2023 was a fantastic year of food for Yorkshire. Michelin Guide additions and Bib Gourmands were being thrown around left, right and centre. Seven of our region’s most prestigious restaurants retained their stars, and an array of independent eateries began to gain notority with numerous other prestigious awards bodies. But nobody, until now, has been part of The Yorkshireman’s guide – our new, annual guide to the very best restaurants in Yorkshire that are held in high regard here at The Yorkshireman HQ.
We travel far and wide all year round seeking out the very best of Yorkshire. From businesses championing local and heritage produce, to those whose owners so clearly put their blood, sweat and tears into serving their communities. We’ve tried and tested (on multiple occasions) several fantastic eateries that have completely blown us away, and after narrowing it down to the very best, we’re ready to share with you The Yorkshireman’s guide to the best restaurants in Yorkshire to try in 2024. Move over, Michelin man…
1. Anello, Slaithwaite
When it comes to great pizza in Yorkshire, Anello leads the pack. Spearheaded by the founders of the now-national Neapolitan pizzeria, Rudy’s, Anello describes itself as a Pennine Pizzeria – a quaint independent found in Slaithwaite town centre where families, friends, and couples meet for great food and good vibes.
You can tell that Anello is a passion project through and through. A graduation from the owner’s previous tenure as the creators of Rudy’s, you could say, combining their Neapolitan pizza-making expertise with local, Yorkshire produce and self-grown ingredients.
As a result of their eat-local ethos, the menu changes with the seasons, resulting in some of the best pizza around, elevating the classics such as Margherita and pepperoni with house sausage, home-grown chard, and mixed kale, alongside classic Italian ingredients such as N’duja and Parmigiano Reggiano.
Anello, 8 Britannia Rd, Slaithwaite, Huddersfield, HD7 5HG.
Dog friendly: ✅ | Vegan friendly: ✅ | Pricing: £
2. Forage, York
Tucked away down a side street just off of York‘s busy Stonegate lies this little gem, Forage. Specialising in eco-forward seasonal produce and small plates, the cosy restaurant is the ideal spot for a date night, adorned in twinkling lights and forest-esque tree installations that climb up the red brick interiors.
And while, as meat eaters, we absolutely loved the unbelievably tasty carnivorous dishes – we were surprised to find that what really blew us away was the flavours of the vegan and veggie dishes. This is truly a great place to be vegan.
Must-try dishes include the Onglette steak served with peppercorn sauce, the confit potato, winter greens, the belly pork bao and their woodfired flatbread.
Forage, 2-4 Little Stonegate, York, YO1 8AX.
Dog friendly: ✅ | Vegan friendly: ✅ | Pricing: ££
3. The Hispanist, Hull
Named one of the best restaurants in the UK by the Good Food Guide, The Hispanist in Hull has been a favourite of ours for a while now. It’s small and unassuming, with just a handful of tables available inside its Paragon Arcade restaurant – but its quaintness adds to the atmosphere.
The perfect place for a date night in the city, The Hispanist specialises in Spanish-inspired tapas dishes, using the best of British to get the very best flavour.
Our favourite dishes were the vegetable plates – with showstoppers such as puerros a la parrilla (grilled leeks – our winning dish) and patatas bravas, among black doughnut with white crab and juicy Denver steak with chimichurri.
The Hispanist, Unit 11, Paragon Arcade, 52 Carr Ln, Hull, HU1 3RF.
Dog friendly: ❌ | Vegan friendly: ✅ (with 24 hours notice) | Pricing: ££
4. York Minster Refectory
The newest venture from The Star Inn at Harome/The City’s Andrew Pern and executive head chef Joshua Brimmell, the duo has brought exceptional British dining to the grade II listed former York Minster School – honouring the building’s history with unique touches throughout that showcase the school’s heritage.
And while that’s certainly a great touch for those who appreciate history and architecture, the food here is simply sensational. It’s upmarket, yes, but it’s reasonably priced for quality food designed and executed by Michelin-starred Pern – so basically, at a starting price of £22 per main, we think this is a steal.
The menu combines land, sea and game – all celebrating Yorkshire, of course – elevated with exceptional flavour, great cocktails and fantastic wine.
York Minster Refectory, 2 Deangate, York, YO1 7JA.
