-frame and tile-clad pub-with-rooms has everything you could look for in a village local and makes a good base for exploring the South Downs national park.
The Old Coastguard
Penzance
‘My favourite hotel anywhere in the world,’ writes a reader of this welcoming pub-with-rooms in an enchanting Cornish fishing village.
The Feathered Nest - 25% Discount Two-Night Special Offer
Chipping Norton
Guests have a bird’s-eye view over the Evenlode valley from Adam Taylor’s gastropub-with-rooms in a hilltop Cotswold village.
Red Lion at East Chisenbury
East Chisenbury
A ‘laid-back, fire-in-the hearth, village pub atmosphere’ prevails at this charming thatched gastropub with riverside guesthouse on the edge of Salisbury Plain.
The Bell at Skenfrith
Skenfrith
Huddled below wooded hills, beside a stone bridge over the River Monnow, this whitewashed former 17th-century coaching inn is delightfully at ease in the landscape.
The Angel Inn
Skipton
Michael and Johanna Wignall have reimagined a 15th-century Dales inn, creating classy, contemporary bedrooms, most in annexes with views over Rylstone Fell, and intimate dining spaces in which to sample Michael’s Michelin-starred cooking.
From £70 per night
The Rose & Crown
Snettisham
Roses festoon this family and dog-friendly 17th-century pub-with-rooms, in a thriving village close to the RSPB’s Snettisham Nature Reserve.
The Talbot Inn
Mells
This 15th-century coaching inn with its old arched carriageway has been beautifully made over in casual-chic style as a pub-with-rooms.
The Bonnie Badger
Gullane
Tom and Michaela Kitchin preside at this gastropub, where Victorian interiors have had a smart-casual Scandi-Scotia makeover, and you can dine on pub classics in the bar, or get the nosebag on for Tom’s Michelin-starred nature-to-plate dishes in the converted stables.
The Alice Hawthorn
York
Overlooking the village green and duck pond, this 18th-century village pub is a friendly local drop-in and foodie destination with Scandi-cool house bedrooms and spacious, eco-friendly, super-duper, stripped-back-chic timber garden rooms.
2023 Editor's Choice Pubs-with-Rooms
The UK’s best gastro pubs-with-rooms
The Cat Inn
West Hoathly
‘Fabulous as ever’, this 16th-century, timber-frame and tile-clad pub-with-rooms has everything you could look for in a village local and makes a good base for exploring the South Downs national park.
The Old Coastguard
Penzance
‘My favourite hotel anywhere in the world,’ writes a reader of this welcoming pub-with-rooms in an enchanting Cornish fishing village.
The Feathered Nest - 25% Discount Two-Night Special Offer
Chipping Norton
Guests have a bird’s-eye view over the Evenlode valley from Adam Taylor’s gastropub-with-rooms in a hilltop Cotswold village.
Red Lion at East Chisenbury
East Chisenbury
A ‘laid-back, fire-in-the hearth, village pub atmosphere’ prevails at this charming thatched gastropub with riverside guesthouse on the edge of Salisbury Plain.
The Bell at Skenfrith
Skenfrith
Huddled below wooded hills, beside a stone bridge over the River Monnow, this whitewashed former 17th-century coaching inn is delightfully at ease in the landscape.
The Angel Inn
Skipton
Michael and Johanna Wignall have reimagined a 15th-century Dales inn, creating classy, contemporary bedrooms, most in annexes with views over Rylstone Fell, and intimate dining spaces in which to sample Michael’s Michelin-starred cooking.
From £70 per night
The Rose & Crown
Snettisham
Roses festoon this family and dog-friendly 17th-century pub-with-rooms, in a thriving village close to the RSPB’s Snettisham Nature Reserve.
The Talbot Inn
Mells
This 15th-century coaching inn with its old arched carriageway has been beautifully made over in casual-chic style as a pub-with-rooms.
The Bonnie Badger
Gullane
Tom and Michaela Kitchin preside at this gastropub, where Victorian interiors have had a smart-casual Scandi-Scotia makeover, and you can dine on pub classics in the bar, or get the nosebag on for Tom’s Michelin-starred nature-to-plate dishes in the converted stables.
