The Ivy St Helen's Square in York

Brilliant place to go for afternoon tea. The ultimate. Pricey but to be expected. Watch for the automatic service charge they don’t tell you about.

The food was lovely, but the table was ridiculously small making it difficult to negotiate our meal, sides and drinks etc. The avocado and crab tian starter was delicious, and we would recommend the fish and chips, and the seafood stew. I would have preferred to have our bottle of wine next to us in a cooler, rather than the waitress having to take it away and bring it back. However I would certainly visit again overall.

The staff were very attentive and polite.

A rather relaxed mix of old and new with fine attention to guests and very polite and attentive members of staff that emulate a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere even when as I saw it became busy I have not been to relaxed wile dinning like this in years. The experience was appreciated and much needed My thanks

Food was lovley service was amazing.

Had an amazing time at the Ivy lovely atmosphere. Thank you so much Guy for the outstanding service!

Went for a business meeting/zoom call and was accommodated on a nice big table with plug sockets underneath very handy and a nice touch. staff friendly and not too overbearing. Coffee hot and tasty. Didn’t eat but will be booking in as the food looked well presented and alot of the plate.

Yesterday I went for food and Rose had recommended me the Korean chicken, which was absolutely amazing! Rose was so lovely and polite, she really made our night.

Been to several different Ivy's and this one compares favourably. Nice decor, tables far enough away from other diners, as to not be intrusive. Our Waitress Lucy was nice and very efficient (thanks for being patient with us). Food and drinks were lovely and Cocktails mixed well. Thank you for the Birthday Profiterole and candle!

I had the worst fish and chips here. I've ever had. I booked a 4pm appointment for 4. The restaurant was mostly empty, and we waited ages for our food. In fact, after an hour and a half we were trying to order desert as one of our table had to leave . She ran out of time and left. Everyone was friendly just slow ,doing other things, chatting. It was very disappointing.

We went for our anniversary meal and we were not disappointed. Lovely hearty food but the service is what stands out even the happy anniversary from the lady on the door made the little touches places sometimes miss. We had After dinner cocktails at the bar and the bartender even acknowledged our anniversary. Chocolate orange martini the perfect end to our evening. We will be back next time we visit York

Booked the Sunday steak supper and at no point did any member of staff tell us they were out of steak even though my online booking clearly stated we had booked the steak. The only time we were told was when we came to order. It is normal practice to tell guests when seated what foods you have ran out off. I never even looked at the menu as I knew I wanted the steak. Waitress not very friendly/smiley Overall not what I expected from such a restaurant

Lovely Sunday lunch for my mums birthdays cant fault the service or food the complementary cake and candle is a lovely touch. Thank you team York for making my mum birthday so special she is in her 90s and she hasn't stopped talking about it since. We will be back soon for another visit

We visited The Ivy yesterday for my wife's birthday. She wanted to visit The Ivy for a better cocktail than your average bar. The service we received was absolutely appalling and potentially the worst I've ever given the prices you pay and the service you expect from such a company. We walked in around 2130 hours and the restaurant was quite empty with it being a Sunday evening. We ordered our drinks and whilst the waiter was making our drinks a lady walked in and asked if she could buy to bottles of wine on a carry out. The lady spent £105 on two bottles. The waiter whilst making our drinks stopped making them and served the lady with her wines. During this time I went to the toilet and my wife went to the toilet and the drinks still weren't made. The same waiter than stood at the end of the bar and had clearly forgot about our drinks. I had to ask if was going to continue to make them or not. We had the drinks and had to ask to pay for them once we'd finished. Absolutely horrendous service and no apology. We paid for the drinks and left

Impeccable service in a beautiful setting. The ambience was lovely and food delicious, one of my favorite restaurants to go to and so pleased we tried this branch as had t been before. Fantastic service and amazing espresso martini cocktail to finish. Highly recommend

Nice place food nice quality little more would be nice 🙂 and the chocolate caramel bomb is a major go !

