Black Wheat Club

‘Boy, would I prefer to keep it a secret for just us locals!’ If there’s one thing York residents, visitors and GFG reporters agree on, it’s the pleasure to be had from a meal at this enterprising hybrid café/restaurant, where fresh modern decor (dark panelled walls, light oak furniture, bright kilims) makes for a relaxed and genuinely welcoming experience. Tomasz Mlynarski and Marta Obuchowska, the enterprising Polish couple behind the Black Wheat Club, are ‘a breath of fresh air for the city’s food scene.’ They operate two services. By day, there's an informal drop-in brunch menu, where the likes of poached eggs with creamy goat’s cheese, pickled radish and pumpkin chilli oil on fabulous home-baked sourdough could be served alongside delicious pastries (we recommend the croissant cinnamon swirls) and very good coffee. In the evening, they ramp things up with a selection of tasty and inventive sharing plates based on superb local ingredients – perhaps grilled asparagus with ginger and anchovy butter beurre blanc or roast chicken ballotine stuffed with herbs and garlic. Expect a concise, intelligent, constantly changing and approachable wine list, too.