Ippuku Tea House in York

I came to this restaurant following its great reviews and seemly unique menu options. However, I was met very slow service, a rude staff member and disappointing food. Rice was incredibly watery and completely unseasoned. Beef was also bland and very little veg in the meal despite the menu's description. Staff member was also condescending and generally slow service. Please if you are looking for authentic Asian food please avoid this place as it is overpriced and underwhelming. Despite all this I will say the pickled beetroot was lovely, serving staff were great and the interior was very well picked. I think this restaurant has so much potential but they really need to update their food standards. To sum it up I paid over £30 for wet rice and dry beef, may as well go wagas.

Lovely informal place for tasty Japanese food. Highly recommended. My missus ate all of my pork gyoza, they were so good!

Staff is nice, tried the matcha latte , it was not bad but a bit too milky for me.

Love this restaurant - great staff, fab bento, and best mochi I’ve ever had anywhere in the world Couldn’t recommend highly enough Miso aubergine also amazing great vegan options

Very cute and good Japanese cafe! We ordered a Japanese green tea, a matcha latte and a slice of yuzu cheesecake (£13.70 in total, wow). They made everything super well and we highly recommend the yuzu cheesecake, it’s very refreshing, was definitely a surprise!

I think this is the most authentic and delicious Japanese food i've had outside of Japan. I love this place and everyone who works there are really friendly and helpful.

Amazing Japanese food, best in town.

This tea house serves tea, cakes and light meals. We enjoyed our lunch here

What an amazing find! The food and teas are absolutely to die for and the staff are so lovely and knowledgeable. I recommend this place to anyone visiting York, although due to it's small size it might be difficult to get a seat at busy times. I think that's just an indication of how fabulous it is though!

Busy spot with really delicious food, loads of vegan choices. Really interesting tea menu. Fantastic service and people here. Worth the wait every time.

We drive a long way to visit here. It's worth it. The food is amazing and delicious. You might need to wait for a table. We will be back. In the busy York shopping area, it's a calm oasis to chill.

Anybody with tastebuds needs to go here!! Both the food and the drink options are to die for. The matcha white chocolate drink is so tasty and high quality. The food was so well done, tasty and filling. Would happily come here again and again. My only recommendation would be to book in advance - there are not many spaces and they fill up very quickly !!!!!

delicious food with amazing service and friendly staff. Wish they had more space and more seat

Great food and service as always! It's great to see a restaurant where gluten free is the default!

This was a godsend after I had a long train ride from London and didn't get a chance to take lunch. I arrived around 1.45pm in the afternoon hoping that the lunch crowd has died down but the restaurant is popular! Thankfully, there are ample tables for one or two people. I came with a large bagpack and a duffel bag; the staff allowed me to deposit them by the front counter. I was seated promptly and the staff were very friendly. I ordered a special on the board which is their gyoza and chahan which is essentially fried rice. I got the pork gyoza but there are others with chicken or vegetable fillings as well. I got the hojicha tea as well which came already done and the tea was removed so that it would not be overly steeped. The gyoza came crispy, the chahan was flavourful and the hojicha tea came wonderfully roasted. The chahan turned out to be too much for me to finish so I asked for the rest to be packed (which came at no cost) - grateful. The restaurant can get quite busy and it is hard for a party of 4 to be seated especially when there are already a few tables taken in the restaurant. Oh and one last detail, they provide paper towels in the toilet so you don't leave with your hands wet and eventually, cold. Such great thoughtfulness! Will highly recommend.

Love the ambience and the food. They also have an amazing selection of tea!

Awesome store environment, matcha latte tastes just like the one from Japan!

Very nice place. The food was amazingly delicious and reasonably priced. We had the set menu with the side dishes and there was plenty of food. It filles up quite quick so I'd recommend making a reservation just in case.

The best tasting matcha latte - and genuinely such a gem for people that love matcha flavoured sweets and drinks! Have heard fantastic things about the dining options so I’ll be back soon

Great food, also exquisite choice of fine grade sake. Would recommend 10/10.

