Old Bell Tavern

Nice little pub with a great beer selection. Good fish and chips and reasonable prices. I’ll be back for sure.

My husband and I came here for a drink and then we decided to stay for dinner. It was a nice pub with lots of character. Coasters on the wall and knowledgeable bartenders. We decided to eat here after a few pints. I got a risotto special with peas that was delicious. My husband got a white fish I can’t remember what kind. He thought it was slightly overcooked. If you want a bar with good food this is the place.

Was here last Friday to meet our son and his girlfriend for dinner. Downstairs is a traditional type real ale pub — spotted Theakston’s and Black Sheep plus a couple of special brews to mark the TDF 2014. The pub gets very busy, we arrived just before 7pm and snagged the last table. Its loud — not with music but with conversation — we actually had to raise our voices to hear each other when sitting less than 2 feet away, I think this is down to the wood floors, high ceiling and bare walls. Anyhow its a good atmosphere with a cross mix of ages but leaning towards my age group (40 plus)
The first time we came here my son (who lives in Harrogate) said he didnt fancy it as its an old mans pub, now when we come he says he will book the table at the Old Bell without me asking. The reason for that is that the beer is very good and so is the food. we had a couple of pints then headed up for dinner.
The food was very good and all homemade, the lost star was for one of the mains being a little over cooked — pan fried chicken was very dry — it didnt spoil the night (especially as my suckling pig was perfect) but it did cost them a star. I didnt have a dessert but the others enjoyed their toffee pudding and ice cream.
We usually come here when we visit the kids and I dont think next time will be any different. The bill for 4 of us with 3 rounds of drinks was £120.00 which wasn’t too bad I thought — luckily the son allowed me to pay again — what would we do without him !

This place has an excellent beer selection, friendly staff and good food.

Very nice, lots of wood, it does have the feel of a dining establishment and tables stand very apart it does not feel like a place for general sicialisation. No tv or music :). Good range of real ales well kept.

Nice old fashioned bar with a good selection of beers. Loos like they do a lot of food, but stuck with just liquid refreshment.

I have been here maybe 10 times for lunch. The beer is fantastic and a large selection of quality beers. Lunch is even better for under £10 a head for a main course. I will keep returning here. It is excellent.

Have to agree to the previous reviews. Probably the best pub in Harrogate. Great choice of well kept beers. great location. I have not tried the food but have been told its usually pretty good. Another Market Town Tavern winner although the small chain of pubs has just been sold to an Isle of Man outfit. Hope they keep up the standards.

If you like good beer and good food come here. I had pan fried chicken in paprika sauce with spring onion mash £9.95. Absolutely delicious. My friend had crayfish in a creamy sauce £5.95. Excellent.
I only chose Landlord Bitter but there were other less famous beers of good quality.
I have been here a few times now and always loove it. Unpretentious but high quality. Good value too.

Ditto to all the above. Harrogates best pub by a country mile.

Great, great pub. The selection of ales is second to none and the beers are kept in perfect condition. The management and staff know what they are doing, they care about what they do — and it shows. The place itself is traditional with lots of wood and no music or bandits make it a great place to have a chat and soak up the atmosphere. Can’t comment on the food as I have never eaten here. There is a restaurant upstairs with ample seating and the menu looks lovely. All in all this place is a must visit venue if you are in Harrogate.

Great atmosphere — very busy pub — seems popular with the locals as well as with visitors which is always a good sign.
Popped in for lunch (Ploughmans) which was wonderful — local cheeses and some of the freshest, tastiest bread I have had in ages. My partner was so impressed he said it was on a par with that at his ex-brother-in-law’s pub — Now THAT’S a compliment!
We went back in the evening and the place was heaving — well it was Saturday night. Even without a booking the staff in the upstairs brasserie made us welcome and fitted us in. His steak was cooked to perfection and that doesn’t happen often. My Rib of Beef was succulent and tender.
A huge range of Real Ales available and the guv’nr keeps a damn good cellar (as an ex-​Landlord I know what I am talking about)
It’s a good job that I was only visiting Harrogate for a few days or I would end up living in the Old Bell !!
No prizes for guessing where I am eating on my next visit…

Great, traditional pub. Good atmosphere and excellent selection of beers!

Fantastic array of quality Real Ales and bottled lagers. The food too is good as is the overall atmosphere. Can get extremely busy on an evening and the staff do not pay attention at the bar in order to serve the appropriate person next, which can be a tad annoying. good starting point for a night out

Brilliant place. It was the 2^nd stop on a planned pub crawl, but we never got any further, as this couldn’t be bettered. The gaffer knoews his stuff too, and the beer was top drawer. Copper Dragon especially good, also Belgian/​fruit beers.
Fancied the grub, but my oppo was gagging for a curry (peasant).

Officially my favourite place to drink and eat in Harrogate. It’s definitely a pub first and an eating establishment second, but the food is so good. Like if you met a really nice person and chatted away for hours, thinking, this person is just really, really cool then they casually mention in a coy and embarrassed fashion that they wrote the book you’re holding in your hand. Amazing. So they’re really nice and they’re blowing your mind, quite literally. Anyway, I’m drifting off the point here. The analogy is, this place is relaxed, welcoming and has a fantastic 8 page drinks menu then you find out their food is wonderful too
The beers are the main event. Bottled continental lager, black sheep, timothy taylors, 3 guest beers on tap, fruit beer and much, much more. They even have 2 pint carryout available if you want more for the way home! (NB: don’t drink and drive kids, it’s not big and it’s not clever, besides, you might spill it)
They have an upstairs dining room that I haven’t tried out, yet. They do food in the bar downstairs 12 – 2:30pm and 6−7pm, quite narrow time periods, just serving for an hour in the evenings. The bar food includes sandwiches (e.g. Applewood cheddar and chutney ~£4.50), pâté, soup, fish pie (a personal recommendation, ~£8.50), sausage and mash (~£6.50). All excellent. I had the finan haddie soup (smoked haddock, £4.75) and homemade soda bread at the weekend and it was absolutely divine.
Dogs welcome in the bar when they’re not serving food.
Fabulous atmosphere pre-​christmas. Cosy, steamed up windows and packed out.
Recommended for chatting with friends, a first date, sunday lunch, reading the paper with coffee recommended for pretty much anytime: o)

Very busy pub with a huge range of real ales. Excellent atmosphere with different rooms having different feel. Restaurant upstairs surprisingly good. A haven of traditional ale and food. Well worth a visit. Lovely hanging baskets outside in summer.