The Ivy St Helen's Square in York

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.

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.

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...

Great welcome, all staff very good, we both had starter of peanut coated chicken skewers, very nice. Wife had vegetable curry n rice which was lovely, I had shepherd's pie with greens n red wine gravy which was good.

A stunning restaurant. Good service. Tasty food. The £19.17 menu is great value. The salmon starter was well seasoned, the chicken with spinach was cooked well. First visit, I'll definitely go again.

This morning me and my family tried to visit this establishment for breakfast. We where met at the door by a young gentleman who was about to show us to our table. Moments later a women in her 60s possibly the manager looked me up and down and said they have no tables, I counted at least twenty free tables. I was wearing a green jacket and black relaxed trousers, clearly the clothing I was wearing did not meet the required standard. I would like to inform the manager I am a registered paramedic and my company are also registered health care professionals. Your attitude is appalling

Always a favourite for us. Everything is perfect from entry to exit

From the moment we entered the Ivy, the atmosphere was divine. The staff were excellent and the food was amazing.

Went for an evening meal here with friends. I had the chicken skewers for starter and the burger for main. My wife had the chicken main. Food was lovely but overpriced. I thought the service was slow. I mean it was a Saturday night and it was busy but we only had 2 courses and 1 round of drinks but it took over 2 hours. Service charge seems steep especially when the service wasn't great and the food was already expensive. I had a lovely evening but I wouldn't rush to go back.

Food was lovely service was a little slow, it was very busy though

The place is nice, pleasant and comfortable, the food 🥘 is good, its menu is simple and concrete, there is nothing spectacular. Yes, the dessert 🍧 is cool 😍. The prices are ad hoc to the country. Personally, I consumed: Rib eye 🥩, mimosa 🥂 and beer and dessert for what I paid, around $90 euros with everything and tip. The services are attentive and precise, the staff in general was friendly. It is a very nice place and if you visit York it is a must stop. P.S. In York, there is a minority of Latino visitors or locals so people are a little cold, I guess it's that natural resistance of seeing someone different.

Dropped in to the Ivy for a drink. Very palatial surroundings and a lovely relaxed atmosphere. We were made very welcome by the Team. Plenty to choose from the menu, we would of eaten but we did not have the time unfortunately. Next time we are in York we are definitely making time to visit the Ivy and dining there.

Delicious dinner, beautiful setting and lovely service

Tje best breakfast I've had in York!

My birthday weekend but we couldn’t book due to other commitments! The staff were so kind accommodating us and my disability assistance dog with no fuss and every kindness. The service was fantastic and the food on point. In other Ivy restaurants we have felt rushed…not here. Thank you for a lovely dining experience we will be back.

Celebration for our Diamond Wedding Anniversary a Present from our Son & Daughter in law.Beautful food extremely welcoming they even gave us a cake at the end which was a surprise how lovely was that.The staff are so lovely a credit to you all a delightful place and York is a Beautiful place thankyou for a memorable stay x

Love their cream tea, much better than Betty's and no queues 😍

Lovely meal beautiful dinning we had a lovely time

For the price of the small steak, I'd have expected some veg to be included!

Popped in for Cream Tea and we were not disappointed. Great service and delicious scones!

We booked a table very last minute and had the best of lunches. The atmosphere is great and the food was fantastic. We had a lovely bottle of wine which went down well. All staff were attentive and charming which made us feel special.

Overpriced pub food is the tl;Dr Steak was less than an inch thick, asked for med-rare, turned up well done. Sauce was fridge cold when served, asked for a replacement, replacement arrived (bernaise) had clearly been microwaved, so jug of scrambled egg was served. In fairness to the front of house staff, they were brilliant and refunded the steak and sauce however....charging the prices they do, I expect better and front of house can't justify the price Be better chefs

Stunning restaurant with gorgeous decor. We enjoyed beautifully cooked sea bream in a delicious sauce, followed by decadent deserts. Would thoroughly recommend.

