Lister Arms

Of the two pub choices in Malham The Lister Arms is by far the most stylish — a lovely old building which has been updated so that it retains much of its original charm. There are three «rooms» in the pub area and a separate dedicated restaurant area.
We had taken the precaution of booking a table for two in the restaurant area at 8pm on Wednesday evening which was wise as it was a busy evening. We were given a friendly but somewhat harassed greeting by one of the young waiting staff. After a long day walking we were hungry so we made our choices quickly from the well priced, for Malham, and good looking menu which was made up in the main of «pub classics»
Sensing that things might be going slight off the rails in the kitchen we ordered a cold starter of smoked salmon in the hope that this might be served relatively quickly while I had the sirloin steak for my main and B went for the gammon with bubble and squeak.
I won’t drag this sorry tale out but our starter never did arrive, we were offered two sets of dishes destined for other tables and our main courses took over an hour to arrive. When we finally did get to eat our supper it was tasty and well presented (possibly helped by the fact that we had drunk a bottle of wine while waiting).
When the guy behind the bar asked if we had enjoyed the meal I mentioned the problems with service: he shrugged and said it was a busy night in the kitchen due to a large number of «walk in» diners. In my naïveté I thought that a booking system was designed to avoid such difficulties and indicate when the kitchen was at capacity point — not at The Lister Arms unfortunately.

Impressive building with attractive interior. Small selection of beers of which one was off but no-​one had bothered to spin the label around. Staff were universally sour-​faced and unhelpful. The woman we tried to give our food order to stood holding a pad of paper but insisted she couldn’t take the order and we’d have to return in 10 minutes as orders had to go through «live to the kitchen». We asked why she couldn’t write the order down on her pad and take it through in 10 minutes but to no avail. We didn’t understand this and walked down to The Buck Inn. I recommend you do the same.

When you’ve hiked and tromped through the hills and fields of Malham, there is no better reward than grabbing a bite and a brew from the Lister Arms.
Originally built in 1723 as a 4 bedroom house, this pub/​bed & breakfast is a the perfect place to get a ‘little more than your average’ pub fare after a jaunt through the Yorkshire Dales.
I was there this past March and enjoyed the rustic atmosphere, the vast beer selection (including Thwaites and Wainright) and some perfectly prepared steak and kidney pie.
The staff is pleasant and the service was good. This is one of the few places in the village to get a beer and a bite… and if you’re lucky enough to get here in the spring or summer and walk the hills, it’s likely that while your dining at The Lister Arms that the families of ducks outside the window will keep you entertained. They certainly kept my attention.

The Listers is a great pub, with nicer than average rooms, quite modern with a bit of character. Great beers (Thwaites) and lovely food– you get a table in the residents bar/​restaurant if you are staying. Big roaring open fire in the Winter, and pretty village, all in walking distance of the awesome Malham Cove, and Gordale Scar, an impressive waterfall crashing through a spectacular rocky cleft. You can take in both in a walk from the pub, with some great views out over the Yorkshire Dales. Book well in advance! Great weekend away venue, and a more luxurious alternative to the nearby campsite!