The Durham OX, Crayke

We got married here 1yr ago today (which was amazing) and found ourselves returning again for our anniversary. The meal was gorgeous, as were the surroundings, and the staff were all friendly, knowledgeable and efficient. This is a lovely pub/restaurant, serving brilliant food that hasn’t become pretentious, like so many others in the area, it remains relaxed, friendly and fun. We spent the night in The Studio, which again was just gorgeous, and the overall experience was helped by being able to sit out on the terrace, in the late afternoon sunshine, drinking a cold glass of champagne. Overall I can’t recommend this place highly enough.

Beautiful place in crayke village. Fantastic outside seating area with the inside being very quaint a really country pub. Lots of eating areas as the food is magnificent. Been on numerous occasions and never been disappointed. The seafood sharing platter was yummy on a very hot, sunny day washed down with a cold pint of black sheep cider. Perfect 🥰

Booked for Sunday lunchtime. Staff pleasant and efficient, it was good to see all seemed to know what they were doing. Food excellent, good sized portions, fresh and cooked perfectly. I liked the option for extra veg, much better than getting lots and it being wasted. It’s not the cheapest place, but for the attentiveness, food quality and portion sizes it was fairly priced. I now see why you need to book to get a table. We will be back!

We had our daughter’s christening lunch here, and it was the perfect setting. The food was incredible, and the private room we sat in was beautiful. I would highly recommend Durham Ox for a fun family event.

The ox was recommended to us by the people we rented our accommodation from. We were not disappointed at all. The staff were really friendly and attentive, usually when you have kids with you sometimes you are forgotten about but the staff made sure the kids had everything they wanted which was refreshing. You'll not be disappointed if you stop in here for something to eat as the food was really good.

Stayed here on Sunday night, service , room , food is all excellent, thank you for a lovely time ,

Proper, proper cooking - exceptionally tasty - which you might not guess from the style of the menu card.

Ĥad an excellent stay here. I knew we were in for a good time when, on arrival, I saw the complementary Yorkie bar left in our room! The room was very comfortable (we were in a room called "Field", it did have low beams but we managed to avoid banging our heads! Bed was great which ensured a good night's sleep. Bathroom was spacious with quality toiletries. The evening meal was excellent and service was perfect. We had a lovely stay thank you and shall return.

Lovely atmosphere, great service, good wonderful. Didn't stay over, so can't comment on the rooms.

My wife and I spent 2 wonderful days at The Durham Ox. We stayed in the Pool Cabin which was fantastic! Private garden with a massive hot tub, huge sleeping and relaxing areas with all the amenities you could need. And 2 toilets! Great views and so peaceful. We also had excellent breakfasts and dinner at the pub too. The service at the pub (more a high end gastro pub) was superb, the food fresh, piping hot and prompt and the whole atmosphere was cosy and friendly. We even had our 2 dogs snuggled down by the table with us. Nothing was too much trouble for anyone working there and we are most definitely coming back. Excellent value for money and we cannot recommend highly enough.

We enjoyed our visit to this pub - the shared seafood platter to start and the Chateaubriand to share for the main - all perfectly cooked and presented well with excellent service. The only slight minor issue was that the table we were sat on was too small for the shared platter board and the beef main board to be placed on but this was something of nothing and easily resolved and didn’t impact the overall enjoyment of the evening. This pub seemed like a thriving place and was very busy which really speaks for itself - we would not hesitate to recommend this restaurant to others - we found it a very pleasant and relaxing evening and the staff were all very friendly.

We had Sunday lunch, which was fantastic! From the moment we walked through the door we were made to feel welcome, the service was first class, there was a lovely relaxed atmosphere, the food was delicious and our whole visit was memorable. We can't wait to come again!

My wife an I stayed in the Studio suite and took up the Sunday Supper club option. The meal was exceptional complemented by a quality wine list and fantastic attentive staff. The room was quality and well prepared with excellent facilities. The breakfast was again top quality and our waitress was top class. We had a truly fabulous stay and well done to the entire team for giving us a truly memorable occasion we will certainly be back . Thank you.

We loved it here! We dropped in for lunch on spec with two dogs. Excellent parking with handy, susprisingly classy and non smelly poo bins. Really nice staff - relaxed and professional. Atmosphere was just genial I think is the best word. Good menu and the food came very quickly. I had fish and chips and my wife had the Buddha bowl with the tartlet. Both were excellent. Nice to have a decent veggie option. Price for two courses pretty reasonable these days - so often you can spend more than you wanted and come away a bit unimpressed... Not the case at the Durham OX. We loved it. We'd definitely come again.

