Came here for a family wedding and all I can say is the entire trip was fantastic. Very friendly staff, food was excellent and accommodation first class. Very quiet location, set in gorgeous countryside. Thank you Black Horse Beamish!Rooms: Very nicely appointed rooms.
Adam Arkle
Came here to view the marquee for our upcoming wedding do evening. Decided to stay for tea!The service of the staff was very friendly and quick. Me and my partner both had the fish and chips. You get plenty the fish is a good size and tastes amazing. Beer battered cod unreal and the chips wow. Can't wait for more meals here!
David Clegg
Fantastic food and service, with amazing views ?
Jamie Jones
We were married here recently. The venue was absolutely beautiful and all our guests enjoyed the day. It seems they’ve got a fairly high staff turnover, at least on the wedding coordinator side, and unfortunately that meant there were loads of miscommunications, and many of our requests went unmet after initially being told they could happen. As I say, our guests loved every minute, so I can’t be too critical, but my husband and I were disappointed by a few aspects.
Joy W
Went for Sunday lunch. Booked ahead Once seated, we had order taken quite promptly but then waited over 20mins to be served, we accepted this as it was full and busy After we had finished mains we requested dessert menu, after waiting over 25min we gave up and approached bar to settle bill At no point during our (approx) 2hr stay were we approached and asked if we need anything / more drinks etc Quality of food very good but service poor
Alex H
We had our wedding here back in November 2023, after booking back in 2021. Prior to the wedding, our wedding co-ordinator changed at the very least 5 times, with either poor record keeping/little communication between the leaving co-ordinator and their replacement, which led to us having to explain what we needed over and over again to the new co-ordinator. I’d recommend a more robust CRM database to save any of this issues in the future. The last change came about a week before the actual date, with again, poor record keeping coming to the surface. Luckily the new co-ordinator Donna was on the ball and got this under control and you could tell she wanted us to have the best possible day, texting and calling me in the days leading up to the big day to answer any queries we had and to reassure any doubts we had. We had our day in the Orchard Marquee. When I arrived at the venue at about 11am, there was still lots of paraphernalia from the evening befores wedding - which I myself was still finding around the marquee about 30 mins before our ceremony. There was a breakdown in communication between guests and staff when they were asked to take their seats - guests were asked to go outside and walk around the marquee itself rather than through the marquee. Not a massive deal in the summer, but in the middle of autumn seems strange. When arriving at the other end, those with drinks were then told to walk back around the marquee and leave them at the other end. The bride was waiting in the car outside at the point of the guests walking around to take their seats, so had to hide in the back of the car not to be seen. The wedding breakfast was delicious but admittedly a bit cold when served so might be something to work on (getting the food out quicker). The buffet on the evening was well received when asking the rest of the guests. Shout outs in particular to Beth, Finn and Anne in the marquee whose service was fantastic - we loved seeing the staff enjoying themselves when the band were on, having a little dance behind the bar!! Our room was fantastic and felt very luxurious when returning for a breather/going to bed after a full day on your feet. Breakfast was delivered to our room which was very accommodating due to personal circumstances so this was a nice touch. All in all, we had a brilliant (if not ever so slightly chaotic) experience. I believe with Donna and her team at the helm, this should be better for the future. A note to the owners - having a beautiful venue in a wonderful location is not enough nowadays - you need to invest not just money into your systems and facilities, but time into your staff as well. Give your teams the best possible environment to succeed and deliver amazing experiences and they’ll pay you back tenfold.
Catherine Mitchell
Restaurant was lovely. We also stayed overnight. Room was amazing and even though we had a small issue in the room, it was quickly sorted out. Staff were very helpful.
Kerry Phillips
We had Christmas lunch second sitting here we sat down at 4pm to eat a prawn cocktailit would have fed two people it was more than enough and was delicious, main course traditional turkey and stuffing that was beautiful with gorgeous vegetables, roasties, yorkshire pudding again more than enough, dessert we were extremely full of food at this point but of course Christmas pudding with brandy custard (yummy) needs to be eaten! At Christmas! My daughter well actually all of us had the best time it we eat out every year decor, very very Christmassy and traditional everywhere fab classy decorations twinkling, superb atmosphere if I was being extra picky (I a booking asap for next Christmas) !!! We had 29 mins to be seated ! But it was hectic with loads of atmosphere and the food more than compensated for that.The staff were brilliant nothing was a problem!?❄️they were rushed off there feet ?????????