Seated opposite the stairs to the toilets, even though we had booked a table. Not asked what type of tea we wanted, given a dish water tea (pale even after 1/2 hour brewing). Given defrosted dairy free scones, half the size of the dairy version of scones, taste less. Noisy, bad taste in music, the music in toilets was a lot better! Definitely not worth the price of £33.00! Go to Betty’s instead.

Great atmosphere and friendly staff.

I had a beautiful birthday lunch here with my family on Saturday. Amazing food and the staff really looked after us. Special thanks to Eze for being so lovely and nothing was too much trouble.

Great place to eat right in the centre of York Had to sit upstairs where the atmosphere isn’t a vibrant as downstairs The staff and service excellent

Thankfully the reception staff managed to fit a family of four into the restaurant without making prior reservations, the lady at reception was very nice and accommodating. Our server, unfortunately, I didn’t get his name was really nice, helpful and smiley. Yes, this is what they get paid to do however it seemed like he liked to be there! Overall it cost £160 however this included a bottle of wine of £30 and a service charge of £17.50 the family all had a main meal and a dessert so in the big scheme of things not a bad price to be in a lovely restaurant

Lovely lunch in quality surroundings and with great service.

Loved the atmosphere in this place the food was great and the staff were very welcoming.

The worst roast I have ever eaten — very dry chicken, a hard Yorkshire pudding, and barely any (watery) gravy. No one asked how the food was, and we had multiple different servers attending to us. I was left standing at the host stand for a while waiting for my coat, only to end up getting it myself as I had a train to catch — only then did a staff member hurry over to do it. No “thank you” or “goodbye” when we left. On a positive note, the cocktails were great, the restaurant was stunning and stylish, and they remembered that I mentioned it was my partner’s birthday. They even brought out a really nice cake — a lovely touch! A very ‘old money’ feel to the place.

Nice restaurant nice atmosphere, service was good however we were promised 2 hours on the table yet were being asked to leave after 1.5 hours without even having seen a desert menu which made us feel unwelcome. Most of the food was lovely although the steak came rare when we asked for it medium and was very chewy.

Our booking was yesterday evening and we were disappointed by the lady that “greeted” us. We merely wanted to confirm that our booking included the children’s main meal was included free of charge as per the offer on the app. She rolled her eyes and was unhelpful - clearly was her job as she was wearing the ivy jacket. The rest of the evening was lovely. Rose our sever was excellent, the food was good and the gentleman who served our desserts was friendly and helpful. Just work on the meet and greet as this lets you down and is not how customers want to be treated!

Went for a valentines meal on Friday straight away on arrival the main desk lady was gobbing off at another waitress in front of guest which wasn’t very professional at all, we ordered steaks which turned up cold the sauce was only warm, we also got overheard another couple returning a few plates back due to poor standard. Definitely not returning

Pretty poor food I thought Been to Manchester ivy few times and been fine. Fillet steak was ok nowt special. Don’t know why I got charged more than online for Sunday steak

To the manager We visited The Ivy York for Valentine’s yesterday 14.02.25 - 16.15pm, when we walked in we were sat down at our table and really from then the service was extremely poor. We order x2 Starters x2 Mains x Deserts as-well and Drinks, the starters came and were pleasant then the Mains came….steaks, after she put my plate down and left I realised that mine was a sirloin and I had ordered a Rare Ribeye. I tried to get the attention of the waiter to tell them about this issue not once did one member of staff come up to ask how our meal was during any of the 3 courses the plates were simply just taken away. When the waiter came to get our plates I told her I had ordered a ribeye which I got a frown and she said I’ll check. This waiter never came back to let me know I was right, around us 3 other people got there steaks all wrongly cooked or the wrong cut of meat, the deserts came again nothing mentioned. Out of a 3 course meal I couldn’t believe the level of service that we received, finally the bill came which they had removed my steak as I never ordered a sirloin which I accepted but then they had automatically added a £20 Service charge which I asked them to remove and I explain why I wanted it removing because in my eyes there was no service, others around us all agreed and the waiter just laughed at us took the payment and went discussed this with another member of staff then eyeballing us all night while we finished our drinks. Then 3 members of staff stood watching us waiting for us to leave as we were finishing our drinks/conversation I have never felt as uneasy in a restaurant. Travelling all over the world has allowed me to dine in some of the top restaurants and this is up there with the worse level of service. If you are always unhappy with the service don’t be afraid to get the service charge removed. This morning we went to Betty’s Tea Rooms right next door for breakfast blown away by the service of the waiters how efficient and welcoming they are, 3 times we were asked if eveything was okay and made feel welcomed, please get some lessons from next door and don’t be so rude to people and you might actually get a £60 tip like the staff at Betty’s received this morning. The member of staff who took payment is pictured below 0 Stars From us, after reading the other reviews seems The ivy has lost its touch and my partner has already said she will never dine again! You really need to look at your staff you are The Ivy for goodness sake you should have your service skills nailed. Through my business I dine alot of my clients and suppliers from Germany especially in this country and I can honestly say i would be embarrassed if I had gone to this restaurant with them I want to know what you will do about this and how you can rectify the problem as I want to try Ivy Asia in Leeds for a business meeting in May I would appreciate your reply,again to address these issues on the night would have been to upsetting for us to do on our Valentines night.

