York is where we learnt a valuable lesson.
I (Nell) planned our first trip to York at the end of last year as an adventure day for Oscar's Birthday.
If he’s not standing in a river, riding a bike or climbing a hill, you may find Oscar in a city. Although he doesn’t find time to do it much anymore, one of his favourite things to do is spend a day sampling as many different coffee shops as he can, and searching for beautiful items of clothing in charity shops. So this is where my focus was. So much so that a key thing escaped my notice.
We arrived bright-eyed and excited mid-morning on Saturday. The Saturday exactly two weeks before Christmas…
See the problem yet?
It was awful. It felt like every single person in all of the North was in York with us. We lasted an hour. Lesson learnt.
On our second visit (a dreary day in January) we had a much more fruitful experience.
We sampled lots of coffee, ate some delicious food and found some great clothes.
Best Coffee in York
Our best coffee title is currently held by Kiosk in Fossgate. They use Darkwood’s coffee beans, take their time and put real effort into creating delicious coffee! We also loved the hole in the wall type vibe, outdoor seating and daily treats. 9/10
Next is Partisan on Micklegate. They use Monmouth coffee beans and their decaf option was particularly delicious. Best enjoyed with a delicious freshly baked pastry! 7/10
Now, this isn’t principally a coffee shop, but we would be amiss if we didn’t mention Cocoa Joes. Located on Museum street, this is the place for hot chocolate. Made from real chocolate pieces and you get to sample the chocolate to choose what's perfect for you, what's not to love!
Best food in York
So far this title is held by Partisan. Partisan specifically work with local growers and producers (including their own farm) and change their menu depending on local ingredients available. The vegetarian (and meat) partisan breakfast is so filling and delicious. I particularly enjoyed the smashed avocado and melted goats cheese on toast - mouth-wateringly good!
They also bake their own cakes and treats daily. They are so beautiful they could be art. 9/10
We have a few other places on our list to try. The most exciting is SPARK which is a collection of shipping containers that house different independent food traders, local brewing companies and apparently another amazing independent coffee place. We shall let you know what we discover!
Best Wildish stuff in York
Wherever we go we always seek out nature, and York has plenty.
If you visit we would suggest that you:
- Walk along the banks of the powerful river Ouse.
- Walk the city walls (if they’re open)
- Visit the Museum Gardens. They are beautiful and full of very bold and funny squirrels.