We came for Sunday dinner. Food was nice enough, staff were very pleasant and portions were generally decent, especially for £10 a head. Only one parsnip and one roast potato per dinner though! And a doorbell with a loud digital tune kept going off really loudly next to us which was really off putting.
Kelsey Gill
Best place we’ve been for a while we came out one happy family, home made chips are the best we’ve ever had absolutely everything was perfect, staff are friendly and welcoming not badly priced at
Craig Wiltshire
This pub is absolutely beautiful, the staff are so welcoming and friendly we were made to feel part of the community, the food here is outstanding, it really is, everything is cooked to perfection and takes pub food to another level.We found the cross keys in esh purely by accident but we have definitely made it our regular place to dine and are proud to take our friends and family here. A great friendly pub with excellent atmosphere and service, 5 stars really isn’t enough and if we could give it 10 stars we would. See you soonCraig and cheryl x
Joshua Collier
Lovely pub in the middle of nowhere, stopped by while on a long walk for a drink :)
John Musson
Burns night!
eswtmon01
Had lunch here last weekend, but was a bit disappointed. I had the CrossKeys burger, double burger with BBQ, Bacon and a grilled chicken breast on top. Chicken was okay, burger was tough and rubbery and not what you would expect it to be at about £18. My son enjoyed the cod bites and my wife said the hunters chicken was okay, though was overpriced for what it was. My wife and son cleared most of their plates. My daughter had the burger also and said it was okay but she's had much better ones. We both only ate about half of what we had, even though we were both ravenous post football and me skipping breakfast. Chips were decent, service was decent, both prevented a 2 star review. I am back with some friends in February, so will give it another chance, but not having a burger. Burger was (in my experience) far inferior to a Five Guys, never mind a Fat Hippo, barely better than Maccies and i think i'd prefer Burger King. In summary, definitely the worst pub burger i have had in the £10-£20 price range.
Marian G
My daughter booked lunch here to celebrate my 90th Birthday on Boxing Day. She had Bacon Pudding, my son-in-law had local black pudding, my grandson I believe had calamari and I had a local Fillet steak perfectly cooked to my taste with all the trimmings. The staff went out of their way to make it a special occasion for me and served the cake my daughter had made with a "90" sparkler all lit up.. Although we were only a small family group several other diners came across to congratulate me and it felt as though the whole restaurant was joining in encouraged by the staff making it a day I shall never forget. I would certainly recommend the Cross Keys Inn to celebrate any special occasion.
Gary Storey
Lots of choices to choose from, all served freshly cooked and piping hot.A great choice of sweets to choose from. Would definitely recommend as the price is cheaper than other places and portions are bigger.
Trevor R
Outstanding quality and value Sunday Lunch.All home made, good inputs and food which delivered in taste and quantity. Lots of options including veggie sausages with veggie gravy.Very pleasant staff who enjoy serving ! A rare situation today.Main course for £10.50P.....Extensive choice of puddings which were excellent.Breathtaking vistas over the wear valley.
Tom Rowland
Cosy atmosphere, decent pub grub, great selection of draught drinks on the bar. Very friendly staff. Also very reasonably priced!
Fantastic cosy village pub, food superb! Great atmosphere, Steve, Karen and the rest of the team, brilliant hosts! Fish n chips, by far the best in the North East - the Northern Echo review got it wrong in our eyes 1. Crosskeys Esh 2. Bells Durham Hats off to Donna and her team! Come enjoy a Fish n Chip supper with a first class pint or a glass of wine and great warm atmosphere. Eat, drink and enjoy TrevC
ianandsusan1
Been tonight with friends food was amazing as always . Great owners and staff could not do enough for us looking forward to outer next visit .
blu068
We stayed with 4 of our friends in the holiday let which was perfect for our get together. It had everything we needed, the welcome hamper was appreciated too... Ate in the pub the first night and WOW all our meals were delicious.. we definitely would return.
Julie Brooksbank
Cracking place full of friendly locals who have worked hard all week and just want to relax with a pint & some friends.Heard some amazing stories & jokes when we popped in here one weekend to see family. Made some great friends & have returned on several occasions since then. Its a really warm & friendly place, just how you'd imagine any local to be.
Maps622686
Stayed in the apartment for 2 nights,it was spacious and very clean with a nice welcome basket of food. Went down to bar on first night and was made very welcome by staff and locals.we ate in thr restaurant and the food was excellent with all 4 of us clearing plates.service was excellent and large portions.The drinks and food prices were very cheap.I can highly recommend apartment and pub,will feff be visiting again.
