York foodie guide: where locals eat and drink

Best restaurants in York

York Minster Refectory, Deangate

Best known for his Michelin-starred Yorkshire pub The Star Inn at Harome, chef Andrew Pern also operates two York restaurants: The Star Inn the City on the River Ouse, and York Minster Refectory. Opened this summer in a Grade II listed former school neighbouring the Minster, Refectory sees Andrew and executive chef Joshua Brimmell exploring their love of classically influenced, modern British cookery. Dishes might include beetroot-cured monkfish with shaved fennel, lovage and sherry vinegar; Yorkshire game haslet with duck fat parkin; or roast butternut squash and sage pithivier. yorkminsterrefectory.co.uk

Allium at The Vices, Alma Terrace

It’s an expectation when in York that you’ll experience its deep history. Allium at The Vices allows you the opportunity to eat in a beautifully renovated Victorian police station. Founded and renovated by its owners, Daniel Curro and Moreno Carbone, every element of the interior has been designed with incredible attention to detail. Fortunately, this same level of attention has been carried into the menu by chef, Luke Anderson. Dinner is an intimate affair, 14 guests separated between the dining room and the wine library. The set menu can be paired with wine – we would highly recommend this as it’s an incredible experience – and makes the most of seasonal produce. A particular highlight was the lamb dish which came hidden under a charred cabbage leaf. All the flavours combined perfectly and the lamb had been cooked so well that it melted away in the mouth. The pudding, simply named ‘lostingrapes’ was, in its most basic form, three ways with grapes. Served fresh, as a miniature ice cream (cone included) and injected with sorbet. The sorbet came as a delightful surprise both because of the texture and the joyous realisation when you take a bite. If you’re looking for a place to celebrate a special occasion or you just want to experience something new, Allium at The Vices is a great choice. thevices.co.uk/allium-restaurant-at-the-vices

Fish & Forest, Micklegate

It’s incredibly exciting when you find a restaurant that makes you feel so at ease you forget you’re not sat round your dining table at home. The serving staff are so knowledgeable and friendly that you feel totally comfortable letting them help you choose from the menu and, as the dishes come out, their recommendations are proven correct every time. This is, presumably, made easy because each dish is made with care, skill and excellent produce. Fish & Forest specialise in seasonal and sustainable fish, game and forest foods. With sustainability at the heart of the restaurant and a menu that’s written out by hand on a chalk board every day to give the chefs the flexibility and freedom to change daily to suit the seasons, you can rest assured that you’ll have a wonderful meal with the health of the planet considered at every turn. The coley was cooked to perfection and served on top of a stunning miso broth flavoured with the freshest of spring veg. Finishing dinner with a pavlova topped with Yorkshire’s famous rhubarb, Chantilly and a ginger crumb makes for a very happy ending. fishandforestrestaurant.com

Førage, Little Stonegate

York is a popular destination for long weekends where friends and family are at the heart of the trip. If you’re looking for a social environment, then Førage is a great choice. Situated in one the quant York back streets, the menu packs a punch. Ingredients are sourced locally so the menu changes regularly but if the burrata with heritage tomatoes is on the menu then it’s worth ordering. Otherwise, you’re in safe hands when ordering something hyper-seasonal. If you’re looking to continue the dinner then Wild by Førage is a gem of a cocktail bar found above the restaurant; cocktails are made with skill and creativity and it’s worth asking the mixologist for their recommendations. forageyork.com

Los Moros, Grape Lane

The warmth and friendliness of the staff in Los Moros helps to tops off what is a great experience. Billed as a restaurant serving modern North African, Los Moros started out as a food stall in the Shambles Market. Still equally as enticing, the restaurant is a great place to gather with friends and share small plates (try the popular Easter fried chicken which comes with a zesty preserved lemon mayo) or celebrate a special evening where the big plates work well – the ox cheeks tanjia is a favourite, the cumin-spiced mash goes really well with the pickled red onions and the depth of flavour in the ox cheeks. Finish off the meal with the coffee and chocolate mousse. losmorosyork.co.uk

Skosh, Micklegate

One of York's newest restaurants has been causing quite a stir across the UK. After seriously starry stints at Northcote, Pipe and Glass and The Star Inn at Harome (along with extensive travels in Asia) half-Indian chef Neil Bentinck has returned to his hometown of York to open contemporary small plates restaurant, Skosh (the name is a reference to the Japanese word ‘sukoshi’, meaning ‘a small amount’).