Dog friendly: ❌ | Vegan friendly: ✅ | Pricing: ££
5. Samuel’s at Swinton Estate
For the vast majority of us, Samuel’s Restaurant at Swinton Estate is the kind of restaurant you’d visit for a special occasion. Set within the ballroom at the castle – which resides on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales – Samuel’s Restaurant brings seasonal fine dining dishes from ‘Estate to Plate’. Which, for those not in the know, means dishes are designed around the produce available from Swinton’s sweeping 20,000-acre estate.
Executive Chef Ruth Hansom designs each dish around the seasons and produce available, allowing for the very best flavours from the Estate’s Walled Garden and the Estate’s very own farms.
The dishes change frequently, so it’s hard to recommend dishes, however, you can expect full and perfectly balanced flavours in every single dish, alongside a catalogue-sized menu of expertly-chosen wines to choose from.
Samuel’s Restaurant, 10 Swinton Rd, Swinton, Ripon, HG4 4JH.
Dog friendly: ❌ | Vegan friendly: Enquire directly | Pricing: £££
6. Pizza at Burton Agnes
Joining the pack of Yorkshire’s leading pizzerias is, surprisingly, Burton Agnes Hall – whose catering output is led by talented chef Adam Gardener (also the new co-owner of Dough Eyed York).
Serving up Neapolitan pizza from their permanent pizza trailer, visitors can enjoy a concise menu of classic pizzas when visiting the hall (you do need to pay the entrance fee to visit the cafe and pizza trailer), and I think I’d go as far as to say, this is the best pizza you’ll find in East Yorkshire.
Perfectly doughy with that signature leopard crust, topped with San Marzano tomatoes (pizza lovers will know this is the holy grail of tomato bases), fior de latte, pepperoni and seasonal flavours such as N’duja, local sausage and more, this is certainly a pizza I find myself craving over, and over, and over again. Paired with a walk around Burton Agnes Hall’s sprawling gardens, you’re onto a winner.
Burton Agnes Hall, Rudston Rd, Burton Agnes, Driffield, YO25 4NB.
Dog friendly: ✅ | Vegan friendly: Enquire directly | Pricing: £
7. Three’s a Crowd, Harrogate
Looking for somewhere atmospheric with gastro pub-come-bistro vibes to dine in Harrogate. We got you. Three’s A Crowd offers a relaxed but slightly elevated dining experience, with modern, stylish decor and a fantastic British menu – served among views of the famous Stray.
Being Northern as we are, our leading recommendation here is the Sunday roast – which is served up with giant Yorkshire puddings, dripping roasties, red wine gravy, and the most addictive stewed peas with smoked pancetta. Dreamy.
The place gets incredibly busy on weekends, so we recommend making a booking. Expect pub-style dishes with a twist such as braised Yorkshire featherblade, classic fish and chips and Guinea Fowl, and visit for the kind of atmosphere that’ll leave you wanting to sip wine by the window all. day. long.
Three’s A Crowd, 11 W Park, Harrogate, HG1 1BL.
Dog friendly: ✅ | Vegan friendly: ✅ | Pricing: ££
8. Wapentake, Leeds
If you haven’t heard about Wapentake’s Yorkshire pudding burgers yet, take this as your official sign from above to try one.
The burger has become the cafe’s signature, and despite having a viral ‘gimmick’, it’s actually very, very good. So good, I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I tried it well over a year ago. Served with homemade wedges and a huge jug full of gravy (that’s how you know the team is really Yorkshire), the burger consists of two giant Yorkshire puddings, encasing a beef burger patty with bacon and cheese.
This really is a special lunch treat, when in Leeds, and certainly one to add to your Yorkshire foodie bucket list.
Wapentake, 92 Kirkgate, Leeds, LS2 7DJ.
Dog friendly: ✅ | Vegan friendly: Enquire directly | Pricing: £
9. Pearly Cow, York
Quite possibly the most beautifully decorated place we visited in 2023, Pearly Cow opened just last spring in York, bringing produce from the moors, the Dales and the North Sea to the table.
Focusing on the freshness of their local produce, each dish is cooked over fire, giving deep smoky, caramelised flavours to each plate served. Think juicy steaks, Yorkshire duck, North Sea plaice, and very upmarket Sunday roasts that make for a very special Sunday, indeed.
