Pickering
Places to eat in Pickering
By Jon Cosson · Updated 18 October 2026
For a small market town, Pickering eats well. There are bistro dinners and a family-run Italian, proper old-fashioned tea rooms, a station café where the steam trains pull in beside you, and characterful pubs. Plus a handful of dining pubs a short drive out on the moor edge.
Most of Pickering's cafés, tea rooms and pubs sit within a few minutes' walk of the Market Place.
Eating in Pickering at a glance
- For dinner
- Willowgate Bistro, Figaros, Namaste Bengal
- Tea & cake
- Ivy's Tea Rooms, Botham's of Whitby, NOSH
- A proper pint
- The Sun Inn, Westgate
- With the trains
- Pickering Station Tea Room, on the platform
- Sunday lunch
- Spencers Bar & Grill and the town's coaching inns
Restaurants and bistros
Willowgate Bistro, just off the Main Street, is the town's best-regarded kitchen, a small, acclaimed British bistro serving dinner Thursday to Saturday, so book ahead. Figaros on Birdgate is a popular family-run Italian doing pizza and pasta, and Namaste Bengal on the Market Place is a well-regarded Indian restaurant. On the edge of town towards Flamingo Land, Spencers Bar & Grill is a roomy, family-friendly bar and grill with a play area and generous Sunday roasts. Check current opening with each before travelling.
Cafés and tea rooms
Ivy's Tea Rooms on the Market Place is a charming little tea room for cream teas and afternoon tea. Botham's of Whitby, the famous Whitby bakery, has its Pickering shop and tea room on Park Street, good for savoury teas, plumbread and cakes. NOSH on Burgate is a cosy café with a takeaway hatch, known for its cakes and flapjacks, and Caffé Stop on Eastgate is a busy, well-liked spot for breakfast and cake. Best of all for railway fans, the Pickering Station Tea Room sits right on the platform of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, where you can watch the steam engines come and go over a pot of tea.
Pubs in Pickering
- The White Swan Inn (YO18 7AA)
- The Bay Horse Inn (YO18 7AA)
See the pub guide for existing recorded details. Check current opening with each pub.
Worth the short drive
The Fox & Rabbit Inn on the A169 towards Lockton is a popular dining pub with big moor-edge views, a natural stop on the way to the Hole of Horcum or Goathland and the coast. The Middleton Arms at Middleton is a tiny, traditional village pub with a strong kitchen, and the Black Bull Inn on the Malton road is a big, family-friendly pub known for huge portions. All make good stops en route to Dalby Forest, Thornton-le-Dale or Whitby.
Food shopping
Self-catering or making up a picnic? Pickering keeps a strong food tradition, butchers, bakeries, delis, an organic farm shop and a refill store. All covered in our Pickering shopping guide.
How we know this
- First-hand
- Not yet
- Information checked
- 18 October 2026
- Sources
- Existing guide pub records: The White Swan Inn and The Bay Horse Inn; list reconciliation, not a new check of policies
Pickering pub list reconciled with the guide’s existing pub records on 18 October 2026; no new business or current pub-policy check is implied.
Eating and drinking in Pickering: FAQs
What are the pubs in Pickering?
The White Swan Inn and The Bay Horse Inn are the Pickering pubs in this guide’s existing records. Check current opening directly with each pub.
Where are the best places to eat in Pickering?
For dinner, Willowgate Bistro is the town's best-known kitchen, with Figaros for Italian and Namaste Bengal for Indian on the Market Place. Spencers Bar & Grill suits families, and the White Swan and Black Swan coaching inns serve food in a historic setting. Check current opening before you travel.
Does Pickering have good restaurants?
Yes, for a small market town it eats well. Willowgate Bistro is an acclaimed British bistro just off the Main Street serving dinner Thursday to Saturday, and there is a family-run Italian, a well-regarded Indian, several tea rooms and a good spread of pubs serving food.
Where can you get afternoon tea in Pickering?
Ivy's Tea Rooms on the Market Place does cream teas and afternoon tea, and Botham's of Whitby has a shop and tea room on Park Street serving savoury teas, plumbread and cakes. Both are best checked for current opening.
Are there pubs serving food in Pickering?
The White Swan Inn and The Bay Horse Inn are recorded as serving food. Confirm the current menu and opening before travelling.
Where can you eat near Pickering station?
The Pickering Station Tea Room sits on the platform of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, so you can eat while the steam trains come and go. The Market Place cafés, tea rooms and pubs are all a few minutes' walk away.
Stay in Pickering
Eating out is easy here, most of the town's kitchens, tea rooms and inns are within a short walk of the Market Place.
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