Il Paradiso del Cibo in York

Tiny hole-in-the-wall with very unique food and friendly service. I enjoyed the handmade Sardinian "malloreddus" pasta. We loved all the foods we tried. They do not take payment cards! We paid with PayPal.

Wonderful. Just wonderful. The food and service were both 10/10, i would totally recommend.

This has been my go to italian in York for years but tonight was disappointing. Food good as ever but the service was perfunctory. Menus handed out with not a word - bill presented with not a word and payment taken with not a word. It now seems as if customers are taken for granted. Additionally a 10% service charge has been introduced with no indication of this On the website Paolo talks about laughter, jokes and good food - this was how it used to be but it now seems the first two have gone by the wayside. Too easy to get customers perhaps - I don't think I'll be back. Very sad!

Intimate and great, friendly staff, great food. We'll be back.

Fantastic restaurant. We had a great dinner over the Easter weekend on our trip to York. Phoned the restaurant on the day and were lucky enough to get a table. The restaurant was very busy. There was a great atmosphere. The food was fantastic. Marinara burrata and the beef fillet pappardelle were delicious. There's two huge specials menus on the walls so you can't miss them. Service was great as well. Very attentive, never needed to ask for anything. Would definitely recommend a visit.

We had a delicious meal in this authentic Italian restaurant - fast, friendly service, a wonderful atmosphere and freshly prepared food. Highly recommended

food very average sadly rude manager who decides to take 10% tip despite appalling service and humiliation of customers in front of the whole restraunt just because they wanted something serving slightly different. Instead of the manager suggesting another option he decided an angry tone and disrespect of a customer with a loud voice was the better option. On this basis I would never return again. A waste of £100 + on 2 starter 2 Mains a a few beers. Beware of the 10% mandatory service charge whether you like the food & service or not. Had better food for less and much better customer service.

6 of us are here on Saturday at 6.00 Great welcome, great service, great value for money and food to die for. We all ate from the specials board as the fish on offer here is market fresh and always cooked to perfection. Pizza’s, pasta and risotto are all amazing. Dog friendly too!! I have noticed some reviews that are a bit non complimentary - go here expecting a small, quirky, casual, authentic family run cafe/restaurant that serves amazing food at great prices! We are not local but each time we visit York Il Paradiso is number 1 on our bucket list!

We needed to find somewhere reasonably priced in York to eat last minute when staying there for a few days. We didn't want 'posh' food out to spend a long time there, and this fitted the bill perfectly. The food was really tasty (a risotto & a pizza), the service good and there was plenty of choice of gluten free dishes. The only minus to it was that it's very very cramped and the tables are on top of one another, and chairs are not very comfortable. It means it's noisy, not private and not the sort of restaurant to go to for a romantic meal or if you want to sit for a long time comfortably. However the good thing about the fact that it's busy is that there's a lot of atmosphere. The fact that it was almost full on a Wednesday night shows it must be popular.

Incredible restaurant. Have been coming here for years and the food & service never disappoints! A must visit in York.

Great food! I want to go back for the lasagna! Absolutely awesome. Great atmosphere and good times.

It is cosy and small and has a vibrant atmosphere. It is very busy and difficult to get a table at your selected time so book. The menu prices are reasonable with more expensive special meals. The food is really good and comes piping hot. 10% service charge was added without any declaration of this on the menu which is a bit sneaky. Don’t buy garlic bread to nibble on, unless you really want it, as it is 80% of a meal price. Staff are very attentive, happy and pleasant. We were asked to move tables. This was no problem to us but despite 2 staff apologising with the offer of a limoncello for the inconvenience it never arrived.

