Yorkshire’s restaurant scene has always been exciting, but now, it’s centre stage. It is home to dreamy, inventive Dales restaurants dishing up delicious local produce to its green tapestry backdrop. Sleepy chocolate-box villages and caramel market towns now have super gastro-pubs and sassy restaurants with rooms to match. Then, there are terracotta-thatched coastal villages with salty seafood shops and cities with cutting-edge cuisine. Yorkshire’s culinary arena isn’t showy; it’s quietly, seriously confident, which helps it deliver exceptionally.
As for the bounty of produce, alongside local farm vegetables and dairy delights such as the region’s staple, Wensleydale cheese, there’s melt-in-the-mouth Dexter beef and the best fish on the coast. And, Yorkshire puddings taste better with Yorkshire farm eggs – fact.
It’s hard to whittle it down to just 12 restaurants, and they are mainly established ones: here are our picks of the best restaurants in Yorkshire – a heady mix of Michelins, independents and icons.
Pearly Cow
Pearly Cow, York
Based in the super-stylish boutique hotel No.1, Pearly Cow launched to fanfare with its fresh take on afternoon tea, ‘Afternoon Sea’ – a seafood-focused extravaganza with bottomless rosé. The team is dedicated to respecting local Yorkshire produce: slow-farmed meats from the countryside, locally sourced vegetables and fruits, and the best seafood from the coast and the impeccable, chatty service from Pearly’s knowledgeable team makes this place pop. But the true highlight at Pearly is Sunday lunch. It’s hard to find an excellent spot for Sunday lunch in York, but Pearly Cow has nailed it. In the chic, buzzy dining space, start with the nori seaweed cured salmon and move onto the roast: 45-day salt-aged beef sirloin with glazed carrots, roasted parsnips and potatoes and practically perfect plump, chewy and crispy Yorkshire puddings, with lashings of gravy – finish with an Amélie Crème Brûlée moment. Booking essential.
Price range: ££
Address: No.1 by Guesthouse, 1 Clifton, York YO30 6AA
Book online
