Bosun's in York

Excellent quality Sunday roast, beautiful ingredients, exceptionally well cooked and ample portions for a really good price. I am celiac and there were lots of gluten free options on the menu, even got gluten free yorkshire pudding with the roast beef!

Interesting place. Beautiful location, inviting antmosphere and a menu that reads phenomenally, with an upmarket feel (and upmarket prices). It’s clearly trying very hard to attract a reputation, the service is thought about and attentive, an extensive wine menu and very enticing seasonal menu with lots attractive about it… and rhe presentation and ingredient pairings of the food is exquisite. HOWEVER (and I’ve seen this echoed by others reviews)… there’s something just a little touch off from making this place ‘worth it’. And that, to be frank, is the cooking. Don’t get me wrong, the beetroot starter I had was as fine a dish as I’ve ever had; Michelin quality even. My wife’s parfait the same. But the mains were a nosedive from here, with cod and Rib both overcooked and dry, and bland, poorly seasoned sauces to pair. Chips were soggy also… which is a huge shame considering the capability clearly exists in that kitchen. I’m going to go out on a limb and say it seems like they have a brilliantly talented creative sous chef, and a head chef who can’t keep up. Keep the menu, keep the ingredients, but start honing in on getting them mains right if you’re going to justify them prices.

Fabulous place. Steak night is particularly good. Steak always tender. Comfortable relaxing atmosphere at the side of the river. Update on steak night. The steak still tender although there are some changes. The onion rings were greasy tonight and the regular red wine has been replaced by a much cheaper version with the steak night deal. The price has increased by approximately 20% We will however still go again. As it is still a lovely place to go.

Wonderful food, service and atmosphere!

Came for my partner’s graduation with her family and was served by Jess. First time coming to Bosun’s and it was amazing! Very accommodating, gorgeous cocktails, and the most delicious food. Brought her a little free dessert saying ‘Congratulations!’ All the staff were lovely but Jess especially was brilliant - can’t recommend enough!!

Nice place and location used to be an excellent Chinese called bishops River years ago . Unfortunately the food was poor and to charge £13 for a poor pudding also . I was told it wasn’t the best but gave it a chance . Happy to pay Michelin star money for Michelin star food but you don’t get that here . Lived in york all my life and I have had better food in the Marcia . Shame for such a nice looking place .

I visited on Sunday 28th July and was seated on the balcony looking over the River. I can’t recommend this restaurant enough, the best Sunday lunch I’ve ever had! Definitely 5 🌟

The food was good, the chicken liver paté had a great balance of flavors, but some items were under seasoned and some of the meats were dry. One of the staff were quite cold and stern. I know that this is not the standard that Bosun’s strives for. However, considering the price, it is fair that customers expect attentive and professional service.

Nice location, fairly decent food, not exactly special but definitely worth trying. It's a bit overpriced for what it is, but it's a captive audience. Range of food is decent, cocktails are your typical fair and generally £10ish. Outdoor seats are great if the weather is kind

Very expensive. Only able to have the two courses or 3. Which is excellent if you only wish to eat one . Also the Sunday lunch wasn't very filling. Small portions that look pretty. Service was very slow and we kept having to ask for things . Not very attentive . Amazing location next to the river ouse. Lots of interest on the river side . Would probably visit the mini cafe next door on next visit to get more value for money

Michelin star without the price tag. Hidden gem, next to the amazing backdrop of the Ouse.

Such a lovely dinner at Bosuns. The food was lovely, the service was friendly and attentive and the mocktail was fabulous. Lovely place to go for a celebration

What a lovely breath of fresh air this restaurant was. We ate there one evening from main menu and then had the Sunday roast. Both meals were of an excellent standard and the service matched the food . Not to mention the beautiful decor and the lovely river that runs alongside .Fully recommend .

Here for the Sunday lunch and found to be very good. Lots of space and good seating. Service very good, as is the lunch.

Was absolutely delighted with this meal and evening. Husband’s birthday and daughter’s wedding anniversary. Was cxxx such a pleasure to visit for the first time. It definitely won’t be the last. Thank you all 👏👏👏👏👏

We didn't eat in the restaurant but did have a bacon butty and coffee from their outdoor facility and sat at the riverside tables. The bacon butty was great, piles of meat and very satisfying. Visited the restaurant to enquire for a future booking and found it to be a very well appointed venue. Looking forward to another visit.

