Betty's Restaurant in East Riding of Yorkshire

Worth the visit. Didn’t prebook so had to wait for 30mins but the queue was fast & once settled in the service was fast and smooth too. Staff were friendly. You can only prebook for afternoon Tea. We ordered salads and scones only and was delicious 😋

It was my 5th time here but will be my last. Food was meh but expensive. The stupid table was far too small to even fit the drinks and food on. They had to take away some of the food and bring it back once we've finished what was on the table. Ridiculous. The sandwiches were meh with not much filling in them. The scone was average. The cakes were meh... Nothing special. The service was friendly but at times, there were waitresses just chatting and standing there but it was difficult to get their attention... We got two afternoon teas and a fish and chips. I had a diet coke as well. Almost £90. Not really worth it. There's better food for that price. Not worth the hype and the queues.

A very very high quality traditional British afternoon tea experience. We chose the Belmont Room upstairs because although slightly more expensive than downstairs, we could book in advance and avoid the queue, and it has a famous fit out and a pianist. It seems there is almost always a queue downstairs. Also, and its probably vulgar to mention it but upstairs is an all you can eat experience. They keep offering fresh teas (dozens of choices) and both savoury and sweet eats until you give up, as other high quality providers do. I do not know what the downstairs policy is. Betty's is a high quality experience. Betty's provides an ideal combination of formality, friendliness, tradition, efficiency and ambience. The freshness of the food and its quality and variety together with its staff are unique. We have had high quality afternoon teas all over Britain, including the very expensive and famous ones in London. We enjoy them all. They all offer something different to each other. The good ones are a quality experience. They all offer good food, live music and good staff. And sadly that necessitates a higher than average price. Betty's just happens to be the overall best. The hype is justified. Betty's is more than just the food, or the music, or the staff, or the room. There are many places you can get good food. There are many places you can get a cheaper cup of tea and perhaps a more famous room to drink it in. And so on, but only Betty's is Betty's.

Booked afternoon tea for wife's birthday. We've previously been to the Harrogate Betty's and that was excellent. So expected the same at York. Initial service was good, welcoming us, taking coats and showing us to our table. Waitress took our orders and this arrived quite quickly. After that if we needed something had to catch the attention of waitress. They weren't very attentive (which they had been at Harrogate). Food was well presented and nice. We asked for more sandwiches but the ones bought weren't filled properly so had to be returned. As part of the tea if it was a birthday then piano player did the birthday tune and staff bring a small cake complete with candle. Despite telling the waitress and adding it to the booking form they didn't do this for my wife. Reminded the waitress who did bring a cake/chocs as recompense. The piano player did some modern tunes which was nice but she kept missing notes and was off key at times. So a bit mixed.. Not a bad afternoon tea but let down by a few things.

Decided to go following a recommendation from a friend. Really glad we did. Whilst we had to queue to get in as we hadn’t booked, it was well managed and we moved into the team rooms quickly. Both opted for sandwiches which came well presented and tasted really fresh. I had to try the fat rascal as this was the recommendation. Wow so glad I did, cross between a warm scone and rock cake served with butter - mmmmmm If we lived closer would definitely visit again. Especially as there is also a shop selling some of the treats you can get as part of the afternoon tea

Dear me, what an expensive let down. I had heard they had long queues at weekends so as only visiting York for the day I took the plunge and opted to book for the afternoon tea. It’s £29.95 downstairs but….£39.95 each, that’s right each to book and have it upstairs were a pianist is. When you book they say you can ask for more sandwiches and tea, it’s a good job you could as you firstly receive 3 of the tiniest sandwiches you could imagine, not even 2 slices of bread in size altogether. 2 dry very small scones and 3 of the smallest you have ever seen. One of the cakes so hard my friend nearly broke her tooth on it. Betty’s in York is an over priced over hyped establishment. I’m sure when visiting York you can enjoy afternoon tea in many of the other establishments nearby. And oh, I nearly forgot, you get a plate to put your sandwiches on but with all the tiny bits of chives on one of them on you plate why don’t they give you another plate for your scones and cakes ?

