The Knapton Lion in York

Incredible food, friendly helpful staff and a real fire

Great pub , Sunday lunch was delicious, nothing to much trouble for the staff, 5 *****

Cracking pub, brilliant food, great beer

Delicious Sunday lunch. Food well cooked and presented. Staff very helpful and polite. Would definitely book again.

Fantastic place, food and staff Best food in the area and beyond The family and staff are so friendly and the food excellent What more can you ask for Thank you

Fantastic Sunday lunch. Food was beautifully cooked and really nice atmosphere. Great staff too 👍

Great food friendly staff great

Delicious food and friendly staff.

Absolutely amazing food and staff great atmosphere

FABULOUS! I have eaten here for Sunday lunch a couple of times before and a member of our team at work has recently retired and I thought this would be the perfect place to have a small get together and it did not disappoint! Every single person complimented how delicious the food was and how friendly the staff were. We had Sunday lunch and there were 19 of us, everyone’s food was hot and came out at the same time honestly could not fault anything! Good selection of beers and wines and such a lovely menu! Amazing food and great service from start to finish as always - thank you Tom and the team yesterday! We all had a really lovely afternoon for a special member of our team (I think you’ll be seeing a few faces returning again soon!)

A first visit for a lovely Sunday lunch. The prawn cocktail starter was fantastic and the chicken and mushroom pie a winner! Nice Pinot Grigio and very well kept Yorkshire Blonde. All the staff were friendly and welcoming. Look forward to returning soon.

Beef with Yorkshire Pudding washed down with Ossets White Rat.

Warm inviting atmosphere, the food was delicious, and the team was very attentive . We will most definitely be back!. Thank you, and have a lovely Christmas . Anelia & Paul, Claire, Lisa and Tracey. X

Good food and service.good price and choice of menus.

Birthday dinner. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Under new ownership and it was excellent.

Food was exceptional. Service was very good. Ambience good. It was a little expensive but there is no doubt I would book again.

Booked for a festive meal. 4 of our party ate off the Christmas menu and one off the festive menu. The atmosphere was lovely, the staff great as always, and everyone thought that the food was amazing. A must place to eat at anytime of the year. Thank you to Tom and all the staff

We had a wonderful pre Christmas dinner here. The food was excellent, beautifully cooked, service efficient and unobtrusive. I can highly recommend this family owned pub.

I would like to say.the starter was very nice.Pork belly but please nealy 10 pound .We are not all slimming.I no how much it costs and that was robbery.People will not pay them prices for that amount.I definitely will not You will loose customers .You no cost of living is bad.And food needs to match the price.You are a pub I've paid less in restraunts The chef is makeing more prophet on that starter.Why be greedy I wount come back

We both had the turkey sandwich with roast potatoes followed by the apple, date & cinnamon crumble and they were excellent. We also visited around two months ago and had the fish sandwiches which were outstanding. A whole piece of battered fish beautifully cooked in a soft ciabatta roll. We’ll definitely be back.

December 2024 - this was our 3rd visit and we enjoyed our experience again - it ticks all the boxes for us:- warm welcome, good atmosphere/background music, varied menu/good food served by polite and obliging staff. Thank you.

Lovely and warm as we stepped inside...very thoughtful staff...my husband is disabled and they were very helpful. Best food I have tasted in a long time. Will definitely be returning. Margaret from Huntington

Delicious food Lovely atmosphere Visited with family for an evening meal and a friend at lunch time Will be going back

Ex work colleagues catch up. Was beautiful food (little disappointed only one prawn which was the garnish in the fish pie). Lovely girls serving and nice atmosphere didn’t feel rushed.

This was a great midweek experience. The food was not cheap, but it was really great quality and tasty. For a little pub in a small hamlet, the Knapton Lion is a real hidden gem.

Superb Sunday lunch finished off with a sticky toffee pudding that was simply the next level. Thank you

Cosy little country pub with a nice relaxed atmosphere. The food menu is varied with classic dishes done well (only saw what was on other people's table, we didn't eat). A wide selection of beers on tap and a good wine list. Varied spirit offerings too. Warm and welcoming staff

Tom, Nicky and team provided us with a superb birthday celebration for 35 friends. Nothing was too much trouble and the food, atmosphere and service were top class. Would recommend to anyone whether for a group or just a couple.