Stumbled across this little Tea House during lunch, reviews looked quite good so we gave it a try. The Matcha tea and the Hot Chocolate was really good. Hot Chocolate was very luxurious and of a high quality. However, the food was not on par with the tea and drinks. The Gyudon beef was very lightly seasoned, and the rice was very very bland. Alot of chilli flakes and oil was needed to finish the food. The onigiri's were very disappointing. The rice did not have any mirin or sushi rice seasoning and was very very bland. I also tried to umeboshi onigiri and there was a tiny piece of umeboshi with shiso leaves in the middle of the onigiri but nothing else - just plain white rice. Needless to say, I was very disappointed. Especially because it was a cute little tea house with a very nice and relaxed atmosphere. If I ever come back, it would only be for the teas/hot drinks.

AMAZING and authentic food!! super friendly & attentive waiters, and such a lovely vibe. The matcha was SO delicious and you could tell it was of great quality- it wasn’t too bitter at all :) also, the Teriyaki tofu was super yummy, and the gyoza were generously filled, crispy and delish! (a must order) If you’re in York, do yourself a favour and stop here, it definitely won’t disappoint ❤️ (the mochi are imported from japan and are also super good ;) )

I put a bite of chicken mayo teriyaki donburi into my mouth and I've never felt such a visceral reaction to food in my life. So delicious. The iced matcha latte I ordered was the perfect balance of bitter matcha and sweetness and the taste of the matcha was so good (at least for me). The houjicha tea was earthy and delicious. Yum. We sat around the back and they gave us blankets and cushions to sit on. It was very cozy, quiet and pretty despite it being outdoors in late-October. I WILL be returning. The waiters and people at the counter were really sweet and friendly.

Love this place! Great in every sense.

Delicious! Plus almost everything is gluten free. Highly recommend. Will return here definitely.

An absolutely wonderful little gem serving authentic and thoughtful prepared Japanese food, drinks and deserts in a simple but lovely cafe style setting. Delicious set meals and a wonderful selection of unique drinks to accompany them. Lost out on a perfect 5 stars as the staff seemed more interested in debating tea brewing temperatures and aeration strategies with each other than actually serving customers. Waited quite a while to place orders and get the bill, only to be informed I needn't have waited and to pay at the front... Something handy to know up front. But these are minor niggles and may be down to a bad day so I would not hesitate to recommend a visit if you fancy a great lunch while exploring York.

My sister and brother in law took their son, daughter in law and my niece and myself for lunch. The food was fabulous and we thoroughly enjoyed our lunch, however I found the bench a little uncomfortable because of my bad back.

Fantastic menu of gluten free food including cake. The owner is coeliac.

This place is a gem in York! They have the incredible dumplings, with hints of sesame oil in them! The beef bowl was very flavorful, and I would absolutely recommend adding the onsen egg. Its method of cooking makes it very very creamy! Definitely a must!

It is really hard to rate Ippuku Tea House. The food was really good and the interior is nice and cosy. Would I only rate this two it would be 5 stars. However the service was underwhelming. They were really slow but more importantly inattentive. We just didn't felt appreciated as guests. Maybe they just had a bad day. Idk.

Tasty food and drinks and great service, will come again! 🍵✨

Lovely location, ambience, staff and food. Not expensive either.

A great spot for lunch with perfectly cooked food. I particularly enjoyed the delicious matcha tea. The service was friendly and the decor was lovely.

Amazing tea house, cute and cozy. A nice place to get out of the hustle and bustle of the Main Street and relax with traditional Japanese food. The cheesecake was absolutely amazing

It’s not Japanese enough. Don’t order Gyudon, the rice is so hard and the sauce is not flavored enough.

It is a very cosy place. The food is awesome and the staff very attentive.

I was dying to have an authentic matcha tea and latte and this Japanese tea house didn't disappoint. Their warm dishes and matcha vanilla cheesecake were on point as well!

