The Refectory Kitchen & Terrace in York

My partner and I had a lovely dinner here whilst staying at the Principal Hotel which is adjoined.We opted for some calamari, truffles and cream cheese stuffed peppers which were all incredible. For our mains we had the rib eye steak and fish & chips which really hit the spot and utterly delicious.Our servers were all very professional, polite and extremely friendly and made sure we were having an exceptional time. Fatou imparticular was outstanding and looked after us for the whole evening.We would highly recommend having lunch or dinner here. It's right by the train station and a great environment inside.

DO NOT GO THERE !!! we waited 30+ minutes past our breakfast time. We would not go here again. It's fine if you aren't on a time line. But when you want to go see york. Waiting 33 minutes to order your breakfast is not ok. The only reason I have given two stars on top on the one is because the food was ok and the staff we nice and friendly.

We were celebrating a milestone birthday.On a Sunday. At 1pm.You'd have thought at that time of day, service and food would have been impeccable.It was not.Service was very slow and people had to be reminded several times about things. Drinks. Spoons.When the Sunday roasts arrived, half the table had to start eating before the rest and my roast potatoes had a skin so thick my knife couldn't cut through.

A family Sunday lunch: the main course was good, the second course was OK, THE SERVICE WAS A DISASTER, so much so, that the staff took the drinks off the bill without any prior complaint or prompting, I will not go again...Sunday 03 November 2019.

Very nice food and environment but unfortunate delay regarding disabled access.

Really disappointing meal. Thought we were in for some fine dining but the service was terrible & meal was only average. Seemed to be significantly under-staffed. Wouldn’t recommend.

The atmosphere here is first class as was the knowledge and insight of our waitress. All the food was perfectly cooked if a little slow at the mains preparation stage with unexpected portion sizes (which we were notified of 😍). The fifth star was lost as lavender was not mentioned on the desert menu with the honeycake and that's the sort of ingredient you want to know about in advance! Gratuity ("freely given") also was included on the bill at point of print even though we would have ... Freely.... added one.

Called in for lunch on Tuesday. Not a very big menu but a fair range on it. I had the cottage pie and my friend the fish pie. Lovely tasty food but just this in a dish. No veggies !!!! Priced at £15 for a cottage pie I have to say I did expect some vegetables with it ! Waitress was very attentive and came to check on us a couple of time, also offering to pour more wine for us. This is not meant to be a negative comment as I thoroughly enjoyed it, just disappointed that there was no veg.

Nice place to eat near the station meanwhile you're waiting for a train. Good food not excellent but if you're starving is the good choice. A mention to the fantastic football table wooden made, a piece of art.

I've eaten at the Refectory twice recently, and both times really enjoyed the experience. In particular, the aged rib eye steak was delicious (I was told the steak is aged in a room made from Himalayan salt blocks) and the heritage beetroot and goat's cheese salad was also particularly good. Everything is well-priced, and there is a good drinks list (the cocktails in the next door Chapter House bar also also excellent). Staff are friendly and knowledgeable. There is also an outdoor terrace (overlooking York station) which is a great place to sit when the weather is sunny.