What a fabulous evening!We took friends, who live in the Cotswolds, last night.One of our friends is Coeliac, and therefore gluten free.She is used to a very restricted menu choice, but Bosun’s offered her almost everything on the menu!It was all delicious and the smiling waitresses were wonderful.Cannot rate it highly enough!

Lovely place and lovely food. Got my drink order wrong and watch for the service charge on top of your bill. It was an extra £6.50.

Great riverside location. Staff extremely friendly. Limited menu with excellent choices. Great for family of romantic meal.

Beautiful food amazing service I will be back to try more on the menu

First time I’ve ever been. Me and my partner order a Tomahawk Steak, definitely a good quality Meat. Unfortunately the steak wasn’t cooked as we requested. We didn’t mention that because the meat was nice and tasty. We immediately noticed as soon as the chef cut the meat in front of us. Desserts were delicious. Service was very attentive and welcoming. Thank you to the waitress Alina who served us. We’ll definitely be back soon .

Very poor quality food. Beef was very fatty, stringy and largely inedible. Complaint to the waitress. Sticky toffee pudding was just a bun that had been microwaved with toffee sauce.

7 of us went last night we were warmly greeted the staff were all very friendly and attentive. The food was delicious excellent service we will be returning

Went for a Sunday roast, fast service and friendly staff. Food was amazing!!

Hidden gem . Warm and friendly welcome . Excellent atmosphere and relaxed feel . Beautiful decor and views . Very quick and efficient service and the food divine . Personal touch . The price should be double for the quality of food . Presentation exquisite . Would highly recommend.

What a fantastic place in a superb location. Well worth the short diversion from the A64. The sticky pork belly is just outstanding 👌

Great food and service, just a little overpriced

Came here for Sunday Lunch with my mother on Sunday 18th Feb & was massively impressed. Lovely location, atmosphere was great & food was delicious! I had the nut roast dinner & my mum had pork. Both cooked to perfection, but must say the best thing was the service, which was honestly outstanding. Every staff member was friendly, chatty, efficient & nothing was too much trouble for them; from the tall beautiful lady who greeted us as we came in & showed us our table, to the servers & lady who brought our bill - all absolutely lovely. Really makes a meal out so much more enjoyable when you experience great customer service :) Would definitely recommend.

Thursday steak night, great value for money, loved the vegan deserts, as I have an egg allergy, great place to sit out in the summer, highly recommend great addition to bishopthorpe

Yum! Great options for gluten free, helpful and friendly staff

We have a large group meal here on Christmas Eve. The place looks and feels fantastic, really clean and has a fantastic atmosphere. Food was well presented, tasted fantastic and the service complemented the food. Worth the drive from Chesterfield. Would highly recommend.

A very pleasant establishment, food good but oh dear the service was very, very slow for drinks and food which spoilt the experience.

My immediate family booked for Sunday lunch on Christmas Eve,7 adults and 2 children. What a wonderful meal we all had. There was plenty of choice on the menu for all including the children. The quality of food, service and atmosphere cannot be faulted. I would recommend the Sunday lunch all

Enjoyed the Festive Menu at lunchtime today. The service and food was excellent and not rushed.

First time here .. great Sunday lunch fab service good atmosphere and really easy parking too with nice views over the river

Location, staff and food excellent although slightly on the expensive side. Will definitely be back.

I've eaten here 4 or 5 times and have had very nice food here, but not today. Very disappointed in the food. Soup was cold and the Fish Gordon's I think had been repheats, as the Fish was almost non existent and the Batter was Rock Hard and Greasy - not nice at all.

Had a wonderful meal here for my partners birthday. The staff were attentive and we felt well-looked after. Both of us had burgers, which were so tasty and well-worth the money. The cocktails were also delicious, with great attention to detail. Couldn’t recommend this place enough if you’re looking for a nice meal with brilliant service! I would also recommend Bosun’s Oven around the corner for some great pizzas!