We came for Sunday dinner. Food was nice enough, staff were very pleasant and portions were generally decent, especially for £10 a head. Only one parsnip and one roast potato per dinner though! And a doorbell with a loud digital tune kept going off really loudly next to us which was really off putting.
Best place we’ve been for a while we came out one happy family, home made chips are the best we’ve ever had absolutely everything was perfect, staff are friendly and welcoming not badly priced at
This pub is absolutely beautiful, the staff are so welcoming and friendly we were made to feel part of the community, the food here is outstanding, it really is, everything is cooked to perfection and takes pub food to another level.We found the cross keys in esh purely by accident but we have definitely made it our regular place to dine and are proud to take our friends and family here. A great friendly pub with excellent atmosphere and service, 5 stars really isn’t enough and if we could give it 10 stars we would. See you soonCraig and cheryl x
Lovely pub in the middle of nowhere, stopped by while on a long walk for a drink :)
Burns night!
Had lunch here last weekend, but was a bit disappointed. I had the CrossKeys burger, double burger with BBQ, Bacon and a grilled chicken breast on top. Chicken was okay, burger was tough and rubbery and not what you would expect it to be at about £18. My son enjoyed the cod bites and my wife said the hunters chicken was okay, though was overpriced for what it was. My wife and son cleared most of their plates. My daughter had the burger also and said it was okay but she's had much better ones. We both only ate about half of what we had, even though we were both ravenous post football and me skipping breakfast. Chips were decent, service was decent, both prevented a 2 star review. I am back with some friends in February, so will give it another chance, but not having a burger. Burger was (in my experience) far inferior to a Five Guys, never mind a Fat Hippo, barely better than Maccies and i think i'd prefer Burger King. In summary, definitely the worst pub burger i have had in the £10-£20 price range.
My daughter booked lunch here to celebrate my 90th Birthday on Boxing Day. She had Bacon Pudding, my son-in-law had local black pudding, my grandson I believe had calamari and I had a local Fillet steak perfectly cooked to my taste with all the trimmings. The staff went out of their way to make it a special occasion for me and served the cake my daughter had made with a "90" sparkler all lit up.. Although we were only a small family group several other diners came across to congratulate me and it felt as though the whole restaurant was joining in encouraged by the staff making it a day I shall never forget. I would certainly recommend the Cross Keys Inn to celebrate any special occasion.
Lots of choices to choose from, all served freshly cooked and piping hot.A great choice of sweets to choose from. Would definitely recommend as the price is cheaper than other places and portions are bigger.
Outstanding quality and value Sunday Lunch.All home made, good inputs and food which delivered in taste and quantity. Lots of options including veggie sausages with veggie gravy.Very pleasant staff who enjoy serving ! A rare situation today.Main course for £10.50P.....Extensive choice of puddings which were excellent.Breathtaking vistas over the wear valley.
Cosy atmosphere, decent pub grub, great selection of draught drinks on the bar. Very friendly staff. Also very reasonably priced!
Restaurantji Recommends
Fantastic cosy village pub, food superb! Great atmosphere, Steve, Karen and the rest of the team, brilliant hosts! Fish n chips, by far the best in the North East - the Northern Echo review got it wrong in our eyes 1. Crosskeys Esh 2. Bells Durham Hats off to Donna and her team! Come enjoy a Fish n Chip supper with a first class pint or a glass of wine and great warm atmosphere. Eat, drink and enjoy TrevC
Been tonight with friends food was amazing as always . Great owners and staff could not do enough for us looking forward to outer next visit .
We stayed with 4 of our friends in the holiday let which was perfect for our get together. It had everything we needed, the welcome hamper was appreciated too... Ate in the pub the first night and WOW all our meals were delicious.. we definitely would return.
Cracking place full of friendly locals who have worked hard all week and just want to relax with a pint & some friends.Heard some amazing stories & jokes when we popped in here one weekend to see family. Made some great friends & have returned on several occasions since then. Its a really warm & friendly place, just how you'd imagine any local to be.
Stayed in the apartment for 2 nights,it was spacious and very clean with a nice welcome basket of food. Went down to bar on first night and was made very welcome by staff and locals.we ate in thr restaurant and the food was excellent with all 4 of us clearing plates.service was excellent and large portions.The drinks and food prices were very cheap.I can highly recommend apartment and pub,will feff be visiting again.