Enjoyed a midweek meal with a friend. The staff were friendly and attentive. The food was delicious, we ordered the monk fish curry & beef featherblade. Both the pub & restaurant were busy, but it still retained a relaxing atmosphere. Will definitely visit again 10/10

Lovely food, 3 out of the 4 of us had the Fish pie from the specials menu, could not fault it. Staff were very attentive and friendly. Would definitely recommend this gastropub.

Excellent food and service; good value - and a lovely atmosphere. First visit but I’ll be back,

Lovely home-cooked food and great service. The fish cakes were special.

Excellent food & experience I hope people will frequent these disappearing icons. Smiley pleasent staff always a winner

Excellent food, friendly family atmosphere and brilliant service. One of the 2 best pubs in York😜

Lovely Sunday lunch. Service was brilliant and very quick. See you again soon!

Enjoyed a excellent business lunch for four food fantastic actual 'Real chips' service was just as good.. Definitely returning.... Return now at least twice per week Tom & his team are fantastic... Great pub, food, drink just go you will not be disappointed.

Fabulous Sunday dinner. Staff were great. Recommended to book.

Absolutely fantastic from arranging a table to leaving Tom and staff were fab. The food matched the service. Highly recommend

Lovely Sunday Lunch , food was amazing, staff are always attentive, nothing is too much trouble. Highly recommend

Had Sunday lunch here. Food and service both really good. Reasonable prices too. Would definitely visit again.

All lovely, we will definitely visit again if we're in the area. One minor grumble is no baby change facilties, and I didn't see any disabled toilets either. The only quibble on the food we had was that the brownie wasn't in the style we prefer, being more like a cake and perhaps a touch overdone. Everything else was lovely, and the portion sizes were appropriate to the price point. The dishes we tried were - Veggie strudel; fish pie special; chicken and ham pie; children's sausage, mash and yorkie pud; white choc ginger brulee; kids' brownie with ice cream; coffee with truffles; coffee with mini brulee. All except the brownie we would definitely have again, though we would probably all go for the hot drink with a mini pud as that size was perfect for us. Having been fitted in at short notice on a Saturday evening, it would be rude to complain about the table being cramped for 4 adults and 2 children and I noticed when we left it was relaid for only 4 adults, so I don't think that is a fair criticism to level, though I did find the space a little tight whilst we were there. Staff helpful, friendly and attentive

Nice pub and on our first visit it was good food but I thought the dessert portion was small and expensive.

Excellent friendly efficient service from Tom and the Team. All our meals were excellent as usual. Highly recommend the Knapton Lion

Lovely pub!! Staff were very friendly and welcoming and the food was delicious - especially the fish pie ! Would recommend a visit 😊

First visit but will definitely return. Food was excellent and staff friendly and attentive.

Food and service were fantastic.

Had a wonderful meal with my friends this week. Have always loved all Tom and his family pubs and so no hesitation in recommending. Food is delicious and the staff are wonderful. It’s a lovely pub to sit and have a drink too. Thank you

Wonderful Sunday dinner, loved my time here.

We really enjoyed the lunch set menu. The food was lovely and it was good value for money. We were only in the area for a fortnight and managed a return visit. Staff and manager all very helpful.

Perfect! Fantastic food, great atmosphere and friendly, attentive staff - what a find! Highly recommended. It was our first visit, with friends from Gozo (Malta). So often these days, we're disappointed with establishments serving poor food at inflated prices. Nothing is cheap nowadays but the Lion's prices aren't bad and you do get amazing food.

Great place to have food with lots of different people , good food and friendly staff in the small little village. If not fancying a whole fish and chips , ask for a small one instead

Booked The Knapton Lion after 2 recommendations and wasn’t disappointed,wonderful food we all had roast beef.The service was excellent from all the staff.