We came for drinks on Saturday before going for dinner at a Michelin star restaurant, the staff were so friendly and the place was buzzing We then came back for a table of 8 for Sunday lunch for a birthday celebration The place was full , atmosphere was great. We had a variety of dishes, everything was delicious, the roast beef was some of the best I have had as were the vegetables etc It was the best Sunday lunch we have had in such a long time. The service was excellent, friendly and very attentive by very smart young staff always smiling and so polite The Durham Ox is a one off in the area, we would like to thank all of the staff for making our weekend so special That beef is something else !!!

Lovely pub serving lovely food with great service. Just how it should be.

Fantastic food in an historic pub with a great reputation across Yorkshire. The staff are very efficient and friendly with very quick service. The food tasted amazing. We had the lamb, scallops, fish and chips and the sticky belly pork...all was so tasty. Nice range of drinks too from cocktails to local Black Sheep and Helmsley brewed ales. If you are in the area, book yourself a lunch here, you won't regret it! There is a pet friendly cabin too with full bar facilities.

Lots of character and really great food.. the plating is a bit “old” sometimes, but there is depth and quality which is what matters … good wine list too

Had an overnight stay at the Durham Ox, Crayke. We had an absolutely lovely time. We stayed in the room called Field, which was full of character and old beams. The furnishings were beautiful and tasteful. The room was spotless and we had everything we could have wanted for our stay. We had dinner at night, the food was excellent and the dining room was decorated for Christmas which made it feel warm, inviting and had such a welcoming atmosphere. All of the staff were so friendly and nothing was too much trouble for them. Breakfast in the morning was beautifully cooked and presented. The pub sits at the top of the village and we approached just as it was getting dark, it was decorated with big Christmas trees with hundreds of lights, it looked amazing. Whoever did all the work to make the pub look so lovely from the outside must have worked extremely hard. We loved our stay and we will be back. Crayke is a picturesque village located in a great position to visit many places. Thank you to all the staff at the Durham Ox for making our stay so enjoyable.

This is a really good traditional Nepalese / Indian restaurant. If you prefer traditional to the contemporary Indian restaurants that seem to be popping up everywhere, try this. All the dishes were superb. Would especially recommend the Chicken tandoori. Excellent service and charming manager. You can see he really cares about your experience and keeps the quality high

Came here for a night away on Boxing Day, we stayed in one of the private cabins with a hot tub, had such a fantastic stay. Dinner and drinks were lovely, breakfast was delicious. All the staff were friendly, couldn’t have asked for a better night away

Came for lunch with my grandparents. Lovely vibes in the restaurant and the food was lovely. We were served by George. He was nice and good at his job, really made our day. The food was delicious and there was plenty of parking.Will definitely be returning.

Visited for lunch at weekend. Absolutely lovely. Although busy staff were brilliant, polite, quick service. Food was delicious. Atmosphere quite calm, not noisy . Always avoided Sunday,, not anymore at this location.

I honestly dont know where to start. We had our wedding at the Durham Ox. The whole process from start to finish was perfect. The staff are unbelievable. The food is out of this world. We stayed over the night before and went to the doghouse, we had a blast. The team on the day of the wedding could not have done more. As a venue they catered to exactly what we wanted and basically gave us a bespoke wedding. All of our guests commented on how amazing the setting, atmosphere and food was. We want to do it all again. Special shout out to Lisa, amazing lady. Thank you is not enough. We will all be back. 10 year anniversary party, we should have recovered by then! Amy & Ben Cooper

Had a delicious lunch here. The food was excellent, good choice of meals, lovely atmosphere and great service from the friendly staff. Wonderful country hotel. We'll definitely go back.

We ate here on a Sunday evening for my wife's birthday. Full of character, excellent food, and genuine service. If Carlsberg did restaurants...

Ate lunch with two families. Wonderful food, not cheap but excellent value. The best fillet steak I've eaten in a long time and from a local farm near Thirsk.

Great country pub in a beautiful historic village called Crayke just outside York, stunning views. Beautiful inside with great food, hospitality, log fire.

A lovely venue with very high quality service and fantastic food - such a variety of spaces; will definitely return

I had high expectations before arriving, and they were completely exceeded. From check-in to check-out, every detail was taken care of flawlessly. Our pool cabin was a true haven, offering breathtaking views across Yorkshire. The food was exceptional—high-end cuisine with a laid-back country vibe. The staff were not only helpful but also incredibly knowledgeable, adding to the overall experience. Loved every moment of it! I will be coming back- Thanks x

Great spot serving really good food. It’s better than your average country pub for sure, the price reflects this, but it’s well worth it. Rightly so in a lot of well established food guides. There is real food knowledge behind the menu and execution. Their Wine list further reflects this appreciation for good food. There are not many places in the area which hit this level. Good to see it can be found in the North!