We visited for evening meal on a Sunday evening, the gentleman who served us was really friendly and professional however my main meal was only warm when served, by the time I finished the side dishes were actually cold, when a female member of staff came to clear our plates she topped up our champagne glasses as we had ordered a bottle but filled my husbands glass much more than my own, when I asked her to fill them up equally she reacted rather unprofessionally and unpleasant and said she’d been distracted as my husband had asked her a question, we then ordered a dessert which was gorgeous but the same lady came and said ‘are you finished’ to which we answered yes and I said it was gorgeous but by this time she’d taken our plates away and had no interest in my response, I told the gentleman server about my main meal being warm and he was very apologetic and we couldn’t fault his service, my review on the food is because of the food being warm when served, my review on the service is based on the female who served us who basically spoilt our experience there UPDATE: I received a response to my review asking for my contact details so they could contact me to discuss this, it has now been over 2 weeks since I sent them my email and mobile number and no attempt has been made to contact me so I have amended my review to 1* as they obviously condone poor service

Gorgeous experience, lovely food, friendly staff, great service.

Great building, great staff, great food- along with a great big bill - but worth it as it has a wonderful atmosphere.

Fantastic service and amazing food Only criticism would be have better selection and better knowledge of foods for peaple who are gluten and dairy free as my wife struggled to find something for her needs but they were amazing and sorted her out with some foods that suited her needs

The food was ok shame about the service completely lets it down. Harrogate, London etc much better.

Excellent could not fault any of it. Gorgeous Mocktail also

Had a lovely meal and free drinks for a celebration. Delicious food and a lovely calm atmosphere.

Beautiful food and drinks, atmosphere is lovely. Only issue was waiting 30 minutes for our table and then the server saying it was because there was a “invalid” on the table. I do find this to be offensive towards said person, not a great use of words.

Love The Ivy and York’s it’s absolutely fantastic!

I took a good friend for a special treat of brunch at the Ivy York today. We were warmly welcomed, our service was professional and friendly. My friend enjoyed the set menu brunch however as I wasn't feeling great I ordered bircher and granary sourdough toast. Unfortunately I was served toast with mould on the crust. Not just stale but mouldy... We received massive apologies and were not charged for our meal, however whether it's Joe Bloggs Butty Van or somewhere as high end as the Ivy this is highly unacceptable. I will not be rushing back anytime soon.

A very pleasant environment, with friendly staff. The food and drink is as good as you would expect in such an establishment. Emily looked after us and was perfect. A real credit to the establishment.

