Melton's Restaurant

A wonderful tasting menu, lunch is a bargain and every course was a perfect marrying of textures and flavours. Really delicious. There is a good wine list but the standout for me was the wonderful waitress who was both knowledgable and so cheerful I just wish I could encounter service like that more often! One tiny niggle, the restaurant was very chilly so take a cardie.

Despite a narrow menu with simple descripts, this place surprises in its presentation, and interpretation of each dish. Every dish a work of art pleasing to the eye, every dish a complex combination of subtle flavours due to its myriad of ingredients, every dish balanced so that it isn’t pretentious. Why this place doesnt yet hold at least one Michelin star astounds me. The ambience mellow and homely… the Xmas deco was wonderful. Check out their wine list… impressive for a small setup. A must visit in York.

I had an exceptional experience at Melton’s Restaurant. From the moment I walked in, the staff made me feel genuinely welcome their service is truly top-notch. Every team member was attentive, warm, and professional without ever being intrusive. Food: The dishes were beautifully presented and full of flavour. You can tell immediately that a lot of care goes into the ingredients and preparation. Each course felt thoughtfully created, and everything tasted fresh and perfectly balanced.

Fabulous meal and experience. We've eaten in, and reviewed many restaurants, and Meltons is without a doubt one of the very best we've ever been to. Lucy squeezed us in on short notice and we're so glad she did. Situated a little out of town (10 minute walk from cliffords tower) just off bishopthorpe road. The restaurant is very small and intimate with only about 7 or 8 tables. The unpretentious front of the restaurant belies what is within. The menu is a fixed price (£85) for three courses. Both starters and mains have 3 choices and 4 on the deserts including the cheeseboard (no extra charge) wine list is comprehensive, but they offer a short wine menu too. Canapés, amuse bouche and a small selection of (gorgeous) breads and butters are included as are petit four with your bill. The amuse bouche & canopes were delightful, each dish brought to you is explained by the server, it is clear that there is a real pride in what they are doing, justifiably so. I struggled with my starter selection as none seemed to be that appealing, how wrong I was, I think the chef could delight you with your least favourite food. I selected the Mushroom tart and my wife chose the Orkney scallop, the other choice was artichoke. The mushroom tart was unlike anything I've ever tasted, it seemed to play hopscotch with my tastebuds, nothing short of astonishing, I'm betting that whatever you chose it would be a similar enlightening experience. My good lady was in raptures over her Orkney scallop and its accompanying sauce of Crown Prince Squash, Maple Verjus, Furikake. For Mains I selected the Halibut, the 'skin' of which is a Gruyère Crust, served with Chanterelles, Leeks & Salsify. Beautifully cooked, moist and delicious. Red deer was the choice of my good lady, served with Celeriac, Elderberry & Quince, she was again in foody heaven. To top off an amazing night we both selected the Blackberry & Meadowsweet Almond Cake, Yoghurt. Sounds simple? What arrives is anything but, there is clearly an immense amount of time and effort in providing this, and all the dishes we enjoyed. Service was above and beyond by the ladies, we felt truly looked after and had an unforgettable night for all the right reasons. If you are lucky enough to get a table don't hesitate. Thanks to everyone who looked after us, we loved it.

Lovely dinner at Melton's in York. Some fantastic modern British cooking, showing innovation and technique and above all, very tasty. Friendly, personable service in a nice dining room. Very enjoyable indeed. Highly recommended.

Amazing dining experience. Had the lunch tasting menu which was a fantastic series of plates. Everything dish was really inventive and the ingredients paired amazingly. Presentation was also stunning. Service was super friendly, relaxed but also informative. Cannot recommend Meltons highly enough - one of the best meals we’ve ever had - artichoke dish will stay in the memory for a while!

A great dining experience. One of the best in recent years. Delicious food, beautifully balanced and presented. Staff excellent. A wonderful wine list with prices for all budgets. Will be back for sure. Thank you.

We are so happy we had dinner here. The restaurant itself is cozy and warm. The service was spot on, and the food was delicious. We especially loved the creative wine pairings either the full tasting menu. Highly recommended!

