The ‘hidden’ French restaurant in Middleton-in-Teesdale

The Forresters Bar & Restaurant with Rooms, on the Market Place in Middleton-in-Teesdale, has built up a reputation that reaches beyond Upper Teesdale thanks to its combination of bar, rooms and a French-style restaurant offering classic dishes that reviewers regularly single out by name.

First-hand accounts via TripAdvisor repeatedly praise favourites, including French onion soup, cheese soufflé and beef bourguignon, with one party of four calling their Friday-night meal “exceptionally good” and saying the whole experience was “outstanding”, adding that for the quality, “the bill was perfectly reasonable”.

Forresters Bar & Restaurant with Rooms (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

Visitors staying overnight often talk about the welcome as much as the food.

Reviews describe staff as “splendid”, “helpful” and “very friendly”, with one guest thanking the owner and team for “superb food, very clean rooms, friendly staff [and] very good prices”, calling it “an incredible French restaurant in a picturesque village”.

Another said their group felt “very at home”, praising both the accommodation and that the town offered “a very warm welcome”.

The Forresters’ appeal is frequently linked to its location, used as a base by people coming to walk Teesdale’s best-known scenery, including High Force and Low Force.

Several reviewers describe the rhythm of a stay that’s become familiar in the area: a day out on the moors and at the falls, then back into town for a meal that feels a little different.

One anniversary couple said their weekend combined “beautiful waterfalls” with a “fantastic meal” at the restaurant, describing their room as clean and comfortable and the staff as “consistently friendly”.

Others highlight thoughtful touches, such as water already waiting on the table for larger bookings, and the pub’s dog-friendly approach.

Food feedback often focuses on flavour and presentation.

Lunch diners describe dishes as “delicious” and “first class”, with specific mentions of lamb, beef and desserts like chocolate torte.

Local reviewers also post warmly about lighter options and seasonal plates, describing meals as “pleasing on the eye” as well as “very tasty”, with compliments directed to the kitchen team.