Skosh (££)

Also located on Micklegate, contemporary restaurant Skosh serves up creative and delicious small plates that are perfect for grazing, sharing or enjoying one by one as individual courses. Skosh’s food has an international influence and is prepared in front of your eyes in the open concept kitchen that sits in the restaurant’s bright and lively dining room. You can start a meal here with snacks such as Lindisfarne oyster, salted pineapple and jalapeño, or crispy saddleback pork fritters with spiced rhubarb ketchup. You can then choose from a variety of tempting fish, meat or vegetarian dishes like sprouting broccoli tempura with salted chilli and lemon tahini, or grilled asparagus, yuzu kosho, binchotan cream and furikake. For afters, the restaurant’s enticing desserts include an elderflower cream soda, rhubarb and rice pudding fritter, or a 65% organic Peruvian chocolate torte with spiced cherries and tonka bean.

Los Moros (££)

This popular North African restaurant was born in 2015, when its founder Tarik Abdeladim started selling ‘speedy and spicy’ street food from a small gold shed in the Shambles Market. His tasty Moroccan-style snacks proved to be very popular and three years later he opened his first bricks and mortar restaurant. Situated on Grape Lane, Los Moros is the perfect place to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. It even has its own colourful courtyard garden to dine and relax in. The restaurant’s meals are prepared using fresh local meat and fish, as well as ingredients like pickles, preserved lemons, merguez sausages and chermoula, which are made in house. As a starter, Los Moros offers small plates and nibbles such as spinach and feta boureks with pine nuts and Yorkshire honey, or eastern fried chicken. You can then enjoy larger plates like stuffed quail, freekah and apricot farce with a chicken veloute, or grilled octopus with hazelnut muhammara and squid ink balsamic. On the desserts list, you’ll then find coffee and chocolate mousse, or a delicate rose cheesecake accompanied by raspberry puree and Turkish delights pearls.

Rustique (££)

Situated on Castlegate, Rustique is an authentic French restaurant that serves a variety of traditionally-cooked dishes that often have a wonderfully rustic feel. The restaurant has a cheerful interior and an informal atmosphere and boasts an outdoor terrace for warmer days. You can choose from a set or à la carte menu when dining here. Entrées include six escargots in a garlic and parsley butter or a selection of cured meats, pâté and cheeses with chutney, olives and crusty bread, which can be ordered in a bigger portion for two to share. Among the Plats Principaux are options like a Poitrine de Porc – slow cooked pork belly with apples and herb de Provence, served on apple-scented mashed potatoes with a mustard cream sauce. You can also sample a classic Beef Bourguignon here, while for dessert you can enjoy the restaurant’s signature Pot au Chocolat with shortbread and crème fraiche, or a syrupy sweet crepe with banana and caramel sauce.

Corner Grill House (££)

Winner of a Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice award in both 2021 and 2022, this grillhouse on King Street is all about expertly-cooked ‘life-changing’ steak, which can be paired with the perfect wine. The Corner Grill House has a beautiful interior that stylishly blends old and new. In these comfortable surroundings, you can tuck into some of the finest meats from local butchers R&J. The restaurant offers a fixed price and an à la carte menu, and to whet your appetite pre-steak you can start with options such as chilli prawns in white wine or creamy baked mushrooms with crusty bread. You can then move onto the main event, and the various cuts of meat are described in detail on the menu to help you choose which to go for. Alternatively, vegetarians can enjoy dishes like a mushroom and leek risotto, which is cooked in wine with garlic, shallots, chopped spinach and grated parmesan. If you have any room left afterwards, desserts include the likes of homemade sticky toffee pudding or a white chocolate and vanilla panna cotta with a fruit compote.

The Refectory (£££)

Conveniently located next to the railway station in York City Centre, The Refectory is an all-day restaurant offering an ever-changing seasonal menu that’s filled with local produce. This chic eatery has a beautifully-restored conservatory, along with a sunny outdoor terrace. Starters here include dishes like a Yorkshire sweetcorn velouté or a smoked duck and liver parfait tartlet. You can then feast on classics such as ale-battered fish and chips, or try something new like a BBQ cauliflower steak, which is accompanied by chickpea salsa, yoghurt and spiced couscous. To finish your meal, The Refectory has a fantastic pudding menu which features options like a crème brulee served with sable biscuit and raspberries, or poached Yorkshire rhubarb with meringue and lemon chantilly cream.

Little Italy (££)

Situated on Goodramgate, Little Italy is a family-run Italian restaurant with a deli that sells store cupboard essentials and yummy treats to take away. The restaurant has a laid back European feel with wooden beams, exposed brick and numerous bottles of wine stored overhead. If you decide to dine here, you can sample starters like Scalda ‘Nduja – a typical Calabrian dish of spicy spreadable pork sausage served with ricotta and toasted ciabatta. You can also share a platter of antipasti from the deli or enjoy Fritto Misto – lightly fried mixed seafood. Mains include lots of fresh pasta, which is made on the premises. This is used in dishes such as Cannelloni della Casa – delicious pasta tubes stuffed with spinach and chicken breast, or the special Mafaldine Pistacchio e Gamberi – a ribbon pasta that is served with tiger prawns and homemade pistachio pesto and finished with fresh burrata. Among Little Italy’s heavenly desserts, you’ll then find offerings like fresh filled cannoli or warm panettone with cream.

Images- @https://www.therefectory.co.uk/gallery/, @losmorosyork, @littleitalyyork