I like the Ivy – don’t get to go that often but it’s always a rich experience. This was my first time visiting this one in York, which is situated in the former Black’s store, up by Betty’s Tearoom. First impressions were good – this is a less ‘showy’ branch than some of them (there’s no glowing green floor – certainly not downstairs) but has a sort of classic charm to it, with large windows to the front and bar inside as you enter. Greeted on arrival and seated straight away – didn’t have a reservation so that was good (Wednesday night). Nice table and good to see they were pacing arrival well apart, only filling in gaps as it got busier. Space is welcome when you’re having dinner. The Ivy often likes to take up any space with piles of cushions – there were fewer cushions here, or at least near me, so I liked that. There was a set menu on offer because it was before 6:30pm – that looked decent, but it didn’t have the main I wanted so I demurred on this occasion. Good value though. They call it the 1917 menu – I don’t know why they call it that. That was the year of the Russian Revolution, but that’s probably not the reason… Beer to accompany – the beer was the Ivy House Lager. This is decent, £6 a bottle and served in a frosted mug. Who doesn’t love a frosted mug. Ordered the excellent robata chicken skewers to start – I love these, three little skewers of seasoned chicken covered in chilli and peanuts. The peanuts really work well here. This dish is really packed with flavour and one I would return to over and again. I was tempted by the souffle, but the desire for skewers won once again on this occasion. For a main the delightful duck rendang curry – this is a good portion, served with jasmine rice and it has a good heat level. Duck can be pretty awful in a curry if it’s cooked badly, but that is never the case here – the duck is braised and falls apart in the mouth. Buttery soft, pillowy bits of duck. There was sweet potato in there as well – I don’t recall that being in previous versions of this dish, but I guess I may not have noticed. This time around I had a pudding. I like pudding, so why not. They had a good choice of puddings – various melting spheres and smoking boxes – but I chose the sticky toffee pudding. A classic. In this case topped with a generous blob of clotted cream. Pudding and cream were so, so very rich. Unctuous and tasty. So rich. This is how sticky toffee pudding should be, with rich sauce and a generous helping of cream. Only custard could make this better. Overall, an excellent meal and experience. I will visit this Ivy again. Service throughout the meal was excellent and the atmosphere was pleasant.

As a matter of principle, I avoid establishments that automatically add service charge, due to circumstances, had no option than visit the Ivy. All our food was fine and the service ok as you would hope. So, nothing wrong here, just let the customer decide on tipping and how much.

After looking forward to this meal as a family celebrating our daughters graduation, I can only say we were disappointed. We expected prices to be high, it's The Ivy after all and a special occasion so we were happy to go somewhere we wouldn't normally go to. However it was definitely not value for money! Wines starting at £40/£45, most main courses reasonably priced but my daughter ordered shepherd's pie, wouldn't have fed a child, maybe a toddler, and this was nearly £20! The fish and chips were ok but the fish was very fishy, fresh fish doesn't taste fishy, even my dad who loves fish said it was a too strong taste. Husband ordered ½ roast chicken he wasn't asked if he wanted any sides, so just chicken and a few green beans. Luckily 4 people had chips so we all shared. We didn't stay for desert but the restaurant had kindly given my daughter a congratulation profiterole which was a lovely touch and appreciated. However it sadly couldn't make up for the disappointed our daughter felt. I don't mind paying good money for good food but I can't justify the money we spent on a name and 5 out of 6 go home hungry and sad that it didn't live up to what we were expecting.

Been there with family and friends once. Very good ambiance. Staff are very friendly. Best pastries I have ever had but quite pricey.

Lovely staff, building & place to eat, unfortunately the food was shocking on my visit on 18/12/2024. Not worthy of a fast food outlet never mind a restaurant as expensive as this...

Had a loverly meal here, loverly building, great friendly staff, and very good food. We had the souffle, blackened cod with a side of mash and creamed spinach, lobster pasta and an apple flan. All were very good with only the mash being nothing special. There was a good selection of drinks if a tad was expensive. I would recommend it here for something a little bit special.

Really enjoyed our meal. Fantastic food. The waitress was lovely and helped with choosing our starters, as we wasn’t sure. Service was quick, and we would definitely recommend.

A busy New Years Eve, but arrived a little early to be told our table was available. Fabulous greeting by the two ladies at the door and felt really welcomed on a cold afternoon. Coats and bags were taken away, so the table area was not left cluttered. Food and drinks orders taken promptly but not hurried. Table of six and all of our food was top notch, steaks, shepherd's pie, salmon, vegetable curry, fish & chips - all great. Service from outside two waitresses was friendly, efficient, courteous, and welcoming. It's a nice treat to eat here, and whilst we haven't been for a while, it will definitely be back on our list.