Chicken Teriyaki donburi is the best in my opinion, love the setting of the place, always a place to visit with friends

Beautiful little place. Always impeccable service and delicious food. Great for vegans and there is a little shop too

Absolutely love this place. The vegan sushi bowl is possibly one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten!!

Had a lovely Japanese meal very tasty and great service. The owner is so lovely and love the decor I could happily live hear.

What a find! A little bit of Japan in York. My friend and I had a great time - tea and cake.

Lovely staff and amazing food, the restaurant has a welcoming atmosphere as well. I always enjoy lunch here. I normally get the miso and onigiri set. I also purchased the lychee dragon pearl tea to take home!

I have been here numerous times and never got around to writing a review. Ippuku is a firm favourite of mine due to the friendly service and amazing food. I normally pop in for lunch, as I find the donburi and sides style of food works better as a filling lunch - however, my husband and I had a rare evening to ourselves, so we opted to go for dinner. I'm not a big sake drinker, but tried some this time and it went so well with our set meal and as always the staff were very knowledgeable about the flavours in the authentic Japanese cuisine. The matcha, whether hot or iced, never fails to be delicious!

Accommodating staff and the place itself was beautiful! We were lucky enough to go to the outside seating. The matcha was so lovely and delicious! The waitress recommended what type of milk to have for the matcha and she did not disappoint! I would’ve ordered another iced matcha latte but I was full from the food. Great portions of food! Would highly recommend to visit during lunch time! Can’t wait to visit again:)

Delicious spot for a Japanese lunch. Really tasty vegan options with a tofu domburi and veggie gyoza. We were seated outside as they were full inside, no problem with us. We had no room for dessert but they looked impressive!

Cute lil cafe that reminds me of Japan.. lovely service and food too..

I’ve eaten here a few times and I’m never disappointed. The staff are lovely, the food is hot and fresh and beautifully put together. They have an exciting rotation of specials — today’s nasu dengaku (aubergine) was wonderful, and their regular tofu dishes are also great vegan options. I also had dessert for the first time there today and the chocolate and miso brownie was A+++! There’s sometimes a bit of a wait for a table but it’s worth it!

My second trip to Ipukku and never disappointed the food is so so good, love the great vegan options I had the Teriyaki Tofu Mayo and veg Gyoza and my friend loved the non vegan Gyu Don. Great fresh authentic japanese food with lovely friendly servers. Had the iced Matcha Latte to drink which was great and took matcha browwnies for later and they were so good too.

House made food and amazing staff make this place 💥 Gyoza noodle was tender, filling on the soft side, nicely browned. All 3 flavors good but we liked the veggie best. Sauce on point. Aubergine special dish could have been roasted slightly longer but excellent flavor in the miso glaze. The sets were generously sized. They have a sake sampler which I've never seen before, which was fun. Husband reports his matcha latte was smooth and enjoyable. Staff could not have been friendlier or more accommodating (they had to dry off an outdoor table for us, carefully explained the menu & specials.) Loved them. Owner was on site making sure customers were happy. 2 bathrooms, nice and clean. Addl note: We heard from someone who is involved with the food scene in York that this is the only restaurant they would completely trust for GF food. Ippuku takes it very seriously.

What a fabulous find. Absolutely delicious meal at a fair price. Really helpful and friendly staff.

I absolutely love Ipuuku Tea House - it might be my favourite eaterie in York. Ive had bento boxes to go and often choose the specials when in - its the best mochi for dessert Ive ever had anywhere too - absolute gem. And lovely staff / service as well

My favourite place to eat in York. Been four times in the last year and the food and service has always been outstanding!

Absolutely amazing genuine Japanese cuisine. Once I order the food I can barely contain myself and when the food is in front of me not even nuclear disaster would drag me away. What a gem hidden in plain site. Well done guys.

Hearty Japanese corner in York. Very reasonable price for the quality of food. It's like eating at a Japanese home

The most authentic Japanese restaurant. The aromas, the taste, the presentation. You could easily forget you are not there. Perfect!