Sunday lunch was fantastic 😊 as usual, brought a friend along who was most impressed, we will definitely be back very soon

I would like to thank Tom and all the staff for making my birthday celebration lunch very enjoyable. All our requests were carried out to a very high standard and nothing was too much trouble. The food was excellent and served promptly so the food remained very hot. We were nor rushed which enabled us to chat. Thank you Tom for spending time with the elderly gentleman it meant a lot to me.

Brilliant pub , warm welcome , great service , not rushed , lovely atmosphere, beautiful food, will be booking again ! Thanks Tom & the team

Excellent food, drinks and atmosphere. Staff very friendly. Highly recommended.

I’m not local so found this on Google with good reviews. Amazing food !! Great service and a great atmosphere. Corn chicken was fab, and one of our party had the lamb pie that was bursting with meat. This coupled with the free wine on Wednesday made it taste even better.

Perfect Sunday lunch, very welcoming staff and excellent service Will we go again...... Absolutely

Always enjoy good food and a nice pub, would highly recommend it.

Fabulous food!! Every time I have been it never fails to deliver. Well done you guys.

Really enjoyed a two course lunch off the afternoon menu, and at £19.50 pp it was great food well prepared and served. Could have had a third course for an extra £4 but none of us had room for it. Thanks for a good meal and being able to book online was a real bonus. Will be visiting again soon.

Had Sunday lunch today and I can highly recommend it the food superb waitresses very polite and efficient will definitely be back

Lovely meal as always, great service and staff never stopped on what was an extremely busy evening with all tables full! 🥰 Tom wasn't there but the staff were fantastic and found time to answer any questions with a smile despite being so busy! The only problem was we were really hot but maybe that's us as we didn't notice others with fans, and it'd been a hot day! The ice cream dessert was perfect to cool us down! I lost an ear-ring and was in the carpark when I got a call to say it'd been found! Great that they bothered to let me know and came outside with it! Cannot recommend highly enough! I'll be back soon.

Best pub meal we have had for years

First time there, lovely pub. Food was excellent, pricey but worth every penny

Tried Sunday lunch here and was not disappointed. Lovely meal with good sized portions and excellent beer/wine, what more could you ask for!!! Service was good, nothing was too much trouble, had to wait 10 mins for our table, but this was explained and handled well.

Superb Sunday lunch. Very friendly staff. Will definitely be back again

The staff were absolutely excellent. The atmosphere is missing something, perhaps some soft background music? I know you chefs love al dente veg but it would be great if the veg could be offered less firm

Great night at the Knapton Lion this week. Imaginative dishes, so tasty. I had the sea bream with crab arancini. Tom is an excellent host & waiting staff are friendly & efficient. Took advantage of the free bottle of wine offer for Wednesday & Thursday diners, brilliant.

Our first visit to the restaurant and overall we were very impressed with the food and service. I ordered the beef wellington, which personally I found slightly under done as the very middle of the fillet was still raw. For dessert, we had the creme brulee, which personally we found to be thick, not smooth and creamy as it should be. Overall satisfied with the food and service and we would visit to eat again.

Excellent food, service and hospitality every time we come here. Highly recommended.

The beef shin pie was out of this world! I have a rubbish appetite but this knocked my socks off. Beautiful pastry, good quality ingredients, and perfectly cooked veg. Absolutely outstanding. And as for the Eton Mess....jeeez....this is the stuff of dreams, A great foody pub, nice atmosphere, fantastic food and great service.

I booked a table for 7 family members & we had a fabulous afternoon,the food as always was superb,beef,chicken roast dinners & the monkfish curry,the starters and desserts were excellent too.service impeccable by Tom & his staff,lovely atmosphere,we all had a great time!

Another excellent meal with a free bottle of wine! A regular customer.

We’ve heard so many good things about this place so decided on an impromptu visit. We were horrified that the bowl of chips I ordered for a lunchtime snack were cooked in what looked and tasted like beef dripping as this isn’t mentioned anywhere on the menu. Being vegetarian I couldn’t eat them and had to wait until I got home to have lunch. The chef/patron should take note that menu items ought to be accurately marked (I think it’s reasonable to expect that chips are vegetarian unless otherwise stated). We would not bother returning for this sole reason.