Michael Rose
Stayed at the Black horse/ Red Row accommodation for Christmas. Literally can't fault any aspect of our stay. The rooms are absolutely beautiful. The staff were all hard working and couldn't do enough for us. The food was excellent all round fantastic experience from Amanda booking us in the lovely groundsman Paul. Highly recommended. Will definitely be back. ThankyouMichael and Kerry Rose xx
We booked Christmas lunch for 6 adults, back in June. At the time of booking, we were told the dinner would be served in The marquee which we were pleased about as we had dined in there Christmas 2019 and had been extremely pleased with the setting, the meal and the service which had all been amazing. Upon arrival at 11:30 we were told that our meal would be in the restaurant, not the marquee. They showed us to our table, which was a table with space for 4 adults comfortably but with 6 places set up all squashed in. Really annoying bearing in mind we specifically asked upon booking where it would be. None of our group were happy about the table allocated so we asked if we could sit in the orangery instead, to be told no as other people had requested that area. How could we have requested that area when we were told it was to be in the marquee? We eventually moved to another table however that wasn't much better and the seats were super uncomfortable and we were all crammed in. We got served our starters which were all disappointing. I had seafood cocktail but there was very little prawns and the presentation was awful, it was just served on a normal side plate, no thought had gone into the presentation whatsoever. My main was the turkey and I felt very underwhelmed when it was served, it was a tiny portion with only 2 tiny roast potatoes. Dessert was also a let down so I left most of that. The whole meal was just awful from start to finish. The last part of the menu was supposed to be tea/coffee, petit fours and mince pies but we never got offered any of that. £90 a head, what a total waste of money. I will certainly not be returning to The Black Horse which is a shame as I was a regular visitor for food and the odd drink. Never again. I have emailed a complaint but had no reply but that does not surprise me.
hodgey2411
We were booked for the 3-3.30pm sitting on Christmas Day. On arrival we were told to go to marquee for 3,we did and after standing about for 10 mins no one attended or even looked at us so we headed back over to pub and told to stand near bar as we were going to be seated upstairs. We stood around for over 30 minutes in way of the staff rushing about. Once seated upstairs which was nice and cosy we had lack of cutlery on our table for the starter and had to ask staff for prosecco that was stated you would get on arrival. Then it was nearly 2 hours before we were served Christmas lunch which was barely warm and quite small compared to photos i had seen from people who had the first sitting. People were wondering what was going on and staff did not seem to want to engage and seemed stressed out. We had a small child with us who was getting tired and hungry and some of us had taxis booked that could not be rebooked so in the end we had to leave with desserts in a box and very disappointed considering we paid £495.00 for 5 adults and 1 child. You expect a lot more for that amount of money and CHRISTMAS DAY! We feel robbed! We all felt let down as this was our first time we decided to eat out for Christmas Lunch so we had been looking forward to this for months. I have also emailed my complaint but no reply as of yet.
Claire K
Visited New Year’s Eve lunch time for a 60 th birthday 17 of us Service was excellent Food was absolutely fantastic Pauline and girls where fab Location is just fabulous Will definitely be visiting again very soon And I know a Few from the party will Be back also
Jesse B
king prawn starter was realy nice fish n chip were hot fresh n tasty i’d say best fish i’ve had staff were freindly
Paul A
Arrived at 3pm for 3.30pm sitting , as instructed. I sensed it wasn't going to go well , judging by the 100 or so people standing in the entrance/bar not knowing where to go or what to do , having not been greeted by anyone. Eventually we were told our table was upstairs.the room was actually the best thing about the day , it was tastefully decorated and felt quite cosy. However , it went further downhill from there. Having been served our starter , we had an hour and a half wait before our main course arrived (I had to wake my elderly father up !) No apologies for the wait (by the miserable staff , 3 girls in particular)who then while some of us were still eating , dumped our desserts on the table ! Totally unprofessional. It was worse for other tables , one family who had small kids with them , had an hour and fifty minute wait for their mains , they took their desserts home in a box ! In the end , i think the staff were hiding because they were that embarrassed by it all. They should have only opened one restaurant , so they could pamper their guests as you would expect at xmas. Instead , the owners took too much on, obviously put making money above customer experience/care/quality. An absolute shambles !
