Places for the Best Fine Dining York – If you are celebrating a special occasion or is just someone who likes fine dining then York has lots of posh restaurants to offer!
From small plates to blind tasting menus, have a look at some of the more than nice places to eat in York.
York Minster Refectory
2 Deangate, York YO1 7JA
York Minster Refectory is in an incredible location with fantastic views of York Minster. They serve breakfast, have an all day menu as well as light bites.
We visited for lunch and it was excellent as you would expect from a restaurant run by Andrew Pern and his team. British classics done with the best ingredients and with flare.
You can see our review of lunch at York Minster Refectory here.
Pearly Cow
1 Clifton, York YO30 6AA
If you are a steak or seafood fan then don’t miss the new restaurant opened at No. 1 York, Pearly Cow. You can look forward to the best locally sourced produce from the farm and the sea.
They serve 45-day salt-aged steaks and all manner of seafood from scallops and crab to lobster and Lindisfarne oysters.
You can see our review of dinner at Pearly Cow here.
Forage
2-4 Little Stonegate, York YO1 8AX
Forage serve “contemporary European cuisine cooked over fire”, using “locally sourced and foraged ingredients to add exciting, fresh, and eco-friendly flavours” to their menus.
We chose from the lunch time menu, but they have an a la carte menu, children’s menu and they serve Sunday lunch. The dishes are served as small plates, which are ideal for sharing.
You can see our review of lunch at Forage here.
The Star Inn The City
The Star Inn The City is in a beautiful riverside location in the Museum Gardens. “The Brasserie-style restaurant opened in 2013, after Andrew Pern of the Michelin-starred Star Inn at Harome joined the building owners in their quest to establish a food-led celebration destination in one of York’s unique locations.
The aim of matching its beautiful setting with the best produce, which God’s Own County has to offer and genuine Yorkshire hospitality has resulted in the eatery quickly becoming a firm favourite for special meals, such as graduation celebrations, birthdays and anniversaries. The Star Inn The City’s sister restaurant is The Star Inn The Harbour in Whitby, in the seaside town’s best harbour-side location and offering fish and seafood from Yorkshire’s coast alongside treats from the Moors.”

Cafe No 8 Bistro
8 Gillygate, York YO31 7EQ
Cafe No 8 is ideally situated just near the Theatre Royal. We have eaten here several times and always enjoyed it, they have a good early evening pre-theatre set menu. “Having built a national reputation since 2002 for culinary quality and excellence, Café No.8 provides a range of locations in the heart of the historic City of York offering outstanding food and drink.
Whether you want a hearty traditional breakfast in the surroundings of the 14th century Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, a light brunch or home-made cakes in the York Art Gallery, or a sumptuous evening meal in the intimate-yet-casual bistro, you will find award-winning, imaginative food served by friendly, professional teams.”

The Whippet Inn
15 North St, York YO1 6JD
The Whippet Inn is a steak and alehouse with a fine line in seafood too. It’s a bit of a hidden gem, tucked away as it is on North Street, but once you have been you will return. Lovely, friendly staff look after you in a comfortable and relaxed environment with a stylish and quirky decor. The food is fresh, imaginative and great quality.
The menu offers such delights as ‘Picanha- 32 Day Dry Aged, Triple Cooked Chunky Chips, Garlic & Thyme Confit Vine Tomato, Green Peppercorn & Brandy Sauce’, or ‘Poached Sea Trout Fillet with Olive Oil Potato, Puffed Fish Skin, Aromatic Herb Powder, Brown Shrimp Butter & Pea Purée’.
“The ideal spot for any occasion, The Whippet Inn serves both lunch & dinner, seven days a week, alongside our Main Menu & specials boards we also offer for our legendary(ish) Set Price lunch menu Monday to Friday, plus ‘Lets Get Roasted’ every Sunday, an institution unto itself and one of York’s best kept secrets (so sshhh)”
See what we thought when we visited The Whippet Inn.

Young Peas & Buttermilk in a Lemon Oil Dressing
Grays Court
Chapter House St, York YO1 7JH
Grays Court has a special place in my heart. I studied English at St John’s University and at that time they owned Grays Court, so the vast majority of my lectures were in there, and it’s such a beautiful building! Now, a luxury hotel and restaurant you can “explore the great British food on our evening menu in our restaurant.
With seasonal ingredients sourced from the highest quality suppliers, our innovative team of chefs guarantee a dining experience like no other. Alternatively, spend a relaxing few hours in the Long Gallery or private garden, enjoying a cream tea with homemade scones, or a Grays Court twist on a classic cocktail.”

Roots – Fine Dining in York
68 Marygate, York YO30 7BH
Roots is a fairly new restaurant in York by Tommy Banks. “Our menus adopt a different style to reflect each of the growing groups as defined in Tommy’s cookbook, ‘Roots’. Tommy and his team work around these three groups; The Preservation Season, The Hunger Gap and The Time of Abundance. With these, the dishes change as the availability of ingredients come and go.” A good friend of mine recently visited and reviewed Roots.

Skosh
98 Micklegate, York YO1 6JX
Now, I have never visited Skosh myself but have heard good things about it. They serve small plates such as jersey royals ‘teriyaki’ with sheep’s curd, pickled onions and furikake, saddleback pork fritters, smoked eel and yuzu and char siu pork with rhubarb, ginger and bitter leaves.
“A bespoke dining room with an open concept kitchen designed specifically to create a unique experience, in which to enjoy uncomplicated, yet refined dishes in a comfortable and informal manner. Chef-owner Neil Bentinck opened his inaugural restaurant in the summer of 2016 in a newly refurbished Grade II listed building, situated just beyond the ‘Micklegate bar’, a 12th century gateway in to the historic city of York.”
Have a look at our main post on the best restaurants in York.