This is the quintessential place for high tea. The teas are delicious; the sandwiches are succulent; and the scones so buttery. The cream tea is especially fantastic. The service is attentive and the decor/ambience is absolutely spot on. If you visit York, you simply must go. read more

Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms - Tea service and interior - Coffee & Tea Near Me - York, YOR

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We came for afternoon tea in the tea room. This was my first experience of afternoon tea and it was a good one. Our server was very nice and had suggestions for us whenever we asked. I was not too into tea but enjoyed both that I tasted. The sandwiches are good (I enjoyed the ham one) and we were able to request more sandwiches if needed. My favorite was the cranberry scone with jam and butter. The desserts were ok but went well with some Christmas coffee. The pianist was also very good and probably under appreciated. read more

Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms - Afternoon tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - York, YOR

Tea anyone? Came to York to visit a friend and she highly recommended that we try the afternoon tea here. This place is a solid 5 stars! Let me start by saying that York is a must visit city if you are visiting England. It's a beautiful medieval walled city that really makes you feel like you are in ancient times! As other reviewers have mentioned, there is always a long queue so you should consider either coming early or very late like us coming at 5pm, a hour before closing time at 6pm. Luckily we got a table for 4 at around 5:25pm. You would think that with such a short visit, how could you possibly enjoy this experience but the restaurant is super efficient and served us very quickly. We had enough time to enjoy our teas/coffee and three beautiful afternoon tea trays of scones, sandwiches and cakes. We had a walking tour booked at 6pm so we had to leave at 6pm but they didn't seem to be rushing other customers to leave so maybe you could sit longer? I absolutely loved it! I would recommend that you try to come earlier as I would like to come back and enjoy the experience for at least a hour. read more

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A trip to Betty's is, apparently, a MUST DO while in York and I am not sure why. My wife had her heart set on it and I could not disappoint her. You have to queue up for up to an hour for a table, then, once seated, pay an exorbitant amount of money for mediocre pastries, meals, and drinks ... BOHICA! We were not very hungry, so we went the Betty's-light route. I had a Gooey Rascal Scone (€6.50) and a cafetière of the house coffee (€6.25) and my wife had the Fat Rascal Scone (€6.25) and a pot of the house blend tea (€4.85). The coffee and tea were okay, but the scones, although rather big, were hard as rocks without much flavor. We could barely cut the scones with a knife without hard chips of a scone flying off of the plate but, fortunately, nobody was injured. Their ¨Festive Afternoon Tea¨includes a small selection of very small sandwiches (one-quarter of a sandwich), a cranberry & orange scone with strawberry preserves and clotted cream, a miniature selection of miniature cakes, and a pot of tea, all for just £30 Sandwiches range from £16 to £20. I saw a Christmas Club Sandwich (£17.95) and a quiche at the next table, both falling into that price range, and that is about all you get - a meager club sandwich (I have seen larger, more appetizing examples at an International House of Pancakes) and a tiny quiche with a miniature salad. I am not easily impressed and I was not after we visited Betty's. If you have a wad of cash you need to part with or want to impress your friends with photos of you eating miniature, overpriced food, then have at it folks ... OOH-RAH! CombatCritic Gives Betty's Tea Room York 3 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better! read more

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WOW!!! This was my first time ever doing a proper afternoon tea, I am now hooked and want to do afternoon tea every afternoon. There were four of us in our party. We had only a short wait for a table. We were seated downstairs, which is very nicely appointed. Had the lighting been darker I would equate the vibe inside to an American steak house. We all did the afternoon tea, my wife being a little pickier than me wanted to make a couple of changes and our waitress gladly made that happen and even offered suggestions for her. We really appreciate them being helpful and flexible. Once the tea and finger foods arrived we all dove in. This was one of those "meals" that just kept getting better as it went on. We all worked our way from the bottom up, sandwiches first, then the amazing scone, and the little cakes. Nothing on the tower of trays disappointed. I highly recommend them for their afternoon tea! Great food and wonderful service! read more

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Visited Betty's for afternoon tea on a Monday with reservations that were made online. We were quickly seated and given options for which tea we would like to try. This was our first afternoon tea experience and we had a lovely time. Pianist was playing throughout the tea and provided a nice relaxing ambiance. Food was overall very good but the dessert portion was lacking a bit more me. If you are in York I have heard that this is a must do. We enjoyed it and would recommend for someone to do afternoon tea for a special occasion. read more

