Vegan
International
Mediterranean
Beer/Wine
Take-out
Catering
Spanish
Gluten-free
Breakfast
Founded in 1997, El Piano specializes in vegan and gluten-free meals and tapas. The daily offering of savories and sweets vary and incorporates influences from world regions. Location is in the city centre, and upstairs from the restaurant is a bed & breakfast. Last day of business Aug 30, 2018.
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Last update on 26 Feb 2020 by TheVeganBuddhist
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89 Reviews
First Review by smartheidi
EmilyJayneEarp
Points +82
Fantastic, a must - Edit
I love this place. The food is amazing. Everything is vegan so I had the whole menu to choose from. I had the Thai curry, so yummy! The atmosphere and staff were lovely.
Read moreGuest
ChrisRoughley
Points +18
Taste Sensation - Edit
Everyone in or visiting York should try this Restaurant.
Read moreAmazing food, really recommend the Thai Duo, Mathematical Chips (ha punny), and the carrot fritters. The coffee is also exception, had mine strong and dark!
Pros: Well spiced food, Interesting menu, Quirky
Cons: Not enough choice on the menu (multiple visits), Short cold drinks menu, Restaurant size
Guest
SaanaTuomela
Points +18
Lovely vegan restaurant - Edit
I'm a coeliac vegan, so this was the first time for me when I could choose anything from the menu. We took a tasting tray to share: everything was good, potato "omelette" and pakoras were absolutely delicious. I wanted to taste a dessert but I was too stuffed after this great meal. A must-visit for a vegan.
Read morePros: everything vegan, severe allergies well taken notice of
Cons: not the cheapest place
Guest
HappyPigJo
Points +193
Fantastic taste and generous portions - Edit
York residents should feel fortunate to have El Piano in their midst. If you are visiting, I would highly recommend it. It might even be a good excuse to stop off at York for lunch here, if you are travelling North or South.
Read morePros: Health conscious menu, Also entirely gluten free if you need
Cons: Children menu could be wider
Guest
artasparagus
Points +24
Humble and delightful - Edit
What an excellent experience! I'd been in the UK 3 weeks and this is the best vegan meal we had. Wholesome, delicious, reasonable prices, excellent service and above all it was unique!
Read moreI didn't think I could love York any more than I did. Also the wait staff are very cute! Highly recommend.
Pros: price , service , taste
Cons: small location
Guest
fr4ncaw
Points +117
Delicious! - Edit
Really good food, the best chocolate mousse i've ever had.
Read morePros: Friendly Staff, Delicious Food
Guest
maggieannej
Points +11
Whow! - Edit
First time there yesterday evening: what a welcome, and what service: excellent! The food was amazing and I will certainly go again. I went with my vegan daughter and with food like that I will certainly consider seriously following her example. What a find!
Read morePros: Excellent food and amazing variety, Friendly staff, Good value
Guest
rowansilverbreeze
Points +132
disappointing - Edit
I was really looking forward to a meal here as lots of people had said how good it was. I thought that having the name El Piano that it would have been spanish food. Unfortunately not. Not much choice on the menu. Everything mostly too spicy for me. I ordered victoris sponge for dessert but that was made using gluten free flour. It was very heavy and the icing was over sweet. Not planning on going back. On the positive side, my dining companions all liked there meal, so maybe it was just not to my taste
Read morePros: friendly staff, has an oudoor area at the back, sells lots of unusual spanish items to b
Cons: not enough variety of food, should have more spanish dishes, the chai tea was ridiculously sweet
Guest
FurryFury
Points +450
What a find! - Edit
Well we'd actually done some research but still, when it actually turns out to be as good as you'd hoped then I think it can be a find.
Read moreThe whole menu looks delicious and we couldn't decide so went for the taster plate with a bit of everything and very glad we did as it was a beautifully mixed meal with plenty of flavours, fantastically cooked and absolutely delicious. Plenty of food too and we sent the plates back as clean as possible. Great staff, perfect visit.