Had a pleasant weekday lunch here
Came here for a family wedding and all I can say is the entire trip was fantastic. Very friendly staff, food was excellent and accommodation first class. Very quiet location, set in gorgeous countryside. Thank you Black Horse Beamish!Rooms: Very nicely appointed rooms.
Came here to view the marquee for our upcoming wedding do evening. Decided to stay for tea!The service of the staff was very friendly and quick. Me and my partner both had the fish and chips. You get plenty the fish is a good size and tastes amazing. Beer battered cod unreal and the chips wow. Can't wait for more meals here!
Fantastic food and service, with amazing views ?
We were married here recently. The venue was absolutely beautiful and all our guests enjoyed the day. It seems they’ve got a fairly high staff turnover, at least on the wedding coordinator side, and unfortunately that meant there were loads of miscommunications, and many of our requests went unmet after initially being told they could happen. As I say, our guests loved every minute, so I can’t be too critical, but my husband and I were disappointed by a few aspects.
Went for Sunday lunch. Booked ahead Once seated, we had order taken quite promptly but then waited over 20mins to be served, we accepted this as it was full and busy After we had finished mains we requested dessert menu, after waiting over 25min we gave up and approached bar to settle bill At no point during our (approx) 2hr stay were we approached and asked if we need anything / more drinks etc Quality of food very good but service poor
We had our wedding here back in November 2023, after booking back in 2021. Prior to the wedding, our wedding co-ordinator changed at the very least 5 times, with either poor record keeping/little communication between the leaving co-ordinator and their replacement, which led to us having to explain what we needed over and over again to the new co-ordinator. I’d recommend a more robust CRM database to save any of this issues in the future. The last change came about a week before the actual date, with again, poor record keeping coming to the surface. Luckily the new co-ordinator Donna was on the ball and got this under control and you could tell she wanted us to have the best possible day, texting and calling me in the days leading up to the big day to answer any queries we had and to reassure any doubts we had. We had our day in the Orchard Marquee. When I arrived at the venue at about 11am, there was still lots of paraphernalia from the evening befores wedding - which I myself was still finding around the marquee about 30 mins before our ceremony. There was a breakdown in communication between guests and staff when they were asked to take their seats - guests were asked to go outside and walk around the marquee itself rather than through the marquee. Not a massive deal in the summer, but in the middle of autumn seems strange. When arriving at the other end, those with drinks were then told to walk back around the marquee and leave them at the other end. The bride was waiting in the car outside at the point of the guests walking around to take their seats, so had to hide in the back of the car not to be seen. The wedding breakfast was delicious but admittedly a bit cold when served so might be something to work on (getting the food out quicker). The buffet on the evening was well received when asking the rest of the guests. Shout outs in particular to Beth, Finn and Anne in the marquee whose service was fantastic - we loved seeing the staff enjoying themselves when the band were on, having a little dance behind the bar!! Our room was fantastic and felt very luxurious when returning for a breather/going to bed after a full day on your feet. Breakfast was delivered to our room which was very accommodating due to personal circumstances so this was a nice touch. All in all, we had a brilliant (if not ever so slightly chaotic) experience. I believe with Donna and her team at the helm, this should be better for the future. A note to the owners - having a beautiful venue in a wonderful location is not enough nowadays - you need to invest not just money into your systems and facilities, but time into your staff as well. Give your teams the best possible environment to succeed and deliver amazing experiences and they’ll pay you back tenfold.
Restaurant was lovely. We also stayed overnight. Room was amazing and even though we had a small issue in the room, it was quickly sorted out. Staff were very helpful.
We had Christmas lunch second sitting here we sat down at 4pm to eat a prawn cocktailit would have fed two people it was more than enough and was delicious, main course traditional turkey and stuffing that was beautiful with gorgeous vegetables, roasties, yorkshire pudding again more than enough, dessert we were extremely full of food at this point but of course Christmas pudding with brandy custard (yummy) needs to be eaten! At Christmas! My daughter well actually all of us had the best time it we eat out every year decor, very very Christmassy and traditional everywhere fab classy decorations twinkling, superb atmosphere if I was being extra picky (I a booking asap for next Christmas) !!! We had 29 mins to be seated ! But it was hectic with loads of atmosphere and the food more than compensated for that.The staff were brilliant nothing was a problem!?❄️they were rushed off there feet ?????????