The restaurant’s modern interiors combine pine tables with bold yellow and grey paintwork and fabrics. Bag the table in the middle of the restaurant that’s framed by a striking, jade coloured arch, or perch on a high seat overlooking Neil’s open kitchen.

Hand-finished ceramic plates arrived in swift succession, each one framing its own little delicacy - crisp square nuggets of saddleback pork were accompanied with a tangy gooseberry ketchup, jewel-like granola-fried Skosh chicken was dipped in a delicate sorrel emulsion, and molasses-cured wild sea trout came on little sticks with peanuts and lime.

Larger dishes were also excellent. Crisp-topped Suffolk lamb belly fell apart beautifully and was livened up with bursts of pomegranate seeds, pickled onion, charred baby gem lettuce and a dash of yogurt.

Baked hake was topped with finely sliced cauliflower and dukkah on an umami-packed miso cauliflower rice bed – the highlight of the meal. Summer veg, brought over from local Brunswick Nursery the very same day, was tarted up with creamy burrata, black olives and a rapeseed oil emulsion.

In a nod to Neil’s Indian roots, the dessert menu includes mango lassis. Shot glasses of smooth and creamy mango were flecked with cardamom and served with mini doughnuts that opened to reveal an intensely yellow saffron custard centre.

Neil’s speciality dessert uses goat’s curd from nearby Yellison Farm to create fluffy toasted marshmallows served with raspberry sorbet and lychee granita. Or go for the richer 76% chocolate slice, which comes with a brittle-like black olive crisp, a light fennel foam and a chocolate-fennel sauce.

Read our full review of Skosh here...

Roots, Marygate

Based in the centre of York, Roots aims to bring the same Banks family farm-to-fork philosophy as their first, the Michelin-starred The Black Swan in Oldstead.

Reimagining its former pub shell, Roots sees a calm bar upstairs where guests can choose from the likes of house-made spirits, liqueurs and infusions – from fennel pollen ‘sambuca’ to lemon verbena ‘limoncello’ –and cocktails made from ingredients foraged and harvested from the family farm in Oldstead.

Downstairs, there’s a laidback vibe, with stripped wooden floors and tables, and botanical drawings on the walls, and a menu that takes inspiration from Tommy’s debut cookery book (also called Roots). Expect the likes of crapaudine beetroot slow cooked in beef fat (a signature of The Black Swan) and white chocolate with douglas fir and lemon verbena.

Read our full review of Roots here...

Cafe No.8 Bistro, Gillygate

This tiny bistro on Gillygate is the kind of place only the locals know about. Take a table in its hidden garden to enjoy lunch in the shadow of York Minster (delicious soups and sandwiches are great value at lunchtime), or go in the evening and try the slow-cooked lamb, home oak-smoked salmon fillet or fresh fig and blue cheese salad. cafeno8.co.uk

Rattle Owl, Micklegate

Named, peculiarly, after a toy (the owners both bought the same one on the same day), this small independent restaurant sits on historic Mickelgate, right in the centre of York. The structure might be 17th century but inside the style is contemporary: wooden tables have copper legs, walls are exposed brick, wooden chairs are sculptural and light fittings mix industrial chic with Art Deco glitz. Choose from a table in the bright conservatory area at the back or a high-backed grey banquette in the more atmospheric front section.

Haxby Bakehouse bread sets a precedent for the championing of local ingredients. Whitby crab is served with an intense avocado and fennel cream, buttery sable biscuits and cherry tomatoes. Pickled grapes, almonds and balsamic cubes add depth to an heirloom tomato dish, with a jar of tomato compote reduction on the side that has the punch of a Bloody Mary.

Local sourcing continues with the mains, the highlight of which was seared Scarborough woof (catfish) served with a deep-fried goujon, confit potato cylinders and a creamy bacon foam topped with charred baby gem lettuce, garden peas and an intense lemon purée. Yorkshire duck breast came perfectly pink with pak choi, spiced peach and a burnt orange sauce.

The organic-focused wine list majors on small producer wines. Bottles include subtly aromatic Sancerre ‘Clos du Roy’, rich Moonambel Syrah from Australia and, for special occasions, a refreshing ‘Les Reuchaux’ Puligny-Montrachet.

