Number 20

If you are driving out to Port Mulgrave specifically for dinner, book it. The combination of seafood sourced close to the coast, Italian-influenced technique, and a daily-changing menu that runs to three starters and three mains makes this one of the most focused independent restaurants operating at the £££ price point anywhere in the north of England. The only caveat: the format is not for everyone. There are no tasting menus, no sharing plates, and no theatrical flourishes. That restraint is the point.

Portrait

Twenty-four covers is all you get. The room was the village pub; it is now a single dining space where Sue Davies runs front of house alone and Jason Davies cooks on an open kitchen anchored by a Josper grill. The atmosphere is quiet and domestic rather than buzzy — conversation carries, the pace is unhurried, and the absence of background noise means you can actually hear the person across the table. For a food-focused evening with someone whose company you want, the room works well. For a group looking for energy and spectacle, it does not.

Jason and Sue previously ran the Fox and Hounds nearby, so the move to Number 20 was a deliberate step toward something more personal and more precise. The menu changes daily, which is both the draw and the constraint: what you eat depends entirely on when you arrive and what is at its finest that week. The Italian influence is not cosmetic — it shapes how the kitchen handles ingredients. Wild sea bass carpaccio with olive oil, lemon and chilli; seared scallops on grilled polenta with anchovy and rosemary sauce; crab risotto; panna cotta; burnt Basque cheesecake; Fregola grape sorbet. The approach is to let the ingredient lead. Nothing is over-sauced or over-composed. The Josper grill is used for both the seafood and the meat course, and it shows, grilled fillet with smoked potatoes and horseradish cream, ribeye with borlotti beans and herby salsa, spatchcocked partridge from the North York Moors grilled with lemon and thyme. The cheeseboard is a single, perfectly ripe specimen, often something like Young Buck or Lincolnshire Poacher, served with quince cheese, grapes and oatcakes. It is one of the more considered cheese courses you will find at this price level.

The wine program at Number 20 is worth treating as a genuine part of the meal rather than an afterthought. Sue advises on wine herself, and given the menu's Italian leanings, polenta, risotto, Fregola, salsa verde-adjacent sauces, the list rewards anyone who asks for a pairing suggestion rather than defaulting to a bottle they already know. The kitchen's preference for clean, high-acid preparations (lemon, chilli, anchovy) and grilled protein means the list likely tilts toward Italian whites and lighter reds that complement rather than compete. That said, the list itself is not published in advance, and the daily-changing menu means pairings shift accordingly. The practical upside is that Sue is at every table all evening, if you ask, you will get a considered answer rather than a rote recommendation. For wine-focused diners visiting from further afield, that personal engagement is a meaningful part of the experience. Compare this to destination restaurants where sommeliers manage multiple sections and the pairing conversation is brief: here, the conversation is the service.

Port Mulgrave sits a mile inland from the sea and the Cleveland Way National Trail, which means the setting is genuinely remote. There is no other meaningful dining destination within easy walking distance. If you are travelling from outside the region, our full Port Mulgrave restaurants guide covers the broader picture, and you will want to plan accommodation in advance, our full Port Mulgrave hotels guide is a useful starting point. For those combining the trip with the Cleveland Way or the North Yorkshire coast more broadly, our full Port Mulgrave experiences guide has relevant context.

Booking difficulty is moderate given the 24-cover room and the Michelin recognition. The restaurant operates without a published website or phone number in the standard directories, which means the booking route requires a little more effort to establish, direct contact via the address or through local accommodation recommendations is the most reliable path. Allow at least two to three weeks for a weekend booking, more during summer when the coastal walking routes bring visitors to the area. Weekday bookings are more achievable at shorter notice.

At the £££ price point, Number 20 sits in the range where you are paying for ingredient quality and cooking precision rather than room size, service theatrics, or extensive wine infrastructure. That is an honest trade. For the food-focused traveller who wants a serious dinner in a genuinely personal setting, the value is clear. For anyone expecting the full-service architecture of a destination restaurant, extensive wine list, multiple courses, elaborate mise en place, this is the wrong venue. It is also worth noting that the format has not chased trends: no tasting menus, no sharing plates, no pre-desserts. That consistency over time is itself a signal of confidence. The Michelin Plate two years running at a 24-seat room in a village this size is not an accident.

For context on what else the UK's independent seafood-focused restaurants are doing at comparable and higher price points, hide and fox in Saltwood offers a useful comparison further south, and Moor Hall in Aughton represents the next tier up in the north of England. Internationally, the Italian seafood tradition that informs Number 20's kitchen is well represented at Gambero Rosso in Marina di Gioiosa Ionica and Alici Restaurant on the Amalfi Coast, both of which give useful reference points for the culinary tradition Number 20 is drawing on.

Booking and Practical Details

Address: 20 Rosedale Lane, Port Mulgrave, Saltburn-by-the-Sea TS13 5JZ. No published website or phone number; approach via local accommodation or direct enquiry. Book two to three weeks out for weekends; weekday availability is better. The room holds 24 covers only, if your party is larger than six, confirm early. Port Mulgrave has no public transport links to speak of, so driving or a pre-arranged taxi from Whitby or Saltburn is the practical approach. For bars and drinks before or after, our full Port Mulgrave bars guide covers what is available locally.

How It Compares