Pros: It's all vegan and in our experience, all perf
Cons: Not the cheapest but you get what you pay for and
Guest
Scottish Clare
Points +376
Could barely move by the time we were finished! - Edit
We went for three courses, plus "cowboy coffee" to finish and were absolutely stuffed by the end of the evening! The service was excellent - really friendly and engaging, and the food was really good. A great way to spend a Saturday night.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2017-02-15
Pros: Great food, Lovely service
Cons: None
Guest
rachelcotterill
Points +87
loads of choice - Edit
I was spoiled for choice by the menu at El Piano, and almost tempted to order the (huge) tasting platter just for myself! In the end I had tempura to start, then the veggie "meat loaf" which was utterly delicious, with mushroom fritters which were also lovely. And then sticky toffee pudding to round it off. The deal for two people with a bottle of wine is good value. Hard to believe the whole place is vegan and gluten free.
Read moreGuest
ChristianVegan
Points +209
Wonderful array of food and friendly service - Edit
Really enjoyed a dinner here whilst a tourist in York.
Read morePros: Food so varied, Central location, Friend staff
Cons: Bit a draft going on as two doors either side
Guest
deadpledge
Points +13325
All the right notes - Edit
I love El Piano and whenever we go to York we always visit here without fail. This place has a great menu and all at affordable prices. Most importantly the food is delicious. On offer you can choose from a selection of starters such as soups, hummus, tempura and pâté and mains include a burger, chips and dips or the 'build your own plate' (one hot dish, fritters and salad), which is normally what we order when we go. The dhal here is legendary and delicious and definitely one of my personal favourites alongside the taster tray, which is perfect if you want to share between 2-3 people and ideal if you just don't know what to order from the menu. This way you get a bit of everything. A good selection of desserts are also available including sticky toffee pudding and cheese board. El Piano also offer a discount if you have a NUS card too. Lastly, if you have the opportunity try and get the window seat and just watch the world go by whilst enjoying your vegan delights.
Read morePros: Delicious vegan food, Nice vibe, Super friendly staff
Guest
MasterchefNzee
Points +60
Vegan, Gluten Free and oh so tasty! - Edit
Great little cafe in the centre of York, located only a few streets away from York Minster and Central Station, so easy to find.
Read moreCool Spanish themed interior, with a relaxed casual dining style.
Staff were friendly, happy and really informative, about their menu, their establishment and the local area.
Menu was easy to read through, with a decent range of Gluten Free/ Vegan options, with a choose your own style option available too, almost tapas-esque.
Price was higher than we expected, but we're happy to pay it and found that it was definitely worth the overall price
Guest
Maricica
Points +16
excellent food and service - Edit
I am very pleased with the service we received at El Piano. The place has an old school vibe and the staff are very nice and friendly. My husband and I had lunch with our toddler and loved it. They gave us a giant basket of toys to entertain our LO while waiting for the food to arrive and the baby's food was for free. The food arrived in less than 15 minutes although the restaurant was quite full. The food was delicious and the portions were very generous. I definitely recommend EL Piano.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2016-09-04
Pros: delicious food, baby friendly, big portions
Guest
ElBlack
Points +19
Yey for vegan.. Boo for slow service - Edit
Great to find a vegan place, but not great when they haven't mastered how to check in with customers - if everything's OK, pre-warn if the food takes longer than half an hour, etc. Respond properly to customer concerns. Should work on prepping the food area, ingredients etc, in advance, or just learn to cook it within a reasonable time - 45 minute wait when it's not very busy... Should be pre-warned. Such a great location and a service to offer (completely vegan).
Read moreGuest
srfk
Points +290
Lovely inventive food - Edit
excellent food, staff and ambiance. plenty of flavours/inventive cooking.
Read morePros: variety, local drinks, outdoor seating
Guest
VeganFamilyTravels
Points +1847
Completely vegan - Edit
It is always fantastic when you find a completely vegan restaurant. This is a lovely place and the staff are very friendly. The food was good but not completely to my own personal taste. Unfortunately they did forget to bring our starter and overcharged us for items we hadn't had. However they did rectify this when we pointed it out. Definitely worth a visit.
Read morePros: Completely vegan, Friendly staff, Nice atmosphere
Guest
PopCorn_Marta
Points +28
Awesome! - Edit
As a vegan-celiac to be able to eat absolutely EVERYTHING from the menu it's a dream that just came true in El Piano!
Read moreGuest
EmmaYates
Points +40
my go-to - Edit
I've been to El Piano for every celebratory occasion ever since I turned vegan. One of my first experiences of vegan food and such a cute vibe. Staff are always lovely and food is always great especially the fritters.