I attended the New Year's Eve themed evening at York yesterday. I had forgotten that the evening was to be themed. The whole event was superb. Whoever decided on the menu format (Greatest showman with music) should be applauded, what a fantastic idea. The staff in costume, the live music and the clowns with balloons - all inspired. The food was exceptional and the service matched. We came out for dinner, but left with a lovely memory of a special night. Well done to the team of innovators who came up with the idea and well done the staff at York who were exceptional. Do not normally bother to review, but wanted to offer praise for a job well done. Thank you

An enjoyable experience serving good food with polite, good service.

Terrible Boxing day 2024, food was ok, place was half empty, soup cold, expensive for fish cake and a splat of mushy peas had to pay £10 for a blob of mash and green beans, told my partner it was Haddock and it turned out to be hacked cheapest fish going, I booked the 3 course plus bloody Mary @£34.99 each, was given the basic menu to choose from the female waitress had no idea of what the menu was. We ended up paying £77 with no drink and they added a service charge for both of us. No Music no Christmas decor, just a tree and staff that did not welcome us at all. Very disappointing, Ivy is dying off, all they want is money, lost its upmarket feel. Will not return again. Liz ESt Yorkshire. Boxing Day 2024

Considering it was Xmas the food and service were exceptional

Enjoyed what I ordered but didn’t enjoy the repeated judgment from the server for getting a desert and drink.

Stunning food, beautiful decor and lovely service. We couldn't have asked for a better meal out, what a treat.

Top notch service today by Maggie and food amazing as always, thank you 🙏

If giving zero stars was possible, that’s what I would do following my visit to the Ivy last week. The worst experience I have ever had in a restaurant.

Went the week before and had the Festive menu. Enjoyed all of this. Unfortunately, this week we tried the steaks and we were really disappointed. Steaks were overly fatty ( ribeye) and the fillet which was more medium rare than medium with it being so thick, had quite a bit of sinew in it. This makes it very unpalatable and difficult to eat as I have a gastric band and it clogs the very tiny hole I have to pass food through! Staff were attentive but when I expressed my disappointment with the steaks, she just said she'd pass it on the chef! Place is lovely and festive but we weren't impressed with those steaks.

For main course we both had fish & chips. Very small fish, small portion of chips. Had much bigger & better.(£20) Desert was good though

Normally someone enquires if everything is okay during the meal That didn't happen. I ate everything but to be honest the chicken was dry and very chewy which I commented on at the end. Sometimes hunger stops you doing the right thing.

Shall not be recommending the ivy to anyone.

Always a pleasure visiting the Ivy at York. Nicki, at the front desk is amazing, she makes the whole experience pleasurable and gets to know the guests very well. When she's there you can really feel the difference. Thank you

We pre-booked a table and specifically requested space for a pram, as we had a newborn with us. Upon arrival, while the welcome was warm, we were seated in a cramped corner near the doorway, which felt far from accommodating. We were handed just one menu—a wine menu—when we were seated. When the server came to take our drink order, we had to request both the food menu and a general drinks menu. It was a Sunday, and we knew Sunday roasts were available, but this was not included in the initial menu we received. It took another 10 minutes and a sighing, visibly annoyed server to finally provide the correct menu. We ordered two starters, three Sunday roasts, and a steak. Unfortunately, the starters arrived at different times, and the mains followed shortly after, leaving us no time to finish the starters. The table became overcrowded with plates, making the experience uncomfortable. The steak was overcooked, but we had no chance to raise this issue—or any others—as there were no check-backs from the staff. One of our friends, who has allergies, found that substitutes they required were missing, yet we struggled to get anyone’s attention to address it. Drinks were not topped up or even offered after our initial order. At the end, a server abruptly cleared our table without saying a word and placed dessert menus down. The meal came to £200, yet the experience felt disorganised, rushed, and underwhelming. The food was bland and tasteless, and the lack of attentive service made it impossible to enjoy the meal or rectify any of the numerous issues. Overall, we left feeling disappointed—this was far below the standard we expected.