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It was lovely. Service was delightful but the kitchen was sloooooooowwww. The place is an icon and locals and tourists alike consider it a crowned jewel in the York treasure. MAKE reservations if you want afternoon tea! The food is delightful and bountiful. Ask for more if you're still thinking about leaving and going for a butte somewhere. Customer service is impecable! We had an anniversary celebration and so did the table next to us. They treated us both (and they were "locals") as VIP's. With a lot of apologies for the ultra slow kitchen... missing staff because the covid thing had been going through the town. But all said, the scones with clotted cream and jam took the prize as did all the other little morsels we were presented with! read more

One our favorite spots to go when we visit York. We usually get afternoon tea and it's always delicious. If you come in afternoon be prepared for a wait. But it's well worth it. read more

Since we were visiting York we decided to stop at Betty's for tea. There was a line to be seated but it moved at a good pace. Since we didn't have reservations we sat in the cafe area which is upstairs and with all the windows well lit. If you have reservations I believe you are seated downstairs with no windows or natural light. We ordered a traditional afternoon tea, two scones with clotted cream and strawberry preserves, and a Yorkshire Rarebit. The selection and presentation for the afternoon tea was good, it is just a matter of liking what you get. The two scones can fill you up quickly. The clotted cream was real good. The Rarebit was as good tasting as it looked and I would get again just be aware there can be a large quantity of leeks used. The house blend for the hot tea is good. read more

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If there is any one thing you should do when visiting York, it's popping in here for tea or a meal! Be forewarned, though: This place is POPULAR and almost always has a line out front. The menu tells the history of this particular store, which was designed after the interior of The Queen Mary (now permanently berthed in Long Beach, California, where I've also visited a few times!). This time I visited for breakfast and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The customer service here is magnificent, right up there with high-end restaurants in Napa Valley! The one thing I highly recommend ordering is a scone with jam and clotted cream. Their clotted cream is truly on-point! Going to Betty's is always a highlight of my visits to York. read more

Betty's Cafe offers great food, ambiance and service! The location is perfect and reservations are not necessary but in my opinion do allow shorter waits. I highly recommend Bettys! read more

I LOVED my visit to Betty's! Everything was impeccable and the atmosphere was just so classy and lovely. All of my high tea snacks and the tea itself were incredible. I also loved that I could shop from their retail shop while I was dining in-house--it made buying some delightful, high-quality souvenirs so easy. I HIGHLY recommend this location! read more

Apparently this is a must do in York. LOL idk why. We waited almost an hour for our table. Then we had cinnamon toast (one of us is vegan and the menu is truly disappointing, especially when they are famous for cakes and pastries), and some kind of disgusting carrot cake, which was pretty much all we could order. Cinnamon toast is well overpriced for literally a piece of store bought toast with cinnamon sugar on it. Tea was nice, but that's it. My partner had fat rascal, which was hard as rock. Our waitresses was grumpy, seemed like she didn't want to be there (old, bigger woman). We didn't get what the hyoe is read more

The afternoon tea spot that attracts all the attention in city of York. If the intention is to dine in, definitely make a reservation. A long line of people were standing outside for walk-ins on a Saturday morning at 9 AM. In contrast, very little people lined up on the other side for the shop. We purchased a selection of sweets from the shop to eat elsewhere. The employees in classy attire were courteous and took attentive care in packaging the order. I appreciated that they did not put any pressure to quickly make a decision and even thoroughly answered any questions. ----- Raspberry Frangipane Slice (£3.50). The frangipane was moist, although the bottom crust was dense and difficult to break through. It was not strong in almond taste and the topped raspberries plus pistachios were good. ----- Afternoon Tea Pâtisserie Selection: coconut & lime battenberg, orange slice, and chocolate cake (£5.50). Surprisingly even though it was rich, the chocolate cake was my least favorite compared to the citrus ones. Both the battenberg and orange slice were refreshingly light. ----- Yorkshire Curd Tart (£3). ----- Note that coffee and drinks are not sold in the shop to avoid prolonging the queue and competing with other cafés in the vicinity. read more

Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms - Raspberry Frangipane Slice (£3.50). Afternoon Tea Pâtisserie Selection: coconut & lime battenberg, orange slice, and chocolate cake (£5.50). - Coffee & Tea Near Me - York, YOR

