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    The Ivy

    3.5 (10 reviews)
    Open 8:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)

    The Ivy Photos

    THE IVY ATMOSPHERE

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    Aaron S.

    The Ivy is a British restaurant founded in 1917, the brand as a whole is popular with celebrities, with a premium interior and pricing. I visited their location at St Helen's Square in York for dinner, I was able to make a reservation and get sat down at my table with as little as 15 minutes' notice on a Friday evening. I did find it to feel pretentious, I felt a tad out of place coming in for dinner alone. I also found the overall menu prices to be expensive just to be expensive rather than delivering fine dining. The service was poor overall, after asking about gluten-free options, I was simply directed to scan a QR code and my waitress also seemed displeased when I asked to remove the service charge. I removed the service charge as I don't agree with the Americanised concept of a service charge, and I didn't find the service to be that great, no one checked up on me during my meal to keep drinks refilled or check the food was okay. There were limited options for gluten-free and the only other food option which interested me was the steaks, which I decided against due to the fries listed as containing gluten, and I didn't want to eat a steak on its' own. For my main, I ordered the Shepherd's Pie, it came with the allergen flag, which reassured me that my food was gluten-free and prepared with care. The portion size was rather small, it felt more like a starter than a main. I'm not a huge eater, and even I managed to finish it, which is certainly saying something. The food was really good, the meat, the gravy and the mash were all really good, I just wish there was more of it. The temperature could be worked on, as it wasn't fully hot all the way through, I decided not to send my food back as the majority was hot and I was both tired and hungry after a stressful day. For my drink, I ordered a peach iced tea, again for a non-alcoholic drink, £6 is a little excessive. My first sip was syrupy, and from then on it tasted just like water, so it wasn't mixed properly. I'd have enjoyed a bottle of Lipton more. I managed to get in and out in just over half an hour from being sat down, which seemed odd for a place like this. 3* - If you're willing to overlook the pretentious vibes, this could be a nice place to dine for a more special occasion, but issues with the service, food temperature, drink quality and GF options means this wouldn't be my first choice when dining in York in the future, but I wouldn't actively avoid it and there were many things I can look back at and say I enjoyed about the experience.

    Bess B.

    Great atmosphere and drinks! We sat at the bar and loved it here. The interiors are beautiful and the service was great

    Chocolate Bomb...will be your choice for your last dessert on earth

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    2 years ago

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    9 months ago

    Nice British food that we enjoyed. Had the shepards pie, fish and chips. Great food, cozy and great service. A must try.

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    The Cut & Craft - Oysters

    The Cut & Craft

    4.5(11 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    This was an enjoyable establishment. Didn't start off well as the waitress did not know what mezcal…read morewas and they were out of the mezcal cocktail. I wasn't a fan of the cocktail flight because it was a bit foamy, but I had better luck with the food. Had a steak special that was reasonably priced and cooked well with a side of broccolini. Enjoyed a salad to start off my meal that was light and fresh. I enjoyed the decor of the establishment with a fun bar area and you could watch the food being prepared. We started off with one waitress and finished our dining experience with a different waitress who was in training but she was very sweet. Overall enjoyable dining experience.

    Wonderful meal with wonderful service! Everything we had was really good to outstanding. I can't…read morerecommend the King Prawns enough. When it arrived I thought 'hmm shrimp is not as big as I'd have thought' but then I tasted it and the sauce, shrimp, bread and veggies together were one of the best shrimp dishes I've ever had. I even saved the left over sauce (had it put in a ramekin) and put it on my steak. It was that good. My wife got the pork chops special and it was good too but the beans that were served with it were spectacular. Beans??? I didn't know they could be spectacular. Truffle chips (fries) were quality too. The home made black sheep sticky toffee pudding was also a must try. Lastly, Gosia, our waitress, was knowledgeable and took great care of us. When we are in York, we will be back.

    Photos
    The Cut & Craft - Bar area

    Bar area

    The Cut & Craft - Chocolate cherry bomb

    Chocolate cherry bomb

    The Cut & Craft - Cocktail

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    Cocktail

    Go Down Restaurant

    Go Down Restaurant

    4.6(8 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    ££

    Again, a review for dealing with our large party of 12!…read more They sat us down and cheerfully gave us the menus and specials quickly, it was so hot but they quickly put the fans on and gave us a lot of bottles of water for the table, bringing out warm bread and pots of standard and garlic butter. I had the Yorkshire pudding for starter, and the lamb for main, everything came out at good times, and no one was left waiting much longer than the first to be served at any point. The sides were wonderful, all good size portions and amazing gravy. If I was being seriously picky, the only thing I would say was the meringue on the lemon meringue pie wasn't crispy on the top at all, but that's personal taste, and it still tasted amazing! Wonderful food, wonderful service, and the best part was, other smaller tables there had service just as fast and friendly and didn't suffer because of the large party, so they definitely know how to cope!!