The most delicious food of York.love it ❤️

The best restaurant of York. Delicious Mediterranean food , the staff very friendly, clean and imaculated. I love this restaurant and them food them make . Recommended 1000%

Wow! Just, wow. I love my food. I particularly love Italian food. And this place just stole my heart. By all intents and purposes it's not much to look at from the outside, which in some cases may lead you not to go in. But please do. This is some of the best Italian food outside of Italy that I've ever had. The specials board apparently changes daily, depending on which chef is on. After reading it we immediately discard the normal menu. We started with a sharing burrata pizza bread, had a sardinian sausage pasta and beef filet pasta for main and shared a fresh made tiramasu for dessert. Each dish was faultless. The pizza bread base perfectly crisp with lashings of basil oil and wonderfully fragrant marinara. Rich and perfectly balanced pasta sauces and delightfully light tiramasu completed the best meal I've eaten in a long time. All for a very reasonable price considering the quality. Anyone who hasn't been before needs to make it their go to Italian of choice. Run, don't walk people. 👌

I will never go to this restaurant ever again. First, the manager Steve is so friendly. My friends and I used to go there quite often, and I always give extra tips because I really enjoyed the experience. However, my last two visits were absolutely terrible. The manager I know weren’t there (not sure if he left or just having day-off). The food is same as usual, but the service was totally unacceptable. The staff treated us like we were there to beg for food. I didn’t take that seriously, as people could be having a bad time. Plus, the previous experience was real good. Therefore, I went there again to give it another try. But it turns out the same! I don’t know if the staff are not happy working there, something wrong with the management or they are simply not respecting customers at all. But none of these can justify their bad attitude towards customers. Thus, I will never go back and tell my family and friends not to visit this restaurant.

It is cosy and small and has a vibrant atmosphere. It is very busy and difficult to get a table at your selected time so book. The menu prices are reasonable with much more expensive special meals. The food is really good and comes piping hot. 10% service charge was added without any declaration of this on the menu. Don’t buy garlic bread to nibble on, unless you really want it, as it is 80% of a meal price. Staff are very attentive, happy and pleasant. We were asked to move tables. This was no problem to us but despite 2 staff apologising with the offer of a limoncello for the inconvenience it never arrived.

This may be the best way to contact this restaurant I’ve tried ringing for 2 hours to book a table ( a recommendation from a very close friend)) Then I get through 5 times and it rings until my phone says … narh they are not interested. 25th wedding anniversary and we are from out of town and what a waste of time trying to book. Need to plan my anniversary again. What telephone system do you have. I’m self employed and know what systems you can get to help your customers. Sooo are you really that busy

The Godliest of cuisine. I could get hit by a bus on the way there and the thought of the dishes on that chalk board would be enough to make me crawl on my hands and knees through that door. Have been about 5 times now, will always recommend to friends, but only the ones I deem worthy of experiencing the best food in York, let alone Italian. Starters, incredible. Mains, even better. Even when you’re inevitably completely stuffed like a happy cat, you can always make room for one of their desserts. The cannolis are a particular fave. Honestly, walk in, close your eyes and point at a random dish on the menu and you will love it. Fondly referred to as “Cash Only”, the only thing that makes this place any better than its menu is the atmosphere and staff. Great relaxed atmosphere in the day, really fun atmosphere in the evening, but you probably won’t notice because you’ll be too busy eating to notice what’s going on around you or bother talking anyone on your table.

Very good food indeed. The pizza was 'marvellous', full of flavor. The gluten free pasta was very good, I had carbonara which was fantastic, and they also do gf pizza. In the top 3 Italians I've had in the UK.

Delicious food. Very good indeed. Gluten free pasta was very good too. Also they say the do gf pizza

Very nice lobster pasta. Lovely staff, good beer, good food. Woukd recommend highly. Busy so would recommend booking, but the pasta dishes are very good. Extensive specials menu and good pizzas

Got seated bit like sardines.no one came over for at least 10min.lady took our drinks order.She came back with drinks then took food order.i was amazed at how small the menu was after seeing online about sea food and steaks.so we placed our food order.Then 5 min later i went to the toilet only to see a huge specials menu that we were never told about.We had to wait bout 5 or 10 min after food came as we had no napkins or salt and pepper.the service was probably.the worst iv had .WORST ITALIAN IN YORK