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Wow!!! This was such a beautiful experience and I am so glad I had the opportunity to dine here. The queue was miles long when I went at 2pm on a Sunday which is to be expected as Betty's tea room is THE place to be when in york, however I had pre-booked which I highly recommend and I noticed a side door so I took my chances and found that in fact it led to the Belmont room, where I had booked so no waiting for me!! So I don't know what I expected but I didn't expect it to be so fancy, with staff in smart suits and the ladies dressed to perfection, and here I was looking a bit bedragled and feeling slightly nervous but staff were so warm and welcoming and I soon began to feel more at ease. That was until, I poured my tea without a tea strainer and completely embarrassed myself, right in front of a Betty lady but she was so lovely, didn't bat an eyelid, sorted it out and gave me some comforting reassuring words to make me feel like I wasn't a complete muppet. The festive afternoon tea consisted of Kit Calvert Wensleydale cheese with red onion & cranberry chutney, Chicken and stuffing with lemon & sage mayonnaise, Ham and wholegrain mustard, Bleiker's tea-smoked salmon, A cranberry & orange scone with cranberry & Cointreau conserve and clotted cream. Raspberry & almond slice, Miniature mince pie, Chocolate cube and a teapot of Spiced Christmas Tea, all were out of this world delicious and the icing on the cake was when the piano began to play softly to create the perfect atmosphere. This is an experience I think everyone should have while in York, I know it's one I will never forget! read more

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Our local friends think Betty's is overpriced but we ordered the original tea service and I was stuffed. I think it's well worth the price. Their signature tea is delicious and I loved the scone, sandwiches, and all the desserts except the chocolate one (too chocolately for me!). Service was lovely and old fashioned (which is perfect for a British tea). The line was long but we only waited about twenty minutes and were invited to review the menu while we waited. Do not go with a big group!! If you are with a group, divide yourselves up to get in more qu read more

Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms - They gave us the menu to read while waiting in line. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - York, YOR

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Terrific service and tasty food. The long line was worth the wait. Food was fresh and abundant. Lots to choose from and someday I'd love to come back. read more

Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms - Hot chocolate - Coffee & Tea Near Me - York, YOR

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Came here for tea recently as I was told that this was THE place for tea in York. I did stop by the Stonegate location first, having heard that it was a nicer (and quieter) location, but ultimately opted for the Helens Square location. Unless you've made a reservation for the fancier Lady Betty Afternoon tea, you will have to stand in line for a table. The line when I got there was not bad, (this was a Wednesday midday) and moved along pretty quickly. I did take note to specify that I wanted to stay at the ground level dining area, which has the huge, stained glass windows and much better atmosphere. If you do not specify this, there is a chance that you will get routed to the downstairs overflow room, which definitely does not have the same atmosphere or people watching. Our wait was fairly quick (10-15 min max), and you can take the time to peruse the menu. We ultimately decided to not do afternoon tea, and instead pick and choose as we liked from the menu, which ultimately afforded us a lot more in the way of selection rather than the tired selection you get at any high tea (it looked about the same too, and the tea selection that goes along with it is very lacking, so to me it wasn't special). We tried: Bacon & Raclette Rösti (bacon bacon bacon) Club sandwich (VERY tasty - and I did not expect anything from a club sandwich but damn that bacon was good. I have to call out Betty's amazing bacon. It is crazy flavorful) Yorkshire Fat Rascal scone (dry, and overbaked imho, so not worth the extra ££) Fruit meringue Lemon curd tart Pimms w/ sparkling lemonade, Hot chocolate & peppermint tea Everything was tasty, and I'm glad we did not get the afternoon tea as we got to try much more interesting items. The service was friendly and fairly attentive, although I think a bit stretched thin, as at times (like when we wanted to pay), it got hard to track down our server and had to instead catch the attention of other servers instead. This location is very pretty and good for people watching and has a lovely atmosphere. read more

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The ambiance of Betty's upstairs room is incredible and the service top notch. It's a lovely peaceful break and the queue moves along quickly. Full marks for accommodating vegans and lactose intolerant- I was grateful to the server for offering oat milk creme fraiche for my bun when I rejected the usual chantilly creme, along with the oat milk for my tea. read more

Betty's is a must-visit in York--especially if you're on a pastry hunt across the isle as I am! I didn't eat in, as the place was packed, but was fine with getting my Fat Rascal, custard tart, and fondant fancy to go. The service was quite helpful (I had hoped to get a pikelet but was told it should be toasted, which I couldn't do in my room, so chose something else). The Fat Rascal lived up to expectations--such a grand scone, with a soft, tender crumb! The custard tart was perfect to share. The crust was sturdy, the custard firm yet creamy and delicious on the tongue. The fondant fancy, something I have seen on Great British Bake Off, was worthy of Paul and Mary's praise. It was everything a person could want in a tiny tower of cake. Plus, they packed it to-go in a protective box, which made it feel even fancier. read more

Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms - Custard tart - Coffee & Tea Near Me - York, YOR

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Good place and Ambiance. This place has amazing service and the servers pay attention to the needs of their customers.