Great venue, lovely staff. Happy to wait, was worth it! It was spotlessly clean and had a very nice atmosphere, we will definitely be back!

I really great old-fashioned place with proper very smart dress service afternoon, tease several different things on the menu, copies, tease cakes, all sorts, very professionally, and it was very clean good company, everything else

Had a day out in Harrogate and went with my mum for lunch as neither of us had been to Betty's in decades. Its a beautiful cafe, the staff were lovely and my coffee was great but lunch was embarrassingly overpriced for the quality. I had the rarebit which was £17 and it was poor. It lacked any real depth of flavour and was so greasy that the bread underneath was almost fried bread, from when it had been over blasted. It had a few cherry tomatoes on the top and that was it. It was very really disappointing for £17. Mum's fishcake had far more interest, better presentation but the poached egg was under done.

Was sat near the window, great view of passers-by. Breakfast excellent, waitresses attentive. Only qued for 10 minutes 10/15 Sunday morning. Not pressured to leave. Better than the British museum and wallace orangery in London.

We visited Betty's last year for my birthday and it was excellent so my partner decided to treat me again this year. Unfortunately it did not live up to expectations. The afternoon tea was less than last year but for more money although we were told we could have more sandwiches. If we can have them bring them out with the afternoon tea, we could always have them boxed up. My partner rang to book and was told he couldn't have a table before 2.30. We arrived and asked if there was any chance of an earlier table and were seated at 12.15. The place was half empty! The service was good and the pianist was excellent but the place has lost its attraction. It is way too expensive for what you get and, unfortunately, it is unlikely that we will return.

Went in for the shop portion of Bettys as we thought about the afternoon tea but was put off by the long queue and £40 price tag. The cakes were amazing and lived up to our expectations but the servers though attentive to see if we were being served, were rather pompous and slightly rude to some of our party. We bought the famous fat rascals and fondant fancies which came in lovely packaging and did taste amazing. And shout out to the gentleman at the door, he was great! So overall mixed feelings about Bettys.

Great experience food wasmljvelt and piano livenmusoc was a great touch we will be back to experience this again 😀 the fizz was a nice touch.

Bought some fat rascals in the shop and when we got home found they were stale. Contacted Betty's, who were extremely helpful. Sent out fresh rascals with an apology. Always found Betty's service impeccable and the food amazing. Other retailers could learn a lot from Betty's customer service.

Genuinely not worth going to, there are far better places to have tea. the food is Starbucks level at best, their teas and coffees are horrific and their desserts are in edible. While some staff members are genuinely lovely, many are snobby. If you want to wait 15+ mins, in the cold and rain, for a tourist trap then be my guest.

We visited Betty's whilst staying in York. Having seen the queues, we were expecting a fantastic breakfast for the price. Unfortunately, we were disappointed. The meal was overpriced and there wsa nothing outstanding about it. Most of the food was luke warm. The lady who served us was pleasant, the place was clean and the toilets were nice. However there really isn't anything else we can say that's positive about the experience. We had breakfast at a couple of independent cafes whilst in York and the food and experience far outweighed that of Betty's.

No trip to York is complete without a visit to this wonderful place. We normally just visit the shop, but this time we visited their delightful café, described on their website as having “beautiful interiors inspired by the Queen Mary ocean liner, it’s been making a splash since 1936.” It really is a glorious place to visit. I had one of my favourite cakes: a Yorkshire Curd Tart: “all-butter pastry filled with curd cheese, butter, currants and nutmeg and a touch of lemon curd”. Never had a curd tart? You’ve missed out! Accompanied by a very luxurious café mocha. Perfect elevenses.