Valentines Day, restaurants are going to busy so we booked a week in advance and chose to dine early afternoon to avoid the peak times. We arrived at the arranged time and were somewhat disappointed that there was no table set aside for the two of us. The restaurant is quite small, but was busy. We were originally given a tiny table next to the door but after expressing our disatifaction we were allocated another tiny table further in the premises. The restaurant had been recommended to us by friends who praised the service, the Italian atmosphere and the food. The staff were all Italian and friendly enough in their responses to our conversations with them, but it was limited and they didn't go out of their way to make us feel welcome as many other Italian restaurant staff do. The service was at times slow, with some long gaps between orders and service. When we ordered our sweets it was some time before I was told my choice was not available and even longer before they took my order for my alternative choice. The food was excellent, very flavoursome, very Italian and sufficient for out appetite. There was plenty of choice from the menu and the specials board. My only gripe was with the cheese board, that I'd selected as the replacement for the sweet that was not available. It consisted of six Jacobs Cream crackers laid out on a platter with small pieces of cheese on each. Three of the crackers and cheese had been splodged with marmalade. The dish looked and was very unappetising and it wasn't up to expectation. While we were dining, there was a change of staff with a new maitre-de taking charge, he seemed to have more interest in our dinning experience and after informing him of the disappointing cheese board, removed it from the bill and gave us an after dinner liqueur which helped restore some confidence in the service. In summary, the food was good (apart from the cheese board) the service and welcome left a lot to be desired. Would we go again?.... it is not a somewhere we would make a beeline to goto, but it's a possibility. The prices were reasonable, but there's a 10% service charge included in the bill and they don't accept cards for payment.

Dined here on a recommendation and ate here again the next evening. Fabulous food, the seafood risotto was a particular highlight and delicious with a great depth of flavour in the stock. Drinks very reasonably priced. Did not book on both occasions, perhaps lucky timing. Will certainly re visit. Worth noting that the restaurant does not take card payments, it is cash or bank transfer.

All our meals were outstanding, what a little gem of a place.

Excellent food at an excellent price. Such a warm friendly little venue with a real family feel. Loved it!! Wine reasonably priced too.

Best Italian restaurant in York by a country mile. All the staples plus an amazing and ever changing specials board. Service is consistently above and beyond, quality of food unsurpassed and very reasonably priced. Just remember it's cash only

Wow what a meal! We had the specials and both were incredible. Priced well for what you get. Great service, lovely staff. Good drinks selection. Will be back again.

Had one of the best pizza for long time great service

The child was ill off the food, and the service was disorganised and disappointing.

This is a REALLY good authentic Italian restaurant, could be located in the hills of Sardinia, I love it's rustic, rural feel.....best Risotto I've EVER had (had it twice in a week, it's that good) tremendous value for money.....best bring cash, as that's the preferred method of payment....in my top ten, favourite little Italian restaurants, including London 👍😊

The place was recommended to us by a person working in Indigo Hotel where we stopped for a weekend break a year ago. Don't get fooled by a look of this place. It may not be a fine dining restaurant, but the pizzas we ate were one of the best we ever had and we visited many places around the world. In fact, I have not eaten a better pizza in the UK. Everything was fresh and tasted just great. Service was fantastic and the prices were very reasonable for the quality of food served. We also had few alcoholic drinks. Good atmosphere was a cherry on the cake. We will definitely come back to eat there again during next stay in York. Highly recommended place! PS. We observed Chef preparing seafood and it also looked delicious. 👌

Excellent food, service and atmosphere.

Got recommended this place from a market trader in York. We were not disappointed. Food and service were beyond excellent. I’ve travelled in Italy quite a bit and the seafood risotto was on a par with the best in Italy if not better. Visit this place next time you are in York. Proper 5 star find.

Excellent. Food/service/atmosphere all amazing.

Beautiful food. Genuinely authentic atmosphere. Our favourite restaurant in York by a country mile

Booked a couple of weeks in advance as was recommended this place. It's small and busy. We had to sit tight by the door. There was another table for two free so was a bit annoyed especially when someone without a reservation came in and was given the table away from the door. Food and wine was really good. Tasty starters from the board and original and delicious mains. However, they served my main on a board and when I poured some of the gravy on, it spilled over and went everywhere. They helped me clear up quickly but did insinuate it was my fault for pouring it all on. I hadn't. There was still a third of the gravy left in the tiny jug. USE PLATES FOR FOOD... Lastly, they don't take card. They didn't state this when booking. There is a sign on the door. I missed it . We paid by bank transfer but just be aware. Great value and tasty food. Not sure about the service for some aspects.