Auch a lovely lunch, small and well crafted menu with a great range of drinks

Oh my goodness, so good food , warning, very filling, great experience if you haven't used chopsticks before, don't worry, knife n folks available 😉

I came directly as wanted to try their food so badly. but, it’s very crowded… there were 5 reservations before me, so i had no choice but to order takeaway options - onigiri. not recommended 👎🏼 worst i ever tried( but matcha latte was very good. that saved this place from giving them 1 ⭐️ i was visiting York & it’s a pity i won’t be back & review their dine-in food options ☹️ so disappointed

Excellent gluten free Japanese food. Gluten free Donburi with vegan dishes available. A great selection of teas and cakes. Friendly staff. Will visit again when we are in York next.

Everytime I go to York now I come here, the food is absolutely amazing, the atmosphere is so lovely and the staff are great. If you're in the area I definitely recommend booking a table if you don't need too many seats :)

A moment feels like locate at a countryside shop in Japan! Quiet and clean, friendly staff, chill place! 5 out of 5

I love the atmosphere here, nice Japanese music playing in the background as well. Only downside is they close very early, kitchen shut at 3pm, so I was only able to get their dessert to take away. Matcha latte is awesome, very nice and subtle smoky flavour. The matcha cream strawberry cake is tasty too, but not really standing out to me in particular. Would love to try their mains next time.

My partner and I come here often and have been for years- and never get tired of it. Everything from the food to the tea to the cakes constantly impresses, I feel like I can try something new every time and still love it, and the staff have never been anything short of lovely. One of my favourite local businesses in the whole city; I hope that Ippuku remains the wonderful part of York that it is for a long time, and we'll keep coming as long as it.

One of my favourite places to visit in York, atmosphere is calming and relaxing, staff are very very friendly and easy to talk to, the food and drinks are extremely tasty. The menu is quite small with extra specials inside but that's good thing, smaller menu means better overall food, a great selection of vegan options, extensive drinks menu, everything from Japanese tea and soft drinks, to Japanese alcohol. Prices are reasonable for the portion size, which is deceptively filling. If you want somewhere that is smaller, has an amazing atmosphere and is very relaxing, it's the best place to go.

This is one of the top Matcha latte I have ever had! You will love it here Thank you

We visited this cafe on a stopover to York a few years ago and liked it so much that we came back on our next visit. It was even better than I remembered! Vegan- and dog-friendly too. :)

service was amazing and the food was unreal - portion sizes are massive and the miso soup was delicious!!

We used Fran to supply an assortment of Japanese food for an event - it was amazing! Great food, great communication, amazing detail into the dietaries making the food accessible to everyone.

What a gem! I've been in with friends and family, and everyone raves about the food! The lunch teriyaki set is really delicious, and the atmosphere is lovely both inside and out in the courtyard. Great food and great service, I look forward to going back.

Vegan reviewer: An absolute hidden gem in York. I can’t wait to come visit again and try something else. I’ve given these guys 4/5 because I didn’t love some of their side plates but this could easily go to a 5/5 on my next visit. The overall quality of food is EXCELLENT. Great vegan opinions throughout the menu. Specials and desserts are only on the boards in store so it’s worth going in, there’s a cute shop that sells food, sweets and utensils at the front, and there’s interesting decor. Recommend booking due to small restaurant size. Friendly staff. We ordered: 1) vegetable gyoza teishoku set 2) teriyaki Tofu teishoku set The teishoku sets come with a big bowl of miso soup, steamed rice, cabbage (think steamed?), and pickled carrot & bean shoots I absolutely LOVED the teriyaki tofu- delicious 🤌🤌🤌 The veg gyozas were also really nice and perfectly crisp. I loved the miso soup and the steamed rice. The rest was neither here nor there really- the pickle wasn’t very pickle-y and the cabbage was just very bland limp cabbage (but neither were unpleasant and I still ate it all). For sides we ordered: 3)veg gyozas 4) garlic-miso-mushroom yaki onigiri 5) soy yaki onigiri We ordered extra gyozas to share but these were exactly the same as the ones on the teishoku (and just as nice). The soy onigiri was quite dry and a bit overdone. The flavour was ok but I don’t think I’d order again. We preferred the GMM onigiri which was nice, but also wouldn’t rush to reorder. Overall, really enjoyed it and was full. However I did still have room for dessert! They come and sit the dessert board on a chair next to you, which is a bit odd especially given how small the restaurant is. It was a couple of weeks ago now so I can’t remember the exact order, but we had some kind of vegan chocolate brownie that was AMAZING!! I’m not even the biggest brownie fan but they really nailed that one and my mouth is watering over it right now! Shout out the the lemon yuzu drink I’d never seen before- I love yuzu and this was just the perfect drink to have with the meal! 100% will go again. As I said, this is so close to being a 5/5 but that for me means nothing could be better and there were a couple of things that could have. But generally EXCELLENT and a do encourage everyone to have a visit!!