Visited on Sat 10th Feb with a friend... Had rosti breakfast n rascal scone both were delicious... We will definitely be returning. The service is also 1st class... Thank u

Just ok! Didn’t live up to the write up. Coffee is very poor, bread wasn’t very fresh for our sandwiches and side of chips cheapest you can buy like cardboard. Service very pleasant and efficient but I wouldn’t return.

The afternoon tea was excellent and the scones are probably the best i've ever had. The service and atmosphere are both great. The only thing lacking is that it closes so early, which i'm sure is due to the time of year as i remember it being open later in the evenings a few years ago. Late evening tea and scones would always be a winner!

Lovely experience First time visiting York and a trip to Bettys was a must Queued for around 3/4 hour and we’re finally seated in a window seat Didn’t want a full meal so opted for the soup of the day which was delicious and followed...

Yes, I heard that Betty's is a "tourist trap'' and that you could go elsewhere for tea rather than wait in line for a seat. True, it is a tourist destination. But, I must admit, it was very cool to get inside and have one...

As always the food is excellent … but I must say the way the staff are trained is fabulous.. from the floor managers to the servers the service is exceptional. A lot of restaurants could well do with going and see how the job is...

Whilst visiting York we popped into Bettys for lunch. What an experience. Fantastic surroundings and service. Stayed for two hours, never felt rushed and staff were very attentive to all of our needs. Food and drink was tasty, excellently presented and plentiful. Bettys is a...

Six of us had the afternoon tea for a 60th wedding anniversary and it wasn’t great. Three of the items weren’t available although other items were substituted, but a couple of the missing ones had been looked forward to. It’s expensive compared to other places...

Visited as a birthday treat. Food was nice, service efficient. Kind of felt like a fast food experience. We had winter afternoon tea, it was fairly small and more sweet than savoury. Would I make another journey to Bettys probably not - there are better...

I, like everyone, had high expectations of Betty's but left sadly disappointed. The service, whilst friendly, was slow and innatentive. Most of the items we asked for had run out and what we did get was pretty poor. The tea was weak, the milkshake was...

Went for a cream tea whilst visiting York. Lovely atmosphere and the staff are very friendly and accommodating, we ask if we could change to another table before our order was delivered and they were more than happy to make it happen. Scones are lovely...

Visited without a booking by myself on a Saturday morning for breakfast. Has the Florentine roasti (£16.50) and a pot of Betty's tea (£4.50) which came with extra hit water so made about four cups. Nice room amd friendly staff. Queues started forming later in...

6.1.24. We enjoyed coffees, a Gooey Rascal & Apple tart, delicious, really recommend! A big Thank you, to our server Pam. Pam gave us a lovely welcome & was very attentive. A great experience. Sorry we misplaced our receipt so was unable to complete the...

Afternoon Tea was absolutely amazing, the staff were amazing everything was amazing…an experience we will never forget. The sandwiches were delicious, the scone were lovely especially the orange flavoured scones and the cakes were just superb. A fantastic cafe for Afternoon Tea, well worth the...

Chuffed that we had a table booked when we saw the queue's to get in. Lovely Afternoon Tea however, I would say that we wouldn't normally pay £39.95 each for lunch. It was our first visit to York and Betty's had been recommended twice by...

We were here for Afternoon Tea in the Belmont Room which was such a fantastic experience. Such a lovely atmosphere, beautiful setting. It felt like a treat & we were treated like royalty by the very friendly attentive & knowledgeable staff. The quality of the...

We had the traditional afternoon tea which was very nice but should be for £29:95 it includes four 1/4 sandwiches different filling 1 fruit scone with cream & jam & 3 very small cakes & 1 pot of traditional tea : which were all very...

Myself and two friends went to Betty's for afternoon tea, but unfortunately the real disappointment was the value for money. It's rather expensive for very little. The service from the staff was fantastic and they were very friendly, so I can't knock this! Plus we...

My breakfast at Betty's would have been fine for a 3* hotel but with many great spots in the vicinity (and the higher than average prices) what I had was of poor quality. Here's what £20-£21 (incl. tea, excl. tips) per head got us: paper...

