North Yorkshire Restaurant Guide

“They always go the extra mile” according to fans of this city-centre outpost of Yorkshire’s nine-strong chain of well-regarded curry houses – a family-run business established in 1977.

“Consistently good food and service” again wins praise for this city-centre branch of Ban Kaewkraikhot’s small Yorkshire chain of glam-looking Thai eateries (although the odd reporter finds its approach “formulaic”). The business started in Chapel Allerton, but this is now the flagship, boasting a 200+ dish à la carte menu.

“Very enjoyable tasty food and friendly service” underpin a formula that’s won enduring success for this stalwart cellar in the lower ground floor of a solid Victorian mansion which celebrates its 40th year in 2025. The traditional-ish cuisine aims for ‘Yorkshire on a plate’ and the sensibly priced and focused menu covers all bases, including a selection of steaks.

“Consistent food and service” continues to win praise (although feedback was relatively limited this year) for this well-established “large and buzzy” Thai venue from owner Ban Kaewkraikhot (who ran a successful restaurant in Bangkok for eight years before relocating to the UK, and now owns three restaurants in Yorkshire).

This branch of a glitzy Manchester-based group closed down for several weeks last summer for an overhaul of its decor to combat too much copycatting by rivals of its super-successful Insta-friendly looks. It looks like it worked: the “lovely ambience” was singled out for praise in our survey this year – and the mashup of Chinese and Japanese cuisines earned consistently good ratings (if with the occasional accusation of “style over substance”).

James Close with wife Maria closed his acclaimed Co Durham restaurant the Raby Hunt (a regular on our UK Top 100 list) after 14 years and relaunched in the Orangery of nearby Rockliffe Hall in mid 2024, after our annual diners’ poll had ended. Initially billed as ‘A modern bistro by James Close’, from October 2024 the site has launched new tasting menus – ‘Expresssion’ (£105 per person) and ‘Experience’ (£170 per person) – that aim to take the diner on a ‘global culinary journey’. The ultimate aim is clearly to establish the dining room as one of the best in the UK.

This multi-tasking country inn “ticks all the boxes”: award-winning bedrooms, a pretty setting on the village green, and a “really well thought-out menu” now including summer pizzas al fresco (extra points for hosting the country’s tallest maypole). “All too rare these days, it works equally well as a village pub and as a very good restaurant”, and service is highly “personable” too – particularly if you get “a personal welcome and tour round on arrival from Claire Topham”, who made the name of the General Tartleton at Ferrensby alongside husband John, before the duo launched this venue.

“Continuing to excel on every level” – Neil Bentinck’s city-centre destination just beyond the ‘Micklegate bar’ is our survey’s top-rated venue in this foodie city and one of the top-25 most commented destinations outside London in our annual diners’ poll. It’s “a small-plates restaurant where every dish on the eclectic menu is carefully crafted and tastes stunning” and “you don’t have to spend a fortune” either. (“Such a rare thing to find a restaurant where you could stick a pin in the menu any day and guarantee what you landed on would be absolutely superb”). “So many dishes are provided for veggies and all dietary requirements, with total flair”. “The only minus point is that the tables are very close together and it’s noisy”, but many diners “love the counter-top tables where you can watch the chefs perform their magic”. In early 2024, Neil expanded into the adjoining property adding a bar with walk-in tables; a private dining room with bar (seating up to 12); and a second dining area overlooking the open kitchen.

“Exceptional creativity from head chef Ian Doyle from Waterford” delivered “overall the best dinner this year” for one reporter in our annual diners’ poll at this accomplished address, which inhabits one of the oldest houses in the city, near the Minster. Although another diner didn’t think it was “quite worth the astronomical prices”, they nevertheless praised its “fabulous location and mostly excellent food”, awarding the cuisine full marks! In the evening the main event is an eight-course tasting menu for £125 per person although there is also a (slightly) less expensive à la carte option.

Struan Macintyre now presides over the stoves in the flagship dining room of this stately country retreat. It has seen a number of head chefs come and go in recent times, but still inspires good all-round feedback following its significant refurb concluding earlier in the year. The menu format nowadays is that of an upscale brasserie (including grilled steak, fish and lobster) rather than the more ‘haute’ tasting formats of yesteryear. Elsewhere in the property, its plush lounges also win the thumbs up as a place to “live the high life in the afternoon” – “served in the traditional way in the drawing room, there is no better place in the area for afternoon tea”.

2022 Review: Feedback remains limited but remains very positive for this Chapel Allerton Thai (part of a local group), which hits twenty years old in 2022.

Living up to its name with a laid-back style and regular evening entertainment (such as ‘music bingo’, or the ‘call my bluff wine tasting challenge’) – this small-plates restaurant doesn’t take itself too seriously but delivers dishes that are much more interesting than you might anticipate.

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Yorkshire reporters are very enthusiastic about the late 2023 reformatting of this property owned by Layton Hill Hotels, now pitching itself more as a ‘restaurant with rooms’, with chef Adam Jackson – formerly at the Black Swan in Oldstead – at the stoves. Nearly all accounts on its tasting menu are of “incredible cooking”: “we first sampled Adam’s food when in Oldstead, and this was our first visit here with food just as good as we have come to expect from chef Jackson, with a well-matched wine flight. Service was attentive, and the pacing of the tasting menu was just right. The building is lovely too with superb views over the garden”.

Leafy views over glorious Dales countryside and the river Wharfe add to the occasion at this attractive hotel, convenient for Bolton Abbey. The cooking – Hardwick lamb, market fish, steaks – is not particularly ‘gastro’ in style but contributes to a comfortable and affordable experience, and one that comes at a reasonable price.

“A strong focus on fish, with venison from the ‘forest’” both wins praise for and helps explain the name of this popular bistro. We’ve maintained its rating, but change is afoot with chef-patron Stephen Andrews moving it in August 2024 to this new location – the downstairs of what was previously 1331 Bar and Grill building, in Grape Lane (previously owned by Stephen’s parents who ran the business for 20 years). No change is planned to the format, which started life as a pop-up concept in 2018 and has consciously adopted an à la carte rather than tasting approach (with a seasonal chalkboard menu now offering eight starters, four mains, plus four desserts). There’s also a bar area, a communal table and a courtyard outside offering a snacks menu which will include oysters and cured fish. Everything served is cured or butchered in-house.