You can also buy bottles off the shelf at The Owlet, a tiny off-licence in the window of the restaurant that claims to be Yorkshire’s smallest. Prefer your beers? Go for Yorkshire Heart lager, Little Brew porter or York Brewery ale, all brewed in York and the surrounding area. rattleowl.co.uk

Best cafés in York

Mannion & Co, Blake Street

A European-style café and deli, Mannion’s specialises in platters from the deli counter. Yorkshire produce is paired with expertly sourced charcuterie, cheeses, olives and artichokes from France and Italy.

The café’s suntrap courtyard is a tiny oasis where you can enjoy a pork pie, homemade piccalilli and salad grazing platter. Or take away your sarnie of choice made with bread baked fresh on site every morning.

Super-light scones piled with jams and clotted cream, patisseries and home baked brownies make perfect pairings for Jeeves & Jericho loose leaf teas and wood-roast artisan coffee from Ue Coffee Roasters.

mannionandco.co.uk

Betty's

Betty’s is far from a secret; the queue of tourists peering into the room of scones, tea and fat rascals is a giveaway. Stick a pinkie out with a bone china cup of Betty’s delicately floral Assam and Darjeeling blend and take your pick from the immaculately presented cake trolley (the chocolate swiss roll is, unfathomably, rich and light all at the same time).

Coffee and cake at Betty’s is always a treat but the Lady Betty afternoon tea is even more so. Miniature savouries include Yorkshire pork and Bramley apple pies, smoked salmon and dill roulade, and succulent roast Yorkshire ham and tomato pâté sandwiches. A traditional silver cake stand bursts with aromatic Yorkshire lavender scones, sweet 'n' sticky toffee-apple macarons and a light choux pastry with whipped coffee cream.

bettys.co.uk

Partisan, Micklegate

Partisan & the French House is a young and vibrant independent coffee shop on Micklegate serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and afternoon tea.

The seasonal menu has its roots in global cuisine – everything from Scandinavian-style open sandwiches on rye to Korean Bibimbap – as well as offering plenty of vegan dishes. There’s a focus on local produce, and the owners even grow herbs and vegetables on their farm just outside York.

Partisan offers a wide selection of homemade seasonal cakes, tarts, and scones, all baked fresh everyday by in-house baker Steffi. Think squidgy salted caramel brownies, delicate coffee and walnut financiers and indulgent vegan raspberry donuts to enjoy with Monmouth coffee.

partisanuk.com

Best food shops in York

Love Cheese, Gillygate

Locals Harry and Phoebe Baines have sourced cheeses from near and far to create an award-winning counter. The selection covers continental as well as British cheeses but this is your chance to taste some of the county’s best, and most unusual, varieties (try the Ribblesdale smoked goat’s cheese, Botton Creamery cheddars or intense Yorkshire blue).

There’s also a small café on site. Sit on a picnic bench on the terrace at the back of the shop and sip a Huddersfield-roasted Dark Wood coffee while you wait for a toastie. As you might expect, toasties here are a step above the norm (though try our toastie recipes for serious comfort). We liked ours made with Haxby Baker granary and filled with mature cheddar and spiced tomato or manchego with chorizo and chilli chutney.

lovecheese.co.uk

Henshelwoods Delicatessen, Newgate

Jam-packed with Yorkshire produce, this corner shop is the ideal spot to pick up foodie souvenirs to take home with you. Choose from over 70 exceptional cheeses (including Wensleydale and Swaledale), homemade vegetable preserves that date back to medieval times, and sweet treats such as Yorkshire parkin and Cartwright and Butcher biscuits.

Henshelwoods also makes up bespoke hampers, so if you’re staying with a friend in the area you can treat them to a selection of fine foods, including The Cheese Lover or a Perfectly Practical hamper of herbs, spices and oils. The Country Gentleman hamper is a great accompaniment for a long country walk – relishes, chutneys, pates and cheese with fine ginger wine.

deliyork.co.uk

Yorkshire Food Finder

Join York’s recently launched food trail Treks in the City, to visit artisan breadmaker Phil Clayton, local coffee roasters York Coffee Emporium, and Sarah Puckett, who makes her Puckett’s Pickles within a mile of York Minster, before enjoying a specially designed menu at The Star Inn The City.

Don’t fancy a tour? Many of these producers can be found at York’s Shambles Market (Parliament Street), which re-opened after a £1.6 million refurbishment last year. Or book a trip to coincide with the York Food and Drink Festival, which runs in June and September.

yorkshirefoodfinder.org

For more information visit visityork.org/adventure and be sure to get hold of a York Pass for free entry to attractions in and around York, with discounts at cafes and restaurants.

Written by Alex Crossley and Mark Taylor

First published July 2016