We ordered the steak deal, 2 steaks and a bottle of house wine for £39, my wife steak was o.k but mine was too tuff the cut into and no way my teeth could chew the steak ,so after I trying cutting from the other end ,,which was no better, I gave up wrapped up to take home for my dog.!!!!!. What a pity as its such a lovely building and idyllic sitting. I did not complain as my wife Requested me not to as her steak was reasonable.

Superb meal at Bosuns to celebrate a special day with our family. We’ll definitely be back.

Very nice environment and friendly waiters however the food is well overpriced. I am not saying was bad but no reason for the these prices. I would go back maybe for a coffee as the atmosphere was very nice but not for food. We literally went and ate somewhere else after as the portions were very small.

Extremely disappointing. First of all let me say, I never write reviews on meals out, but the food was so underwhelming for the price in this case I made an exception. As a family who eats out regularly from fine dining to pub grub, this was one of the most overpriced meals in terms of quality per £ spent we've experienced for a long time. I have to say the service and environment was great. The food however was not. We went as a family of four for a 50th birthday dinner and our bill was £250 with 2 rounds of drinks. First of all, it was one of the most basic menus I've seen in a long while, for a place that calls itself a restaurant. Pub style dishes and limited to a few choices. Burger, 3 x steak options, a pork dish a fish dish and I think 3 x vegan or veggie choices, so much so that we all went for steak in the mains because it was so limited. £28 Sirloins and they were chewy as hell, ordered medium rare and they were close to blue. Honestly I've bought better cuts of beef at Aldi. Everyone can get a bad one in a group of four once in a while but we were all frantically chewing just to get through them. Mine had so much fat and sinew I couldn't even cut through 1/3 of it, let alone eat it. The pepper sauce at an additional £4 per steak was watery. On starters two of us had salt n pepper squid (cant mess that up), two had duck and the duck was a dry as a bone. The deserts were great. I'm not the type who complains on the night because it just makes a bad meal worse and sours the evening even more. I pay my bill smile and leave. I just don't go there again and this is definitely a place that's on my blacklist.

Beautiful sunset over the river, lovely food and friendly team. We will be back!

A friend and I popped in for dinner, it was steak night so we had steak. It was very good the chips triple cooked lovely peppercorn sauce, we had peas and battered onion ring as extras, it included a bottle of house wine which was good.

Had an absolutely brilliant birthday at the Bosun's. The staff were attentive, knowledgeable and friendly. The food was marvellous (as always). The Sun was out and the ambience and views were great. Hey, this place isn't for "Cheap Charlie's" (like me), but if you want reasonably priced, local, fine dining, then this is the place to go! Ten out of ten, from me 👍🏻

We have dined at Bosun's at least 3 separate times over the past year and unfortunately our most recent outing there was not up to the same level of quality service as our first two visits. Despite booking the table online we were left waiting for a free table on arrival, which we accept can happen. However, we only eventually got seated 15 minutes late and given no menus to make any orders until a further 10-15 minutes later - the waiting staff seemed to pass our table obliviously over and over again and until one finally came to take our order to which we had to say we had no idea what was available. This was a recurring theme throughout the whole meal - we had to keep flagging waiting staff down to request things like a drinks menu, then the dessert menu, etc. Disappointingly they were prompt to remember when the bill was due! As a positive the food was great as usual, even if some portions were a bit slim (the pate starter came with very small pieces of cracker to spread it upon and my wife was disappointed by the serving size of her meringue dessert). Overall, we weren't very impressed with the quality of service or organisation at our most recent outing which was particularly disappointing after having such positive memories of place in the past.

Oh my word. What a find. Great location on the water front. Beautiful food. I would say service is a 'relaxed' style if you are in a hurry, we weren't so enjoyed the time to relax in the surroundings and take time to enjoy our wine and select our courses. Highly recommend the tomahawk pork. Plenty of parking. Does get busy so best to book. Would definitely go again.