The restaurant also takes pride in its hand-selected wine list, which boasts wines produced as close as Yorkshire itself, and some very prestigious fine wines, too.
Their Yorkshire puddings are absolutely spot on, and when soufflé is on the menu, it’s a must-try. Trust us on that.
Pearly Cow, 1 Clifton, York, YO30 6AA.
Dog friendly: ❌ | Vegan friendly: ✅ | Pricing: £££
10. Omni, Malton
A hidden gem found in Yorkshire’s food capital, Malton, Ømni specialises in fantastic tapas dishes, within a warm and welcoming setting overlooking the bustling marketplace.
What I love about this spot is that, on a cold day, it’s the kind of place that you wander into brrrrring from the icy temperatures, and are welcome with fogged-up windows, warm lighting, and friendly staff. It’s the kind of place where you could spend hours.
Expect plenty of meat, fish and vegan dishes on the vast menu, alongside sharing boards that are perfect for nibbles with a few beers. Every dish is packed full of flavour, and regulars can enjoy seasonally changing menus which means there’s always something new to try.
Around a year ago, they served up a parsnip gratin that I haven’t stopped thinking about since, so that ‘full of flavour’ comment spans the entire menu, not just the meaty dishes. Always an indicator of just how good a place is, if you ask me.
Ømni, 22 Market Pl, Malton, YO17 7LX.
Dog friendly: ✅ | Vegan friendly: ✅ | Pricing: ££
11. Mýse, Hovingham
From the former team behind York’s Le Cochon Aveugle, Mýse is the North York Moors‘ newest fine dining experience – offering stunning tasting menus based on the produce available nearby, and best of all, by small-scale farmers and producers.
The restaurant has transformed a beloved local pub in Hovingham into a stunning country retreat, with roaring fires, hide throws and even floating floral stems.
Chef and owner Joshua Overington and team pay homage to Yorkshire throughout the tasting menus, with delectable touches throughout such as a Yorkshire pudding lollipop that acts as a lovely little pillow to braised ox cheek and fermented cucumber, and Thirkleby duck – ironically, two of our favourite dishes from the experience.
Mýse, Main St, Hovingham, York, YO62 4LF.
Dog friendly: ✅ | Vegan friendly: ❌ | Pricing: £££
12. Hearth, Hull
Hearth has recently been added to the Michelin Guide (at long last), but before those fellas finally caught on, we proudly flew the flag for the Hull eatery as one of Yorkshire’s best – after just one visit, may I add. It’s that blooming good.
A quaint restaurant overlooking the colourful Princes Street in the Old Town, the eatery sits above their in-house bakery – by day, serving up some of the best bakes and pastries in town, and by moonlight, serving up some of the best British dishes in town.
Our advice? Go for the small plates (in particular, the scotch egg), stay for the inevitable moment that you completely cave and order a main course (and maybe dessert), too.
Hearth, 10.5 King St, Hull, HU1 2JJ.
Dog friendly: ✅ | Vegan friendly: ✅ | Pricing: ££
13. The Woodman Inn, Thunderbridge
Now, we take our dog to a lot of places – but sometimes, we find that ‘dog-friendly’, really just means ‘dog tolerant’. With The Woodman Inn, that wasn’t the case. This place was truly dog-friendly, which massively put us at ease for the entirety of our visit. Our pooch even got a ton of cuddles and treats, too, which was a huge bonus.
But back on to being humans who like to eat good food. The family-owned country pub is not only truly gorgeous, but serves truly gorgeous elevated pub grub, too – with beautifully presented dishes that reflect the seasons.
Each dish is incredibly flavourful (there were a lot of happy full faces during our visit), and inspired by traditional pub fayre. Think dishes such as bitter battered haddock with minted peas, triple cooked chips and chip shop-style curry sauce, roast duck leg, beef bourguignon pie and Cumberland sausage spiral with wholegrain mustard mash and fennel roast carrots. Divine.
The Woodman Inn, Thunder Bridge Ln, Kirkburton, Thunder Bridge, Huddersfield, HD8 0PX.
Dog friendly: ✅ | Vegan friendly: ✅ | Pricing: ££
14. Highfield House, Driffield
The Highfield House is a fairly new kid on the block, bringing an array of dining experiences to Driffield – a place which, as a local, I can say with gumption, has been void of great dining experiences for potentially decades.
