Crazy Bear Hunting Lodge in County Durham

This was our 2nd visit and it didn't disappoint. Outstanding food, fabulous matched wines and incredible service throughout. One of the best dining experiences in the UK.

Went for my 50th birthday last Friday. The food was amazing. And the service was absolutely what made this experience even more special. Thank you

Amazing service, delicious food, wonderful wines and drinks! Rooms were perfect and breakfast was superb!

Best service I have ever had. Absolutely astonishing standards. Food is another level and a taste sensation. Wine pairings were superb. Breakfast was brilliant. Catered for dietary requirements with ease. Rooms were fantastic and the champagne on arrival was a great touch. This place is a literal 10/10.

Lacking in Integrity, creativity and class. A really bad experience.Following phone confirmation from the restaurant that they were able to cater for my wife's intolerance of gluten, I decided to book a table for my wife's 30th. The reservation was made 6 months before her birthday and as we have two kids under two there was a lot of forward planning which included taking the kids up to their grandparents house in Northumberland for babysitting, booking numerous trains and a hotel. On the day before we were due to dine, I received an email from the restaurant back tracking on their confirmation to cater for my wife's intolerance and an offer of a full refund. The restaurant said they had reduced the number of chefs from 12 to 6 and they no longer had the capacity (willingness or creativity) to cater for my wife which was hugely disappointing.The restaurant states on their website;'Enjoy our globally-inspired, forward-thinking menu by James Close, in the luxury of our beautiful dining room', however there was no forward thinking of my wife's intolerance. As a double Michelin starred restaurant I would expect the chef's to showcase their talent, class and creativity in adapting to suit their diners needs but this never materialised. We have never come across the issues faced at any other restaurant and recently, The Kitchin in Edinburgh and Core by Clare Smyth produced fine examples of catering for my wife's dietary requirements. The Raby Hunt showed a total disregard to the plans we had made amd our financial losses which exceeded £600.They did not deal with the situation well, a complimentary glass of champagne on arrival would have been totally acceptable but no alternative other than a refund was provided. Not befitting of a double Michelin starred restaurant and we will not be booking again. Much better dining options available elsewhere.

Appetizers are great but I don’t like the main-courses and desserts

the North East of England’s only 2 star restaurant, there is much to admire. In particular the hard work and determination of largely self-taught, former pro-golfer, James Close which has put this former gastro-pub run by his parents, firmly on the culinary map. His philosophy that chefs should ‘eat out more than they do’ is absolutely right.We’re told that he took his sommelier and front of house manager on an all expenses paid trip to Mirazur, ranked as no 3 in the world and where I celebrated my birthday last year. This is to be applauded and more restaurateurs would do well to emulate this behaviour. There is a similarity between the two restaurants though and I’m afraid its a mixed bag.The food at the Raby Hunt was excellent, cleverly executed and stunningly presented (although I was left longing for just one ordinary round white pate to replace the over used raised porcelain presentation devices), the dining room is stylish and not over formal and the view of the kitchen from the car park raises expectations as you’re left wondering if they can produce truly great food from such a small space. We had fifteen tiny courses, each enigmatically named on the fixed tasting menu and the service wasMy big gripe with Raby Hunt and to a slightly lesser extent with Mirazur however is one of attitude. It relates back to my opening remarks in this article. Is it just about the food or is it about hospitality? The email I received from Raby Hunt the day before our booking told me they had been tying to reach me on the telephone so that I could confirm my booking and as I’d not answered (I never received the call) they were emailing instead. The opening remarks were “We hope you are looking forward to your reservation…” When we arrived at the restaurant the greeting from the waiter was “Are you looking forward to your dinner at Raby Hunt?”. Catering, however highly rated it might be, is a service industry. Or at least that’s what I thought. Surely they meant to say ‘We are looking forward to welcoming you to the Raby Hunt for dinner tomorrow” and ‘Welcome to the Raby Hunt we hope you have a great evening”. Those two things really put me in a bad mood.On the whole though I’m happy that my home County has such an interesting restaurant. I hope it will become more customer focussed as time goes by. Chef’s dislike of Trip Advisor is indicative of someone who has a firm idea of what it is he wants to create and that his customers should fit in with that, rather than being critical on the grounds of personal taste (likes and dislikes). It’s the Gordon Ramsey approach and it worked for him but I still think the attitude of Raby Hunt needs to be more welcoming and less superior. If it were I’d go back!Meanwhile here are some pics of the food.

Just a wonderful experience from start to finish. It's Michelin stars are well deserved. I would highly recommend.Looking forward to going back for a special treat another time in the not too distant future.

Went for our silver wedding anniversary. The food was, as expected, exemplary. Service efficient, if somewhat distant. The price was imho poor value. I’m sure not crazy considering the Michelin stars, but Ive dined in many, many 1,2 and even the odd 3 star restaurant and I don’t think the prices are justified for what you actually get. Overall a lovely evening, but left me rather deflated, and bereft! Won’t be back soon.

Food presentation and quality is outstanding.We had a reservation at the Kitchen table and unless you witnessed the hard work and dedication each and everyone puts in its hard to appreciate it.The taste of each dish(all 15)was like nothing we’ve had before. We opted for the wine pairing which enhances your experience to another level.I can’t recommend the place enough.However,you must appreciate such quality and service comes at a cost.In my opinion though,worth every penny.