York Food Tour: Yorkshire Cheese, Fish & Chips & Sherry Pintxos

Six stops through York's lanes: what a food writer knows about the city's independent kitchens

You walk through York's historic centre stopping at six independent food and drink businesses, tasting Yorkshire cheese, fish & chips, tacos, chocolate, sherry with pintxos, and a final sweet or savoury with ale. Your guide is a local food writer who knows the city's hospitality scene and the history behind each street. The tour takes around two hours and includes all tastings. You just show up at York Art Gallery and follow the cutlery tattoos.

Step-by-step itinerary

York historic food and drink tour

• Meet at York Art Gallery
• Sample Yorkshire Cheeses on Gillygate
• Pass through York City Walls
• See historic York City Walls
• Pass by York Minster
• Enjoy fish and chips
• Eat tacos at Shambles Market
• Visit chocolate factory and sample
• Pass Clifford's Tower
• Enjoy Sherry and Pintxos
• Final stop with food and drink on Walmgate

The Experience

The York Art Gallery appears first, and your guide (a food writer whose cutlery tattoos are the only introduction you'll need) starts with William Etty, a painter whose work shaped how the city saw itself. Then you walk. The streets narrow fast, and within minutes you're tasting Yorkshire cheese on Gillygate, the kind of thing that tastes different when someone who lives here tells you where it comes from. The guide has been featured in Lonely Planet and judges for the Guild of Fine Food, which means the stops aren't random. They're places he's chosen because the food matters and the people who make it talk back.

Between tastings you pass the City Walls (still standing, still walkable), and York Minster rises ahead of you, the cathedral so large it seems to tilt when you're close. Fish & chips comes next, from a family business that's been doing it long enough to know the difference between good and muscle memory. Then The Shambles, which used to be all butchers and now buzzes with a market where you pick tacos. The tour gives you the choice, not the assignment. A chocolate factory sits inside the walls, and you sample what they make. Clifford's Tower, the castle remains, sits on a rise with views back toward the Minster, and that's where the sherry and pintxos arrive, the kind of pairing that makes sense when you're standing still and looking at stone that's been there for centuries.

The final stop is in a 17th-century building on Walmgate, where you choose sweet or savoury to finish, and a Yorkshire ale closes the loop. Six stops, two hours, one person who actually knows what he's talking about. The tour moves at a pace that lets you taste without rushing, and if you have allergies or dietary needs, you mention them when you book and the guide adjusts. Wheelchair access is built in; prams work fine; service animals come along.

What’s included

• Six generous food and drink samples at independent York businesses.
• Yorkshire cheese tasting.
• fish & chips.
• tacos from Shambles Market.
• chocolate factory sampling.
• sherry with pintxos.
• a final sweet or savoury dish with Yorkshire ale.
• walking commentary on York's history and landmarks including York Minster, Clifford's Tower and the City Walls.
• a guide who is a published food writer and local expert.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by York on a Fork

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to eat your way through York's independent food scene without spending the afternoon researching which places matter. The guide has already done that work, and the fixed stops mean you taste six different things in two hours instead of wandering and deciding.

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Top questions

How long is the York food tour?

Approximately two hours, including all six stops and the walking between them.

What are the six food stops on this tour?

Yorkshire cheese, fish & chips, tacos, chocolate, sherry with pintxos, and a final sweet or savoury dish with Yorkshire ale.

Where do you meet for the tour?

In front of York Art Gallery, where the guide will be waiting.

Is the tour wheelchair accessible?

Yes. The tour is wheelchair accessible, and prams and strollers are also welcome.

What if I have dietary requirements or allergies?

Let the tour operator know at the time of booking, and the guide will adjust the tastings to suit your needs.

Who is the guide?

A York-based food writer featured in Lonely Planet who coordinates judging for the Guild of Fine Food and helps run York Food & Drink Festival. He's recognizable by his cutlery tattoos.

Are alcoholic drinks included?

Yes, two alcohol samples are included (sherry and Yorkshire ale). Non-alcoholic alternatives are available.

What historic landmarks do you pass on the tour?

York Minster, Clifford's Tower, the York City Walls, and The Shambles, which historically housed butchers.