A fab and authentic 'local neighbourhood' style Italian restaurant with a great food at very reasonable prices. It is small so you might want to book and they don't take cards so remember to bring cash. We had seafood risotto and papardelle with mushrooms and beef - delicious 😋

Called in around 4pm on a Saturday and got the last table. Very busy restaurant, quite small but very atmospheric. Service was good. We had Spaghetti Bolognaise and Seafood Risotto, it was delicious, so much meat in the Risotto. Beer was good and cold. Overall excellent experience, would recommend.

chose the ‘special’ menu and the prawn starter and steak main course with horseradish cream sauce was delicious! Friendly, cosy atmosphere! Saw a toddler being made welcome too.

Nice Sardinian food. A little cramped and a bit expensive but worthwhile.

Well hello!! What a fabulous evening. Loved it so much we cancelled our other reservation to come the next night. Chef Paolo offered to make us a tasting menu our second night here. Had the mushrooms and the gamberoni special and the beef special. Was fantastic!! And… have the house-made limoncello!! If you must … the tiramisu was delicious.

Just called in on spec whilst visiting York Xmas Markets and meeting family (4). Not expecting to get a table, but they squeezed us in. I am so pleased they managed to accommodate us. Food was wonderful. House wine (litre!!!) was fab. Compact venue, but staff wonderful, really look after you. Visiting York again in March, and will def look to book a table to go again. Be aware it's cash only, however they do take BACS transfer otherwise, we would have been caught out.

Best Italian restaurant in York, highly recommended. A few years since our last visit, but the welcome was very warm & friendly, the service excellent (thank you Louise), & the food superb. Lasagne, fish special, tiramasu & house white wine the best Italian food we have enjoyed in ages. Thank you Il Paradiso & in particular Louise.

The food is fab, the cheesecake amazing, the staff were great

I love this place. The food is authentic and tastes really nice. Reasonably priced. Best tomato garlic pizza bread in the world. I am a bit reluctant to put this on here as i don’t want everyone going and i would be unable to book...

Six of us went for dinner after a concert in York. We arrived a bit early so they sent us to their associated cafe, Paradiso Dolce Salato, just down the road. This was brilliant - so fresh and friendly. We had drinks and warm focaccia...

It was friendly, nice atmosphere, good service and the food was delicious.

Lovely authentic Italian. It was very, very busy and even though we arrived 10 minutes late for our booking time we were asked to wait 5 minutes as our table wasn't ready. The staff were quite stretched but so friendly when they came over. The food was nice too and lovely authentic atmosphere.

Amazing restaurant. Food is wonderful and staff are amazing. Thank you for a wonderful evening x

Love this place. Been going since 2007 and seen it develop. Consistently good food. Also good value for money price wise. My wife and I had the specials.

Superb Italian. We had a lovely meal here after dropping in by chance. Having eaten in dozens of Italian restaurants this is one of the best. After the best garlic bread I think I've ever had to start the mains were equally impressive. I would...

This restaurant was on a list of recommendations sent by a local air BnB owner. We visited on Sunday evening as a family of 2 adults and 2 children. We didn't make a pre booking but on arrival we were shown to the last available...

What a great find, staff welcoming and attentive, the food was amazing, fresh and authentic. Location was also a plus as just 100yds from Hotel Indigo and close to Barbican. Yes they only take cash (no cards) but had no issue as we all should...

Simply amazing - a must visit ! Stunning food and service

Faultless!!!!!!!! Authentic Italian cuisine, served with such passion. Great atmosphere, specials board absolutely incredible. Such a fabulous place.