We spent a month in York and our meal at Bettys was our least favorite meal. Bettys is a tourist trap and the lines are long at popular times. We made the mistake of eating dinner here. Our meals were only so-so. Our dessert, however, was very nice. I would recommend Bettys for tea and cake and skip the other food. It also took a long time for the waitress to come to our table and she wasn't very friendly (at least to us). read more

Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms - Tea service - Coffee & Tea Near Me - York, YOR

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Tea for 3 and 3 for tea. Our daughter is an Anglophile and tea lover so Betty's was on the "must do" list for us in York. We wanted the full experience so we waited about half an hour for a table in the airy and beautiful upstairs dining room in St. Mary's square. As expected the daughter opted for the traditional tea while wife and I split the seafood gratin and a Fat Rascal scone. All the food was on pointe and service was attentive. They also have a take away shop if you just want some treats to go. Overall, a really nice experience. read more

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Yum and yum!! Love everything about this place. So cute and girlie!! I was looking for a place to have a tea experience in England and I couldn't have found a better place! Since we just had eaten lunch, we decided on dessert and tea instead. Each of us had a pastry and drink. I tried the house blend tea with cream and sugar. Yum! I loved it so much I bought some loose leaf tea blend to take home on my way out. I also had scones with clotted cream and jam. So good! Loved the clotted cream with jam. My son had the hot chocolate. He wiped it out! My hubby had coffee. All very good! Love the gift shop downstairs. Lots of goodies to buy and take home. They also ship! read more

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What a wonderful experience! We came here for a late afternoon tea and only had a short queue to get in. The wait was well worth it. The food and tea were delicious, and the atmosphere was perfect. They were very accommodating to our party (which included two young children) and we all loved the live piano music. The tea was lovely and the scone, while a bit dry, was a perfect vehicle for the fantastic jam and clotted cream. The sandwiches were good, though a little boring, but the desserts were a highlight. My favorites were the fruit tart and lemon macaron (the lemon curd was so good). Although pricey at £20, it is such a nice experience that I do think it's worth doing at least once. read more

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Absolutely splendid! We had orange carrot soup and then tea and cakes. Everything was delicious and the atmosphere was beautiful. Will come again when in York, England. read more

Loved our tea experience! Got there in time through luck to get a seat but downstairs before all of the crowds arrived. It was perfect experience. read more

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My First proper English high tea, in England! The service was wonderful, the wait was not as long as it looked, and the food was great! We also bought some Macarons to go, and ate them on the train back to London. They were fantastic. Betty's Tea Room gets a tasty 5 stars! read more

Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms - English tea in England! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - York, YOR

When you ask for high tea recommendations in York, there's a unanimous response: Betty's. Thus, when I visited my friend in York, we made a point to book a reservation for high tea there. If you are able to schedule a time for high tea, I highly recommend doing so! It will save you the hassle of waiting in line with everyone else... You also get to eat in the upstairs room, with everyone else who thought to book a reservation. #reservationsnob All of my friends opted for a high tea with champagne. While getting a glass of bubbly is always fun, if you aren't celebrating anything I don't think its worth it. The list of teas is a good variety, and throughout your hour and half there (being told at the beginning you have an explicit time limit) you can try out as many as you like. While I was there, I tried two teas-- both of which were good. The sammies, pastries, and scones that accompany the tea were all delicious as well. If the amount they serve you doesn't fill you up or you just like a particular food item that much, you can always ask for more free of charge! I did that with the open faced sandwiches and while I was stuffed, I definitely do not regret it. In terms of service, it really depends on who you get as your waiter. Our waitress was not too great and rarely checked up on us for more tea-- it once took me several minutes to flag her down. However, looking around it seemed like other wait staff were much more attentive. All in all, a fun thing to do when you're abroad. Not the best high tea I've experienced, but I can see how it ranks best in York. read more

