City eating guide – York
Published 24 September 2026

Coffee, nature’s kickstarter

Get your day off to a great start with great coffee: Heppni Bakeri, Flori Bakery and Little Arras all serve top-quality java alongside equally good pastries. Head to Haxby Bakehouse at The Unit on the Clifton Moor trading estate to pick up some celebrated sourdough... and stay for a coffee and cinnamon bun. For a more elegant start to the day, the Garden Room at the Milner Hotel is the perfect meeting spot next to York railway station.

MUST VISIT Heppni, to experience sublimely laminated almond croissants

Breakfast, beyond the expected

Bettys, famous for its Fat Rascals and dainty cakes, is also famous for its queues. The secret to swerving these is to hit the café at 9am for a breakfast of Swiss rösti with bacon, tomato, mushroom and poached egg. For something more casual, Perky Peacock serves a bacon or sausage bap within its cute 14th-century postern house beside the river Ouse. On Bishopthorpe (Bishy) Road it’s the Pig and Pastry where you can indulge in everything from porridge and homemade granola to the delightfully named Peacado toast!

MUST VISIT Experience the famous Bettys at the best time of day

Brunch, for when you long to linger

Partisan serves a breakfast skillet with everything you’d expect from a full English (with vegan/veggie options too); if you’re after something more eclectic, there’s shakshuka, chicken shawarma and a scallop and bacon roll, all fabulous. A changing blackboard at Mannion & Co may offer Persian eggs with rose harissa, merguez sausage and pickled veg, while an American pancake stack is the go-to at Brew & Brownie. And then there’s GFG Best Local Restaurant 2026 North East winner Black Wheat Club where everything is handmade in-house from sourdough to sausages.

MUST VISIT Black Wheat Club (it’s a winner for a reason)

Lunch, from street food to smart dining

At Star Inn the City Chef Andrew Pern brings the celebrated food of the original Star Inn at Harome to York, with inventive Yorkshire cooking and a riverside terrace perfect for alfresco lunches. Pern’s York Minster Refectory serves British classics in the cathedral’s shadow, while the Anglo/French Chopping Block does a terrific Sunday roast. Feeling casual? Check out Spark where you’ll find all types of street food, cocktails, beers and more housed in a collection of shipping containers. Feeling regal? Then beautiful Gray’s Court is the place to splash out on a light lunch with the privilege of lording it in the long gallery where King James I once dined.

MUST VISIT For food meets location, it’s Star Inn the City

Dinner, small or perfectly formed

Skosh is an eternal favourite with a creative menu of small plates. Our tip? Book early. Neighbouring Brancusi also dishes up small plates but with a more regional style and casual vibe. Tommy Banks’ Roots is a special treat with an exciting tasting menu and a standout ‘Sunday Feast’. Melton’s, around for an astonishing 35 years, still serves a modern and refined dinner with excellent wines. And punching above its weight for a small local bistro, Café No 8 serves three elegant courses that won’t disappoint.

MUST VISIT Brancusi, for its casual ambience and innovative style

Snacks, just because

In the mood for a little something to tide you over? Love Cheese has a ‘Speakcheesey’ out the back serving hot and cold dishes, delicious wines and outrageous amounts of cheese. Hit up V’s Artisan Kitchen & Bakery for Greek pastries and Aly’s for cheesecake, and when only pizza will do, head over to Cresci’s. Roberto sells authentic Italian gelato, best enjoyed on a bench in the nearby Dean’s Garden, and Frenchman Florian Poirot makes exquisite macarons and chocolates in the Shambles. A hidden gem: the old park keepers’ lodge in Rowntree Park has one of York Libraries’ lovely Reading Cafés.

MUST VISIT Roberto’s gelato for its fabulous range of flavours

Pubs, made for crawling

The House of Trembling Madness on Stonegate may look like a regular bottle shop but climb its rickety stairs to the attic and you’ll find a wonderfully eccentric space filled with beers, old beams and taxidermy (another branch of Madness occupies a handsome Georgian mansion on Lendal). For more medieval beams and good ale, head to Pivni. Beside Museum Gardens, the Minster Inn is a cosy Edwardian house with open fires, while the community-owned Golden Ball is a charming Victorian free house. For live jazz, try the independent Phoenix Inn, and, if you’re travelling by train, the York Tap is conveniently located right on the station platform. Wine bars worth knowing include Jorvine and 2 Many Wines.

MUST VISIT The Stonegate branch of House of Trembling Madness (it’s unique)

Cocktails, for the glam touch

There are cocktails galore to be had among the indie bars of Fossgate, but for something classier the 1906 Bar in the Grand Hotel is the lushest (and priciest) cocktail bar in the city. It’s not called Grand for nothing.

And finally, chocolate

The whiff of melted chocolate that occasionally spreads across the city from the Nestlé chocolate works is a reminder of York’s chocolate history, with the legacy of Terry’s and Rowntree’s still dominating the city. You can learn about it at York Cocoa Works. While you’re there, you can also take a chocolate-making class and come home with everything from single-origin choccie bars to their signature hot chocolate.