From breakfast to afternoon tea, Sunday roasts to fine dining, Highfield offers it all – but we particularly love their fine dining offering. And if we’re really getting down to the nitty-gritty, it’s the big beef sharing board that’s particularly stolen our hearts.
If you love a good steak, the board consists of Yorkshire’s best côte de boeuf, served with bone marrow, sticky rib and confit potato – and makes for an incredible dining experience whether it’s a special date night, or an evening out with friends.
The rest of the menu champions Yorkshire produce, with current, seasonal dishes including Yorkshire hogget, Halibut and cod loin.
Highfield House, Windmill Hill, Driffield, YO25 5YP.
Dog friendly: ✅ | Vegan friendly: ✅ | Pricing: £££
15. Slap and Pickle, Sheffield
We all have our favourite place for burgers, and for The Yorkshireman, it’s Slap and Pickle. Found in various brewery taps across Yorkshire, Slap and Pickle is the home of proper smashed patties, using 40-day dry-aged Swaledale beef to create their epic burgers.
Our biggest issue with the place? Every time we go, we have to order a Baconator (each) and the bacon fries, leaving us absolutely bursting at the seams by the time we’re ready to leave. It’s a privileged problem to have, we understand that, but it’s a problem all the same.
It’s one to try if you love burgers and great beer. The Yorkshireman’s hint? Always go double, never go single (you may as well go whole cow, right?).
Slap & Pickle, 107 Neepsend Ln, Neepsend, Sheffield, S3 8AT.
Dog friendly: ✅ | Vegan friendly: ✅ | Pricing: £
17. Cascara, Hessle
Home to epic steak Sunday roast boards, Cascara in Hessle is well-loved among Hull locals, but we’re not ones for gatekeeping.
Boasting bright and airy decor that helps put full focus on the food, Cascara draws inspiration from South American cooking and flavours, cooking each dish over traditional parrilla grills.
Now, for us, the steak Sunday roast board serving two is the star of the show – consisting of the juiciest chateaubriand, beef dripping roasties, creaole sausage stuffing, Yorkshire puddings, the tastiest veggies and plenty of gravy (of course) – however, whatever dish you order, we recommend making it a beef dish.
Cascara excels when it comes to beef – whether its their classic steak frites, the Chef’s flat iron steak, or the double smash burger (my personal favourite), but guests can also expect some South American-fusion dishes such as steak empanadas, birria tacos, and delicious mixed grill sharers, too.
Cascara, 38 Prestongate, Hessle, HU13 0RE.
Dog friendly: ❌ | Vegan friendly: ✅ | Pricing: £
18. Embers, Scarborough
Scarborough locals will curse me for telling you about this place, but as The Yorkshireman, it’s my duty to. Embers is so locally loved, that it’s frequently fully booked, so expect to book a couple of weeks in advance to nab a table. It’ll be worth it.
Specialising in wood-fired dishes, the small and cosy restaurant offers an intimate dining experience, with just a handful of tables sitting in front of the kitchen. Taking inspiration from chef-owner Dan Hargreave’s Yorkshire heritage, the menu consists of flavourful, smoky, chargrilled meats, alongside hearty small plates and delectable veggie sides.
Think dirty mac and cheese, fire-roasted Tuscan chicken, braised brisket, Portuguese stew and deliciously flavoured greens on the winter menu. Like a big, warm hug.
Embers, 138 Victoria Rd, Scarborough, YO11 1SL.
Dog friendly: ❌ | Vegan friendly: Enquire directly | Pricing: ££
19. King William, Scaftworth
A hidden gem found on the outskirts of Doncaster, the King William Inn is a cosy, country pub, with beautifully warm decor and absolutely gorgeous pub grub.
In the summer months, the beer garden and pizza shack has proven incredibly popular, thanks to its waterside location, however, in the colder months, this place is the perfect retreat for a proper hearty meal with friends, family or your significant other.
In particular, their pies are absolute showstoppers (read: bloomin’ massive), and guests can expect a menu of pub grub that’s been taken up a notch (or three). I’d recommend not resisting the dessert menu, either, because their brownies are absolute beasts.
The King William Inn, Scaftworth, Doncaster, DN10 6BL.
Dog friendly: ✅ | Vegan friendly: ✅ | Pricing: ££
Read more: 14 Of The Best Places To Visit In Yorkshire For 2024