Birthday meal tonight,From start to finish,Amazing work,Service was Fantastic,Food was class,Made a old 54 year old very happy,Definitely No 1 on my list to come back in 25,Keep up what you’re doing ❤️

Lovely environment, staff were great

Lovely breakfast served here. Ended up going back the following day again.

Really good meal, lots of vegetarian option and greatly welcomed experience

Lovely all round experience. Will return.

Really great night out. Staff were brilliant even through we were the last to leave. Food was brilliant, never sure with chain place if they'll be as good as the original but it's getting up there with the OG Ivy on West Street, although building doesn't quite have the history. Still well worth a visit if you want to celebrate by having a great meal with good staff looking after you. : )

We weee served at the bar by max he was beyond amazing he really knows his drinks

A top class venue ideal for any time of the day meals and particularly afternoon teas.

Excellent food, service and atmosphere

Disappointing. Very friendly service, however our main course took an hour to be served, and the restaurant was just half full. Plenty of personnel around, but no efficiency. Bar people were doing the bar inventory on Sunday evening, which was pretty loud. Burger very disappointing, totally dry and overdone, additional cheese not visible. Prices too high for the quality. Service charge over 10% added automatically.

Lovely breakfast at The Ivy. I’ve visited other branches of The Ivy for lunch/dinner but never breakfast and I would highly recommend. I got the breakfast special menu which was a smoothie, croissant and pan au chocolat and a veggie breakfast and that seemed really good value for money. Food was really nice and service was great too.

Overall it's Okay but way over rated. The service is terrible (good luck getting second drink or your check). The Sheppards Pie was decent, but the Calamari was excellent. Our table enjoyed their meals overall but nothing to write home about.

Treated to lunch for my birthday by my wife this Tuesday. The food we both had was excellent, my wife particularly enjoyed the calamari with my main Shepherd's pie being my favourite. The staff were friendly and attentive. I would strongly recommend visiting.

Love love love the Ivy at any one of their locations 🥰💐

Service and food was excellent. I am a vegetarian I was handed a separate menu full of great choices it was hard to pick. Will definitely be back.

We were looking for somewhere to eat early evening, close to the Minster with wheelchair access for my cousin as we were attending a concert. I called in The Ivy on the off-chance and was immediately impressed by the warmth and professionalism of the staff. They made a reservation for later that afternoon, kept a suitable table and even, without fuss, placed a wheelchair ramp to further assist access before we arrived. Felt very welcoming. We ate some beautifully presented and delicious food from the early evening menu. Lovely ambience, feels special but not stuffy. Recommend and hope to return.

Fabulous meal ,realy enjoyed it

Stopped by for breakfast as part of our honeymoon. The food was delightful and our server, Eleanor, was very professional and approachable, and even brought us a small dessert at the end to say congratulations. Lovely atmosphere too!

The design and vibe of the place are botanical, clean, and sharp yet inviting. I ordered from the set menu, which included a green juice, Ivy breakfast, and pastries. Upon being seated, I was promptly offered water, tea, and coffee. The green juice was a refreshing, light, and healthy blend with subtle notes of cucumber and lemon. My Ivy breakfast featured three crispy and delicious hashbrowns, two slices of smoked streaky bacon that were full of flavor without being overly salty, a perfectly cooked tomato, soft and fluffy scrambled eggs with buttery notes, and a delightful little pot of beans served at the perfect temperature. While I was enjoying my breakfast, the pastries arrived—a warm, light, and flaky pain au chocolat and croissant, paired with strawberry jam that leaned on the sweeter side but was still a nice addition. To finish, I had a flat white with a rich, full-bodied flavor that was neither too bitter nor burnt. Overall, it was a great experience. The staff were professional and welcoming, adding to the pleasant atmosphere.