The Alice Hawthorn
York
Overlooking the village green and duck pond, this 18th-century village pub is a friendly local drop-in and foodie destination with Scandi-cool house bedrooms and spacious, eco-friendly, super-duper, stripped-back-chic timber garden rooms.
2022 Editor's Choice Pubs-with-Rooms
The UK’s best gastro pubs-with-rooms
The Felin Fach Griffin
Brecon
Tucked between the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains, this red brick inn glows with a warm welcome and down-to-earth charm that attracts walkers, dogs, families and couples.
The Rose & Crown
Barnard Castle
‘In a stunning village’, this 18th-century inn beside a Saxon church is now a highly rated pub-with-rooms, owned by a local farming family with deep roots in the Teasdale soil.
The Dog at Wingham - Super Special Two Night Special Offer
Canterbury
More a stylish gastropub than a community hub, this historic inn has a loyal following of foodies who rave about its 'delicious meals'.
Sign of the Angel
Lacock
In a National Trust village, this is the quintessential olde English inn, timber-framed, with jettied gables, a horse passage, a tiny bar, five rustic-chic bedrooms, sitting room, garden, gastropub menu.
The Acorn Inn
Evershot
Thomas Hardy fans will be in their element at this local watering hole in Dorset, which was the model for 'The Sow and Acorn’ in Tess of the d’Urbervilles.
Pentonbridge Inn
Penton
The humble setting of this former coaching inn, half a mile from the Scottish border, belies its chic bedrooms and creative cooking.
The Ship Inn
Elie
The catch of the day could be Shetland hake in the restaurant or nifty fielding on the sands at this pub-with-rooms overlooking the Firth of Forth, with its own beach cricket team.
The Peacock at Barlow
Chesterfield
With onsite brewery, boutique-style bedrooms in the main building and a converted barn, and a menu of popular classics and more exotic dishes, this modernised 300-year-old village pub retains plenty of character.
The Harcourt Arms
Witney
Between the Thames and Windrush, this 17th-century pub blends all the charm of a traditional village local with rugs on flagstone floors, comfy sofas and log-burner, country-chic bedrooms and gastropub cooking.
The Dabbling Duck
GREAT MASSINGHAM
They have all their ducks in a row at this wisteria-decked gastropub-with-rooms overlooking the green in a village where mallards glide on old abbey fishponds.
2021 Editor's Choice Pubs-with-Rooms
The UK’s best gastro pubs-with-rooms
The Felin Fach Griffin
Brecon
Not far from the book-lovers’ paradise of Hay-on-Wye is this laid-back dining pub with famously comfortable beds in its retro rooms. Menus are brief, to maintain the chef’s fierce commitment to the fresh, seasonal and locally sourced.
The Sun Inn - Complimentary Dinner and Wine special offer
Colchester
The Sun continues to shine with its winning blend of modern pub food, beamed interiors and a jolly atmosphere. Bedrooms are graceful, with solid oak beds, and an indulgent fry-up at breakfast will set you up for a day in Constable country.
The Cat Inn
West Hoathly
From its tile-hung facade to Harvey the resident spaniel snoozing in front of the fire, this is a quintessential Sussex village pub. The kitchen is passionate about local sourcing, and the bedrooms have Vispring beds and posh toiletries.
The Star Inn at Harome
Helmsley
This exceptional pub in a thatched village cottage is worth a long detour. Andrew Pern serves Michelin-starred food, the bar was built by a master craftsman,
and the bedrooms across the road are charmingly eccentric and very comfortable.
The Lamb Inn
Burford
Set in former weavers’ cottages, with a beamed and flagstoned interior and a jumble of antiques and armchairs, this is a classic old English pub, but with a smart dining room, and 17 rather swish rooms attached, some of them with four-posters.
The Royal Oak
Tetbury
Plant eaters will be happy at this funky inn, with a jukebox inside, an Airstream trailer outside, and rustic chic bedrooms. Chef Stergios Pikos specialises in excellent vegan and vegetarian dishes, alongside traditional pub favourites.
