Waterstones Cafe in York

A lovely sized Waterstones store, so clean and well organised. A really great collection of fantasy books, and huge children’s section.

Friendly staff. Well presented books. Grateful that the assistant said that my book purchase got me a free drink in the café because it was a book of the month. I didn't realise.

We are big fans of waterstones but have never been into one where the staff are as rude as in York. What a disappointment.

Really helpful staff and who doesn't love the atmosphere and smell of new books you get in a bookshop

A really fantastic store in the heart of historic York. The store is two floors but luckily the science fiction is located on the ground floor. The selection is so much better than my local store in Lincoln. I picked up these two classics. If ever I’m back in York I’ll call in again. Hands down recommend.

Always love a good wander in Waterstones in any town I visit.

Had a lovely little browse in here and the staff were very helpful when trying to search to see if a book I was looking for was in stock. Went to a Clare Mackintosh event here a few years ago which was great too so definitely recommend attending if an author you're a fan of is visiting!

Nuestra parada habitual para tomar café cuando estamos en York, pero pensando que es hora de un cambio. El servicio hoy muy pobre, solo tazas para llevar - pedí té, pero habría cambiado si me hubieran dicho como se obtiene más tazas de una olla. Cuando me preguntaron si la leche quería con Americano y dijeron que no, pero que venía con leche - ellos reemplazaron, pero me mantuvieron de pie en la caja en lugar de ofrecerse a traerlo a nuestra mesa. Sentí que solo estaban haciendo un trabajo y realmente no se preocupaban por el cliente. Dadas dos estrellas, ya que pedimos bebida y té y los conseguimos al final, pero no el estándar habitual de servicio.

No es una buena experiencia. Las bebidas aquí son un precio razonable en comparación con la mayoría de los lugares en York. El pastel que comí fue uno de los peores que he comido. Lo que era muy molesto, sin embargo, era cobrar por tres bebidas cuando habíamos pedido dos. Cuando esto fue señalado tuvimos que solicitar un reembolso que fue dado. Dije que una disculpa habría sido bueno, pero me acusaron de pedir tres bebidas que no hice. Ni siquiera es que estuvieran especialmente ocupados.

Friendly sales assistant, and found a book I didn't know I'd even want: Woodland Wonders. Saw a couple of other books I hadn't seen elsewhere. Nice place.

Very helpful staff and I bought what I wanted in store

Nice, spacious, tidy and well stocked branch

We have just visited this lovely bookshop a few moments ago. We were helped by the wonderful Lucy! Honestly, people like this are worth gold. She was helpful, funny and kind.

Love this bookshop. Always a firm favourite store to visit when we come into you. Lovely little cafe upstairs to have a coffee and relax.

Nice employees, great service and a large selection of books old and new

Lovely Waterstones, huge selection! Staff are friendly and staff recommendations are really good.

Lovely bookshop - lots of selection

Staff were very friendly and helpful, helping my partner find the book she was looking for

A much needed tea & pannini break in a small but good café.

Always enjoy killing time in this delightful book store.

Lovely bookshop right in the heart of York. Great place for buying a gift or something for yourself. Support your local bookshop.

Kids story time was amazing! Well done to the lovely lady who read a story- she really managed to get into character and it was very interesting to listen to.

This place is like an Aladdins Cave for bookworms. It was great to see a book store so busy! There is also an upstairs floor with a cafe which smelled lovely! We were on a tight schedule so we couldn't sample it. All sorts of genres and gifts and stationary available.

Larger store than we anticipated. Always love a good Waterstones! Staff were friendly and helpful

The cafe staff are very good and friendly too!

Well worth a visit when in York

Nice books good amount of sale but just a normal waterstones

The cafe is lovely and the staff wonderful. I've been there a few times during my holiday and they always greeted me with a genuine smile

A lovely bookshop, something for everybody.

I'm something of a book worm, so I love browsing in Waterstones. They also have a cafe which is a bonus. Nothing quite like the smell of a freshly caught book !

Una gran librería con una pequeña joya de un café, buenas bebidas y una selección decente de golosinas. Personal amable. Las tortas marrones son las mejores que he probado.

Absolutely lovely atmosphere!!!