Nice to see they are trying to bring the culture into York. Enjoyed the presentation of matcha latte the most! Interesting sushi sandwiches …

Great little cafe with some amazing tea options. The chicken gyoza was fantastic!

こちらに住まわれていらっしゃるネイティブの方その他日本以外のアジア圏の方にはこれが日本食なのだなぁと思われるかも知れません。 主人の食べた酢飯も私のおにぎりも味付けは悪くは無かったと思います。お店の方もとても丁寧でした。高得点をつけたい気持ちはありますがご飯の質がとても残念に思いました。 日本米の艶や甘さ粘り、弾力性に欠如していました。 オーナーの方は日本人の方とお聞きして遠方から出かけたのですが。 値段を上げてもいいのでお米を変えて欲しいと心から願います。 スモークサーモンも同じくらい残念でした。 夫はイギリス人ですが 彼でさえも米とサーモンが残念だと言いました。 次回ヨークに行く時は再度伺うかも知れません。 それまでに美味しいご飯になっています様にと願っております。

This is a review of our experience today - not the food. The food is lovely and authentic. My kids and I have enjoyed coming to Ippuku in the past. On Monday went online to make a booking for lunchtime today (Wednesday) and saw that they were no longer taking bookings. I was slightly concerned considering the size of the space but decided that if we showed up close to opening time (noon), we wouldn’t have an issue getting a seat. So we planned a trip into York, excited to have Ippuku for lunch. As soon as I walked in, the gentleman working asked me if we had a booking. I replied no, that the website said they were no longer taking bookings. He confirmed that this was correct, however they do take phone bookings for two time slots. I was shocked and inquired as to why this isn’t mentioned anywhere on the website. He simply said, “I don’t know.” I told him that I would have happily made a booking, but it said they were no longer taking bookings, not that one should call. He claimed that it wasn’t advertised because they “don’t want to take too many bookings.” This is nonsense. If you take bookings, then don’t say that you don’t take bookings! Of course, there was nothing that could be done at that point. He said we could get on a call list but would likely need to wait an hour or more. No apology. No stating that he would convey to management that the information on the website wasn’t exactly accurate and was causing confusion. I decided to abandon that lunch plan and go elsewhere. I realise that this comment may sound a bit ridiculous considering the food at Ippuku is delicious and atmosphere is lovely, but my hope is that others know what will be required to get a seat here and that management at Ippuku understand better what would be helpful to their customers. Perhaps they can also explain to their well-intentioned employees how best to deal with misunderstandings like the one we had today. Relationships (personal and business) are everything, and good communication can make or break them.

A lovely cosy little place with the most beautiful Japanese food and drink, in terms of both taste and presentation! Lots of options for vegans too. The staff were all lovely and friendly but they were definitely understaffed which meant service was slow, hence losing a star. But would still highly recommend and we will definitely be returning again!

Amazing food and great ambience. Felt like I was in Japan for a moment.