The service was good. Because of allergies my food wasn't very good but I was told to let them know in advance so they can prepare something for me. Nothing to say about the atmosphere

On a short break with friends, so decided to treat ourselves to Champagne afternoon tea. Arrived a little early, but we were shown straight to our table, where we ordered some cocktails. Very courteous, friendly staff, all well dressed. Afternoon tea arrived, quite impressive, there was white whispy (smoke) coming from the top of the teastand, I believe it was dry ice, a great effect. The savoury sandwiches were delicious, smoked salmon and cream cheese, chicken and truffle mayonnaise brioche roll and pickled cucumber and basil double decker. Warm scones with strawberry jam and cream. The sweets, floral garden chocolate pot, served in a small flower pot, nice touch, apricot jam doughnuts, raspberry choux puff and a lemon and poppy seed cake, all extremely tasty. Beautiful building, lovely decor.

Absolutely fantastic, will definitely go again, superb

Meh welcome, v enthusiastic waitress but very brusque order taking and general tired air to some of the senior team.Had to sk for cutlery for starters. Food pretty good. Mix up with bill at end. Quickly fixed but a pattern of problems. Didn't spoil the anniversary dinner but didn't enhance it.

What an excellent restaurant. Went for birthday lunch and they did not let us down. Reasonable prices, maybe ask for tap water but apart from that everything was spot on.

Felt a bit underwhelmed with our experience yet again, sadly. Restaurant is lovely but the food was just OK & prices are high for what u get. Steak at £30 + had nothing else served with it, although it was well cooked. Shepards pie, tasty but portion was very small, again nothing served with it. Chicken milanese was quite bland, sauce was a bit overpowering for me. The addition of a fried egg was a bit strange... yet again no sides with this dish either. Had to order thick cut chips x3 @ £5.50 a pop!! When we booked advised that if bill was over £100 (it was over £150) there would be a £20 discount applied... it wasn't & had to ask for it. Shouldn't be the case in a restaurant of this standing.

Always a fave restaurant to visit when in York. We like to go here for brunch when staying in York for the weekend. It never disappoints. Good always good, service always good and what a lovely birthday treat I received.

Booked in for full English breakfast must say it was excellent top class service and food. Will definitely be a return customer and can recommend you to pay a visit

We visited without a reservation, and since there were no indoor seats available, we sat outdoors. Luckily, the weather was nice, and we enjoyed our food.

Had a fantastic evening here tonight. Our server was lovely and friendly and even served us desserts even though it was quite late. Will definitely be returning when back in York

Really nice and welcoming place. The food is good, they serve typical English breakfast and lunch dishes

Great food and great service. I also liked the different food on offer and the atmosphere was great too

Great food in a beautiful venue

My husband and I loved our meals but the deserts especially were out of this world ! Best trifle I have ever tasted ! Lovely service also 👌 👏

The other Korean place takes cash only so has to find a place for lunch and first time at The Ivy. No wonder it has such a long history since everything is great.

Our first visit just fabulous 10/10

Took a seat outside and had to flag down a waitress after 10 minutes to get a drinks menu. She said ‘she’d be back’ but then sat and took orders from other customers while completely ignoring us. It was clear we weren’t going to get any service at all and after 30 minutes decided to leave. Avoid at all costs

Food was good - let down by disappointingly poor service. Good bits - food was delicious - restaurant was clean and vibrant. It was busy - but I'd generally take that to be a good thing! Bad bits - let's number them ... 1) Delivered one incorrect meal (fish cake instead of fish and chips) - but then left one (of four) of our party without food whilst our dishes were left. They left him chips, but then they delivered the correct plate (15 minutes later) with another chips. They then added this chips to the bill despite us not asking for it! 2) One order for Burger - with added cheese - no cheese actually on the burger when it arrived! 3) As usual, we ordered a bottle of wine for the meal. After pouring three small glasses, the server then put this in an ice bucket some distance form the table. However, no-one bothered to check when we had finished our initial glasses - so we ended up frantically trying to 'flag down' a member of staff so we could have a second glass. Crazy! 4) When the booking was made, for my wife's birthday lunch (booked via the app) - we attempted to use a £20 off voucher - all seemed good - but this was NOT applied to the bill. 5) What was applied to the bill was a service charge - for terrible service - and worse still, as the ultimate 'kick in the teeth' on top of the chips we didn't order and the invisible cheese from the burger. Laughable. You don't mind shoddy service if you're eating in McDonald's, but when a 'non immaterial' service charge is being added - it's not so palatable. 6) Points not added to reward membership! Though, off this experience, we're in no hurry to go back! In summary, food that was delivered was good (if lacking cheese!), as was the atmosphere ... but the service let the dining experience down badly!