A trip to Betty's is, apparently, a MUST DO while in York and I am not sure why. My wife had her heart set on it and I could not disappoint her. You have to queue up for up to an hour for a table,...

As very loyal customers going back to the 1950’s, 8 of our family, including our 2 grandchildren ventured to St Helens Square full of Christmas hope and expectation! That was sadly where it ended - staff were full of excuses for no fish and chips,...

First time at Betty’s for my birthday. Really enjoyed the food and experience, felt well looked after and staff were very polite and attentive to everything. Even got given a cake for my birthday which was lovely! Food was nice, expensive but that was to...

Lovely setting for the perfect afternoon tea. Staff and service were superb. The Pianist was excellent and made the atmosphere more special. Food quality and choice of teas is amazing. Vegetarian choice was excellent.

Afternoon Tea. What an experience. Traditional afternoon tea, the staff were lovely, the atmosphere and surroundings were spot on, including a pianist! Food was lovely, sandwiches were delicious. Highly recommend!

My favourite place for afternoon tea. I used to come here with my mother 60 years ago and the Belmond Room looks exactly the same - impressive craftsman ship, excellent afternoon tea and very friendly and courteous service.

Christmas afternoon tea with champagne accompanied by a piano player! Great gluten free experience food was perfect sandwiches to die for. Offered refills of sandwiches and tea/coffee which is fabulous. Gluten free scone was the best I’ve tasted anywhere. Beautiful original Art deco interior and...

The place is really nice the coffee and the desserts were very good. The staff was kind and helpful. I would come back if possible.

Betty's is a lovely, old-fashioned cafe. It has a very relaxed atmosphere and the waiting on staff are dressed smartly. We had scones with jam and cream and they were gorgeous. Whilst we were there my friend ordered some cakes from the shop as gifts,...

I came to Betty's with friends. The food was very nice and drinks too. Betty's always has high food standards. However, when we went to pay the bill I asked if it was possible to leave a cash tip. I was told this was possible....

This venue was highly recommended so we didn't mind having to queue. The staff were lovely. Professional and attentive. The venue was beautiful. However the food was a disappointment. The portions were very small. The teapot was half filled. The chips were not fresh -...

Fabulous afternoon tea. Original sandwich fillings. Great service and wonderful ambience. Will definitely return.

The good. 1) The festive afternoon tea. Lovely fresh sandwiches, indulgent scones (marvellous jam) and sweet things. The tea delighted mam and I. Mam went for a white tea from China and I took an Assam from the Republic of India. So good! 2) The...

Lovely special venue for tea and cake. We had cakes and a sandwich to share. It was very busy but the service was still very good. Quite expensive but a lovely treat!

We had Afternoon Tea here today. Have been several times before and it lived up to our expectations. The staff are wonderful, the food is gorgeous and we love the ambience. Will be back!

The best afternoon tea I have ever had in a Bettys tea room( we have done 3!). From the moment we arrived, to the moment we left the customer service outstanding. The endless sandwiches scones cakes and bottomless tea pot was superb. Andrea our waitress...

My husband and I booked Afternoon Tea in the Belmont Room at Betty's in York which is upstairs, but since my husband is in a wheelchair, we had it in the main room. Our waitress Sarah was absolutely brilliant, couldn't fault her. She reconfirmed my...

When in York ....yes there was queue to get in ,but it seemed to be moving quickly so we didn't have long to wait . Lucky to be seated in the upstairs area which was lovely. 1 cappuccino ,1 earl grey tea and 2 festive...

Paid a visit to Betty’s tea rooms. I live in York but only visit one a year as a treat as the cost and queues are aversive. We went very early to avoid excessive waiting. We arrived shortly after opening and were asked to queue...

First trip to Betty's in a long time, and first time here. And, as you may expect by reputation, no disappointments. With a jam packed weekend in store, we knew we wanted to fit Betty's in and where thinking of a time we could attend...

