Food was disappointing considering the positive reviews. We both ordered the chicken schnitzel for lunch which rather than individual crispy pieces, was basically a sliced up piece of breaded chicken. The flavour was okay but we both found the salsa Verde on top revolting. Honestly it tasted like grass, not the pleasant, herby flavour we were expecting. Other elements were okay but not amazing. We ordered fries with truffle mayo, which was totally overpowering. Puddings were so so. The service was excellent apart from the waitress spoke so quietly she was difficult to understand. All in all it was really not worth what we paid for it.
JDW333
We’ve stayed at Rudding Park many times on the dinner bed & breakfast option & have always had an excellent experience at Horto ever since eating here when it was situated up at the golf club. We were informed that Horto is no longer fine dining (hopefully only a seasonal thing?!) but the food was frankly poor and a huge step down from our previous visits. Even looking through recent photos on Trip makes you realise how much the food has dropped off. Service - as always - was impeccable in Horto and throughout the hotel but we genuinely wouldn’t stay at Rudding again if the only option was the DB&B. Such a shame as RP has always been a special place to visit…
Ben K
We’re staying at Rudding Park as residents and had lunch here on arrival before using the spa. It was a lovely and relaxing atmosphere inside and we were greeted by Agnes who was really friendly and professional in greeting us, seating us, taking our coats and explaining the menu. The lunch food was also delicious, the croquettes and flatbread were our favourites from the small plates. Seasonal ingredients and making use of preserving them is lovely to see.
alexandra w
Whilst enjoying a weekend away for my special birthday we had Horto restaurant booked for my actual birthday and it was fabulous. We had the tasting menu and what an absolute delight it was from start to finish. The staff were helpful and attentive throughout.
Kate Driskell
The food is just fabulous! We had the tasting menu, which is six courses plus an amuse bouche, palate cleanser and petit fours. And I won't bore anyone by describing it all, just say that it was all very well thought out and executed. The only down side is the wine list is quite limited, which was a little disappointing but didn't limit our enjoyment.Service was nicely relaxed and while being quietly confident.Loved it!
michael horn
This is the second time we've dined here and once again fantastic. We had the tasting menu again the waitress explained fantastically every course that made the experience even better would definitely recommend
Detank
Burger was presented nicely and tasted pretty good, ordered a coke which costed around £4 for a really small glass which left me gobsmacked as there is no reason for prices that ridicously high. Waiter spoke incredibly quietly which was very hard to understand.
slvarga
We visited Rudding hotel over the bank holiday weekend. We enjoyed a spa day and the visit was of a very high standard but the stand out was our meal at Horto. We enjoy a tasting menu including wine pairing and have visited many Michelin Star establishments. We asked if pairing was available but unfortunately not. However Callum offered to provide us with some suggestions. We left our drinks choices in his hands and didn’t regret it for one minute. He explained each glass and why it worked well with the course. The pairing stood up to most Michelin restaurant we have visited. Callum was personable, friendly and professional. He is a real asset. The restaurant wasn’t as busy as we expected it to be but had a great atmosphere and service was timely and always with a smile. The food exceeded expectations and I hope the restaurant and chef get the recognition they deserve. We can’t wait to visit again.
babs1491
A very different menu. Most guests ate here as part of a spa deal and appeared to have set times to eat. Everyone enjoyed the choice of healthy food.
Christopher Dixon
Visited for both lunch and dinner during the same visit.Lunch menu is very overpriced for what it is. They have a captive market so feel they can charge what they want but £20 for a bowl of Tom Yum soup, a Salmon salad, or a Lentil Dahl is far too much. Similarly, £14 for a simple cocktail and £12 for a piece of cake seem over the top. The food itself was ok, but I've eaten much better and at a better price at both Rockcliffe Hall and Seaham Hall spas.Evening menu is much better though not as good as when I last visited in Feb 2020. We both had the tasting menu and thoroughly enjoyed it. The price has gone up over 50% since Feb 2020 and is now above some Michelin starred restaurants I've eaten in (Hrishi in the Lake District for instance). For some reason they've also stopped the wine pairing. Overall I'd give the evening menu 4* and the lunch menu 2*.
Went for an overnight stay with my best friend. Dined at Horto. From the moment we arrived we were made to feel more than welcome. We indulged in the 6 course tasting menu that turned out to be 10 courses and WOW! Trout totally boneless and so much flavour, beef that melted in your mouth, lobster tried as an extra to gain feedback as a new addition to the menu OMG! Crab doughnuts never tasted anything like it. Lemon palette cleanser and 2 amazing desserts. If you are looking for something special and have money to spend, totally worth every penny, then give Horto a try. And to top it all off two of the chefs found time to come out and say hello and introduce themselves, such a nice touch! Thankyou Adam and team
JennCara
Booked Horto with a spa and supper evening and we was not dissappointed. The menu was great for vegans and the food was absolutely delicious! The staff were so attentive and made sure we always had what we needed. The water tasted filtered too, usually when you get water to the table it tastes of chlorine but the water was fresh and full of ice. The spa and supper deal was such a great idea and we both really enjoyed ourselves.
Tyler Simpson
Food was delightful, but just wanted to mention the lovely waitress Tiria that served us on Friday night. She was very professional, yet showed such an interest in our day, it really made our stay even better!
LunasWorld
We had breakfast and lunch here during our spa day and it was all fantastic. All really good quality and packed full of flavour. The staff lovely and very attentive. But it is incredibly expensive. Our breakfast was included in our spa package but we paid for lunch separately. We had one course and one drink each but the bill was £67
E123-I3
This is definitely an experience for the food and spa. The staff accommodated us well too, with our night being made by Tiria in Horto. Very lovely and attentive waitress!
