From the outside, it looks like many other quintessentially English pubs.
But The Black Swan, perched on the edge of the North York Moors, is so much more.
For the family-run establishment, housed in an historic drovers’ inn, has been named the best restaurant in the world.
The Michelin-starred gastropub, in the pretty Yorkshire village of Oldstead, near Thirsk, is the first British restaurant to have claimed the top spot at the Tripadvisor Traveller’s Choice awards.
It beat competition from the likes of Heston Blumenthal and Raymond Blanc, although Blanc’s Belmond Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire took second place.
The Black Swan at Oldstead was transformed from a pretty Yorkshire pub to a Michelin-starred renowned eatery that has been named the best in the world
Tommy Banks and his brother James in the garden at The Black Swan, where they grow a lot of the produce they use in the kitchen
The Scallop Kohlrabi and Sea Vegetables dish at The Black Swan at Oldstead
The restaurants come ahead of two fine dining spots in France, as well as Heston Blumenthal’s £255-a-head The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire.
The rankings are based on millions of reviews of fine dining restaurants on TripAdvisor. The site uses an algorithm that takes the quantity and quality of reviews for restaurants around the world in account over a 12-month period.
It is the first time The Black Swan at Oldstead has entered the rankings, and has gone straight to the number one spot in three different categories: Worldwide, Europe and UK.
While it has the charm of a country pub, it does not specialise in plates of sausage and mash.
Diners inside the intimate dining room at The Black Swan, which was transformed from a simple pub
Father and son Tom and James Banks with James’ daughter, Isla, in the grounds of the pub
The Black Swan has a young head chef but Tommy Banks’ cooking is up there with the best in the business. Left: A medley of strawberries. Right: A stunning lamb dish
Instead diners sample a £95-a-head tasting menu which includes such delights as turbot with strawberry and cream, chicken dumpling and texel lamb with turnip and mint.
The Black Swan is owned by the Banks family.
Son Tommy – who won the restaurant a Michelin star when he was just 24 and has won the Great British Menu twice – heads up the kitchen, while his brother James runs the front-of-house.
It was their parents, Anne and Tom, who transformed the pub from an ordinary watering hole to a renowned fine dining establishment.
The world’s second best restaurant is also English.
Raymond Blanc’s Belmond Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, in New Milton, Oxfordshire, has two Michelin stars and has been regarded as one of the best restaurants in the world since it first opened in 1984.
Its five-course dinner tasting menus are £141 per person, while a la carte mains start at £52.
Only one other British restaurants features in the top 25 best restaurants worldwide: Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck, which comes in 12th.
Belmond Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire has long been regarded as one of the best restaurants in the world and diners think so too as they have ranked it second best globally
Raymond Blanc, head chef at his Belmond Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, focuses on using fresh, seasonal ingredients in his French cooking. Left: lamb with wild garlic. Right: Seasonal fruit soup with mint and basil
Reacting to the award, head chef Tommy Banks at The Black Swan at Oldstead said, ‘Its a huge honour to win this award, but what makes it really special is that it’s been awarded because of feedback from our customers.’
Other UK winners in the Europe rankings include Waterside Inn, which like The Fat Duck, is located in Bray-on-Thames. It places 19th.
The Three Chimneys in Colbost on the Isle of Skye follows at 20th.
Rising star Tommy Banks (left) has made it through to the banquet on the Great British Menu twice. Raymond Blanc (right) is one of the country’s most respected and best chefs
In the UK top ten, The Black Swan at Oldstead, Belmond Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, The Fat Duck, Waterside Inn and The Three Chimneys take the top five spots respectively.
In sixth place is Cumbria’s L’Enclume in Cartmel, while Adam’s in Birmingham and Quay Fifteen in Southampton follow in seventh and eighth place respectively.
London’s The Five Fields is named UK’s ninth best and Aizle in Edinburgh takes 10th position.