Awful service with snobby waiters in the York St Helens Ivy today (07/12/24)! The man today front of house at the desk near the entrance was extremely rude! Please teach your staff some manners and please reiterate to them that the customers are the ones paying their wages! I was also astonished to see a 12.5% service charge added to the bill when the service is shocking. Lovely snowman dessert but that was about the only enjoyable part of the experience,

Great venue to celebrate a birthday

Our visit to the Ivy in York just finished off our day wonderfully. Despite being in the run up to Christmas we weren’t rushed to order or eat ( which is just great). The food and atmosphere were great and the service was spot on. I had the blackened cod and wondered why I hadn’t had it before - really delicious! This is why I keep coming back !

Went for dinner for my Partners birthday, staff were friendly and wished my girlfriend a happy birthday alongside a free dessert with a candle. Food was exceptional and drinks were great. Price can be high but well worth it for a celebration.

Lovely meal last night in York. Booked for a special birthday. We had a gluten free diner which was specified when we booked. At first she was told everything on the menu could be gluten free which she was delighted with. Then the waiter returned and said that wasn’t in fact true and we had to scan a QR code to find options. With WiFi sketchy it took a while and then we had to scroll through different allergies. The choice was limited and he said she could have the truffle burger with a piece of gluten free bread! In the end she opted for the flat iron chicken which was nice. The whole experience made her feel slightly uncomfortable which is sad. The waiter came at the end to give the birthday girl some truffles with an unlit candle in the middle saying he should’ve given it to us earlier! Overall an adequate experience which could have been great if the restaurant was more inclusive.

What a delightful experience.We had come to visit York for our daughter's twenty first birthday and it was her wish to dine at The Ivy . We were greeted respectfully and in a friendly manner and shown to our table to the lovely upstairs room. The atmosphere is friendly and even the music is a pleasant accompaniment and not overwhelming. Our server, Olivia was so nice and patient, she didn't push and served us like people mattered. It's the little things that leave the best impression. The food was excellent. One could taste every ingredient. Whoever is in the kitchen knows their craft. We couldn't have asked for a better experience. Thank you everyone, especially Olivia. What a gem.

Absolutely brilliant, the food was to die for, staff were amazing very attentive but not overly so.

The food was delicious, but the portions were quite small for the price. After spending over £50, I left feeling a bit hungry. Service charge of 12.5% is added to the bill, which is quite steep. The music was fairly loud which meant I struggled to hear what people were saying throughout the meal. Overall The Ivy was a nice night out with amazing food despite the above points.

Staff spot on. Food lovely. Great atmosphere. Well worth a visit

Beautiful meal pleasant atmosphere and friendly staff

To The Manager, We visited your restaurant on the 23.11.24 our booking was at 8.00 PM for 2 people. The booking was for a special occasion, sadly our visit to your restaurant was very Disappointing. We did not complain on the night as we felt uncomfortable to discuss our issues whilst in the restaurant. Please find our issues as below: We booked the Festive Menu we where not offered this menu at all , when we asked we where told "you have menus on the table! Other tables had Christmas crackers so why where we not offered what we booked? I ordered steak medium rare it was not cooked to this request it was well done, though gristly and very very fatty. I also ordered Chips to my astonishment they where cooked Frozen Chips!!! Sorry but this is just nor right. Smaller pubs and cafes offer hand cut fresh chips why do you have Frozen Chips I was astounded. Finally our table was terrible we where sat tucked away out of the main restaurant next to a coat rack next to the staff working station. We spent our meal watching staff fold napkins fill salt cellars!! We where totally not part of any of the atmosphere of the rest of the restaurant. We are in London next week and planned to eat at your restaurant in London but after this experience we will not be booking their now. I would appreciate your reply,again to address these issues on the night would have been to upsetting for us to do on our anniversary night.

