White House Hotel, Whitby

Stuck out on the Western fringes of Whitby, this is a smart, food-led pub and hotel that has been opened out a bit and now has a bit of a hotel restaurant feel to it. Entering via the car park at the rear of the pub, you find yourself in a large carpeted room with a red and cream colour scheme broken up by a few sections of grey low wall panelling, minimal seaside themed décor and a lot of those bland slogan signs. Basic tables and chairs fill much of the room, most of which have been aligned to take advantage of the fine sea views that can be enjoyed out across the neighbouring golf course. The bar is along the front wall and has a gastro-grey panelled counter front and plain wooden bar back with a row of blackboards above listing various food and drink options. To one side of the bar, a few dark brown leather sofas have been arranged for those not wishing to dine, again offering excellent views along the coast. There are a lot of pillars and sections of wall in the room, suggesting a former multiple room layout and helping to break the space up quite nicely, making it feel a little cosier and intimate than you might expect. Some of these pillars have been decorated with twig arrangements that are actually quite effective in giving the impression of a tree branching out through the room. As we were seated in the rear room for our meal, we didn’t get around to exploring the front of the pub, where there seemed to be another room, perhaps better suited to those wishing to just visit for a drink. There’s a nice beer garden out the back with a good mix of high-quality garden furniture, some limited shelter and what appeared to be an outdoor kitchen or BBQ area. A dreadful, soppy ballad soundtrack accompanied our visit, but thankfully there was just about enough chatter from an almost full house, to drown it out most of the time. We came here specifically for food, having been staying in a nearby guesthouse, and found it to be very good quality, with generous portions at fairly reasonable prices. Three Theakston beers – Best, Lightfoot and Old Peculiar – were available on the bar and my pint of Best was in decent enough shape, if not exactly the most memorable beer of our trip. The staff were plentiful, and all seemed to be friendly and helpful, ensuring quick service and a warm welcome. This place was a bit too food-orientated for my liking, and whilst we were very much happy coming here for a nice meal, I’m not so sure I would’ve wanted to visit just for a drink. It might be worth a look in passing, especially if the weather permits spending some time admiring the views from the beer garden, but otherwise it’s not really worth heading out of town for unless you’re hoping to grab some food.

Decent enough hotel bar. Bar area in middle as you enter. Had three hand pumps including Theakstone's Old Peculiar which went down well despite it being just after 1pm.

Close to the cliff top and golf course, large white detached hotel. As hotel bar's go it is large, comfortable and serves 2 real ales, which isn't always the case. Pleasant enough, bar & food area, carpeted, all reasonable

Official site of the White House Hotel - www.whitehouse-whitby.co.uk

Official site of the White House Hotel - www.whitehouse-whitby.co.uk