York Restaurant Guide

“Tasty North African dishes” inspired by owner Tarek Abdeladim’s Algerian background have won a loyal following for this “reasonably priced” two-floor venue; the small plates range from chicken tagines to hummus and cassoulet, while the thing to drink is the Los Moros pale ale, created specifically for the spot by Brew York. The Shambles Market food stall where it all began (before expanding to this permanent home three years on) is also still doing a swift trade, with one reporter this year approving its “very good” falafel and chicken wraps.

This “deservedly venerable institution” is “a must for afternoon tea (lunch is good too) when you’re in York”, with “excellent cakes and pastries, extra sandwiches if your need them”, and “great old-fashioned service” – “we had to wait for a table on a Sunday afternoon in February, but it was well worth it”. Opened in 1936 as a spin-off from the 1919 Harrogate original, its classic interior was modelled on the ocean liner Queen Mary. Top Tip – “go for the full works in the upstairs room: wow, it’s in a class of its own”.

Just round the corner from the Minster, this “delightful bistro” on indie-shop-lined Gillygate is an “enjoyable and lively” sort of spot that parlays top-quality Yorkshire ingredients into its “interesting and well-executed menu” (and is open evenings-only or for Sunday lunch). NB – it’s very wee inside (“do book!”), but in summer months there’s a lovely garden backing onto the city walls.

High-profile North Yorkshire chef Andrew Pern opened this city spinoff from his famous Star at Harome a dozen years ago, on an attractive site beside the River Ouse. These days, it attracts limited feedback and such as there is remains rather up-and-down.

“Tucked away off the main street and without a sign outside, it may be difficult to find but it’s well worth seeking out” this trendy decade-old haunt from the owners of the Stone Trough Inn in Kirkham Abbey. The venue “specialises in beef, especially ex-dairy cows”, be it Finnish Sashi beef, or Galicia’s famous blonde cattle; add in a “buzzy atmosphere” and “attentive” service, and it “makes for a meat-eater’s heaven”.

“Such imaginatively constructed cooking” (“truly outstanding and innovative, and no duds which is unusual on a tasting menu!”) continues to generate high enthusiasm for the Banks family’s converted pub in the city centre, which is nowadays rivalled locally only by Skosh in terms of the number of reports it generates in our annual diners’ poll and is among our top-50 most commented-on venues in the country. “A very well constructed wine list to match the food” is also a feature that inspires praise. Even fans, though, can find it “overpriced”: “great food… but you have to pay for it”.

From a small bar in Malton in 2007, Zoe & Tim Sinclair have created a five-strong Yorkshire tapas chain of which this outpost 2010 was the first. It now has two other siblings in the city: “opt for this one if you want more of the old York building vibe”. It’s one of the most commented-on businesses in York in our annual diners’ poll thanks to its “well-priced tapas that’s a cut above the standard, with excellent wines and sherries too” and it “gets very busy and noisy due to its popularity”. Arguably, though, “the menu is far too big – some dishes are poor, some are very good”.

“A great find” in a “quiet enclave tucked away from the bustle of touristy York” – Adam & Lovaine Humphrey’s “friendly” modern venue offers “very high-quality food” that is “attractively plated, generous, neither over-fussy or daunting – and there’s no upselling of sides”. The “light and airy, minimalistic” dining room owes much to their previous restaurant in Australia, and divides opinion: some “love the dramatic stripe artwork relocated from Sydney”, while others find it “smart but slightly bland”. There is also a Little Arras bakery and café (hence the “yummy sourdough”).

An “ancient building in central York” (traditional ale house downstairs, restaurant upstairs) is the stage for the Hjort clan’s Anglo-French outfit – a reinvention of their previous local, Melton’s. Alongside keenly priced fish dishes, they also lay on an “incredibly good (and good- value) Sunday lunch” – replete, bien sûr, with the local Yorkshire pud. Macabre PS – the ropes in the interior nod to its 18th-century days as Ellerker’s, who provided the hangman’s nooses for York prison (cue the now-obscure doomed phrase “For me there is no hope – was Ellerker’s made this rope”).

Launched back in 1990 by Roux-trained Michael Hjort, who directs the York Food Festival, and wife Lucy, who takes care of FOH and wines, this British bistro is, say fans, “still the best place to eat in York for a sensibly priced meal”. As well as the à la carte menu (at three courses for £80 per person), there is also a “superb tasting menu with well thought-out wine flight expertly and amusingly described” if you want to push the boat out.

This famous chippy with old-school décor (est. 1989) is the flagship of a seven-strong Yorkshire empire – and a reliable “go-to on a long journey up the A1”. The main event is “great and traditional fish ‘n’ chips” with a focus on haddock but a long list of other scrumptious fish to eat. If you don’t fancy staying on site, you can demolish the victuals overlooking the wharf and Wetherby bandstand nearby.

Andrew Pern, longtime owner of the acclaimed Star Inn at Harome, is the mastermind behind this superbly set restaurant, which was opened amid popping flashbulbs in April 2023 by King Charles III (as he’d shortly become) and then Queen-in-waiting Camilla. While the rangy outdoor terrace is an undoubted draw – offering the best views of the Minster in town – the inside (a former 1830s school turned upscale dining room) is also a delightful location in which to sample the old-fashioned British-style cooking, within reach of mortals thanks to regular deals including the current two-course Sunday lunch for £30 (or three courses for £35). Given the venue’s obvious tourist appeal and the glut of reports it spawned after opening, there was mystifyingly little feedback from reporters this year, but what there was remained positive.