The Talbot Inn
Mells
This relaxed 15th-century coaching inn offers food of a consistently high standard, whether it’s a simple Ploughman’s or a dry-aged Stoke Marsh Farm sirloin steak. Bedrooms have Egyptian cotton sheets, Welsh blankets and cosy armchairs.
Pentonbridge Inn
Penton
This stylish former coaching inn with views across Cumbria is run with a five- star touch. Chris Archer serves local food, much of it grown in the kitchen garden. Contemporary bedrooms have fresh flowers and wet-room showers.
The Bonnie Badger
Gullane
Tom and Michaela Kitchin’s classy gastropub has a nature-to-plate philosophy (and serves everything from ham, egg and chips to Orkney scallops), while the coolly luxurious bedrooms reflect the soft colours of the East Lothian countryside.
The Pear Tree Inn
Melksham
A gorgeous 17th-century pub, lovingly restored by Jackie Cosens and Adrian Jenkins, has got everything right, from chic-farmhouse interiors to delicious seasonal food – so local that meat can be traced right back to the individual animal.
2020 Editor's Choice Pubs-with-Rooms
The UK’s best gastro pubs-with-rooms
The Felin Fach Griffin
Brecon
Twenty years after Edmund Inkin bought the first of the three dining pubs he owns with brother Charles, the formula is still a winner. Shabby chic decor, delicious food, an inclusive ambience, sustainability, support for the community, perfectly judged simplicity.
The Rose & Crown
Barnard Castle
A chorus of acclaim this year for Cheryl and Thomas Robinson’s 18th-century coaching inn turned village pub par excellence. The quality of local ingredients shines in David Hunter’s seriously great grub. Rooms are splendidly non-chintzy.
The Sun Inn - Complimentary Dinner and Wine special offer
Colchester
The Sun has been on the rise since Piers Baker took on what was then a grotty local boozer in 2003. A 15th-century coaching inn, it perfectly fulfils the roles of friendly local, smart hotel and modern restaurant with Italian-inspired cooking.
The Black Swan - Two night Dinner, Bed & Breakfast Special Offer
Kirkby Stephen
Cosy and quirky, Louise Dinnes’s Victorian pub ticks so many boxes. Friendly staff, public rooms filled with clocks and curios, individually styled bedrooms, first-rate modern cooking, a garden with rushing brook, and the Eden valley on the doorstep.
Red Lion at East Chisenbury
East Chisenbury
From a burger in the beer garden or bar, to Michelin-starred cooking, Guy and Brittany Manning will provide at their thatched village pub. Boutique guest-house rooms have decking almost on the banks of the Avon. Better than ever, say our readers.
The Rose & Crown
Snettisham
Top marks to Jeannette and Anthony Goodrich for the enthusiasm they bring to their pretty 14th-century pub, which serves pub classics and more ambitious fare. Traditional charm is matched by friendly staff, a happy vibe and decor with touches of humour.
The Inn at Whitewell
Clitheroe
A distinctly Merrie England ethos pleases readers at Charles Bowman’s eccentric inn on the River Hodder. Blazing log fires, locally shot game, cask-conditioned ales, four-poster rooms, antiques, oil paintings, and a subversive sense of humour add to a potent mix.
The Wellington Arms
Baughurst
Fluffy tea cosies, fine china, new-laid eggs, home-grown produce and resident Jacob’s sheep add to the off-beat appeal of Simon Page and Jason King’s pub. Bedrooms
are beautifully appointed, and Mr King’s cooking has an unfussy elegance.
The Cricket Inn
Kingsbridge
You can eat a soup of locally caught crab in the nautical-themed restaurant at Rachel and Nigel Heath’s Victorian pub overlooking Start Bay, as waves crash on the shingle beach. New England-style bedrooms are fresh and appealing.
