Whether you’re craving winter spices, hearty roasted root veg or a decadent cheeseboard, there’s much to look forward to when dining at this festive time of year. Here are some of the best restaurants for those who want to experience the flavours of the season in York.
Brancusi
Located on the characterful Micklegate, this laid back eatery takes its name from the Romanian modernist sculptor Constantin Brancusi. Its owners – the team behind Partisan – admired the ‘simplicity and power’ of Brancusi’s work and the ‘beauty and nobility’ of the materials used: concepts that are echoed in the restaurant’s offering. Brancusi’s menu is shaped by the seasons and its head chef, Sam Varley, uses sustainable produce, much of which is sourced through Food Circle York, to create vibrant dishes that are brimming with colour and flavour. This winter, you can get cosy in the restaurant’s beautifully styled interior while tucking into brunch, lunch or an evening meal that begins with starters such as lobster and lovage lettuce cups or crispy pigs’ ears with plum sauce – all served on charmingly mismatched plates. You can then enjoy mains including wild mushroom fettuccini with pecorino and black pepper, or mallard, beetroot, chicory jam and orange, followed by warming autumnal desserts like an apple and calvados crumble. Brancusi is known for its excellent cocktails as well as its selection of natural and low-intervention wines.
The Minster Refectory
If you’re seeking a traditional Christmas experience, the Minster Refectory might be just the place. Located within the Minster precinct with views of the landmark itself, this brasserie-style restaurant resides in a Grade II-listed former school that’s full of historic architectural details. Throughout December, you can celebrate here with a seasonal seven-course tasting menu or choose the Xpress option with four courses instead. These feature starters like port-fed stilton gougère with pickled walnut and figgy jam, or a classic prawn cocktail that’s elevated with preserved lemon and Bloody Mary dressing. You can then indulge in a roast turkey dinner with all of the trimmings, followed by festive desserts such as a snowball mousse and finishing with mince pie fudge, pâte de fruits and a little mulled wine. For a truly indulgent treat, you can even dine here on Christmas Day itself.
Melton’s
Founded in 1990, family-run fine dining restaurant Melton’s on Scarcroft Road has been a York favourite for over 35 years. This month, the restaurant is serving a menu that incorporates some of the best-loved produce of the season. You can start your meal here with dishes like Orkney scallop or Jerusalem artichoke with hazelnut, truffle and buckwheat, before moving on to satisfying mains such as red deer with celeriac, elderberry and quince, or sand carrot accompanied by vadouvan, sea buckthorn and cashew. Each dish is exquisitely presented and if you have any room left you after, can take your pick from a puddings list that includes the likes of blackberry and meadowsweet, or an apple crumble soufflé with brown butter and miso ice cream. A seasonal tasting menu is available for those who want to try it all and Melton’s boasts an eclectic wine list that features more than 150 different bottles.
The Old Liquor Store
Providing its diners with the chance to ‘see history but taste modernity’, The Old Liquor Store inhabits what was once the Terry’s factory: home of the iconic chocolate orange. In this smart, industrial-styled space, you can currently share a special Christmas meal that features tempting starters like whipped chestnut mushroom and winter truffle pate, or a marmalade and clove-roasted ham hock and black pudding ballotine. Mains include a parsley butter poached loin of hake with champagne and caviar beurre blanc, or a turkey breast ‘Saltimbocca’, both of which are accompanied by garlic and rosemary roast potatoes, winter greens and maple glazed carrots. For afters there’s then desserts like an OLS Christmas pudding with Cointreau custard, lord general rum, mascarpone and candied peel. The Old Liquor Store is also a cocktail bar and it’s serving a festive twist on classics in the form of drinks like a Black Forest White Russian or Clementine Sour.
Images – @thebrancusi, @meltons_restaurant