    First visit for a dinner last night, I had the venison sausage as a starter then the 10 0z rump…read more My partner had the pate, followed by the duck breast. Nice relaxed atmosphere and the staff were pleasant. My sausage started was good and well seasoned, portion size was very generous. My steak was cooked well however it was lacking seasoning and tasted a little bland, I did enjoy the mushrooms they serve it with and also the home style chips were nice. My partners pate was good, the chutney was a little sweet as an accompaniment but again the portion size was good. Her duck was cooked very well and had some good flavour to it. A little biased but some more Australian/ New Zealand wine on the menu would be great. I would definitely like to return and explore the menu some more!

    Photos
    Go Down Restaurant
    Go Down Restaurant
    Go Down Restaurant

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    The Bow Room Restaurant - Halibut served on fish bone spears- creative, beautiful, and delicious!

    The Bow Room Restaurant

    5.0(1 review)
    0.3 mi

    This is a fabulous though a it quirky restaurant in the Gray's Court Hopelessness. If you are in…read moreYork, and wanting to try something very special and celebrate- this is your place. On the evening we were there- they had one sitting and it was at 7 pm. We were one of three couples dining there the evening we went and the dining room holds about 8 or so tables so it was a quiet night for them. They start you out in a living room adjacent to the dining room where Chris, the waiter, brings you a glass of champagne before the Chef comes out and sits down with you to chat about what food you do and do not like to eat. This was a very nice touch. They then start bringing food out to you in the living room while you decide on the wine you will like with dinner. The wine choice is complicated by the fact that you are blind to the menu. We spoke to Chris about this, and he helped us choose a wine. Then the food started to come out. I believe two courses were served in the living room with the sparkling wine before we were all invited to the living room where our other wine was waiting for us on our table. I will attach photos of the food to this review to give an idea of what it was like. Suffice it to say that everything was very good though you need to be a bit adventurous to try this out- you get what you get. It was a great experience!!

    Photos
    The Bow Room Restaurant - Cardomon carrot soup- wonderful!

    Cardomon carrot soup- wonderful!

    The Bow Room Restaurant - This was perhaps their best dessert I have ever had- chocolate sweet potato something and delicious!!

    This was perhaps their best dessert I have ever had- chocolate sweet potato something and delicious!!

    The Bow Room Restaurant - Beef tartare- it was good but not my favorite

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    Beef tartare- it was good but not my favorite

    The Star Inn The City - All Day Menu

    The Star Inn The City

    3.9(33 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    £££

    We had a late dinner and Hubby found this place. You have to go down concrete stairs near the…read moreriver to get to it. Staff seated us inside as I didn't want to dine on the terrace which was very popular. They offer sparking or still water which is a charge so if you want tap, specify with the wait staff. I wasn't that impressed with the items offered on both the regular and specials of the day menus. Hubby liked the sea bass (small piece) over some curry rice? I didn't care for the taste. I got the ox cheeks. The meat was mostly tender but was bland, under seasoned. The sauce with pomegranate seeds was good. It came with fries which were soft, not crispy and I didn't like it at all. I would've sent it back to go thru the fryer again but it was late and I was in no mood to wait. Not on my list to return again.

    Walked in without reservation and got nice table in a second. The host/server who seated us told me…read morethat they celebrate 10 anniversary of the restaurant that week. Huge restaurant, they warned me 2 toilets broken and there's only 1 left but I never had issue and never needed to wait in line. Service is pretty quick, quite big menu. It's a place you want to go to try their Yorkshire pudding ( in York lol) big spacious place and since it's weekday and I came after rush dinner hour, not all table are full The superstar of the day is ox cheek. It so tender and just melt in your mouth

    Photos
    The Star Inn The City - Inside

    Inside

    The Star Inn The City - Scallops

    Scallops

    The Star Inn The City - Exterior

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    Exterior

    Ye Olde Starre Inn

    Ye Olde Starre Inn

    4.3(16 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    ££

    It's a very old pub, but it you already knew that…read more The Sunday roasts are fantastic! Solid beer and wine selection, too, though I was disappointed they were out of their BTG red Burgundy -- oh well, the Rioja did just fine. I recommend a table by the windows for some cool views. The guy taking our orders at the bar wasn't necessarily the friendliest, but that didn't sour our experience too much.

    It claims to be the oldest boozer in York city…read more So what, I mean really, who cares. It's not a USP rather it's lazy. Stick up a cheap sign, put in Ye and an E at the end of old and get em tourists in. Maybe it's just me but it just struck me as stale and frumpy. The other pubs we visited were characterful and the welcome in each stood out (not always for good reasons) and their beer choices were pretty meh. It is dog and family-friendly with wheelchair accessibility, and free WiFi. We had one drink here for four folks - two pints and two glasses of wine £22.95 - and while the food menu looked darn good and reasonably priced there was no atmosphere nor character to persuade us to stay. The young barmaid behind the counter was functional but devoid of easy chat. I'm glad on reflection that we went to the trembling madness next - their booze selection was stunning in comparison and cheaper at £22.10 for a similar round of better quality drinks. I sure wouldn't return here.

    Photos
    Ye Olde Starre Inn - Inside

    Inside

    Ye Olde Starre Inn - Nearby sign giving a definite maybe

    Nearby sign giving a definite maybe

    Ye Olde Starre Inn - Going in

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    Going in

    The Ivy - british - Updated May 2026

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