The Greyhound Inn
Wantage
First out of the traps this year among Oxfordshire pubs, Martyn Reed and Catriona Galbraith’s red brick village local wins high approval for maintaining traditional values while innovating with jazz, pizza, garden parties. Liam Whittle cooks with flair.
2019 Editor's Choice Pubs-with-Rooms
The UK’s best gastro pubs-with-rooms
The Cat Inn
West Hoathly
A log fire warms the bar of this popular 16th-century pub, its oak beams hung with pewter mugs. There is pub grub of the highest order, freshly decorated bedrooms, each with a Nespresso coffee machine, a good breakfast. The terrace and herb garden are the cat’s whiskers.
The Old Coastguard
Penzance
Casual chic, a laid-back vibe and local art are the style at this former coastguard’s station turned dining pub in a picture- postcard fishing village. Enjoy Cornish produce, clever cooking, foraging walks, yoga weekends and sub-tropical gardens.
The Punch Bowl Inn
Kendal
You can sleep in a four-poster bed made of reclaimed elm at this atmospheric 300-year-old inn in a pretty south Lakeland village inn. The chef makes inventive use of prime Cumbrian produce. Vegetarians have a field day.
The Colonsay
Colonsay
There are quiz nights and live music at the sole hostelry on this remote island. Simple bedrooms have views of hillside and sea, across to neighbouring Jura. A new chef is making waves. Why not come for the annual book festival?
The Beech House and Olive Branch
Clipsham
Readers write of the fun at this village pub/restaurant, but the food is seriously good. Options include tapas and creative, modern British fare, with fresh produce from the kitchen garden. The pub’s bedrooms in Beech House are rather glamorous.
The Bildeston Crown
Bildeston
Ancient timbers, a roaring fire in winter, alfresco dining in summer, characterful bedrooms (one with antique four-poster), the chef’s ways with local produce and an excellent breakfast won over our inspectors in 2018 at this historic coaching inn.
The Gunton Arms
Thorpe Market
Venison from the surrounding deer park appears on the daily-changing menus at this extraordinary converted country house near Cromer, crammed with Victorian paintings, vintage novelties and Brit Art. One room has a marble bathroom from Egypt.
The Pipe and Glass Inn
South Dalton
Beyond a beamed bar serving hand- pulled Yorkshire ales, there are menus for children, for vegetarians, for everyone, in the Michelin-starred restaurant at this friendly former coaching inn. Jazzy, high- spec bedrooms surround a herb garden.
The Greyhound Inn
Wantage
Real ale, wine tastings, jazz evenings and quiz nights assure this 18th-century pub of a local following. The friendly staff, superior pub fare and smart rooms
supplied with freshly baked biscuits make it a Guide shoo-in.
2018 Editor's Choice Pubs-with-Rooms
The UK’s best gastro pubs-with-rooms
The Felin Fach Griffin
Brecon
Tucked between the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains, this red brick inn glows with a warm welcome and down-to-earth charm that attracts walkers, dogs, families and couples.
The Rose & Crown
Barnard Castle
‘In a stunning village’, this 18th-century inn beside a Saxon church is now a highly rated pub-with-rooms, owned by a local farming family with deep roots in the Teasdale soil.
The Feathered Nest - 25% Discount Two-Night Special Offer
Chipping Norton
Guests have a bird’s-eye view over the Evenlode valley from Adam Taylor’s gastropub-with-rooms in a hilltop Cotswold village.
The Beech House and Olive Branch
Clipsham
‘This buzzy pub is very much ye olde village inn, with rustic furniture and roaring fires under the beams,’ writes a Guide insider, though the food is ‘so much better than your standard pub fare’.
The Star Inn at Harome
Helmsley
Rising phoenix-like from the ashes of a conflagration, Andrew Pern’s thatched village gastropub retains its joyful eccentricity, with quirky, rustic bedrooms in converted farm buildings, while Mr Pern’s modern Yorkshire cooking has lost none of its spark.
The Beckford Arms
Tisbury
‘If they could bottle the atmosphere, they’d make a fortune,’ writes a Guide insider, of this dining-pub with rooms on the edge of the Fonthill Estate.