Sat outside for drinks only when it was a bit warmer. Service very slow but drinks good when they arrived. Was nice sitting outside listening to buskers.

Lovely afternoon tea at The Ivy York

As Four ladies we welcomed in and was directed to our table, drinks ordered, the Christmas cocktail definatly a hit with us . Service was amazing 👏 the Food was awesome Fish and chips , chicken milanese, and the Duck Randang 😋 definitely no starter was needed , all waited on by a very professional waiter "Johnathon" did a great job , finished of with a bottle of prosecco, 🍾🍸 so thank you for giving us a good start for our winter festivities 😀 🎄🎉

Service was very poor and was ignored quite honestly. The main course was delicious but we decided not to spend anymore money with them... no plans to visit anytime soon.

Good food bit expensive paying for experience and name

This restaurant is well patronised and the interior is nicely appointed. The service is good, even though there was a sense of arrogance from the suited waiters. The food is good but not great and the bill was excessive for what was served. I also disagree with the self imposed tip, which should be at the discretion of the customer and not the establishment. Other than that would we go back ? Probably.

Beautiful setting however the food did not match. We weren’t offered the set menu or Sunday menu even though I knew these existed so had to request these. I ordered a Rose wine, my mistake I thought as I hadn’t requested a specific wine that I would get the standard house at £7.50. Not the case, which I found out at the end I was given a £12.50 tiny glass of wine. We ordered from the £30 set menu however sides or sauces were extra, steak was extra, and certain desserts were extra. The food was okay but had much better from cheaper restaurants. We won’t be back.

Good food, nice wine, friendly service, good atmosphere, in spite of a few groups in our vicinity being rather loud, sound levels increasing with the number of glasses of wine ;)

First time yesterday to celebrate mums 84th birthday a treat from me and my daughter it was really disappointing. Ordered Sunday roast the meat (beef) was very tough and tasteless not sure a steak knife would have helped! The roast potatoes were dry and had that stale taste and the green beans were far too chewy it was served with a single small gravy boat to share. The presentation wasnt particularly good either. On a positive my daughter ordered chicken that was better presented but nothing special. The starters were ok however I’ve had a lot better for a lot less money. The atmosphere is nice and colourful but overall the experience did not meet my humble expectations. Wish we had stuck with the original plan afternoon tea at Betty’s!

A sumptuous evening, superb service and a wonderful birthday outing to remember. We enjoyed the autumn set menu with a complimentary glass of sparkling wine.

We had dinner at the Ivy last night and was looking forward to enjoying a really nice meal together on our weekend away. Unfortunately, the filet steak tasted absolutely disgusting, it was like we had been served out of date meat. Worryingly, when I asked the manager what date was on the meat, she was unable to tell me and could only say that the meat comes in fresh everyday (I find it hard to believe that there is never leftovers?!) Granted, the meal was taken off our bill, but we still spent near enough £80 on one meal (lobster linguine, which was actually very nice) and a couple of olives, bread, a glass of wine and a coke. Miller & Carter is just over the road and so we'd definitely recommend for people to go there instead.

I had the most fantastic experience at The Ivy in York today with two friends. We were celebrating some wonderful news—one of my friends shared that she’s pregnant! The food was incredible, and the service was beyond attentive. From start to finish, everything was smooth, welcoming, and seamless. What really made our visit special was our waiter. He overheard our excitement and, when my friend briefly stepped away, he quietly asked if there was anything they could do to make it extra memorable. Shortly after, they surprised us with a beautiful cake on the house, with “Congratulations” written on it. It was such a thoughtful touch and truly took our experience to another level. Throughout the meal, the staff was attentive. We never had to ask for anything; they were always one step ahead. I can’t praise the team on shift today enough for their warm hospitality and attention to detail. Thank you, Ivy York, for making our celebration unforgettable!

The food was so underwhelming which was disappointing. I’ve had mixed experiences at Ivy restaurants and I think the food was the worst here. Such a shame. I ordered the sea bass with mash. On arrival it appeared to be a sea bass fillet with a lot of sauce and that was it. I lifted the fish to a portion of potato no bigger than a match box! The host was lovely throughout our visit and did recognise the portion was not right. She then arranged for some more potato. It was just really bland and no veg or any substance to it. Was lovely company and as mentioned our host was good.