I booked a reservation with Meltons restaurant in York approximately 5 months ago, based on a recommendation from the Michelin guide. Some time passed and I received no confirmation from the restaurant. The day of the reservation I decided to call and confirm. Someone in my party has a lethal peanut and lupin seed allergy, which I was very clear about in my booking. When I called, I inquired whether they had received my booking and if they could accommodate such allergies (I was quite confident in their ability to do so since there we no such allergens listed on their menu, and these are part of the 14 legally declarable allergens). They confirmed with back of house and the owner of the restaurant that they would be happy to accommodate us and had our booking confirmed for the evening. When we arrived, we were sure to inform our server of the allergies again. She was very unsure and said she would need to check again with the back of house. When she returned, she said they were unable to confirm they could clean the kitchen well enough to prevent cross contamination from peanuts. The owner was sent over when we pressed the server for more information. It was at this point the owner informed us that, though there were no peanuts or lupin seeds on the menu, the staff had made a Thai style dish for the staff meal and used peanuts that were brought in from outside the kitchen. This was appalling as we had been guaranteed that we would be safe to eat here. They offered to call a taxi to their sister location, who couldn't necessarily even guarantee a safe experience. They called us a taxi and while we waited they offered us drinks. We asked for water, which we asked if they could guarantee the water was safe, they couldn't even do that. Abysmal service from a restaurant that has been in business for 32 years. Even worse, this reservation was booked to celebrate my fiancé and I becoming engaged that night. Please be exceedingly cautious if you plan to visit this restaurant and have any form of an allergy, especially since were it not for our own diligence their negligence could have proved fatal. This establishment is not compliant with health and safety regulations regarding allergen information and preparation.

This restaurant is a must if you ever visit York, I would go there often if only I live there... Charming small/neat place. The food is the star here...the various flavors were paired so well yet were individually unique in each dish. Everything from the amuse bouche to the complimentary coffee with petit fours were great. They have a lunch and early dinner menu which made this place pretty affordable.

We had a very pleasant dinner here while visiting friends in York. I had the beet root and goat cheese salad as a starter, the confit d'Coley with stuffed red pepper and Galician garnish (baby octopus, smoked paprika, potatoes, and parsley), and the chocolate and almond sponge with iced cappuccino and chocolate sauce.

Visited the 'best' restaurant in York for a family meal. We were greeted with a warm welcome and promptly seated. We were served with complimentary 'amuse bouche' and little bread bites. This was a nice touch and set for a nice evening. We opted for the early bird offer: 2 courses for £21 for the 6 of us. This made better value as the option was the same was the normal menu. For starters I tried the scallops and orange & 'something' pastry parcels (can't remember what was the second ingredient). The scallops were nicely cooked, but the pastry parcels were quite bland, with little flavour. For mains I had the Holme Farm Venison, with fondant potato, spring cabbage, celeriac puree and a red wind jus chocolate oil. Other family members had the chicken thigh, and the roast pork belly. My venison was very nicely cooked, although we were given the option of how to cook it, it was to my liking (medium-rare). The sides were nice too, but the sauce that came with it was alright I suppose! It was too rich for me. There were negatives from my family though, as the chicken was alright, slightly overcooked and the roast pork was not fresh (my dad's a chef as well and he could tell). The service was excellent and the environment was very nice and had the right ambiance. To conclude, this review just scrapes 4 stars (with the service bringing it back up), because I had high expectations of this restaurant from the start and was somewhat disappointed that the food wasn't of a higher quality. Being on a Tuesday might have had an impact on quality, however this is no excuse for a well reputable restaurant. I am tempted to go again though, because of the positives, but only when they have a new menu, as it's very limited - it only has 5 starters and 6 mains and 7 desserts to choose from - and may not appeal to everyone.

My wife and I travel all over the world eating at fine-dine restaurants, particularly those that have vegan options. Not only did this place have vegan options, but the quality of food, service, and drinks was superb! Their bread was freshly baked; their starters like nothing we've ever had; the entre was heavenly; and even their palette cleansers were divine. Of all the restaurant's we have been to all over the world, this was ranked our #1.

Best meal so far in York. Lives up to its reputation and despite a small menu there were many dishes I would've enjoyed. Confit salmon and venison both cooked excellently and some wonderful touches in between courses. Service was excellent and early bird price a bargain - especially when compared to counterparts of similar quality both in York and London.

This is one of the best restaurants in York, and would satisfy anyone used to fine dining in London. Excellent menu with varied and original dishes, and a very good wine list. Relaxed and skillful service, clearly used to dealing with fine dining clientele. The venue is unusual, and seemingly inappropriate to a restaurant. However it has a lot of character and has been well fitted out. Ends up being intimate, interesting, and rather classy. Highly recommended.

The loveliest restaurant in York. Great food, very relaxed and welcoming atmosphere and low key service. It is situated slighltly out of town on Scarcroft road, which I think is a bonus really. My restaurant of choice for special occasions.