Chef and patron Tommy Banks is a regular on British TV, including the Great British Menu. For your city stay York consider dining at Roots York, located in an attractive Arts and Crafts period building of 1894. Roots York is the sister restaurant to the world-renowned Yorkshire restaurant The Black Swan in Oldstead and shares the ethos of the knowledgeable team and has embraced its farm-to-fork philosophy to bring a taste of rural Yorkshire Oldstead to the city. In 2020, Roots received the Taste of York awards at the Visit York Tourism Awards.
If you’re planning to be in York on a Sunday, book the famous Roots Sunday Lunch Feast – it takes the humble Sunday Roast to a whole new level.
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Roots York Location
Address: Roots 68 Marygate, York, YO30 7BH.
Roots York restaurant is a 7-minute walk or a 2-minute taxi ride (£5 to £6) from York Railway Station. It’s in a central but quiet area of York, to the side of the museum gardens – a 19th-century park with Roman ruins near the Dame Judi Dench Walk on the north bank of the River Ouse.
Tommy Banks, Chef and Patron – Roots York
In 2019 Tommy Banks won the ‘Local Food Hero’ Observer Food Monthly Award. His restaurants, The Black Swan at Oldstead and Roots York were named in Restaurant Magazine’s Top 100 Restaurants in the UK.
In Waitrose’s Good Food Guide, The Black Swan at Oldstead was also Yorkshire’s highest-ranked restaurant in their Top 50 list.
Tommy Banks’ Black Swan received the accolade of the UK’s Best Fine Dining Restaurant in TripAdvisor’s prestigious travel awards.
In March 2020 Tommy Banks launched Made In Oldstead, a premium food box delivery service. This was launched primarily to help pay suppliers and staff unable to be furloughed after the temporary closure of their restaurants due to COVID-19. However, in July 2020, he announced that the food boxes will remain a permanent fixture to the business, delivering three and five-course menus to homes across the UK.
Made In Oldstead is a premium, at-home dining experience from Tommy Banks and his team, offering three and five-course menus for delivery across the UK. Food boxes go on sale every Wednesday for delivery the following Friday. For enquires about Made in Oldstead Food Boxes, Roots gift vouchers, Black Swan at Oldstead gift vouchers and Tommy Banks merchandise email shop@tommybanks.co.uk
Table Booking Roots York Restaurant
Telephone +44(0)1904 656565 or email the booking team info@rootsyork.co.uk
Car Park Roots Restaurant York
Marygate Car Park, Marygate, Frederic Street, York YO30 7DT is located directly behind Roots restaurant. 24-hour parking with 350 spaces. Daytime rates from 8.00 am of £2.30 per hour and a flat £2 charge for evenings from 6.00 pm to midnight. Cash and card payments.
City Stay York
York, located in the centre of the UK, is blessed with more attractions per square mile than any other destination in the United Kingdom. Even by wandering along the York city streets, you’ll absorb up the historic atmosphere. On foot, aim for The Shambles, the iconic 14th century street with buildings that lean in together across the street. The Shambles is in York’s city centre (YO1 7LZ).
York is perhaps best known for its gothic York Minster – you can’t miss it! York is also a treasure trove of historical heritage and culture, and you don’t necessarily have to splash your cash to experience York’s hidden gems.
York is on the main train line from London to Edinburgh – the East Coast Main Line.
National Railway Museum
Address: Leeman Road, York YO26 4XJ, Open daily 10am – 6pm.
Is the entry free? Yes it is! Is conveniently located edge of the city centre and has hands-on exhibits to interest all ages. Its halls are filled with trains from the last 300 years the futuristic Japanese Bullet Train and opulent Royal trains. Parents and children will love the outdoor play area, where there is miniature railway ride.
York City Walls
Are the York Walls free? Yes, York City Walls are free to enter! They are a scheduled ancient monument surrounding the historic City of York. There are about 2 miles (3.4km) of surviving stonework masonry to explore, so are ideal if you are looking for some fresh air during your city break -York has more miles of intact wall than any other city in England.
Acknowledgment: Friends of York Walls
York City Walls are generally 13 feet (4m) high and 6 feet (1.8m) wide, so you can walk along large sections to see fantastic views over the City of York, with York Minster standing proud.
There are information plaques spaced along the route that explain the historical background.
A full circuit walk around York City walls will take around 2 hours, but if you’d prefer to have breaks along the way, you can enter and exit by the five main bars (or gateways) onto the walls.
They are known variously as York City Walls, the Bar Walls and York Roman Walls, – the original walls were built around 71 AD and amended throughout the ages and are incredibly well preserved, with much dating from medieval times. The walls were repaired due to the Siege of York during the English Civil War of 1642 – 1651.
Yorkshire Museum and Gardens
Entry is free and open daily
Yorkshire Museum and Gardens are located next to Lendal Bridge, the main river bridge between York Railway Station and York Minster. There are entrances into the gardens from both Museum Street and Marygate.
York Museum Gardens are a quiet haven with an abundance of plant species, wildlife, and historical features to explore.
Established in the 1830s, the gardens are famed for their tremendous collection of trees, shrubs, perennials and bulbs set against the wonderful backdrop of the medieval ruins of St. Mary’s Abbey.
Yorkshire Museum and Gardens are adjacent to the Roots Restaurant 68 Marygate, York, YO30 7BH. and the riverside Michelin Starred Star Inn The City Restaurant, Museum Street, York YO1 7DR.
The nearest car park to York Museum Gardens is Marygate Car Park, Marygate, Frederic Street, York YO30 7DT and is located directly behind Roots restaurant. There are 350 spaces. Cash and card payments.
York Hotels, Apartments and Aparthotel
For city stay York hotels, apartments and aparthotel and a selection of other York attractions, make sure to read our post on York Hotels and other attractions.
Black Swan Oldstead – Tommy Banks’ Original Michelin Star Restaurant
Click the above link to discover the Black Swan at Oldstead. Tommy Banks’ other Yorkshire restaurant has been variously voted Best Restaurant in the World and Best Restaurant in the UK.
Learn more about other Michelin Starred Fine Dining Yorkshire Restaurants
Click each one to see our informative posts, you’ll love these too!
The Angel at Hetton, Yorkshire Dales National Park
Black Swan at Oldstead, North York Moors National Park
Psycho Sandbar, Leeds City Centre
Star Inn at Harome, North Yorkshire
Grantley Hall, Restaurant, Hotel and Spa, Yorkshire Dales
Pipe and Glass, Yorkshire Wolds (Winners of Inn of the Year – 2020 Good Hotel Guide)