Great food, great atmosphere, very cosy, we love it ,visit every time we go to york just been for our anniversary. Definitely recommended

Lovely restaurant and service. The food was fantastic. However... the toilet area leaves a lot to be desired so I dread to think what the kitchen is like. Sanitary pads were hanging out of the bin. Surely they should provide proper units? Would go back......

Lovely, authentic, Italian (Sardinian) family run restaurant. Small, so booking advised, but you can get lucky with a walk in, depending on time of day etc. Beautiful food, lovely staff (think the people that own actually work there) friendly, warm and inviting. We go regularly when in York, which is several times a year. If you are in the beautiful city of York, this restaurant is a must visit. You won't be disappointed.

Wonderful, authentic Italian restaurant. Great food, beautiful wine, brilliant staff, fantastic atmosphere. Highly recommended.

An incredible Italian restaurant, small but it makes up for it with the best pizza in the city! The staff are all amazingly friendly and there is a fantastic atmosphere. I would recommend calling ahead to book a table, and though they don't take card payment there are alternative options available and a cash machine not too far up the road either direction.

What an incredible place. They made us so very welcome and always great to be able to watch F1 once the restaurant has closed ❤️

An excellent little Italian restaurant. My partner and I enjoyed an amazing meal here. The food was excellent, the staff were friendly and efficient and the atmosphere was great. Higy recommend visiting here

A lovely, snug Italian restaurant. Amazing food, atmosphere and service. Reasonably priced. The cheesecake was one of the best I've ever tasted

Fantastic family run restaurant, fantastic food and service. Had the mushroom risotto. Will visit again when we are in York.

Called in by chance ( wasn't sure ut was open ... had a delicious pizza

IMPORTANT: they don’t accept credit cards. It’s possible to pay by bank transfer (only for British banks), PayPal, and by cash. Because we didn’t have enough cash in wallet, the PayPal QR code was not working, and we don’t have a bank account from UK. So, we had to find a ATM to withdraw money. That was the only bad thing the happened for us. Just for that I rated 4/5. Despite that, everything else was perfect! All the food was delicious! The service was also great. My wife and I ordered a starter to share, a main course, a desert to share, and a glass of wine each. Everything costed £55.

Well, I went in with my daughter, grandaughter and friend last week. There were some diners in there - encouraged by the staff - attempting to sing opera! Very loud, like strangling cats, couldn't hear ourselves speak. It marred our experience; this went on throughout our meal! It was two men in particular with their loud booming voices - making us jump and our ears ringing. Seriously awful. Terrible! Also encouraged by one of the young servers - impromptu screeching. See, not even mentioned the food, we couldn't wait to get out!!

The pizza was Neopolitan style and delicious! If you love VPN pizza this is the place for you. Caveat: they only accept cash or PayPal.

Sometimes you you just fall on a place that turns out to be extraordinary. On Saturday evening we were treated to vert authentic Sardinian cuisine, the specials menu was so tempting I could have tried everything on it, I had a melanzina ( aubergine with...

One of the best restaurants in York. Never disappoints.

The food was fine at best, we had spaghetti bolognese and risotto al funghi. The spaghetti noodles could have been a bit softer in my opinion. The cutlery was a bit old. The place was very crammed with customers bumping into each other if you try to move. The worst part was that they didn't accept card payments. Should have been told about this from the beginning which caused some inconvenience. The bill was a bit pricey given the ambience and location of the restaurant. The service was a bit impersonal, almost what you would experience in a fast food establishment. Would not recommend to a friend.

Food not great, plastic cups, old cutlery and cash only.....

Wow …. You must eat here if you are in York. It isn’t big inside so book ahead. The standard of the food was amazing. I have eaten Italian all over the world and I can say this is the best I have had. The...

“Do not order from anything but the blackboard” is what we were told by a lovely ex-RAF gentleman at Howl. We took his advice and had one of the best meals ever!!! Definitely make a reservation and know they are cash only!

Very nice, food was exceptional

Delicious mixed seafood salad to start, followed by artichoke and bottarga pizza on white base 😋. All accompanied by Milan derby playing in the background 😂. Friendly chef came to chat as we were leaving 😊

Great small restaurant. Lovely food. More wine variety please? Rustic/basic/cramped but would return. Thank you !