Betty's is a Yorkshire institution, having started in Harrogate and blossomed into several other branches. As I was visiting York, and being a huge fan of tearooms, it was somewhere I simply had to visit, my Mecca if you will! Betty's as a venue is beautiful. It reminds me of Main Street USA in the various Disney Magic Kingdom theme parks, a turn of the century upper class tea room and shop, offering the finest quality goods, and tempting you with the prospects of an Afternoon Tea. We entered and were promptly seated in the main dining area, and given a couple of menus. After obviously deciding to try out the Afternoon Tea, a waiter turned up and asked us what we'd like, but even though he was polite, he didn't tell us his name or particularly seem to want to engage with us, and seemed a little rushed. It was nice to be asked whether we'd prefer milk or lemon with our tea though, and we were asked if we were happy with the choice of sandwiches available. Our tea arrived in chrome teapots, and was pleasant enough, but for the "tearoom blend" we didn't find it particularly memorable. When we looked in the teapot, we saw that the loose leaf tea looked more like sludge, and was either a powder, or very fine leaves. Wasn't very pleasant though. Before very long, our Afternoon Tea arrived. Unusually, it was not on a single stand, but two individual tea stands, taking up quite a lot of space on the small table. The presentation was fair, and in the correct stand-order, but the quality was sadly lacking. The sandwiches were quite dry, lacking any sort of chutney or dressing, so the chicken was simply a bit of dry chicken on buttered bread, and only a quarter triangle of each sandwich provided. They were very much like sandwiches you'd find at a funeral wake buffet. Underwhelmed. Sadly, the scones, which are the corner stone of any good afternoon tea were also quite dry, perhaps because they had been pre-sliced. The clotted cream was pleasant (although simply dolloped onto a small dish), and the jam was fair. The cakes on top were pretty, but nothing remarkable; a small chocolate cake which tasted like any other you'd find, a green macaron which had a pleasant texture, but which neither of us could identify the flavour of, and a small fruit tart, which was nice, with fresh fruit. The waiter who served us came to take away the cake stands before we'd finished, removing the top plate from my partner's cake stand and placing it on the table, before scurrying off again. He then seemed to disappear for a while as we were waiting for him to return so we could ask to pay our bill, which came to £37.90 for Afternoon Tea for two, but which really didn't feel like what pay was merited, in either the quality or the service. I would say that Betty's is very much style over substance, resting on its laurels and knowing that it will be popular and paid for no matter what, but although the food and drink quality was lacking, I did hear other waiters and waitresses nearby happily chatting with their customers, and engaging a lot more than ours did. I guess ours was too busy or simply not interested. I may have been a bit critical in this review, but I left feeling genuinely upset and disappointed, as I was really looking forward to this as a birthday treat, and a special occasion, and was expecting something a lot greater than I got. I won't be returning to Betty's. I'll stick with Poppins Tearooms in Horwich! read more

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If the PICKIEST eater and drinker continually says "this is the best hot chocolate ever" as well as "wow that hot chocolate I had was so good" about 10 times over... Well, then you KNOW you have to order it! Chocolate lovers (and not) prepare yourself for ADDICTION! *PS: the honey served with the delicious teas we also ordered was eaten by the spoonful by said picky eater... You may wind up buying jars of it before you leave! read more

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Again Betty's wins hands down as being a real foodie destination that is worth popping into even if you're not hungry! It's the quintessential English experience and doesn't seem to be letting go of holding onto the traditional methods and service they've always done so well! On this occasion we were actually just popping into the shop to grab some fat rascals to go (the festive stollen ones are amazing by the way - £2 each, get some!!) and even at 11am the shop was packed - plus the tea rooms starting to fill nicely. It may be worth getting a newspaper if you're planning on going at usual popular breakfast, lunch and tea times as the queues are epic! read more

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My husband and I took a trip up to York during a vacation in London. We had heard a lot about Betty's famous tea place and went in for lunch with some locals we were visiting. Needless to say the place is exactly as described. There is quite a line to get in so definitely do not go in expecting to sit right away because it simply is not going to happen. I had a delicious salmon, cucumber, and avocado open sandwich and a salad. Not having planned to have tea there we had to go for at least a dessert. We shared a Chocolate and passion fruit bombe that was to die for. Keep in mind that York is a chocolate capital so pretty much everything chocolate is delicious. My friend had the Fresh Fruit Heart which is puff pastry tstuffed with fresh berries. Divine. If you are in York any time of the year, Betty's is a stop you do not want to miss, and if you love tea more so. read more

