The Jolly Fisherman Inn — Restaurant in England

We visited The Jolly Fisherman Inn today after a very good experience there for Sunday lunch last year. The first thing to say is that a poor review from an individual like me will make not one iota of difference to their trade. They have a prime location in an extremely popular place. But it makes me feel better after today’s very poor experience.

The pub is in a delightful position in the pretty fishing village of Craster, by the sea, and with stunning views accordingly. As you enter, an in-house fish and chip van (which does its ambience no favours) takes over the small seated area. To the rear, there a large and busy outdoor seating area overlooking the sea where we sat.

The pub is dog friendly in most areas other than the restaurant. Please note if that bothers you.

The main disappointment for us today is not with the surroundings, but with the food and the service. Both were poor. And the food we had was expensive for what was provided.

A steak burger accompanied by a handful of off-cuts type deep fried new potatoes chips. These similar to what the local chippy gives away just before closing time. Nothing wrong with the burger, but at not far off £19. Do me a favour! My partner had the crab sandwich and was hugely disappointed by it. She was expecting the white of the meat, and generally more than the brown meat, a few crisps sprinkled next to it, and something purporting to be salad that wasn’t. At £12, extremely poor value for money. In total, with two large glasses of wine the total came in at £50.

The service provided in the main by youngsters, lacked any type of interest as you often find in similar establishments. Not even the cursory ‘How was your food?’ after serving it or collecting the plates at the end.

We were booked in for Sunday lunch again tomorrow, but after today’s experience, we cancelled and instead booked it at the nearby Cottage Inn where we had an excellent meal and service yesterday for significantly less cost.

The Jolly Fisherman has a lively atmosphere and is clearly hugely popular. That said, that is no excuse for overpriced food, expensive drinks, and robotic disinterested service. Unfortunately, based on today’s visit, I would neither anticipate returning or recommending...

Well what can I say. This place had been recommended by lots of people but it was extremely disappointing. When we first walked in we were ignored by the three members of staff behind the bar, one was more interested in her phone, one was chatting to his mate and the other was just stood. When we eventually got bar service and informed them we had a table reservation the response was “ok”. Luckily at this point we were rescued by a member of the restaurant staff who showed us to our table. The view from our table was amazing, one of the two saving graces to this visit. In the restaurant we were looked after by a young girl who was friendly, helpful and chatty, she was the second saving grace. The bottle of wine we ordered, well what can I say, would rather have drunk the vinegar, £28 for a bottle of sarsons!! Now on to the food….. the burger, £19 and could have got better from a burger van, the chips were delicious but other than that nothing spectacular and certainly not worth the money. We also ordered three fish pies, what a disaster. The prawns hadn’t been cleaned and still had their poo veins in tact!! One pie was so dry it was like the sauce had been completely forgotten. One pie had such a heavily smoked flavour that it wasn’t edible. The third pie was mediocre at best but lost any palatability after the prawn poo debacle. We truly felt a little bit like Goldilocks but not a single pie was just right! The desserts were ok, nothing to write home about, even the cheeseboard was lacking and who can’t get a cheeseboard right. £200 later and we left disappointed and hungry. Not sure where the good reviews have come from if I’m honest as the place was lacking in every way. An expensive...

cracking little pub. we turned up around 1pm without a reservation & sat at the bar until a table came free. we didnt have to wait very long & was worth the wait. The staff cannot do enough for you - very attentive, polite & know what theyre doing. Food was lovely - my wife had mussels & I had a burger, although I wish I had gone for the local kippers. Definitely worth a visit if you are visiting the castle or area. We are staying near Bamburgh castle, so walked to Craster along the beaches & coastal path & then got the bus back (bus stop is round the corner located behind the art studio & although there are infrquequent services, it turned up on time at 3.13pm, so perfect time after a big lunch at the Jolly Fisherman).

Note, we took our dog & the main restaurant dogs arent allowed, so our table was in the bar, which is small (there are about 6 tables), so advise booking in advance & letting them know you are bringing a dog, if you are taking one, so that they can fit you in on a table that works. There were a lot of other walk ins & everyone that requested a table did get one eventually - just have to be prepared to wait some time (waiting at the bar , ordering their fab beer isnt much of a hardship however!)

Thanks for a lovely lunch & looking...