Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Grimston
Hardens guides have spent 33 years compiling reviews of the best Grimston restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 32 restaurants in Grimston and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Grimston restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Grimston Restaurants
1. The Lime Tree Inn
restaurant in Great Ouseburn
Branton Lane - YO26
A brand new country Inn, opened its doors for the first time in September 2020.The Lime Tree Inn is a family run country Inn made of seriously good food in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.Our menu is seasonal with everything made in house from quali...
2. Fish and Forest
Fish & seafood restaurant in York
110 Micklegate - YO1
“The menu is determined daily by catch”, and the result is “a wide and varied choice” of “fresh and excellent fish” at this popular bistro, near the city walls. Game and foraged food also feature in their menu repertoire, but inspire less feedback in our annual diners’ poll.
3. The Alice Hawthorn
British, Modern restaurant in Nun Monkton
The Green - YO26
An “excellent gastropub-with-rooms in a delightful village” – and right on the village green, which has the rare honour of hosting the country’s tallest maypole. Yorkshire hospitality royalty John & Claire Topham, who put the General Tarleton at Ferrensby on the map, are behind its recent national hype, and added award-winning rooms to the picture in 2022. Hearty dishes make the most of local produce and “very professional” staff don’t bat an eyelid if you choose to linger a few hours. PS – they now do pizzas in the garden in summer on Fri/Sat nights.
4. Skosh
British, Modern restaurant in York
98 Micklegate - YO1
“Clever small plate dishes with exciting flavour combinations” have established Neil Bentinck’s city-centre destination as one of York’s most popular in recent years. “Some seats are up at a counter watching the chefs at work, whilst the remainder still have the atmosphere of being in a busy kitchen restaurant”. “Getting a table can sometimes feel like trying to get tickets for Glastonbury, but it is really worth it for amazing British-Japanese fusion food that’s so inventive but not too expensive, with new dishes being created all the time”. “Relaxing, with a buzz of warmth and efficiency”: “It leaves you with a deeper love of humanity and a sense of what a great local can give!”. “Looking forward to the knock through to next door” – planning permission was finally granted in early 2023 and work is due to be complete by the end of the year.
6. The Bow Room Restaurant
British, Modern restaurant in York
Grays Court Hotel, Chapter House Street - YO1
In summer 2023, Ian Doyle (an alum’ of the legendary Noma, who gained a star at previous haunt the Cliff House Hotel, in Waterford, Ireland) stepped in to fill the shoes of Adam Jackson, who has now moved to the Rattle Owl in Micklegate. Early reports suggest that his tasting menu is “just fabulous” (“exceeded our expectations”) and “what a wonderful setting” the restaurant has in this “amazing ancient property” – York’s oldest inhabited house – situated near York Minster. Top Tips – “make sure to have a stroll around the garden before enjoying the top-notch cuisine” and “also book a room so you don’t have to rush home”.
7. Arras
British, Modern restaurant in York
The Old Coach House, Peasholme Green - YO1
“Fabulous food at a reasonable price” is endorsed by every report on Adam & Lovaine Humphrey’s stylish city-centre venue – and the “surprise extras” including “high-quality canapés, amuse bouches and the English cheese takes on worldwide alternatives” all go down a treat. Adam is originally from Yorkshire, but the couple ran restaurants in Australia for almost 20 years – more conservative diners may feel “the startling white decor would fit better in trendy Sydney” but most reports give it a strong thumbs up.
8. Il Paradiso Del Cibo
Italian restaurant in York
40 Walmgate - YO1
2023 Review: There are “no airs and graces in this homely little Italian” from Sardinian-born Paolo Silesu – just “great food, friendly service and a lively buzz”. “If you just woke up here, you’d think you were in the back streets of Naples – it’s mad and hectic, but brilliant” – and “totally authentic”.
9. Barbarkan
Polish restaurant in York
34 Fossgate - YO1
2021 Review: A “robust Polish food offering in central York”, also serving other Eastern European specialities (notably textbook pierogi and borscht) and winning fans for its bargain prices; “if you can, leave room for the cakes which are truly delicious”.
10. Ambiente
Spanish restaurant in York
31 Fossgate - YO1
This “lively” and well commented-on venue with a “good choice of tapas” celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, now with two more branches in York as well as outposts in Leeds and Hull. A meal here is a “good opportunity to explore sherries, with various flights available”.