Amazing food as always. Had the shepherds pie. . Wow. Great work Ivy.

We came around 17h, and though Tea times was over, we were very welcome and could had a delicious moment with a " cream tea" : nice warm scones, and a hot drink ☕️ . Very nice place, very net, clean, nice music and decoration. A "must do" in York !

Such an extravagant place with nice food & drinks. Loved it.

Beautiful food and lovely atmosphere

The staff are excellent and they looked after us all through our meal. I would recommend The Ivy for a food experience at its best.

great meal, perfect service, a great first night in York

A good place to visit. Everything's good, nothings great.

Great food ,great service, rather expensive tho

Disappointing given we have been to The Ivy in various locations. Some feed back from the group of five included, over cooked dry salmon, over cooked steak (medium rare was well done), desert bomb was very sweet and sickly (not same we have had in the past). It was my son’s graduation meal and he accidentally knocked over his champagne, they replaced it but then promptly charged us for it.

Beautiful restaurant, I felt like a movie star for the evening, food was amazing and staff lovely polite and professional...

lovely, went there for my graduation dinner with a super last minute booking (like 20 mins prior arrival) and staff and service and food was impeccable 🤍

Very pleasant service, elegant yet unpretentious place. Enjoyed our afternoon tea with champagne very much

I was a guest at a small Wedding party in the upstairs private room. Food was excellent. Seems a very up market place for fine dining. Although I suspect it is not cheap but ideal for that special occasion. Staff very attentive. Made for a great family get together. Thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

We hired the private room for our wedding reception and it was absolutely exceptional. Can’t thank Charlotte in particular enough for being the most perfect host and waitress. We massively appreciate her for making it the most perfect evening for everyone.

Overpriced cocktails and very average food.

Had a great lunch! Elena was very nice and attentive, top level service. We had the Shepherds Pie and the fishcake, both of excellent quality. Both inside and outside, you'll have a nice atmosphere.

Very disappointed. I had the haddock and it was raw. Also server didn't come over during our meal to check if everything was OK. However they did deduct the price of the fish from the bill. I won't go again. Sorry Beautiful place though.

The waitresses are over attentive and spoil conversation as you’re wanted in and out quickly,check your bill as you are not told about the 12.5% service charge,Which at the high cost and very small portion is a disgrace(And according to a staff member,they don’t get the payment!!)

Lovely restaurantr with very good food and great service

Lunch at The Ivy, York today with my wife. I'd never been before, but my wife had so I wasn't sure what to expect. On entering it was nice to be greeted by a nice smiling face and we were shown to our seats. George was our waiter for our visit and I have to say he was excellent. Polite, courteous, knowledgeable and professional. We had the 2 course menu and all were very tasty and and well worth the money. Possibly the nicest ham hock terrine I've ever had. I had pan fried haddock for main which was also lovely although the I though the red accompanying sause etc was a little strong and overwhelmed the haddock slightly. Nice touch was cleaning any crumbs from our table between courses. Decided to have frozen berries dessert which was nice and light and very theatrical (won't spoil the surprise) and my wife had a scone which turned out to be 3 freshly baked, still warm scones, clotted cream, jam and fresh strawberries. All excellent again. George couldn't have done any more and we left very happy and will definitely be back.

I love the Ivy Harrogate but York didn't match in service. Service was slow and staff seemed uninterested. No one asked if we had enjoyed are meal. The breakfast was good apart from the bacon which was only just cooked and had white fat running down the side. Crispy bacon please.