The Afternoon Tea is an absolute must if you want something special. The Belmont Rooms is the way to go, book and no queuing. We would like to say a massive thank you for making our time at Betty's Belmont a memorable and lovely experience...

Always a queue to get in but did not have to wait long, it was worth the wait. The service was outstanding, the food was delicious and the ambience relaxing.

This was our first visit to this Betty’s after having been to the previous York annex and the one n Harrogate. Earlier in the day the line was very long with those waiting to enter. We returned later in the day and only had about...

Lovely experience and met our expectations. Beautiful surroundings, good service, immaculate clean facilities, food beautifully presented.

Lovely time in Bettys. You can’t book so waited to go In. Only waited about 20mins so wasn’t too bad. We had a window seat and the place was very calm but was busy. The waiter/waitresses were very helpful and prompt. We only went in...

We had arranged a family afternoon tea in Betty’s. To be honest it was a little disappointing. The lady serving us seemed to have a lot more tables to serve than others which resulted in long wait when trying to get served. We were placed...

Visited Bettys today for their Festive Afternoon Tea. Highly recommend booking this in advance as you will dine in the lovely Belmont Room without having to queue outside the Tea Rooms which can get very busy, particularly at this time of year. The afternoon tea...

Lovely lovely lovely. Very old fashioned teashop with amazing service. Food was really well presented if a little expensive. But a great place for a nice treat.

We visited Betty’s as part of our holiday in York and as my birthday celebration! We had the festive afternoon tea in the Belmont Room which was absolutely stunning!! There was a live pianist playing Christmas songs and the decor was so beautiful. The service...

Afternoon Tea in the Belmont Room is rather special. Importantly you can pre-book so no queueing in the cold, you get beautiful live piano music, fantastic service (from Lucy), lovely food and as much sandwiches, tea and coffee as you can manage. I tried 3...

Recently visited Betty’s for a drink and sweet treat and really enjoyed it. I had praline latte and hubby had a cappuccino. He had coffee torte with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce and said it was lovely. I had a hazelnut and almond cake...

My wife booked Afternoon Tea in the Belmont room at Betty’s as a treat at the start of our weekend away in York. This not the first time we have been. We come once a year around this time. The Belmont room has a lovely...

The icon of Harrogate. Lovely atmosphere, definitely one of the best places to visit in town. Very nice experience.

I booked this for my wife as a birthday treat in The Belmont Room and was not left disappointed. A welcoming and relaxed experience enhanced by the music offered with the pianists! Staff couldn't do enough for you with tea, sandwiches and cake happy to...

What a lovely festive afternoon tea for us all for mom’s birthday. Pink champagne, lovely sandwiches & cakes. Staff couldn’t be more helpful & friendly & a man playing his piano. They even played happy birthday & bought mom out a fondant fancy.

When I saw the difference between the Belmont Room and the main cafe area I knew I did the right thing booking in advance. Everything about it made it such a great experience for my friend's 50th birthday present. The sandwiches and cakes were delicious...

Today visited the Belmont suite for afternoon tea .beautiful range of sandwiches And cakes all.delicious Service attentive really enjoyed our visit.

Charming staff and good quality ingredients for a special afternoon tea. We pre-booked in The Belmont Room and had efficient service but would question the cost. You have unlimited sandwiches and tea but, at £40pp, it seemed a little expensive for what it was.

Superb service - whether shopping or sharing an afternoon tea, the service was exceptional. The afternoon tea was value for money as it was a lovely experience as well as excellent food.

The choice was amazing and the Eccles cakes were the best I have ever tasted!!! We bought cakes to take back with us for my wife’s birthday and can’t wait to get stuck into these later today!!! A little expensive but you get what you...

Excellent birthday treat for my mum. Lovely staff, amazing service. Portions were sensible rather than too much as is often the case with afternoon tea. They brought my mum a complimentary bun with a candle too! I would highly recommend!

