York Minster Refectory

The story

York Minster Refectory, York: Modern British Dining Beside the Minster

York Minster Refectory is a modern British restaurant at 2 Deangate, York, housed in a grade II listed former school beside York Minster. It holds one AA Rosette for culinary excellence (2026), and its menus change with the seasons.

Cooking with Yorkshire produce

Joshua Brimmell, executive head chef of The Star Inn The City, oversees the menus alongside Andrew Pern. The kitchen cooks old-fashioned British favourites with a new take, drawing on Anglicised French classics. Ingredients come from White Rose flag producers across Yorkshire, so the plates follow the region's larder through the year.

Dishes through the seasons

Typical dishes include roast breast of Yorkshire Wolds chicken with seasonal vegetables, Yorkshire Moors venison with sweet 'n' sour brambles, and a refectory seafood cocktail with Atlantic prawns. Tiramisu bread and butter pudding with mascarpone ice cream is among the desserts. Spring brings asparagus, rhubarb and wild sea trout, summer brings dressed crab, lobster, monkfish and berries, and game such as partridge, grouse, pheasant and venison appears from 12 August.

A listed building with Minster views

The building was a school in the 1830s and now operates as a brasserie style room with a lounge, private dining and a daytime takeaway. The Good Food Guide's 2026 Local Gem entry praised the sweeping outdoor terrace, where diners can sit in the sun with a glass of Hattingley Valley sparkling wine. The light bites menu, served from 12 to 6pm, includes roast merguez sausage and a burger with skinny fries, with a close view of the Minster.