Ah, Bosun's! That charming riverside retreat adjacent to the River Ouse where food usually delights and the atmosphere is always great. I've enjoyed around ten successful and enjoyable outings here and have even been cheeky enough to recommend it to friends (though not too many; we don't want it getting too popular, do we?). Unfortunately, my latest experience here was less 'cruise on the Riviera' and more 'Titanic post-iceberg'. Chaos reigned supreme amongst the staff, and my heart went out to the two young lads desperately trying to steer the ship through rough waters. The menu was a litany of 'not available today' items—no eggs, no toasted bread, and an assortment of other culinary casualties. While the hot dogs we ordered were decent, I have to lament the £6.50 Bookers burger (yep, Bookers, as loudly announced by the staff dashing off for emergency stock). My patty was overcooked, the bun dry, and a measly slice of cheese tried, but failed, to lift the ensemble. Most definitely not good food that we come to expect of Bosun’s. Then there was the ice cream fiasco—just two semi-melted flavours on offer, with the staff having to dash yet again to Bookers to restock the so-called 'premium Yorkshire dairy ice cream'. All this shouting and to-ing and fro-ing disrupted the normally tranquil atmosphere and felt decidedly unprofessional. Bosun's, I hope this was just an off-day or a temporary change in management, because the place is generally a gem. However, this last visit was definitely more shipwreck than luxury cruise. Here's hoping for calmer waters on our next visit.

Lovely setting and stunning building. Love that you can go throughout the day, just a shame it’s not open all week. Understandable though. Have enjoyed all our meals there.

Excellent meal at Bosun’s. Their Thursday steak special was very tasty & great value. The service was friendly & first rate & it was lovely to see how full the restaurant was in the mid-week. We’ll definitely go back next time we are in Bishopthorpe.

Birthday meal last night, fillet steak for me and Mrs H after a long day travelling, excellent. Will be back, recommended.

Nice surrounding by the river near town. Table location are both terrace and indoor area. Staff are very friendly. Recommend.

Bought 2 tickets for afternoon tea for my parents as a gift for their anniversary. My parents enjoyed the food but said the service was poor and were even more shocked when they had to pay a service charge. The vouchers were a gift and no extra charges should be charged. I emailed the restaurant the next day to ask why there was a charge a couple of times, and 3 weeks gone and still no reply. Would not recommend them for good service

Absolutely incredible Sunday roast in a beautiful setting. Possibly the best Sunday dinner I have ever had.

Restaurant reeks of snobbery. The management team needs a lesson in customer service. Overpriced food, will not be coming back. Avoid

We chose Bosun’s as the place to host our after-wedding lunch with a few close friends. Great food, great service, beautiful location…it felt very special!

Didn't eat at bosun's we went for breakfast at the hut in front of there which is run by them. Great breakfast rolls quality produce and friendly staff 👍

We went for Sunday lunch as a farewell meal for my mum. We were greeted warmly, and seated at a decent table with plenty of space around us. Ordered drinks and our meal from the Sunday menu (2 courses for £26 or 3 courses for £32) We ordered 2x Prawn cocktails and 1x chicken liver pate, the Prawn cocktails were delivered in Martini glasses (see pictures) and they didn’t have a plate under them, 1. To put lemon on after squeezing it, and 2. To catch any spillage when eating (which is inevitable due to the glass) The Marie Rose sauce was slightly thin and thus ended up in the bottom of the glass and when you dug down to get some on the forkful you were going to eat this resulted in the spillage I was on about earlier! The pickled cucumber strip in the cocktail teas so strong that it overpowered the prawns (which were small and minimal) the Chicken liver pate was nice but there was too much pate for the thin toasted sourdough pieces that came with it. These were £6 (seen the price on the bill breakdown at the end of the meal. The mains considering they were £20, were disappointing!. All 3 of our Yorkshire puddings were overdone and slightly burnt around the top (see attached pictures) the Beef and Ham were delicious but the pork had lots of fat around the slices and the crackling was only partially crispy. The side dishes were nice enough but the cauliflower in the cauliflower cheese was undercooked. The service was good and the waitresses were pleasant but only paid lip service when we commented on the issues with the starters. Overall an underwhelming experience for a farewell meal after my mums visit. Overpriced and under delivered, which is a shame as we’d been before and had a fantastic experience.

The food was good, the staff very friendly, but... all drinks appeared twice on the bill. Personal said that happens sometimes because of bad internet. But if you already know that, shouldn't you check the bill before giving it to the guest?