Took friends to enjoy a favourite restaurant before an event at Barbican. The back room was fully occupied with earlier sensible couples although it was only 5:30. I call them sensible because on a cool damp evening, with the newly acquired sliding doors open to...

Quite possibly the best Italian meal we've ever had. Tortolloni with monkfish was sublime. Family run, friendly service. Popular, busy, noisy, crowded with its own charm. Wine either red or white - in litre bottles!

Lovely food and a lively atmosphere. However, 3 of us, all adults, were squashed into an alcove and on to a table that maybe would have accommodated 2. Thus, it was a very uncomfortable and disappointing dining experience.

Bardzo dobre jedzenie . Włoska rodzina prowadzi ta restauracje .

Great plate of food. I chose from the blackboard specials. Will be going again.

We’ve eaten here a few times over the last few years, and have generally made a point of eating here on our visits to York. In the past we’d always had a great time with good food and a lively atmosphere, but this visit was...

Made to feel like criminals when questioning what clearly was not our bill. Embarrassingly bawled at at table before another member of staff corrected things. Ruined what was a simple meal out.

Food was delicious and waiters/waitresses were really lovely to us ! Food was quick to arrived and drinks too! And affordable pricing !

We were staying just 2 minutes walk up the road at the Hotel Indigo and passed this several times. Glad we made the decision to book in. Bookings recommended as it was full on a Sunday evening (BH weekend). Small and cosy, attentive staff, great...

Eat here every time we visit York,great food and atmosphere We wouldn’t eat Italian food anywhere else in York!

Fresh seafood and authentic Sardinian experience. The best service I’ve ever had in England. Thank you to the amazing members of staff Sebastiano, Lorella and Matteo. Highly recommended!!

Does not accept credit cards. Bring cash or find somewhere else. Food fair, service fair. Relatively small portions.

Delicious simple lunch. Amazing spaghetti pomodoro and fantastic tomato garlic bread and insalata deli mare. I love the simplicity of the cooking which allows the ingredients to shine. Not the most comfortable seating but we were very well looked after. Would highly recommend

Food was ok but very pricey and the service, at best, was surly. We were very disappointed as the restaurant at Sutton on. Forest is one of our favourites. Plus 10%. Service charge!!!

Absolutely Superb Italian. Wow what an amazing restaurant the staff were excellent, the food was delicious and we loved the board with all the Stunning Specials . I had the best oven baked giant prawns cooked Sardinian style with risotto which was bellissimo. It's the...

I sent a booking email via their website to book for a party of 8 . After two days with no response I telephoned . I was told they don’t take card payments but would need a £10 per head cash deposit. When I explained...

Great food, very nice wine (especially the red!), and fantastic service. The only thing we didn't like was the slightly louder music but they turned it down as soon as we asked :) Highly recommended for an authentic Italian dining experience.

Three of us ate here tonight. Despite the very good food and (for the most part) friendly service, our experience was somewhat spoiled by three issues with payment. 1. Only cash is accepted. This is not well signposted to the street. There is a sign within the restaurant, but that is only visible after sitting down (and in out case, ordering). I spent 20 minutes walking around looking for an ATM machine. 2. We had made clear that we wanted the £20 set menu. We asked for red wine. We were given 'large', rather than 'medium' glasses, and were asked to pay for the difference (having not been told there were different sizes). That was the restaurant's fault which I had to explain repeatedly. 3. A 10% service surcharge was added to the bill. The menu did not say such a surcharge would be charged. I asked that it be taken off for that reason and that was met with an unfortunately dismissive response.

Cutest little Italian spot, perfect for date night staff were so friendly on arrival and food was gorgeous great size portions and great value for money would highly reckoned a visit.

Although very ‘cosy’ this is our favourite restaurant in York and fave Italian ever! The food is fabulous as are the staff, entertaining, obliging and a busy Italian vibe

A great, authentic Italian restaurant in the heart of York. Really good food and wine. Service was friendly and very welcoming.