West Park

Just what Harrogate has been looking for? Walking into the contemporary bar and restaurant at the West Park hotel on a buzzing Saturday night, it's easy to think so. A sophisticated drinks bar is jammed with bright young things – the feel is very definitely bar and not pub – while there's cosy-for-two dining at the tables and booths wrapped around on all sides. There's also more formal dining in the restaurant at the back, though pleasingly everyone gets to order off the same menu, so it doesn't matter if you fancy 'quiet night out' as opposed to 'big night out'. The modern brasserie menu does great things with Yorkshire produce – glazed Lowna goat's cheese, pork belly on prune pureé, lamb rump from the Cleveland Hills and east-coast lobster give an idea of the style, though you can also keep it simple with things such as fish and chips, hand-packed burgers or steaks that they cook in a humungously hot charcoal-fired oven they call the 'Charcoal Bertha'. There are a few different moods here too – from breakfast or brunch hang-out (there are outdoor seats overlooking The Stray) to bar nibbles and a late-night last drink from the incredibly well-stocked bar – so the West Park is definitely one to keep in mind whenever you're out about in Harrogate.