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I love Betty's. I have never let a trip to York pass without a visit here and I have never been disappointed. The building itself and decor is so beautifully Art Deco and love that they have kept it as it is. I have sat upstairs before but I am basing this review on the most recent visit today with my mum, when we were sat downstairs. We arrived around 4pm on a Sunday and for the first time ever I did not have to queue for 30 minutes. We were shown to a table downstairs and the menu was brought over right away. I have sampled several teas before but went for the white tea. I have only recently got into white tea (since the Yelp Proper Tea event) so I hadn't tried Betty's. It was very nice and delicate and I recommend you try it. My mum had the Ceylon Blue Sapphire and she loved it. First couple of cups with milk and the rest without, which surprised me as I have never seen my mum drink tea without milk. This is a good sign. Despite saying we were only going for tea, we did get a cake. We shared though so the calories didn't count. We went for the seasonal frangipan slice, and the flavour was raspberry and pistachio. We had it with cream. I really like that the cream is served from a glass dish - a little old fashioned but makes the place more charming. The slice was so good and really glad we had it. The service as usual was quick and attentive. The tea and cake arrived quickly and at the same time. I love the loos too. Overall I think anyone going to York should make sure they sample Betty's. It's so charming and , yes on the old fashioned side, but that makes the place what it is. Couldn't imagine a world without Betty's read more

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Betty's is a legend in Yorkshire, and for good reason. Our visit was no different. Betty's generally does not take reservations; they reserve only for weekend tea. The line outside the restaurant seemed long but moved fairly quickly, and we were seated in less than 30 minutes. Unfortunately, we were seated downstairs, which has no windows, and is a bit dim and stuffy. Despite this, we had a great time. The yorkshire sausages entree with rosti and ratatouille are highly recommended and is one of the best dishes I've had in a long time. Each item was delicious and fresh. Make sure you try the chutney with this dish: caramelized onion, tomato and apple chutney paired with the meat. Onion and tomato were our favorites; they sell these chutneys in their store as well. I had the afternoon tea too, which was just as pleasant as you would expect. Betty's scone is what stands out though, and next time I might get the cream tea instead of afternoon tea. Service was quite slow, unfortunately, and we had difficulty getting the bill. If you check out the pastry counters in the front of the store, you can find some surprisingly good deals. We picked up a large custard tart for only a couple of pounds, and several macaroons too. Betty's is exclusive to Yorkshire. It's a must see if you are visiting York: pricey, but a worthwhile splurge. read more

For my birthday, we went to Betty's. It was nice to do a traditional afternoon tea in such a prominent place. (Betty's is a famous Yorkshire fancy tea shop.) It was a very pretty space, and you do feel special being there. I am very glad to have had this experience. I have never had afternoon tea before, so I don't have anything to compare this to; However I really enjoyed it. We were a fairly difficult group, but that didn't bother our server at all. We had 4 people and we all ordered slightly different things. 3 of us ordered afternoon tea. 1 the regular way, 1 with vegetarian sandwiches, and mine was the vegetarian version with a chicken sandwich. That was perfect for me. My sandwiches were roasted red pepper and other veggies, chicken, cucumber, and tomato. ( Listed in the order of my favorites). I could have done without the tomato one, I think it was just tomato and mayo. Otherwise the rest were quite good. For afternoon tea we each got a 3 tiered tray that had tea sandwiches on the bottom, scone with jam and clotted cream in the middle, and 3 small deserts on the top. The standard 4 quarter sandwiches were ham, egg and mayo, chicken, and smoked salmon. The scone was close to ones I've had in the US. It wasn't overly sweet. The clotted cream really just seemed like rich butter (in fact, it seems quite like whipped butter now that I think about it). It was closer to being a dense biscuit than anything else. The desserts were a pink macaroon (not my favorite), a raspberry tart (great), and an opera cake (it was like a dry tiramisu, I wouldn't order it anywhere). My husband ordered an omelette and chips. The omelette looked very good, and he enjoyed it. We all tried some of the chips, and they were great. I hadn't expected him to be so happy with his food at a tea shop! (He doesn't like small dainty foods). We were pleasantly surprised. read more

