York Restaurants and Dining

(York, North Yorkshire, England, UK)



Photo of pubs along the bank of York's River OuseIf you are taking a stroll around York city centre, then it won't be long until you encounter a restaurant, public house, tearoom, coffee shop or dining establishment of some description. In fact, the city manages to boast an impressive 200 restaurants, 150 cafés and tearooms, and in excess of 300 public houses, meaning that you are unlikely to go hungry in York.

Many of the restaurants and eateries in the city cater for the busy tourist crowd and resident university students, with pubs frequently being full of old-fashioned character and offering up traditional meals, including the ever-popular Sunday roast. Particularly favoured by visitors is the Golden Fleece, which is said to be the 'most haunted' pub in York and features an enticing dining menu, with gourmet home-cooked dishes. In contrast, some wine bars are more modern and trendy in their appearance, offering fine dining in convenient central locations, such as the Swinegate area.

Those shopping and looking for a bite to eat will find a number of bakeries dotted around the Shambles, close to York Minster. Pub grub is also very much available in this part of the city, with pie and chips remaining a firm traditional favourite, along with sausages and mashed potatoes (bangers and mash).


Picture of a York restaurant

Breakfast

If you are looking to eat breakfast outside of your hotel, then York's cafes often provide a tempting choice. Close to Dean's Park, the Cafe No. 8 Bistro on Gillygate comes highly recommended, being known for its full English breakfasts of bacon, eggs, sausage, tomato, black pudding and mushrooms, accompanied by toast and a pot of tea.

At Cafe Rouge on Lower Petergate, the breakfast dining menu also includes a traditional fry up, along with eggs benedict, three-egg omelettes, French toast, muesli and fruit, and scrambled egg on toasted brioche. Further choices come in the form of Starbucks, Coffee Republic, Coffee Culture, Bar 38, Pitcher and Piano, and Pret a Manger.

Lunch

Unless you are in the mood for fine dining, pubs provide the best place for lunchtime food, with special boards often accompanying the bar menus. An increasing number of 'gastro pubs' are making an appearance around York, where food is becoming more important than the actual ale. If you are here at the weekend and looking for a decent Sunday roast, then good choices are based around Swinegate and Stonegate, where the Evil Eye Lounge, Kennedy's Bar Restaurant and Ye Olde Starre Inne all stand out. Alternatively, for a light lunch, a cream tea of scones and jam is easy to come by at one of the numerous tearooms in central York.

Fast-Food Outlets

Those in York city centre looking for something to eat in a hurry can choose between bakeries, sandwich shops, cafes, fish and chip shops, burger bars and kebab takeaways. If you prefer to stick to familiar brands, then consider Burger King on Stirling Road, Domino's Pizza on Bishopthorpe Road, KFC on Blossom Street, McDonald's on Blake Street and Nando's on the High Ousegate, as well as Greggs the bakery on St. Sampsons Square. Further choices await at the Coppergate Shopping Centre on the Coppergate Walk, where the West Cornwall Pasty Co. is of note, while nearby the Jorvik Viking Centre, Pizza Hut is often extremely busy with families at lunchtimes.

Dinner

Some of the best restaurants and eateries in the York area can be found around North Street, New Street, Petergate, Hudson Street, the Shambles, Haxbury Road, Heworth, Lendal and College Street. For evening dining, reliable choices include the Lime House Restaurant on Goodramgate, the Living Room at Bridge Street, and the award-winning Black Swan on Peasholme Green, where evening meals can be followed by a guided ghost walk. The dining menu at the Black Swan features a number of tasty homemade pies, such as steak and stilton, steak and ale, pigeon, fish and even squirrel.