Best Bottomless Brunch In York

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The bottomless brunch trend has been rising steadily over the last decade. Inspired by a trend that started in Manhattan, it’s now a popular offering in many cafes and restaurants across the country.

Though it still feels brand new for many of us, diners can’t get enough of this hybrid meal and as such, many independent and chain restaurants are exploring this lucrative venture. 

The Popularity of the Bottomless Brunch in York

One reason bottomless brunches have become a thing is down to their serving time. With traditional breakfast times finished, dining establishments can fill their tables during the pre-lunch lull. This is also popular with customers as it’s seen as a perfect way to indulge after having a lie-in or as a ‘hair of the dog’ recovery after a big night out.

York is no stranger to a good bottomless brunch and there are plenty of options to choose from. Whether you fancy pancakes, eggs, avocado, or a full English, you’ll find it alongside a lot of drink choices. In our bid to try and find the best bottomless brunch in York, we tried a lot of places.

Here’s what we found.

The Best Bottomless Brunches In York – Independent Cafes & Restaurants

Whether you live in York or are enjoying a trip away, it’s always good to try something that you won’t find anywhere else. Though we found lots of independent establishments offering amazing brunches (Dyls, Brew & Brownie, Fancy Hanks, and Source York, which is a vegan restaurant), there was only one independent establishment offering a bottomless brunch, the Impossible York.

The Impossible Wonderbar & Tea room

3 St. Helen’s Square, York, YO1 8QNhttps://impossibleyork.com/

Impossible York bottomless brunch menu

Located in a beautiful grade II listed building and former chocolate shop in St. Helen’s Square, Impossible York is a fantastic addition to the York hospitality scene. With exquisite interiors and a delicious menu, this is a fantastic location for a bottomless brunch. 

The Wonder Brunch costs £35 per person and comes complete with 90 minutes of bottomless drinks. Diners can choose one large plate or one small and a side. Options include moules marinère, fish taco and burgers. The available drinks include prosecco, gin cocktails, wine and bottled beer as well as soft drinks. 

The offer is available every day of the week between 12 pm and 6 pm.

Our verdict

The building and setting were exquisite, the food was extremely tasty, and the range of drinks offered was great. However, we felt this was less of a brunch offering and more of a lunch option. 

The Best Bottomless Brunches In York – Small Chains 

If the Impossible Wonderbar doesn’t take your fancy, why not try out a small chain restaurant for bottomless brunch? There are two such places in York and both are fabulous!

Manahatta

3 Little Stonegate, Yorkhttps://www.manahatta.co.uk/

Manahatta bottomless brunch

Set over three floors, this glamourous cocktail bar is inspired by Manhattan itself. This is the perfect choice for a bottomless brunch as it’s close to all of York’s sights. 

The menu includes firm favourites like smashed avocado and poached eggs, pancake stacks, and pretzels. You can also steer towards more lunch-like options, including burgers, nachos, and chicken – though you’ll pay a supplement for these. 

Drinks-wise, you have 90 minutes of unlimited drinks, and the offering is exceptional. You can have unlimited Prosecco, apple, strawberry or Aperol spritz, apricot and grapefruit fizz, bloody Mary or Coors. There are tasty non-alcoholic options too. 

Prices for the bottomless brunch start at £34.95 each and the offer is available until 4 pm. 

Our verdict

We loved Manahatta! The brunch felt like an actual brunch (as opposed to a lunch like The Impossible) and the drink options were great. One member of our group was pleased with the non-alcoholic drinks as these were still a little bit special and not just your regular soft drink choices. 

Jimmy’s

52 Low Petergate, York YO1 7HZ – closed but new venue openinghttps://jimmys.group/

Jimmys bottomless brunch in York

We visited Jimmy’s York in spring 2022 but it closed its doors in June and a new build is underway in Toft Green on the former Fibbers site. We still think it’s worth including in our review as hopefully the new site will offer the same excellent experience we had when it opens!

The bottomless brunch was available on Weekends from 10 am until 3 pm. The food was excellent and included a 6-hour smoked pork benedict, which was divine! Along with your food, you have 90 minutes of bottomless drinks. Options include their own craft lager, gin and tonics, Prosecco and good old-fashioned martinis.

Jimmy’s originated as a concept in Manchester and it also has a venue in Liverpool. Its founders, George and Jimmy, are brothers and bandmates in One Night Only and had a hit with Just For Tonight in 2008 that reached No. 9 in the UK Singles Chart. The Manchester and Liverpool venues offer live music, which is something the Petergate site didn’t. 

Our verdict

The bottomless brunch we had at Jimmy’s was delicious. We tried their own-brand lager, which washed down the pork benedict a treat. Let’s hope they continue offering this bottomless brunch when the new venue opens!

The Best Bottomless Brunches In York – Large Chains 

Some people don’t like chain restaurants – and for good reason. The experience and food just aren’t unique, and it doesn’t always feel like a special experience.

However, chains certainly do provide a good service, especially when it comes to bottomless brunches. Here are the best ones in York.

The Ivy York 

2 St. Helen’s Square, York, YO1 8QPhttps://theivyyork.com/

The Ivy York Brunch menu

We’re going to be a bit cheeky here and still include The Ivy in our list despite it not being bottomless. The brunch offering is just so good that we felt it still needed including despite drinks needing to be ordered separately!

