After following the planning rumblings of the Banks family opening a second restaurant, EW&S were excited to hear of the imminent opening of Roots in the beautiful city of York, and then were positively giddy about securing a table on the opening weekend…. how could we not be? It’s the next chapter for Tommy Banks and the team behind The Black Swan Oldstead, which last week won the accolades of Best Restaurant Outside London and Best Restaurant Overall at the Food and Travel Awards, these guys are at the top of their foraging, farming, preserving and pickling game!

The Roots menu offers sharing plates embracing the Banks family’s farming ethos and the techniques of The Black Swan. Made in Oldstead and brought to the city, from the tables to the food adorning them, Roots York is an expression of the people behind it. Tommy has redefined our traditional seasons by creating three growing groups dictating a changing menu.

Struggling to choose, we opted for the Roots Feast where the team in the kitchen select an array of dishes best showcasing what they offer, it is simply a gastronomic delight and in meticulously crafted surroundings with the most professional of service.  Nestled between the Museum Gardens and the banks of the River Ouse in the stylishly converted 68 Marygate, formerly The Bay Horse, it’s a ‘must go’

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