We had booked a number of weeks before for a 60th Birthday treat for me & my family..On arrival Lovely entrance lovely reception told them we had booked a table to be told the table wasn't ready was told to wait at the bar ,so we thought it would be just for a few minutes...Wrong !!! 20 mins later we were guided to the table we had booked weeks in advance .. However the food was delicious & the waiter we had was Great.. We had a fantastic family meal. The one thing we did find was people sat at the bar eating a meal whilst we were trying to get drinks which we gave up on as we felt uncomfortable reaching over someone that was eating...

Another delicious meal, as always, at the Ivy ( York). Impeccable service from Jamal who made sure my birthday was extra special ❤️

Had a meal there on Friday 8th November 2024 for our wedding anniversary, The food was superb and the service by Lauren was outstanding, 5 stars all-round

We would just like to leave a review for The Ivy and our server Lauren. Nothing was too much trouble, never waited too long for each course, it gave you a chance to savour each course and discuss what you had just ate. Our portions were bigger then we thought because we went for the dinner time 3 courses. We did choose different desserts from the 3 courses menu. Delicious. Then because it was our wedding anniversary they bought out an extra dessert with an anniversary chocolate plaque on it. We were stuffed but we made room! Loved it here and had a lovely time. Lauren was very attentive and welcoming to us. They all worked as a team which was lovely to see. Plus they have a stunning decor in there and the bathroom in the ladies is beautiful. Would definitely return. 💖

Disappointing all round really, where do I start! I took 4 elderly ladies out for tea, one with early onset dementia. I left them at the table for 2 minutes to nip up to the toilet and as I came back they all had water, and yes you know what I’m going to say, same as the early low scored review, it was £5 a bottle. They told me the waitress had asked them and I said it will probably be £5 a bottle, the other tables around us had tap water!! Anyway you know the rest, 4 pensioners could not understand £5 for water, so they didn’t order another drink!!! Secondly the menu, I’m 50 and could not see it, let alone an older lady, I asked for larger print, they said I know it’s stupid but that’s it! It was tiny writing! (1917 menu). Hence none of us saw the extras which should have been ordered with the mains, the waitress did tell us she would recommend peas or broccoli but there was about 10 sides, as I blew it up on my phone in the end when we got the bill to look! So we said yes peas, then as she’s took our empty plates I said we better have both there is 5 of us, she said that was fine, when our meals came basically we had eaten half of it before the broccoli made an appearance and then it was far more than al dente!! You couldn’t put your fork through it. At the time we paid, £15 service charge on top which we always tip but I think it’s steep to say the least. Pensioners can’t get their heads around service charges and charges for water so £25 I paid extra! And told them not to worry. I then passed the waitress our tickets for the cloakroom, she said you had to give them to the woman at the door. So there was 4 pensioners aged 80,79, and 2 x78 stood at the door along with another table waiting, utterly ridiculous and chaotic, people trying to get in and out of the small space, I did make a comment about it being silly. Anyway in conclusion, I used to like coming here, but it’s looking tired and they need to up their game for the prices they charge, also get bigger print menus, it’s 2024 for goodness sake. I for one won’t be recommending it like I used to.

Not as good as the one in Leeds

Waited a hour for meals to come out ,had to ask waitress.service charge added for what ?service.Food was good but the wait was too long and unacceptable

The food was delicious . The service and reception team were excellent.

Excellent food and service well recommended but a good idea to book

Very nice, clean, plenty choices. 👍 pleasant staff too 💜

Excellent food and service very police and welcoming, lovely vibe in here highly recommended

Delicious food, good drinks selection, nice setting and helpful staff

The pastry was absolutely stand out, whoever makes that is very talented. I've been to a few Ivy restaurants and this was by far the best

The scallops were delicious, and the chicken milanese was amazing! Would recommend those! Very relaxed atmosphere, but we were by the door, so there was a bit of a draft. Overall, it was very nice.