Stayed at the Black horse/ Red Row accommodation for Christmas. Literally can't fault any aspect of our stay. The rooms are absolutely beautiful. The staff were all hard working and couldn't do enough for us. The food was excellent all round fantastic experience from Amanda booking us in the lovely groundsman Paul. Highly recommended. Will definitely be back. ThankyouMichael and Kerry Rose xx
Restaurantji Recommends
We booked Christmas lunch for 6 adults, back in June. At the time of booking, we were told the dinner would be served in The marquee which we were pleased about as we had dined in there Christmas 2019 and had been extremely pleased with the setting, the meal and the service which had all been amazing. Upon arrival at 11:30 we were told that our meal would be in the restaurant, not the marquee. They showed us to our table, which was a table with space for 4 adults comfortably but with 6 places set up all squashed in. Really annoying bearing in mind we specifically asked upon booking where it would be. None of our group were happy about the table allocated so we asked if we could sit in the orangery instead, to be told no as other people had requested that area. How could we have requested that area when we were told it was to be in the marquee? We eventually moved to another table however that wasn't much better and the seats were super uncomfortable and we were all crammed in. We got served our starters which were all disappointing. I had seafood cocktail but there was very little prawns and the presentation was awful, it was just served on a normal side plate, no thought had gone into the presentation whatsoever. My main was the turkey and I felt very underwhelmed when it was served, it was a tiny portion with only 2 tiny roast potatoes. Dessert was also a let down so I left most of that. The whole meal was just awful from start to finish. The last part of the menu was supposed to be tea/coffee, petit fours and mince pies but we never got offered any of that. £90 a head, what a total waste of money. I will certainly not be returning to The Black Horse which is a shame as I was a regular visitor for food and the odd drink. Never again. I have emailed a complaint but had no reply but that does not surprise me.
We were booked for the 3-3.30pm sitting on Christmas Day. On arrival we were told to go to marquee for 3,we did and after standing about for 10 mins no one attended or even looked at us so we headed back over to pub and told to stand near bar as we were going to be seated upstairs. We stood around for over 30 minutes in way of the staff rushing about. Once seated upstairs which was nice and cosy we had lack of cutlery on our table for the starter and had to ask staff for prosecco that was stated you would get on arrival. Then it was nearly 2 hours before we were served Christmas lunch which was barely warm and quite small compared to photos i had seen from people who had the first sitting. People were wondering what was going on and staff did not seem to want to engage and seemed stressed out. We had a small child with us who was getting tired and hungry and some of us had taxis booked that could not be rebooked so in the end we had to leave with desserts in a box and very disappointed considering we paid £495.00 for 5 adults and 1 child. You expect a lot more for that amount of money and CHRISTMAS DAY! We feel robbed! We all felt let down as this was our first time we decided to eat out for Christmas Lunch so we had been looking forward to this for months. I have also emailed my complaint but no reply as of yet.
Visited New Year’s Eve lunch time for a 60 th birthday 17 of us Service was excellent Food was absolutely fantastic Pauline and girls where fab Location is just fabulous Will definitely be visiting again very soon And I know a Few from the party will Be back also
king prawn starter was realy nice fish n chip were hot fresh n tasty i’d say best fish i’ve had staff were freindly
Arrived at 3pm for 3.30pm sitting , as instructed. I sensed it wasn't going to go well , judging by the 100 or so people standing in the entrance/bar not knowing where to go or what to do , having not been greeted by anyone. Eventually we were told our table was upstairs.the room was actually the best thing about the day , it was tastefully decorated and felt quite cosy. However , it went further downhill from there. Having been served our starter , we had an hour and a half wait before our main course arrived (I had to wake my elderly father up !) No apologies for the wait (by the miserable staff , 3 girls in particular)who then while some of us were still eating , dumped our desserts on the table ! Totally unprofessional. It was worse for other tables , one family who had small kids with them , had an hour and fifty minute wait for their mains , they took their desserts home in a box ! In the end , i think the staff were hiding because they were that embarrassed by it all. They should have only opened one restaurant , so they could pamper their guests as you would expect at xmas. Instead , the owners took too much on, obviously put making money above customer experience/care/quality. An absolute shambles !