The King’s Head Inn
Bledington
Archie and Nicola Orr-Ewing have created a seamless blend of friendly village local and gastropub-with-rooms at their former 16th-century cider house overlooking the green.
The Brownlow Arms
Grantham
With its wing armchairs, antique settles, warm lighting, and Farrow and Ball palette, the bar of this 19th-century ironstone and limestone village pub-with-rooms is reassuringly cosy and welcoming.
The Rock Inn
Newton Abbot
Steep stairs lead to characterful beamed bedrooms at this family-run inn in a rural Dartmoor village, where an eclectic menu mixes classic pub grub with some impressively gastro dishes, served by friendly efficient staff.
The Red Lion
Babcary
There’s a wealth of olde worlde character at this 17th-century village inn, with smart contemporary bedrooms in a purpose-built barn, exciting gastropub cooking and wood-fired pizzas in summer in the lovely garden.
2017 Editor's Choice Gastropubs
The UK’s best gastro pubs-with-rooms
The Gurnard’s Head
St Ives
Friendly, unfussy, effortlessly stylish, Charles and Edmund Inkin’s dining pub ‘retains a sense of the peacefulness, remoteness and wildness that make this part of the world so very lovely’.
The Feathered Nest - 25% Discount Two-Night Special Offer
Chipping Norton
Guests have a bird’s-eye view over the Evenlode valley from Adam Taylor’s gastropub-with-rooms in a hilltop Cotswold village.
Red Lion at East Chisenbury
East Chisenbury
A ‘laid-back, fire-in-the hearth, village pub atmosphere’ prevails at this charming thatched gastropub with riverside guesthouse on the edge of Salisbury Plain.
The Bell at Skenfrith
Skenfrith
Huddled below wooded hills, beside a stone bridge over the River Monnow, this whitewashed former 17th-century coaching inn is delightfully at ease in the landscape.
The Beech House and Olive Branch
Clipsham
‘This buzzy pub is very much ye olde village inn, with rustic furniture and roaring fires under the beams,’ writes a Guide insider, though the food is ‘so much better than your standard pub fare’.
The Grazing Goat
London
Close to West End shops and theatres, this pub-with-rooms has a relaxed vibe, a pavement terrace, stripped-back chic, a restaurant serving modern dishes alongside classics, comfortable bedrooms over three floors.
The Bridge Inn at Ratho
Ratho
Expect a cheerful welcome at this gastropub-with-rooms, which stands by a bridge over the Union Canal in a conservation village.
The Devonshire Arms
Langport
Behind a handsome 18th-century façade, this former village inn overlooking the green is a contemporary drop-in bar and restaurant with stylish rooms, offering a mix of pub classics and more imaginative dishes.
The Talbot Inn
Mells
This 15th-century coaching inn with its old arched carriageway has been beautifully made over in casual-chic style as a pub-with-rooms.
2016 Editor's Choice Gastropubs
The UK’s best gastro pubs-with-rooms
The Sun Inn - Complimentary Dinner and Wine special offer
Colchester
‘A lovely old building in a nice location’, this medieval coaching inn is set amid the pastoral landscape of Dedham Vale.
The Cat Inn
West Hoathly
‘Fabulous as ever’, this 16th-century, timber-frame and tile-clad pub-with-rooms has everything you could look for in a village local and makes a good base for exploring the South Downs national park.
The Brownlow Arms
Grantham
With its wing armchairs, antique settles, warm lighting, and Farrow and Ball palette, the bar of this 19th-century ironstone and limestone village pub-with-rooms is reassuringly cosy and welcoming.
It’s when these details are combined with the best of modern hospitality; Michelin Star food, stylish design and luxury toiletries are all part of the experience.
Whether you fancy shabby chic decor in the Brecon Beacons or boats bobbing by in the sunny South West. Maybe you fancy a riverside retreat or somewhere that the music plays and the village congregate for convivial evenings full of community and joy. Whatever you choose, there’s a gastro pub with rooms waiting to welcome you, with food celebrating local suppliers and home grown produce from kitchen gardens.