Great selection of books especially in the arts section where I found and bought a fab Roy Lichtenstein book. As with all Waterstones stores absolutely lovely staff all willing to chat and advise. Plus a fab and very reasonable cafe. What's not to love?

Always helpfull staff well stocked & if they haven't got what you want will order it

Amazing cafe and lovely view of the streets below

Un ambiente encantador, una cafetería alegre y elegante, con un personal amable y muy eficiente y una deliciosa e interesante selección de pasteles! 🍰 ¿Qué más se puede pedir?

Full to the brim with books....and a lovely cafe too!

Went in the cafe and had coffee n cake and it was delicious friendly staff

Great book shop with a cafe....what's not to love.

my first time in as i’m not a reader, however i’d like to be.. i was overwhelmed for choice so i asked one of the guys behind the desk and they were lovely, one gave me a bunch of recommendations and i have to say, they were some good recommendations because i love the books i got. really nice atmosphere and great staff:) went into the cafe today and it was a lovely atmosphere, reasonably priced and yum!

Nice cup of coffee , then perusing books.

Thriving branch. Really busy. Only just squeaked into a seat in the cafe. Friendly place with a panoramic outlook into the centre.

This shop never fails to make me want to drink on every word in my favourite books

Great bookshop. In pedestrian area of York. Has coffee and cake shop upstairs where toilets are also. Has lift to upper floor

Had sandwiches with kids was 2.70 for half a sandwich and 1.70 for drinks carton expensive and had to remind cafe worker my toaster sandwich was burnt avoid toilet back of shop out of reach of cafe .awful customer service

Great selection and friendly staff.

It's Waterstones, à bookshop and a few extras. Sort of place that any bibliophile could easily spend thousands of pounds in! This was no exception. 6 Nov Always my favourite part of a visit to York but uninspired today, not the fault of the brilliant staff and wonderful displays, just me! 8 April 2024 Still the best bookshop in York. A pleasure to visit, and especially so when I find a couple of books that I want to read.

Great bookshop with lots of choice, and a nice café.

Beautiful cafe in this store. Lovely staff and delicious coffee - always happy staff - perfect place to sit and chill.

On a visit today to the waterstone’s cafe, I was met with two of the most horrific staff members I’ve ever met. Outside of the one with red hair I don’t remember appearances. The entire time myself and friends were drinking, they were pointing, loudly laughing at us and making extremely snide comments (making overly exaggerated whisper motions.) When I left to the bathroom my friend ran after me, since I had forgotten to take my seizure medication with me, only for the redhead girl to loudly yell ‘why the hell is he running’. Disgusting service, don’t work in customer service if you’re still stuck acting like a Regina George wannabe.

Lovely coffee and an hour to read. Helpful bookshop staff

Nice coffee shop upstairs. And the usual book store stuff. Nice helpfull staff

Really excellent staff, stock and atmosphere. A chain bookshop with the feel of an independent. Excellent displays, layout and stock. Bookshop staff are dedicated and knowledgable, and there are a lot of very long-standing staff members there, which says a lot about the manager and - I assume - the Waterstones general ethos. It still grates to leave out the apostrophe, but as gripes go, that's not bad, is it :)

Always a decent bookshop. I never fail to find a book or two to buy here..friendly staff too.

Usually call to look for manga and anime statues alway helpful staff and friendly

Love looking rounds books and cafe too.

I just want to say thank you to the staff who are absolutely amazing. The cafe staff are lovely and some even recommended some books to me so thank you! And the shop staff are equally brilliant. Stephen (I think) managed to help me find the perfect horror book to match my very specific tastes the other week and today when I went in searching for even more fantastic recommendations the two staff members who helped me spent so much time helping me to find the perfect books and seemed genuinely happy to help and share their love of books! Thank you!

Great choice of books even just after Christmas. Got what I wanted. Friendly staff.

Great bookshop. Wide selection of books available. Cafe on site

Fantastic choice of books and gifts, polite and helpful staff who were extremely busy.

Review based on the cafe. Friendly staff, and a small selection of cakes and toasties. However the the cake and toasties I had was very nice and far exceeded my expectations.

The blueberry Bakewell slice is very good. Sadly, the flat white on this occasion (and many others) was lukewarm. The queue is too long to go back to get the coffee sorted. Very disappointing.