Welcoming staff as soon as we came in, shown to our table, drinks arrived lovely beer, food orders taken promptly and the food arrived very quickly hot and fresh. Would highly recommend this pub.

Our meal was delicious (as always) and the service was very friendly and helpful. A lovely place to relax with friends and enjoy good food. Would definitely recommend.

We had a lovely meal. All the food was cooked perfectly and enjoyed by all in our party. It was our second visit since the pub reopened and I'm sure it won't be our last.

Delicious food, beautifully presented & the waitresses were excellent! Thank you so much, we had a great evening. We wondered if you would look into offering dairy free cream/ ice cream with your dessert menu...one of our group is dairy intolerant so was unable to enjoy one of your lovely puddings!

We had a delicious meal at The Knaption Lion, and the service was excellent too! We are both gluten intolerant, and this was catered for… not just on the menu but with care and attention from the staff. We would definitely recommend this place!

A delicious meal was enjoyed by all. Particularly liked the option of a small dessert with coffee.

Visited for my wife’s 60 th birthday Staff where attentive and friendly Relaxed environment Food was delicious Free bottle of wine on a Thursday was an absolute bonus We will 100% visit again well done to everybody

Nice pub to drop into on an evening while walking the dog 🐕 👌. Friendly staff . Allow dogs which is fantastic 😀 👌

Excellent Sunday lunch. Our table of six was very happy with the quality and quantity of the meal. Service was excellent.

Excellent top quality food well worth the extra few pounds you pay. Decent wine list and a good pint of beer. Went for midweek lunch. It was quite busy. Bit short of vegetarian options which we pointed out when we paid at the end and were asked if everything was ok with the meals. It was only then that we were told that there was a vegetarian menu. Quite why this was not offered on arrival or incorporated into the main menu baffles us. Only one of us (a couple) does not eat meat but the meat eater also enjoys vegetarian food. Hopefully management will look into this oversight before we return.

Just popped in for a quick pint (which was very nice) and will be booking for food soon.

Friday fish and chip lunch. Huge flaky haddock in a lovely crispy batter, great chips and mushy peas. Service was excellent, prompt and very friendly.

Attended with friends to celebrate a birthday. We had a wonderful evening. We were made to feel very welcome by the staff and the food was excellent! Thank you!

We thoroughly enjoyed our evening here. The staff were very friendly and efficient and the food was delicious. It was the best sea bass I have had, beautifully cooked and a a really well put together and presented plate (as was my husband’s stroganoff) We would definitely recommend, it’s a shame we were on holiday and don’t live nearer!

I recently visited The Knapton Lion for dinner and had an absolutely fantastic time. The food we ordered was incredible. My steak was cooked to perfection and the peppercorn sauce was to die for. My friend ordered the sea bass fillet which was just bursting with flavour. We would return just for those delicious beef dripping chips! This lovely little Yorkshire gem has a great selection of Yorkshire beers and a lovely variety of wines. We cannot wait to come back soon.

Really nice food, great service…thank you…

Lovely pub. Food and service excellent. Have been three times in as many weeks and it's fast becoming a favourite. Mushroom arancini is wonderful, as is Whitby Crab and the mushroom Wellington.

Nicely redecorated, lovely food and friendly helpful staff.

Absolutely perfect! That's how my Seabass dish was! The staff are lovely and very attentive. I was dining on my own but I was made to feel very comfortable and very well looked after. Will definitely go back . Thank you

Great range of hand pulled beer

Very flavoursome food. Very good service. Atmosphere was a bit lacking as we were in the side room. We will come again.

Fantastic service lovely and friendly Excellent food thankyou

first time we have been i will be back again with friends and family, the food was lovely everyone enjoyed it

The restaurant was buzzing when we arrived, great atmosphere and very popular. So glad we had booked in advance. The food was well presented and tasted great. Thank you Tom and team for a great night.

We have enjoyed both Sunday lunches and weekday meals in this excellent local pub. The service was exceptional, with waitresses showing initiative and great personal attention to the customers. The ambience was perfect, without the need for loud music. The food was so tasty and hot, with enough variety to suit everyone and all the drinks were popular too. Highly recommended.