Faultless...excellent food, impeccable service, superb value, gorgeous location...highly recommended

Fantastic food. Staff very attentive. Service 5*

Real nice place at side of river

First visit for Sunday lunch. Beautiful food and lovely setting ( with air conditioning) A real treat to share a good meal with our family

Didn't have starters but mains took over 45 mins to arrive. No side dish for mussel shells and chips were soggy. Staff did not ask if food was OK or if we needed anything. Private function on raised area prevented normal conversation due to loud classical guitarist. Table next to us waiting over an hour for dessert despite asking staff when they would arrive. Declined to pay service charge and reluctant to return.

Really great spot on the river with excellent food.

Agree with others on the slow/absent service, likewise the drinks order to table was an issue as well as multiple requests for items that didn't arrive (sauces, drinks, cutlery). Unfortunately we experienced the rudeness of the manager which another reviewer has pointed out. Food was a contrast of poor to excellent. Plenty of potential though poor delivery and at £45 a head not worth the punt of having a second visit. Fantastic location and a lovely set up.

An absolute gem. Food was delicious, service friendly and attentive and very reasonably priced. Will definitely be returning.

Bosun's is a really great place. It's a bit of a hidden gem. We only found out about it when we sailed past. We've been back numerous times, the food is always great, we even came here for Christmas dinner. Nice beers and wines available, and also hot drinks. It's great to just have a drink and watch the boats sail past, or stop a little longer for some great food, then have a nice walk along the river afterwards.

The food was absolutely amazing. The whole setting was gorgeous apart from the fact that the manager, Giuseppe, I overheard him being horrible to this waitress, and he got annoyed that she use the wrong till I just didn’t think that was right of him and he ended up sending her home. But the staff was lovely everyone at work. They was so lovely the only part that ruined it for me with how horrible that manager was, he kept patronising the staff and ended up trying to use them when he could’ve easily done those things himself, but ended up adding on extra stuff for them to do was he sat down and complained about how busy he was, and the fact that I could overhear that whole conversation from the restaurant says a lot about this place, and then he ended up coming over and recommending us to write a review about him and when he didn’t even serve us the whole time, the stuff was absolutely amazing to me, but personally I wouldn’t come back again, just because I don’t appreciate how he was, but apart from that it was probably one of the best fruits have ever had.

We are a group of guys who eat out regularly and this is one of the best restaurants we have been to. Toni and the staff looked after us very well and the food was superb. All meals were well presented and we were not rushed in any way. A beautiful setting too.

Super well presented afternoon tea. Very enjoyable

Friendly reception, great service, excellent food. Plenty of seating/table in or out of sun.

Really enjoyed our meal here. Was very tasty. Did gluten free Sunday roast and pudding (jam sponge!) for the better half which was a nice treat. Service was excellent.

A good place overall, would definitely recommend for the atmosphere and setup. They managed to give it a very "natural" and "holiday" vibe. Service and food are normal, nothing incredible but also no problem or critics to be made, at least on the Sunday menu which I believe is not representing their full menu.

Professional service, very good food and pleasant surroundings.

Very lovely place. I love a drive out which makes the meal extra special. People are lovely too. Something different about this place

Its a great setting and the ambience is fantastic. All the staff are passionate about the food which was delicious. The manager told us the calamari was the best and he was not wrong. We think its the best we've ever had! Will be coming back to work through the menu.

Good all round, not too expensive,good choice of meals.nice views of the river.

We had afternoon tea and it was delicious. The staff couldn't have been more helpful. The atmosphere and the surroundings were fabulous. We are definately going to come again 😋. Thank you all the staff at Bosun's.

We spent our best time here celebrating Eid 🎈🤍 great food and friendly staff 🤍

Bosun's in York is an excellent choice for a Sunday lunch with family. I had the pleasure of trying their signature roast of pork with seasonal vegetables and yorkshire pudding, and I must say that the quality of the ingredients was outstanding. All the ingredients were locally sourced, fresh and well-prepared, and the dish presentation was superb. The restaurant manager, Giuseppe, led a team of friendly and professional staff who ensured that we had a great experience. I highly recommend Bosun's for anyone looking for a high-quality dining experience in York. I can't wait to go back and try their other dishes soon.

