Pickering
Places to eat in Pickering
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.
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 and inns
The Sun Inn on Westgate is the town's classic drinkers' pub, a traditional CAMRA-award-winning freehouse with well-kept real ales and a big range of ciders, offering drinks and bar snacks rather than a full menu. The White Swan Inn and the Black Swan Coaching Inn are historic coaching inns on and near the Market Place, both serving food and both with rooms, and the Bay Horse Inn also sits on the Market Place.
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.
Eating and drinking in Pickering: FAQs
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 good pubs in Pickering?
The Sun Inn on Westgate is a traditional CAMRA-award-winning freehouse with well-kept real ales and a wide cider range, serving drinks and bar snacks rather than full meals. The White Swan Inn, the Black Swan Coaching Inn and the Bay Horse Inn are on or near the Market Place and serve food.
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.