Best British Restaurants in Darlington

I’ve tried a few Ivy restaurants around the country including Covent Garden last week but my home town Harrogate branch is the best, great staff, the outdoor experience at Christmas is spectacular and comfortably warm, and the food is exceptionally well prepared.

21 is a real gem of a restaurant. The food is fabulous and there's a lovely atmosphere. Although it was busy, the noise from other diners was not intrusive and there were plenty of staff to ensure you were well looked after. On that note, the staff are an absolute credit to the restaurant; friendly, chatty and smiley, whilst still being professional. They were attentive, without being intrusive, which is a real skill to master. Every member of staff from front of house reception, waiting staff, sommelier and bar staff, helped to make our visit a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Not sure why I haven't been here before, perhaps I thought it might be a little too formal but that's my mistake as it's not in the slightest bit stuffy, quite the opposite. I may have lost out on a wonderful place and some fantastic food over the years because of a misconception, but I plan on rectifying that error by going back as often as I can from now on.

Service, food, atmosphere all faultless. Not a special occasion as such, met a friend for a regular catch up but was made special by being in The Ivy!

I hate it when restaurants put a discretionary service charge on. I pay it but would tip anyway if the food and service are value for money.And a further point is the Employer should be paying decent salaries without staff having to rely on tips for their living.

Nice atmosphere and excellent service. Would be improved by having a wider choice of main courses. What I had was good though .