11. Mumbai Lounge
Indian restaurant in York
47 Fossgate - YO1
2021 Review: “Beautiful Indian food” from a “varied menu with a touch of the exotic” and some really “great flavours” has earned this eleven-year-old Bengali a position as one of the town's top curry stops.
12. Five Guys
Burgers, etc restaurant in York
47 Low Petergate - YO1
2021 Review: “When all you want is an old-school burger”, these US-based arrivals of recent years really “hit the spot” – you can “build your own”, with “tons of accessories”; plus “seriously addictive fries”, “thick milkshakes”, and “more soda flavours than is reasonable”. “The eat-in experience is as depressing as McDonald’s”, though, in fact perhaps more so – “some branches have a strangely gloomy ambience” – but fans feel that “if you don’t mind 1980s-rock, a trip can still be surprisingly fun”.
13. Los Moros
North African restaurant in York
15-17 Grape Lane - YO1
Born as a Shambles Market stall in 2015 (the stall is still going strong), Tarik Abdeladim’s venture branched out into this bricks-and-mortar incarnation three years later. It wins praise for “very enjoyable North African food” with “plenty of interesting sharing options” and Brew York’s branded Los Moros pale ale and lager to wash it down. Top Tip – “sit downstairs if you can”.
14. Bettys
British, Modern restaurant in York
6-8 St Helen’s Square - Y01
“An institution in York, and a ‘must’ on any visit to the city” – this central branch of Bettys dates from 1936, with an interior inspired by the ocean liner Queen Mary, and its Belmont Room – named after Frederick Belmont, the Swiss confectioner who founded the Harrogate original in 1919 – is “a real treat”. “There’s no place like Bettys if you want to enjoy a classic afternoon tea with as many of the trimmings as you want” – “the quality of the food offering is never in doubt but what is exceptional is the professionalism and efficiency of the staff”.
15. The Ivy St Helen's Square
British, Modern restaurant in York
2 Saint Helen’s Square - YO1
2022 Review: The York branch of Richard Caring’s glossy Ivy chain generates most enthusiasm for its attractive interior, which makes it a pleasant spot to while away an hour or two – including over afternoon tea – especially if you can nab a table by the full-length windows (difficult to guarantee, since tables are allocated on arrival).
16. Cafe No. 8 Bistro
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in York
8 Gillygate - YO31
2021 Review: “Never had a bad meal”, say fans of this “favourite” tiny bistro, off the Gillygate, serving “excellent ingredients prepared with some imagination”. It can feel “rather cramped inside”, though. Top Tip: “go for the garden room in summer, under the medieval city wall”.
17. Mannion & Co
British, Modern restaurant in York
1 Blake St - YO1
This deli-café in a former grocer’s shop is “worth the queue” for a coffee and a treat, while the “surf ’n’ turf lunch is also very good”. Success has led to spinoffs in Helmsley and, last year, in Easingwold (where it’s called OPC after the old police cells on the premises).
18. The Whippet Inn
Steaks & grills restaurant in York
15 North St - YO1
“Hidden away on one of York’s least-photogenic streets” (their words), and spread across “several cosy rooms”, this decade-old establishment revolves around “very tasty steaks” featuring flavoursome and ethical beef from ex-dairy cows sourced in England, Galicia and France. The owners also run The Stone Trough Inn in Kirkham Abbey.
19. Melton’s
British, Modern restaurant in York
7 Scarcroft Rd - YO23
“A high-end restaurant without all the flummery and fuss that is often associated with good restaurants” has cemented the longstanding appeal of this modern British bistro (est. 1990) from the Roux-trained Michael Hjort (director of York Food Festival) and FOH wife Lucy. “Melton’s has long been a mainstay of the York food scene and long may it continue”!
20. Star Inn the City
British, Modern restaurant in York
Lendal Engine House, Museum Street - YO1
In a “great location” by the River Ouse, this characterful gastropub was opened 11 years ago by chef Andrew Pern as a city counterpart to his acclaimed Star Inn at Harome in North Yorkshire. “The cuisine still fails to meet expectations”, though – a recurrent theme, with reporters describing it as “good but not spectacular” or at best “better than expected given the poor reviews”.
View full listings of 32 Grimston Restaurants
Popular Grimston Restaurant Searches
Grimston Restaurant News