Perfect for celebrating a 50th birthday made it very special staff was lovely and the lady playing the piano

Glad we booked, as massive queue for the downstairs area. Clean and airy, loved the pianist. Staff polite and friendly. would recommend and visit again.

The best afternoon tea in the world! Nice service and tasty desserts makes the rainy day not that awful. Worth try at least once in lifetime.

Good ambiance and well parented. However not good value for money. We got our tea and waited for 2 orange and raisin scones. Tue scones arrived bed after we finished our tea. The scones were the same as the scones at the counter. £1.50 per...

Afternoon tea here is perfect the scones are the best I have ever tasted so far I can't wait to visit again.

Very busy and queues at the door. Afternoon tea looked nice and dishes being served to adjacent tables looked good too but I don’t know what they paid. I paid £8 for a Xmas coffee that tasted no better than Nescafé instant and a further...

The Betty's team made a special day out even better. Excellent service especially when advising on special dietary needs.

Absolutely fantastic place. Lovely service and staff and fabulous food. Try the imperial breakfast,you won't be disappointed

This had been on my bucket list for some time. We visited whilst celebrating our Golden wedding anniversary. Excellent afternoon which is replenished in the Belmont room, asked if we were celebrating an occasion and gave us a thoughtful small gift.

An amazing place, beautiful food beautiful atmosphere and I really enjoyed the tea. The vegan menu was sublime too. Thankyou for a fantastic afternoon tea.

We absolutely loved our time at Betty's, where we had afternoon tea (for lunch 😁). Everyone was incredibly friendly, notably Esme and Anne. The food and tea were delicious, and our four year old (called Betty!) and one year old were welcomed. Indeed Betty was...

Me and a family member have been past Betty’s every time we have been to York and there has always been a massive queue. We have been to the shop bit before and have gotten tea and a pack of biscuits before which was good....

We visited this York institution for breakfast. We were lucky enough to be allocated a window seat and enjoyed watching the world go by whilst savouring our food and coffee. The food lived up to expectations and the portions were generous. The staff were all...

Was looking forward to visiting for some time but was left feeling a little underwhelmed by the experience. Found the sandwiches quite bland, with little choice, and the portion sizes were very small. Felt that when we asked for additional sandwiches, there was a reluctance...

Very very disappointed in Betty’s. I had pre booked the Belmont tea room upstairs as heard good things and wanted to experience this amazing place . Sadly not as expected. Very average quality for £40 a head. Sandwiches a bit dry and cakes looked mass...

Fabulous afternoon tea, lovely service, piano playing, lovely sandwiches, scones and cakes couldn’t fault it, will go again soon

Six friends visited Betts in York for Afternoon Tea.Three of us have been before and we will all definitely come again. Amazing as always with a special requirement for a gluten free option. Thanks to your brilliant staff we had an amazing time and hope...

Lovely place to eat. You can not book a table so you have to be prepared to queue. The queue goes quite quickly and it is constant but well worthy. Small menu but quite delicious. The soup is good, it was cauliflower served with a...

We had an afternoon tea for the adults and our two boys had a sandwich each and chips to share. The portion of chips was much bigger than we expected and the boys really enjoyed their sandwiches. The afternoon tea was alright, nothing to write...

First time at Betty's. Had a lovely afternoon tea. Food was gorgeous. Huge array of teas. Service was excellent. Highly recommended.

I first went to Betty’s over 30 years ago, and have visited several times in the intervening years. All have been excellent experiences. However our recent visit was disappointing, and I had the distinct impression of a cafe that’s somewhat on the slide. Service wasn’t...

We queued for 40 minutes - our choice as we could see the queue was long. When we got in we were shown to a table and were given menus. After a few minutes a girl took our order - 2 Mochas a chocolate torte...

Afternoon tea in Belmont rooms Betty’s at York. Special catch up with good friend. Thought it would be equally special Very average afternoon tea shame.