Skosh: Where to Eat in York (4.8★)

Micklegate is the old royal road into York. It runs downhill from Micklegate Bar, the gate where monarchs traditionally entered the city, to Ouse Bridge. Skosh sits on this street at number 98. It’s a cosy room that does one thing: small plates built for sharing and ordered a few at a time, plus a cocktail list that changes with the seasons and a wine list with real depth.

The name is a clue. “Skosh” is English slang for “a little bit”, borrowed from the Japanese sukoshi. That is exactly how the menu works.

A street most visitors walk past

Most day-trippers head straight for York Minster and the Shambles on the far side of the river. Micklegate gets far less of that traffic. It’s a long, gently curving street of Georgian and older frontages, with pubs, independent shops and restaurants at street level.

Skosh is consistently well rated, among the strongest-reviewed restaurants in the city. It still feels like a quieter find than the places clustered around the Minster. You come here on purpose. You don’t wander in between souvenir shops.

What lands on the table

Small plates arrive as they’re ready rather than in courses. Everyone at the table picks from each one. The menu is creative and moves with the seasons, so a dish from someone else’s review may well be gone. Read the card on the night instead of arriving with a fixed order in mind.

On the drinks side, the Google summary singles out two things:

• Seasonal cocktails, which change through the year alongside the food
• A robust wine list, worth asking about if you want something to match several plates at once

Prices sit on the pricier side for York. Small plates add up quickly once you’re ordering several rounds. The current menu and prices are on the restaurant’s own website.

Booking, ordering and paying at Skosh

A cosy room plus a short four-day week makes booking the sensible move. This is especially true for Friday and Saturday evenings. Reserve through the restaurant’s website before you travel, not on the day.

Once you’re seated, the usual rhythm goes like this:

• Order in waves. Start with a few plates, see how hungry you are, then add more. Staff can tell you roughly how many plates suit your group.
• Share everything. Plates come out in the middle of the table. If you want a dish to yourself, order two.
• Flag dietary needs early. Mention them when you book and again when you sit down. With a menu built from many small dishes, the kitchen needs to know before the first round.
• Check the bill before tipping. Many UK restaurants add a discretionary service charge to the bill. If it’s already there, you don’t need to tip again. If it isn’t, around ten percent for good service is the British norm.
• Pay by card. Contactless card payment is standard in York restaurants. Ask at the start if you want to split the bill.

When to go

Skosh opens Wednesday to Saturday, 12pm to 10pm, and closes Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. A long weekend from Friday to Monday only gets you two chances, so build those days around it.

Lunch is the easy option for visitors. The kitchen is open from noon, which suits a daytime sightseeing loop and leaves your evening free for a pint elsewhere. If you’d rather come for dinner, the last sensible arrival is well before the 10pm close. A small-plates meal needs time to build.

Getting there and what’s nearby

From York railway station, walk out towards Station Road and through the city walls. Turn onto Micklegate and you’re there in roughly ten minutes on foot. If you’re staying near the Minster, cross the River Ouse at Ouse Bridge and walk uphill along Micklegate.

Things worth pairing with a meal here:

• The city walls. You can climb up at Micklegate Bar and walk a stretch of the medieval walls before or after you eat.
• Holy Trinity Priory, on Micklegate itself, one of York’s medieval churches.
• Bar Convent, just outside Micklegate Bar on Blossom Street. It’s the oldest surviving convent in England and has a small museum.
• The riverside at the foot of the street, for a walk along the Ouse.

Give the meal around ninety minutes to two hours. That covers a few rounds of plates and a cocktail without rushing, and it’s the kind of pace the menu is designed for.