York is known for it’s beautiful Minster, higgledy-piggledy streets, quaint shops and stunning architecture.
What we weren’t expecting was it to be a foodie haven as well!
We really only scratched the surface of what York has to offer in regards to places to eat and drink but considering we’ve only been once, I think we managed to cover quite a fair bit of ground on the food and drink front.
Here are 6 great places to eat and drink in York:
Ate O’Clock
What? Mediterranean bistro style cuisine
Where? 13a High Ousegate, York YO1 8RZ
Ate O’Clock is a gorgeous restaurant, situated in the city centre, hidden down an alleyway adorned by fairy-lights. If you were in a rush, you might even miss it. But you really don’t want to miss it – it’s amazing!
Carl and I love this type of dining. Comparable to Coté Brasserie, Ate O’Clock serves a range of Mediterranean cuisine from steaks, fish, burgers and pasta with a vast wine menu.
We had absolutely nothing to fault with this entire evening. The service was good, the wait times were perfect and the food – THE FOOD. Everything was delicious. Standout dish for me was the garlic tiger prawns and the honey carrots.
Zaap Thai Street Food
What? Bangkok inspired Thai street food
Where? 7 Lendal, York YO1 8AQ
Zaap wasn’t somewhere we were originally going to go. It seemed very busy in there, whatever time of day and we were a bit wary of all the noise when we wanted a quiet meal. Although it was kinda noisy, I think that was the point as it added to the street food market vibe of the place.
The sweet and sour chicken with sticky jasmine rice we had for our mains here was actually my stand out dish of the entire trip. Spicier than your Chinese-style sweet and sour but packed with flavour.
The peanut chicken satays for starters were delicious as well. They really decked this place out well to match the authentic street-food. The decor almost makes you believe you were in Thailand! Minus the heat.
Sushi & Bowl
What? Traditional sushi and Japanese dishes
Where? 3 Lendal, York YO1 8AQ
If you know me at all, you’ll know I love sushi. It’s one of my favourite meals and it’s my absolute dream to go to Japan for it. My partner has been to Japan and he said that the sushi here was fairly close to what you’d get if you went to Japan.
We had originally planned to go to another sushi restaurant on this night but found it had closed, so after a quick Google search, I found Sushi & Bowl, which was a 5 minute walk from our hotel. And we were VERY impressed.
The sushi was super fresh and beautifully presented. Prices were what you’d expect for sushi but very worth it because everything was bursting with flavour. The restaurant itself is small and quaint but really charming.
Hebden Tea Experience
What? Quaint tearoom specialising in a vast range of quality teas
Where? 20 Shambles, York YO1 7LZ
This was not somewhere we had planned to go. We had finished exploring York Minster and it was edging towards lunchtime but we ended up wandering around for ages trying to find somewhere we fancied.
We stumbled upon the Hebden Tea room and decided to jump in as the street it’s on can get VERY busy. I was NOT expecting what we got! The selection of tea available is out of this world – this photo above only scratches the surface.
Carl got a latte as he’s not a fan of herbal teas but I tried out one of their teas (I’m not sure which flavour it was now) and it was lovely. We both had a slice of carrot cake which was definitely one of the best carrot cakes I’ve had. A wonderful place for tea lovers!
Evil Eye
What? Cocktail bar
Where? 42 Stonegate, York YO1 8AS
If you’re looking for somewhere with a super cool vibe, great cocktails and good music then Evil Eye is the bar for you. We went here every night we were in York and had a different cocktail each time.
They have an amazing range of cocktails from the well-loved classics to exciting variations. We samples the Jungle Mojito, Pina Colada (Carl), Dirty Martini (me) and Cosmopolitans.
All cocktails are made in front of you (cocktail artists are incredible to watch!) with generous amounts of alcohol. There’s plenty of seating with some cool beds upstairs to lounge on as well. A really fun and quirky place for a really good cocktail.