Brilliant shop for all your book needs. Staff are excellent and knowledgeable.

Gorgeous book shop - really well stocked and easy to find things. Staff were lovely too! Cafe was really cool.too!

A nicely sized shop which doesn't seem as big as some Waterstones but plenty of stock covering just about every genre and subject for every age group.

Came in to grab a book for my nephews and a present for my partner. The present for my partner was in stock as a set but not individually so James offered without prompting to break apart the set so I could get the book my partner wanted which was exceptionally kind of him. Lottie on the till put it through for me and was also very kind, explaining that we could still get the points on the loyalty card without my partner seeing what the purchase was. Delightful service from them both, I'll absolutely be back soon!

Great bookshop, they run a click and collect system if you're after a particular title. There is also a nice little café too.. 👍

Very helpfull and friendly staff

Staff always seem friendly and helpful. Excellent selection of my taste of books 😁📚. Good coffee shop upstairs, lift available.

I found what I required quite easily, but there was a long queue to pay. The cafe is nice but if there are no tables available one will not be served.

I love Waterstones, but I do wish there were more staff present to help with queries. The coffee shop is an added bonus, although I find the Staff very slow.

Great bookshop with friendly staff, always willing to help. Books and games spread over several floors with a lift for those that need it. Includes a cafe space as well.

Fab first one I've come across that has a cafe

Brought two books and had a lovely cup of tea in the cafe

Had all the titles I was looking for

Waterstones Books.. I have much praise for this company who helped me to get a book for my ill relative which was only available in Bradford. York store after speaking to their manager was so helpful and kind she had a transfer done from Bradford to York of the book I was so desperate to get. With no extra cost to myself it arrived within the week promised. This has brought much joy to my dying relative reading this local history book and I cannot thank or praise Waterstones books stores for all their wonderful help in making this possible. Well done Waterstones you've shown what a friendly caring helpful book shop you really are..

Table space can be at a premium due to folk with laptops monopolising room. Good environment, friendly staff

I went here for a book singing and talk evening. Whilst the provided chairs were super uncomfortable, just wooden chairs, not great to sit on for an hour the whole vibe and evening was great, the place was clean and welcoming. Would've been nice to be able to grab a coffee for the event too from their café.

Great shop, fab selection. Cafe and toilets on sight. Great book shop

Excellent selection of books on all subjects...paperback and hardback.

the library is very cozy, always full of people. upstairs there is a corner bar where you can stop to drink a great coffee and read

Visit was mostly for a cafe stop. Book shop nice. Cafe a bit cramped. Staff friendly. Tea pots need a deep clean, as tea scum was flaking off the inside the pots into our tea when being poured.

Plenty of fiction and non fiction to browse and buy. Nicely organised, with friendly and helpful staff. A fair range of other goods are available too. Always a pleasure to visit York Waterstones.

Lovely bookshop lovely coffee shop. Great selection of childrens books

A large and well stocked bookshop in the centre of York across 2 floors. A cafe is situated on the 2nd floor.

This is a “proper” bookshop with something for everyone - you can even have a coffee and cake as there’s a good sized cafe on the first floor. When I visited today (Sunday after lunch) the entire shop was buzzing with people of all ages. There are lots of display areas around the shop and there’s always something new to catch your eye. I had a coffee and flapjack in the cafe and noticed that there were also a number of people working on laptops, absorbed in what they were doing. If you are looking to do your Christmas gift buying on the High Street this year, Waterstones in York would be the perfect place to go as there really is something for everyone.

Très belle librairie et beaucoup de choix

The coffee at this cafe is very good as is the range of cakes. Unfortunately, the seat covers are stained and look very grim; they need to be replaced.

I come to this café regularly and generally have a very good experience. They have recently installed a screen between two of the tables. I hope they put up more as it will make us more secure. The coffee is always good. I often have a lemon muffin but on this occasion I couldn't detect much lemon. The muffins are supposed to have a dollop of lemon curd inside.

Nearly all the customers were reading in the café. Surprise, surprise it's a bookshop cafe! The problem was that the music was loud and irritating. Worse, one of the servers was whistling almost the whole time. Really, really irritating.