Brilliant food, staff very attentive would definitely recommend. Please try the apple tarte it wad amazing.

The Monk fish in the curry was bad and made me vomit in the toilet upstairs. The waitress said they'd been serving it all day implying they're was nothing wrong with it. They deducted the cost of the curry and charged us almost £100 for the meal. Disgusting attitude. I had been going there regularly for years and frequently had the same meal. I will not be going again.

Brilliant food, very much traditional and feel good factor when you enter. Very polite staff and will make you feel welcome and special.

Meeting friends. Enjoyed a lovely lunch.

Really wanted a box for ‘good’ not average or very good. Walk in request at lunchtime. Given a table for four, we were two but that’s fine. Nice place bright airy with comfortable chairs. The staff are all high end professional in their service and plenty of them. I would say that the position of our table would have been better as a two cover due to the fact that the waiters had difficulty getting between tables and if I looked to my right I was face to face with another diner on another table! Rather too close, but we laughed as we locked eyes. Our chosen dishes were delicious but despite a started of roasted tomato soup served at table from jug it was not hot enough. No side of bread however. The chicken satay skewers were also very tasty. Main course monkfish curry so wonderful. Surprisingly following a visit to rest room ( upstairs) it became clear that the kitchen is situated upstairs too with waiters carrying every dish down to restaurant via same stairs. Relaxed visit with no hint of ‘would you like the bill sir’ once meal concluded as one often gets in city centre popular venues. Look forward to trying other dishes on menu in future.

We came to this restaurant in a very good mood, wanting to celebrate something. When we sat down at the table, a waitress approached us, very friendly, and casually asked where we were from. I said that we have been living in California for the last 20 years since we moved from Russia. She smiled and walked away. And from that moment, she pretended we didn't exist. She assigned us to another waiter. She ignored us. When we looked at her, she turned away. It was very confusing. I asked another waiter about it and they asked her to come to us and explain. She said that she is Ukrainian and it was her position that she would not serve Russians. I told her that we are American citizens and that I am half Ukrainian. She said that she didn't care, she would not serve Russians. Terrible. She ruined our very good mood. We left that restaurant immediately despite numerous apologies from another waiter. And I am very curious about what the owner of this business thinks about his waitress deciding whom to serve and whom not to serve, when she was hired to work, not to show her political views.

This was my first time visiting The Ivy chain and decided to go withy best friend as she came to visit me on my break in York. We decided to have the special breakfast menu….and we were not disappointed….the service, food and atmosphere were excellent- am extremely impressed by how well we were treated and looked after by all the staff Thank you for making our visit a memorable experience

It is a very stylish place, a fine dining style restaurant where you can feel special when you come to York, with beautiful interior and exterior decoration, delicious food. Recommendable :)

We ended up having breakfast at the Ivy after the light dinner the previous night. The eggs Benedict were just right.

steak was quite nice, waiter foreign but very cool

love the ivy brand. This place is great amazing food great staff and fantastic location. Book ahead it gets busy.

As usual, a fantasting lunch, wonderful food, excellent service, and atmosphere

I had a birthday lunch here today with my dad. The food was absolutely delicious and the service was excellent - a really enjoyable experience.

This is somewhere I’ve always wanted to go so as it was our anniversary we decided to visit. Absolutely amazing place and the staff are so welcome and friendly. The food was amazing and very well presented. Definitely recommend the visit.

Four adults, mid week, reservation, brunch. Always a pleasure to visit. Friendly and engaging service. I enjoy the food, but the breakfast/brunch menu is not a gastro experience. It's a sturdy and high quality selection. I recommend the scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, and the kippers. If you need the food in a specific way just ask, they have always accomodated our requests. My parents are regulars here. The bathrooms are the most impressive ones I have seen in a restaurant. At least the women's are! Stunning, and well maintained.

Wow,we really enjoyed our meal. We got the special.

The only thing that spoiled the atmosphere was the choice and volume of the background music in the restaurant