Enjoyed a wonderful evening at Bosun's. Have been a few times now and it has been consistently good. Pros Delicious food with lots of gluten free options. Also noticed it has some good vegan and vegetarian options. Good allergen knowledge. Great atmosphere and acoustics making conversation easy to have without shouting over music or other guests Friendly staff Cons No gluten free bread available today as they had run out which was disappointing - did mean I tried something I wouldn't normally have picked and ended up really enjoying it (beetroot and goats cheese starter) Slow service at start. Took a while to come take drinks order. After that it was fine. Overall a lovely evening - looking forward to returning again soon.

Simply avoid. 20 minute wait to ask for our drinks. 1 hr wait for our starters???? Crab cakes were tasty but the size of maltesers (3). The small ladle of lukewarm pea soup was really not worth the long wait. An inedible steak (not asked for how it wanted to be cooked) and a delicious filet steak. Moules dishes (x2) were tasty but small portions for a main. All in all despite the beautiful river bank location/architecture the food and especially the skeleton staff service were atrocious for a busy Saturday evening. Such a massive letdown.

Lovely location and fine food. A great family gathering. Wonderful!

Absolutely incredible Sunday roast in a beautiful setting. Possibly the best Sunday dinner I have ever had.

Amazing place, food and staff. Definitely worth a visit - the food is 10/10 and presentation is perfect. Will most definitely visit again. Thank you

Came here for our engagement meal. Amazing place. Great food. Better staff.

Enjoyed afternoon tea with friends. Food and service was excellent. Best afternoon tea I've ever had.

Such lovely staff and atmosphere

Fantastic food and real top class service, well done team Bosun

Excellent food and nice friendly staff, definitely worth a visit

Great food and fantastic views, we've been here with our kids and they're always very tolerant of our boisterous boys.

Bosun’s is our favourite restaurant in the York area. The food, service and surroundings are all fantastic. We have been quite a few times now and it is consistently good. Our daughter has coeliac and it is so nice for her to have so many gluten free options on the menu! She is usually limited to one or two choices and only a brownie as her dessert option. At Bosun’s she can have almost all of the items on the menu, including the deserts! Big thumbs up from us. We will be returning and spreading the word amongst our friends.

Bosun’s, The Boatyard in Bishopthorpe, is a wonderful unique restaurant located alongside the river Ouse, just outside York. The octagonal elevated building with surrounding balcony, gives a wonderful view over the river, and the interior, with its exposed beams and tables around a central platform offered wonderful views over the river and more privacy than usual in restaurants. The amazing toilets with their stacked natural stone walls are well worth visiting just to admire. I visited with family who live locally and highly recommended the restaurant from their own experience. This was near Christmas so too cold to sit outside, but inside was warm and cosy. The restaurant uses quality locally-sourced seasonal ingredients and offers a good range of bistro style dishes at very reasonable prices. Our chargrilled cheeseburger with chipotle ketchup and seasoned fries plus Cajun salmon fillet with Hasselback potatoes were delicious. Staff were welcoming and very friendly, providing a quick and efficient service. Overall it was a very pleasant experience and lovely food. I can image it is all the more special to sit outside in the summer, watching the boats go by as you enjoy some wonderful food and wine. I’ll certainly be back next time I visit family.

Christmas menu was excellent and first experience means we hope to go back at some point.

Wonderful place to eat. Beautiful panoramic views. Staff are amazing. Exellant food and puddings. Would definitely recommend highly. 👍 😉 Don't forget the wonderful walks......

A really lovely time having afternoon tea here! The restaurant had a relaxing ambience and the staff were friendly! The food came pretty quickly and we’re all freshly made! I love the individuality of each item and the way it was presented! I love the warm sausage roll too! We are definitely coming back again to try the menu!

Great menu selection, attentive service, lovely setting and decor. Perfect spot!

Absolutely beautiful. Came for Sunday dinner and would recommend to anyone! Service amazing and good prices for my grandfather who only wanted a small portion . Thank you

The steak was perfect and the pork totally delicious! The atmosphere was relaxed and the restaurant is cleverly furnished and designed to make you feel you are outside. This is a superb place to eat, run by a friendly and professional team who connect with the customers - the staff were genuinely wonderful. Can't recommend more highly. We will be back!