Situated right next door to The Impossible we mentioned above, The Ivy in York occupies a beautiful space inspired by art deco. The experience you have here is exquisite, as you might expect. Though The Ivy is a chain, it’s clearly a high-class one so this shouldn’t put you off at all. 

Their brunch menu is available on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays. You can choose from dishes like duck liver parfait, wild truffled mushrooms, eggs benedict and chips, and our favourite – twice-baked cheese soufflé. 

Our verdict

An experience like no other, The Ivy York certainly gives you an exclusive brunch experience. Though expensive and actually not bottomless, we’re certain you’ll thoroughly enjoy your food and drink here. 

Pitcher & Piano

Ebor House, Coney Street, York YO1 9QLhttps://www.pitcherandpiano.com/bottomless-brunch

Pitcher & PianoYork has a bottomless brunch menu available every weekend for £34. You can enjoy unlimited Prosecco, mimosas, Bellini’s, Aperol spritz or Amstel with any brunch dish. 

The food menu is limited with just seven options but they’re very tasty indeed. We tried the Breakfast Brioche, which comes with smoked streaky bacon, grilled pork sausage, egg, hash browns, Monterey Jack cheese and spicy ketchup – it was delicious. 

What we particularly liked about this offer was that you had the table for two hours, which felt much more relaxed. We didn’t drink any more than the 90-minute places but felt like it was a better length of time. 

Our verdict

The two-hour time slot was appreciated as it’s a nice location that overlooks the River Ouse. We also liked the unique addition of the strawberry and Prosecco ice lolly for a further £5, which rounded things off nicely!

Tank & Paddle

Merchant Exchange, Bridge St, York, YO1 6DDhttps://www.crafted-social.co.uk/tank-and-paddle-york/boozy-brunch

Tank and Paddle in York

Tank & Paddle York is located right in the centre of the city in a former merchant building. It is a craft beer establishment with industrial charm and a sun trap of a balcony. They proudly declare they offer one of the most extensive bottomless brunch menus around – and they’re not wrong. 

Prices start from £28 per person and for that you get bottomless drinks for two whole hours! Drinks choices include Prosecco, three cocktails, three lagers, three ciders, and four gins and mixers. You can also upgrade (+£5) to include other cocktails and craft beers.

The menu has a huge range of options, including a full English breakfast, burgers (+£5), smashed avocado crumpets, jackfruit crumpets, waffles, quesadillas, and pizzas (+£5) among others. You can also ask for bottomless chicken or cauli wings for £5 extra per person.

Our verdict

The menu certainly is the most extensive we’ve experienced. If you go all-out (like we did!), the most you’ll pay is £43 – that’s choosing the most expensive food option, bottomless wings, and the drinks upgrade. For what you get, it’s really reasonable – especially since you have two hours to enjoy yourselves.

The Brunch Club

Impossible York, 3 St. Helen’s Square, York YO1 8QNhttps://thebrunchclub.co.uk/cities/york-row/

The Brunch Club stage in York

The Brunch Club are famous for their brunches and they’re actually more of an event than a casual brunch with friends. There are numerous events in York throughout the year and they happen around once per month. 

No, you’re not reading it wrong – these events actually take place at The Impossible! 

Each even has a theme such as an Abba bottomless brunch, a Spice Girls Drag bottomless brunch and a Pop Icons Drag bottomless brunch. 

Each event lasts three hours and includes DJs performances, a brunch and an hour of bottomless drinks. Prices start from around £40. Menus vary depending on the event.

Our verdict

We had a really great time at our Brunch Club event. It did seem much more of a big event than a casual meal with friends and wouldn’t suit everyone. If you’re looking for a hangover cure or a quiet brunch in a small group, it’s perhaps not the choice for you! 

Slug and Lettuce 

1-1A Low Ousegate, York Riverside, YO1 9QUhttps://www.slugandlettuce.co.uk/york/experiences/bottomless-brunch

Slug & Lettuce Riverside York is a perfect location for a bottomless brunch. Prices start from just £30 making this one of the cheapest bottomless brunches in York we’ve found – and considering you get two hours of bottomless drinks, it’s a real bargain. 

Food options include full English breakfasts (vegan and vegetarian options are available), smashed avocado on toast, and a range of pancakes or you can upgrade to a burger, sub or wrap for an additional £3. 

Drinks-wise, you’ve got unlimited Prosecco, gin and mixers, vodka and mixers, mimosas, bloody Marys, Aperol spritzes, virgin Marys and other soft drinks. There is an option to upgrade to pornstar martinis for £10 per person – but all people in the party must upgrade.

Our verdict

Slug and Lettuce was great. The portions were incredibly good and the range of drinks in the standard package suited our party completely without the need to upgrade. As a brunch, there’s a great choice and you’ve also got the upgrade if you want more lunch-style foods to accompany your drinks. All in all, we had a great time. 

Verdict

Trying out the different bottomless brunches in York was a real treat. If we’re going to make the call and say what the best bottomless brunch was in York, we’d have to say The Impossible.

We love the fact that this is an independent establishment that genuinely cares about its customers and the experience they have there. What’s more, they’re also now holding The Brunch Club events, which makes it even more special. If you want a cheap, good feed and two hours of drinks, we’d recommend Tank & Paddle or Slug & Lettuce.

And don’t forget The Ivy for an out-of-this-world brunch experience (even if it isn’t actually bottomless – shh!).

This article was written by our North East correspondent Louise Woffindin.