The Queen's Head, Finghall — Restaurant in England

Came to sample the pub as local business owners who are constantly looking for nice local eateries to send our customers to.

Arrives at the pub and first impressions were good, pretty village lovely open views to the back.

We had made a reservation but were early and the staff were accommodating in us eating earlier - our initial table was in the bar, by the door - not the most comfortable location - but fair enough.

After a little exploration, came across the stunning dining room which had only a hand full of diners - asked the waitress if we could move into there - once again very accommodating - but was a little confused why you would not seat us in the purpose built dining room for dinner when there was clearly enough room ?!? Felt odd

But none the less, the ambience in there was lovely, nice and clean, good music, tables spaced out well. We had high hopes.

Ordered food which came after around 35/40 mins - no issue with that (only had mains) wasn’t impressed that at £6.20 per pint my husband had to go and fetch his own beer as no one came back to us for the full 40 mins while we were waiting to ask us for drinks - no wine list was offered, no one asked if I wanted to order wine with my dinner - so I simply didn’t!!

The table opposite us the lady had to get up and get her drink to and she was mid way through eating her dinner. This really isn’t good enough when you have 3 waitresses and 4 tables of diners. There was no excuse you weren’t busy.

People are coming out for the hospitality!

Food arrived and one meal was great, the other was pie and chips - the chips were burnt. When your meal consists of only 2 elements they should be of excellent quality.

Raised with the waitress who was very young and polite but clearly not confident in dealing with customers who fault anything - not her fault at all, she was very lovely and pleasant. She sent over a Manager

Well Claire I’m sorry but you are in the wrong job, it wasn’t a personal dig at you, my husband very politely said that his chips were burnt, before he even finished speaking he was snapped at, being told ‘no they aren’t!!’ Very curt and rather rude.

£18.50 for a pie that comes with just chips, no peas, no veg, not even extra gravy - is a lot and when half that meal isn’t to the satisfaction of your customer. You need to listen and stop being so defensive.

Waited far too long for the bill, had to go into the bar to pay and when asked for a slight discount for the chips - Claire very aggressively stabbed at her card machine and tutted at me - giving me a £2 discount.

Your attitude is just so wrong, you are rude and snappy and I can see why on a Friday evening when the sun is shining, your lovely decorated restaurant was practically empty.

In the current economic climate with pubs struggling to stay open we want to encourage independent business, we want to send all of our customers to good pubs and restaurants for relaxing evenings and good food - but I’m sorry I will be telling our 2000+guests a year to be avoiding you.

Also please can you think about customers, people who visit our beautiful area on holiday, have looked forward to it, have saved up for it!

When people are parting with their hard earned cash - respect that and give them a good experience - they deserve it. Don’t make them feel like they have personally offended you and put you out. That’s just not right.

**EDIT: Thank you for your equally defensive response to my review and taking no accountability 👍🏻 it’s not criticism...

The Queens Head used to have a reputation for excellent pub food, it was one of the best places in the area to eat a number of years ago. Fantastic food and value for money. Unfortunately our experience of the QH fell short of a few things which is such a shame.||Firstly, the positives….it is in a stunning location with beautiful views across Wensleydale and the pub itself has benefitted from a wonderful refurbishment including the restaurant at the back with the lovely views across the Dale and the gorgeous olive tree. It has been tastefully done and they are in the process of finishing off and opening their accommodation. Lady behind the bar was lovely, very helpful and friendly. The food was very nicely presented and as far as the starter portions were concerned, good portions and both my husband’s garlic mushrooms and my smoked haddock pancake was superb, co complaints here.||Negatives..husband chose the Black Sheep steak and ale pie which had a lovely proper shortcrust pastry lid with homemade chips and I opted for the pea, Yorkshire Fettle frittata. The pie however was let down by a distinct lack of vegetables, we asked if they came with the dish and were told no, they were extra. When a pub is serving Pub Classic dishes such as the old favourite of pie and chips, the least to be expected is that vegetables come as standard. We certainly had no intention, on principle, of paying for extra vegetables and we are not skinflints. We agree with the review before ours who also were left disappointed by the steep extra cost of £20 for a few basic vegetables. ||Service rather impersonal, not once did any of the young staff ask us if everything was satisfactory.||All in all, we both felt the Queens Head has jumped on the gastro pub, culinary bandwagon and trying to be something they are not. They need to go back to basics such as serving old pub favourites with a nice bowl of vegetables, like they used to do, and staff need to polish up their attention to detail. We appreciate that places must move with the times and things do change but there are a number of better dining pubs around and won’t be rushing back...

Booked by a friend as a good location for a Sunday lunch catch up. It was top drawer. The cleanliness was spot on - and despite it being a busy Sunday lunch 1.00pm) the toilets were still clean and presentable, I spotted one of the team checking them - always goods to see. The location is rural but with a generous car park - no parking issues at all. Warm and cozy was the feeling on arrival with a wood burner gently adding to the ambiance. Local beers on tap - I enjoyed Old Peculiar by Theakston’s and others in our party enjoyed the Black Sheep or the Masons Gin. The food was superb - as was the banter between 5 couples in a private room - unfortunately I failed to take photos. However the Smoked Haddock Pot as a starter was my outstanding choice. It was delicious and a well balanced dish. |Main course was the Roast Sirloin Sunday Lunch for me - again great presentation and full of flavour, others enjoyed Steak & Ale Pie, Fish Pie or alternative roasts. Vegetables and potatoes were in abundance, served in bowls on platter boards - green beans, cauliflower cheese, carrots, red cabbage and new potatoes. All served piping hot and with the most delicious gravy. |My dessert was a ginger sponge - pure indulgence on my part - but a great ending to the meal. Rounded off with coffee it was a fabulous experience. |Jugs of cold water were readily available as a palate cleanser or to enjoy between beverages. |Value for money: £65 per couple (excluding drinks) was in my opinion good account, great food with excellent portions - I have a good appetite - and will definitely be returning. |Summertime the views over the valley will be fabulous to view from the outside tables - but a tad too blowy...