The staff seemed to be unable to cope with all that was being laid on them. That, coupled with the fact it felt too cramped, meant our experience of this cafe was terrible. The staff, mostly young, seemed pleasant. Except for one who was rude. The cake however was nice. I feel this place should be closed during the pandemic. Perhaps they can restaff and refit in the meantime??

The young staff seemed friendly at first, welcoming, but the moment the cafe seemed to get busy it’s as if they couldn’t handle the pressure!! I was forced to leave the cafe because the needed my table to accommodate new customers. Why??? I hadn’t been sat down for more than half an hour! I noticed they hadn’t requested any other customers to leave who had been seated there longer than I, which lead me to question if a coffee and a cake had not been enough consuming for me to stay longer. But alas, before I could put my coat on they were already wiping my table down and escorting a new customer to my place. I could see other tables watching me leave also very confused. It was frankly rude!! And although I love the York Waterstones, I have left feeling so inappropriate and disappointed, forced to find a different cafe in this pouring rain.

I love Waterstones. The book staff were all very polite. But venturing into the cafe at the time I felt unsafe and my wife was served something that had a hair in it. I took the food back, and even though they were very apologetic, the person who seemed to be in charge was too busy chatting to care. A poor experience for what could be a quirky cute cafe.

Called in for a coffee today in the middle of the afternoon and was not at all impressed by the service. There were five empty tables but all needed clearing. By the time I was served, I had to clear a table myself. There were three members of staff behind the counter but they were too busy chatting to notice. It was hardly busy. Will not be returning.

Flat whites are always good and strong. Sadly on this occasion the muffins and scones didn't seem at all fresh.

I used to be a regular customer, now just an occasional one. It could be so much better with a little extra attention to detail. It's nice to have friendly young staff, but not when their conversation is over loud to each-other and their customer friends that it draws attention. One day the staff were throwing the sandwiches over the counter to one another to restock the fridge, thankfully I wasn't planning to buy one. On my most recent visit, I had to select 3 knives before I found one which was remotely clean, the others didn't look as if they had been in the dishwasher at all and the young man serving looked as if his apron hadn't been changed all week. I will be back, as it's convenient and I like Waterstones, but there's no reason things can't be clean.

Spotted this caffe in York..jumped for a coffee meeting with some colleagues from New York.. ,we had few cakes and coffees very good ended, very nice and tidy place in such a busy day ,we meet the Manager Kamila with a great smile even with a busy Time...I hope to find more often place like that..they made our Day..Thanks Kamila..thanks waterstones .

Went to Waterstones café to kill some time thought be there for an hour at max, stayed for 3 hours. The drinks were delicious, the food was mediocre but not awful and was made up for by the latte art and lovely staff. I'd like to shout out Laura who served me with a smile and made me laugh quite a few times. Definitely going to come again!

He estado muchas veces para disfrutar de un café con un buen libro. Solo he disfrutado el pan tostado de queso y cebolla, el resto de la comida preempaquetada que he probado ha sido bastante sombría. Las cosas sobre las que el personal tiene control, como el café y los batidos, siempre son absolutamente excelentes: el arte del café con leche de Laura es fenomenal, y tanto ella como Izzy son una delicia, parecen estar haciendo un muy buen trabajo al capacitar al nuevo personal, y siempre haga un esfuerzo adicional para asegurarse de que se satisfagan todas sus necesidades. También me encanta que Laura se esfuerce un poco más para comprar flores y ponerlas en todas las mesas para hacer las cosas un poco más agradables. No sería lo mismo sin ella o Izzy.

I don't like to moan at staff - many of them are on low wages and have to deal with terrible people everyday. However, I was in the Waterstones Cafe the other day and was genuinely aggrieved by my service. The staff like to talk among themselves, very much with customers as second priority. I can live with that, as long as I get served properly. The cafe used to be okay. I once found a bit of plastic in a bacon sandwich I bought there and I STILL went back. However, this time, with not very many customers around, it still took them 15 minutes to prepare my pre-packed bacon roll, and when it arrived it was a black, solid mess that dissolved into cracked burnt pieces when I picked it up. Absolutely inedible, and at nearly £4 you expect something you can actually eat. The undercooked, thin streak of bacon inside probably wouldn't have filled me up even if I had been able to bite into the burnt roll. I'm far too socially anxious to ask for a refund so I just left it all and walked out miserable. I won't be going back.