Fantastic little tea house with wonderful Japanese food and plenty of vegan options

A tiny little restaurant in the heart of York centre. It's a smallish menu but plenty of chicken, beef and tofu options to cater for everyone. Service from some of the younger staff was a bit lacklustre but other staff were friendly. We ordered Tofu Shogayaki and Gyu Don and a side of veg gyoza. Very tasty and plenty of food. The gyoza side I felt was expensive but tasty Definitely book as there's only about 7 tables and it was very busy when we were there on a Friday night With 2 soft drinks and a slice of cheesecake for dessert it came to around £55

Loved it as always. Lovely company.

Amazing food - one of the best Gyu Don I've had outside of Tokyo - and the Gyoza and cheesecake (Vanilla and Sesame Seed) were fantastic as well. Great service, felt welcome at all times. Will almost certainly visit again if back in York

Attention to detail, quality and service all typical of a truly authentic Japanese place. Reminded me of my trip there!

Always visit for coffees &tea with a piece of homemade cheesecake .

As a Japanese person, I had been CRAVING authentic Japanese home-cooked style food for so long since moving to the UK last year. This place knocked it out of the park. Felt like the kind of real Japanese food my family makes. We ordered the teriyaki chicken teishoku set, pork gyoza, mushroom side dish, two onigiris, the sake taster and the umeshu. Everything was outstanding. I'll be driving all the way to York from Manchester regularly just to be able to eat here. Service was also excellent with knowledgeable staff and Japanese waitresses. 5/5.

A really cute place to go but be prepared to prebook or you may not get the chance to experience this cozy little shop. The food has a variety of options and of the ones I had they were delicious I would definitely go back again, and maybe try something different this time.

Delicious and authentic Japanese food, really lovely staff and cute atmosphere. Will definitely be back!!

A perfect cozy place for an afternoon tea

I love this place. The food is delicious, the concept thoughtful and the staff are lovely.

Mate recommended it, fantastic result. We tried a donburi and a gyoza dish, and a macha latte and a tea, and they were all so, so tasty. Very cute atmosphere, nothing pretentious, friendly and helpful service. Not a huge amount of room - it's probably a good idea to book ahead, especially if you have more than two people - but definitely worth it. Will come again next time I'm in town. No accessible seating though unfortunately - you have to go up a few steps to get to the eating area. That said, they do do takeaway.

Amazing small resturant with an almost entirely gluten free menu suitable for coeliacs. Definitely give it a visit if you are in the area. Delicious food.

Had a lovely dinner at this find on a weekend trip to York. Staff were very polite and even provided cute plushy toys for my baby to play with. Food was delicious. Best miso soup ever!

I love this kind of Japanese home style cooking. tasty! Full but not greasy. The owner is also very nice, and I really recommend it.

This quaint restaurant was a fantastic dining experience, it seems small so worth calling ahead to book a table but well worth your time. Friendly and welcoming staff and a cosy atmosphere make this spot a must-visit! The food was delicious and there is a great variety of teas and other Japanese drinks. I will be back, possibly on a sunny day so we can take advantage of the outside seating.

I can tell you that I have never thought I will enjoy tofu in a dish - the teriyaki tofu donburi was an absolute delight, and a dish that I keep dreaming of coming back to York for! The green tea is an experience in itself - in true Japanese tradition.

The most amazing selection of matcha based desserts that I'm definitely going back again for real soon. Run by a super cheerful group who were incredibly kind and patient with our many questions ranging from the meaning of gohan desu yo to regular milk vs oat milk analyses for matcha lattes.

Fantastic gluten free cakes! Highly recommend

My mum told me about this place and it was a delightful experience. The food is so tasty ! Will be back soon!

Absolutely fantastic food. This place is an absolute gem. We visited in Nov 22 at 7pm. The drinks were delicious, try the Japanese Gin and also the Yuzu lemonade. Delicious. We ordered the gyoza, and chicken teriyaki and a pork dish. Both were great and very filling. Highly recommended.

伝統的な自家製の日本食とお茶が必要な場合は、この場所を強くお勧めします。

So good I go back at least once a week. Staff are friendly and helpful, while the food speaks for itself.