Read moreGuest
veganvikingwarrior
Points +28
I love this place . VEGAN Tapas - Edit
One of the first vegan places i ever went to and still love it . The food is great and staff are cool .
Read moreStill the only fully vegan place in York and this place always has a great vibe .
Thank you El piano :)
.
Pros: Fully Vegan , out side terrace with lots of sun , prices are fair
Cons: Needs more raw options
Guest
Veganolive1
Points +4796
Vegan Heaven For Me - Edit
I have been wanting to visit El Piano for ages, so a visit to York, to meet up with friends was the perfect excuse. El Piano a totally vegan establishment, has great kerb appeal, inviting and bright and is equally so inside, quirky and eclectic, with plenty of seating and delicious smells as you walked through the door. There is also a small courtyard at the back, so you can sit out on sunny days. I was in vegan heaven, so wonderful to be able to order anything, either food or drinks wise off the extensive lunchtime menu, which I believe changes from time to time.
Read moreWe kicked off with a delicious and light Vinho Verde Portuguese wine and ordered a selection of dishes, houmous and falafel salad, lentil dhal with Bolivian carrot patties, seaweed paella with housemade chorizo sausage, baby burger and fries
I so enjoyed the food, all freshly prepared and delicious, I demolished my falafel salad, one of my favourites. My friends said they really enjoyed it too, I think they were expecting just some vegetables or lettuce leaves on a plate, not the hot and satisfying dishes served here.
The staff were very friendly and although some may deem the service slow, why would you want to rush, the food is made to order and the place is totally relaxing, I loved it. I would return to El Piano in a flash and probably next time, visit for dinner and leave some room for one of the rather awesome sounding puddings.
Pros: Vegan Throughout, Friendly service, Outside seating
Guest
MarikaHHFS
Points +47
Great Food Options! - Edit
Food was very tasty, staff was very friendly and helpful. absolutely only improvement would be having to walk past the trash and having our seat near some boxes of slightly overripe veggies and fruit. Still, there was no bad smell, and the food was so good!
Read moreGuest
Vegan GiGi
Points +1036
Delicious food with a lovely patio for dining - Edit
I recently visited York with a couple friends and absolutely LOVED the food at El Piano. The three of us shared the tasting tray for our lunch (Dhal, paella with veg sausages, tempeh skewers, onion bhajis, green salad, corn fritters, and spicy potatoes), and everything was delicious. It was the perfect amount of food for three people. My friends are York locals and aren't vegetarian, and they love eating here.
Read moreWe sat outside on the patio, which was nice and sunny, and I spent some time with two sweet cats who live right near the restaurant. The service was a bit slow, but our waitress did mention that she was new to working there, so we were understanding.
Overall we had a great experience dining here, and it was so nice to find an amazing vegan restaurant in a place with traditionally very non-veg friendly food.
Pros: excellent food, sunny patio, cats!
Guest
Windlekins
Points +1236
delicious! - Edit
Had the Dhal, rice and chocolate cake. Absolutely delicious!! I would highly recommend a visit if you are in York. Friendly people. Green tea was nice too. Lovely ambience. I went for lunch and although it's not for when you are in a rush, absolutely worth the wait!
Read morePros: delicious
Guest
StevieSurf
Points +1895
Go vegan in York - Edit
Much needed this place is totally vegan. It's tapas style with a large range of items. Perhaps better in a group then you can sample heaps of dishes as there's a great deal of variety here. Good pudding too. There's books and rugs and stuff to purchase too. It's in the Angel Quarter, well located in the centre of town but peacefully tucked away too.
Read morePros: Variety of dishes , Lovely atmosphere, The daal
Cons: Can be pricey but hey!
Guest
Mwynen
Points +262
Good food, but not overly creative dishes - Edit
We enjoyed an overall good evening here, everything was ok, but not outstanding. We had the Taster Tray, which was huge for two, we didn't manage to eat everything on the tray, which was a pity and I really hate the idea of food getting thrown away. As we were already stuffed, we didn't order any dessert.
Read moreStaff was friendly and our food arrived quite quickly. We had the upstairs room to ourselves, which was refreshing, as we don't like crowded and noisy places.
The design of the menu is a bit confusing.
Pros: friendly staff
Cons: portions too large
Guest
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