Well, what can I say! I love this place and it's the best place to go for those little 'treats' one deserves now and again. Firstly, there wasn't much of a queue (sometimes the queue is massive and it can take quite a while to get a seat) and we were sat at our table within about 15 minutes. While you're waiting, they will bring you a menu to peruse over including any seasonal specials they have (this time, the specials were all rhubarb based. My worst nightmare!). There are also specials boards inside the cafe. As my father has a disability, he uses the lift to get downstairs. There is plenty of seating upstairs, but as he doesn't like to be 'on show', we always sit downstairs. You have to ask a member of staff to use the lift, but it's no problem at all. They are more than willing to let you use it. The reason you need to ask, is because the lift is 'back of house' and not in the main cafe area. As we sat at our table, our attentive waitress welcomed us and proceeded to make sure that we had enough menus for each member of our party. They also let us know the soup of the day (which was carrot and ginger). We had already decided what we were going to have. 2 haddock and chips and 1 afternoon tea, plus 2 extra pots of tea please! After a short wait, our waitress brings a large tray with a large teapot, some extra water, a sugar bowl, 2 jugs of milk and a tea strainer. Bettys is owned by Taylors of Harrogate, who make Yorkshire Tea, so you know you're going to get a good cuppa! It's worth pointing out that it is not Yorkshire Tea that they serve in their Tea Rooms; they have their own special tea - Bettys Tea Room Blend. And it's really nice! You can buy the tea room blend in the shop as you walk in. Our mains came out without much of a wait. The haddock was golden brown, crisp and extreamly hot! At least you could tell it was freshly cooked and hadn't been sitting around. It came with chips and pea puree. Now let me tell you this, forget your dizzy rascals (or whatever it is they're called), the pea puree is to die for! I could eat a bowl of that on its own, although it probably wouldn't do my waistline any good. The afternoon tea came on a quaint little cake stand. A selection of sandwiches were placed at the bottom (smoked salmon, roast Yorkshire ham, roast chicken breast and egg & cress, vegetarian options are available), on the middle tier was a sultana scone with strawberry preserve and Yorkshire clotted cream and on the top was a selection of miniture cakes and patisseries. The presentation was really nice and the food was excellent. The toilets were immaculate and spotless. Really well looked, but then, I wouldn't expect anything else from Bettys! The service from all the staff was excellent. They are always smiling and nothing is ever too much trouble for them. A lot of businesses, both food and non-food retailers, should spend a day at Bettys to realise what great customer service is! On the whole, although a little pricey, you're getting excellent food, great surroundings and exceptional customer service! Definatley worth a visit! read more

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Walking into this shop is like walking into an immaculate bakery. There isn't the smell of fresh baked bread, but there is a sweetness in the air. The hustle and bustle of the cafe upstairs isn't audible to the patrons downstairs. I visited Betty on a visit to York and I really wanted to try English tea. The actual tea was nothing spectacular. It's not like I could have ordered Darjeeling. But the scones. My goodness, with the clotted cream. I still miss English clotted cream. Some of the best stuff of earth. Service was prompt. As for friendly, I can't remember if they were just very professional or very quick with their service. There isn't the warmth I'm used to. A good place to spend some time eating some great English nosh. read more

I can't imagine coming to York and not coming here (and the lines out the door are proof I'm not the only one). I've actually been to three Betty's (and this one many times). I knew about Betty's from British friends before I ever came to England; it's reputation is that great even amongst my then teenage self and group of friends. When you're here you can do a proper afternoon tea, or you can make things a bit more simple (and reasonably priced) by simply ordering tea and a dessert, which would run you less than ten pounds. They also have sandwiches and entrees. On this visit I ordered Betty's Tea Room Blend and raclette. The tea was amazing as always, and I was really happy with the raclette (I ordered it without bacon, but I'm sure it's good unchanged. Note: you can only tip in cash so don't rely on your card because while that's fine for paying you'll be stuck otherwise. read more

Ambience, decor, historical significance an experiential destination but be prepared to absorb the fare Bettys Cafe Blend coffee £3.80 / pot for 1 -lovely presentation -as a daily coffee drinker, it was only ok. was looking for that "wow, that's a great cup of coffee feeling" but it didn't happen. kids and wife ate but my 18mo walker needed some romping room so I ended up walking her to Boots for some diapers. _____ I'm glad the family was able to experience the charm of Betty's but it's not really for me read more

Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms - Make a reservation, there was a veritable line to enter - Coffee & Tea Near Me - York, YOR