Food was disappointing considering the positive reviews. We both ordered the chicken schnitzel for lunch which rather than individual crispy pieces, was basically a sliced up piece of breaded chicken. The flavour was okay but we both found the salsa Verde on top revolting. Honestly it tasted like grass, not the pleasant, herby flavour we were expecting. Other elements were okay but not amazing. We ordered fries with truffle mayo, which was totally overpowering. Puddings were so so. The service was excellent apart from the waitress spoke so quietly she was difficult to understand. All in all it was really not worth what we paid for it.
We’ve stayed at Rudding Park many times on the dinner bed & breakfast option & have always had an excellent experience at Horto ever since eating here when it was situated up at the golf club. We were informed that Horto is no longer fine dining (hopefully only a seasonal thing?!) but the food was frankly poor and a huge step down from our previous visits. Even looking through recent photos on Trip makes you realise how much the food has dropped off. Service - as always - was impeccable in Horto and throughout the hotel but we genuinely wouldn’t stay at Rudding again if the only option was the DB&B. Such a shame as RP has always been a special place to visit…
We’re staying at Rudding Park as residents and had lunch here on arrival before using the spa. It was a lovely and relaxing atmosphere inside and we were greeted by Agnes who was really friendly and professional in greeting us, seating us, taking our coats and explaining the menu. The lunch food was also delicious, the croquettes and flatbread were our favourites from the small plates. Seasonal ingredients and making use of preserving them is lovely to see.
Whilst enjoying a weekend away for my special birthday we had Horto restaurant booked for my actual birthday and it was fabulous. We had the tasting menu and what an absolute delight it was from start to finish. The staff were helpful and attentive throughout.
The food is just fabulous! We had the tasting menu, which is six courses plus an amuse bouche, palate cleanser and petit fours. And I won't bore anyone by describing it all, just say that it was all very well thought out and executed. The only down side is the wine list is quite limited, which was a little disappointing but didn't limit our enjoyment.Service was nicely relaxed and while being quietly confident.Loved it!
This is the second time we've dined here and once again fantastic. We had the tasting menu again the waitress explained fantastically every course that made the experience even better would definitely recommend
Burger was presented nicely and tasted pretty good, ordered a coke which costed around £4 for a really small glass which left me gobsmacked as there is no reason for prices that ridicously high. Waiter spoke incredibly quietly which was very hard to understand.
We visited Rudding hotel over the bank holiday weekend. We enjoyed a spa day and the visit was of a very high standard but the stand out was our meal at Horto. We enjoy a tasting menu including wine pairing and have visited many Michelin Star establishments. We asked if pairing was available but unfortunately not. However Callum offered to provide us with some suggestions. We left our drinks choices in his hands and didn’t regret it for one minute. He explained each glass and why it worked well with the course. The pairing stood up to most Michelin restaurant we have visited. Callum was personable, friendly and professional. He is a real asset. The restaurant wasn’t as busy as we expected it to be but had a great atmosphere and service was timely and always with a smile. The food exceeded expectations and I hope the restaurant and chef get the recognition they deserve. We can’t wait to visit again.
A very different menu. Most guests ate here as part of a spa deal and appeared to have set times to eat. Everyone enjoyed the choice of healthy food.
Visited for both lunch and dinner during the same visit.Lunch menu is very overpriced for what it is. They have a captive market so feel they can charge what they want but £20 for a bowl of Tom Yum soup, a Salmon salad, or a Lentil Dahl is far too much. Similarly, £14 for a simple cocktail and £12 for a piece of cake seem over the top. The food itself was ok, but I've eaten much better and at a better price at both Rockcliffe Hall and Seaham Hall spas.Evening menu is much better though not as good as when I last visited in Feb 2020. We both had the tasting menu and thoroughly enjoyed it. The price has gone up over 50% since Feb 2020 and is now above some Michelin starred restaurants I've eaten in (Hrishi in the Lake District for instance). For some reason they've also stopped the wine pairing. Overall I'd give the evening menu 4* and the lunch menu 2*.
Restaurantji Recommends
Went for an overnight stay with my best friend. Dined at Horto. From the moment we arrived we were made to feel more than welcome. We indulged in the 6 course tasting menu that turned out to be 10 courses and WOW! Trout totally boneless and so much flavour, beef that melted in your mouth, lobster tried as an extra to gain feedback as a new addition to the menu OMG! Crab doughnuts never tasted anything like it. Lemon palette cleanser and 2 amazing desserts. If you are looking for something special and have money to spend, totally worth every penny, then give Horto a try. And to top it all off two of the chefs found time to come out and say hello and introduce themselves, such a nice touch! Thankyou Adam and team
Booked Horto with a spa and supper evening and we was not dissappointed. The menu was great for vegans and the food was absolutely delicious! The staff were so attentive and made sure we always had what we needed. The water tasted filtered too, usually when you get water to the table it tastes of chlorine but the water was fresh and full of ice. The spa and supper deal was such a great idea and we both really enjoyed ourselves.
Food was delightful, but just wanted to mention the lovely waitress Tiria that served us on Friday night. She was very professional, yet showed such an interest in our day, it really made our stay even better!
We had breakfast and lunch here during our spa day and it was all fantastic. All really good quality and packed full of flavour. The staff lovely and very attentive. But it is incredibly expensive. Our breakfast was included in our spa package but we paid for lunch separately. We had one course and one drink each but the bill was £67
This is definitely an experience for the food and spa. The staff accommodated us well too, with our night being made by Tiria in Horto. Very lovely and attentive waitress!