The variety of the meals were good and generally cooked excellently with great service.

These guys know what they're doing. Food delicious, service impecable. 10/10

Stayed here on the 10th Jan 2026. Lovely room, very clean and food was lovely. Service was spot on too. Only criticism I have is the room we were sat in for dinner and breakfast. The room lighting was so dim, please consider getting higher or brighter bulbs. My partner had to use her smartphone torch to read the menu. Made it very uncomfortable when you couldn’t see the food due to the lighting. Aside from that would recommend

Striding the Riding from Helmsley brewery. Food very tasty. Nice toilets

After seeing a friends food i thought I need to go there - it was specifically for the surf and turf platter - despite booking there was a wait of an hour but atleast they were honest as I expect they don't want to compromise the food. It was good and despite thinking we wouldn't eat it all , we did and I could have eaten more steak! If you love fishy too then it's a must! The car parking space was hellish though and the weather/ frost and ice didn't help - i would go again but in better light. Pub and outside area was lovely looking.

21 Sept 25. Only 4 stars because we did not experience much. Just a quick beer. We'll be back.

Let’s start with the positives. The food - we shared the chateaubriand - was fantastic. The presentation was not as elegant as you might expect but the taste more than made up for it. The pub itself is full of character and feels like an important part of the local community. Less positively, it was very expensive. The room was far too warm - why they had open fires going in that weather I don’t know. It was under-staffed - we arrived 20 minutes early to have a G&T before our meal and our drinks only arrived as we were moving to our table. The car park was difficult to navigate on a busy night. And worst of all, the waiter gave us a dirty look when we asked for our steak to be well done. Diners shouldn’t feel the need to explain themselves!

The closest near 5 stars miss Ive ever reviewed. Packed out carpark, busy doorway, full pub - taken through the restaurant and we took the last seats. Durham Ox is well known for one of the best Sunday Roasts in all of Yorkshire and even I: a three star reviewer know this is true. Huge plates of tender beef the biggest Yorkshire pudding you've ever seen, and the kind gravy you can only find in the history books. If you want good food the. go there please. But for such a popular and well reviewed establishment the minors have to become the majors or my review wont get the attention I need it to. Ive never before lumped one docking point into two docking points but my issue is just that the management havnt adapted to the hype of their Sunday Roast very well. 1. The waitresses and waiters are rushed off their feet. Its bringing the mood. She came up asked for drinks and as soon as she heard "two bottles of merlot" (8 seater) she ran off to get them. The men wanted beers. She did notice her mistake and game back and we got some water too. PACE YOURSELVES 2. The table was so overcrowded. At one point im holding a dish of carrots and Im looking at the table like im Ronnie Osullivan wondering what I have to move around to put the carrots down. I asked to waiters to come and remove the jugs of water and the tumblers. The wine glasses should have been removed from the table when the beers arrived and the foot long gravy boat should have been a tall gravy pourer. In the confusion someone got cheesy coliflower on my seat and my coat and then im struggling to find a place to hand the dahm thing. I saw one coat peg on a door but when I went for it it was taken. PACE YOURSELVES, get some smaller plates for large groups on small tables and some tall versions of the very flat an inefficient veg pans and sauce pans with handles and all that. 45 minutes on amazon looking at measurements of crockery could massively save this experience of overcrowding the table. 3. The parents baby was told to change in an annexe by the carpark after going to the toilets, and it was pouring it down. What is the issues? Its too small of a room to change a nappy. Again PACE YOURSELVES. 4. The table needed to be small though because the place this popular gets so noisy so fast. Every bit of surface area is covered in that usual pub brickerbrack - this could work instead as a noise dampener. On the usual low pub ceilings noise travels far - it would be so easy to just fit some gobo boards or whatever to dampen this. I dont meant those zigzags that would be diffusion. Even putting up a long row of coat pegs would work once people put their coats on it. I felt like it was annual Sunday Roast Day or something and all of Yorkshire had a tradition where they had to come out for a roast. So good but so popular and everybody seems so unable to cope including me.

Visited with high expectations - left knowing we would not be returning. Went early doors and opted for a mains sharing plate that included a complimentary glass of prosecco that we are still waiting for ! Would have been welcome as it was £12 .65 (including service] for a bang average glass of Pino Grigio Blush. The food was good but nothing special and the final bill most certainly was not good value