My Favourite Restaurants: Tommy Banks' Yorkshire recommendations

One of the UK’s defining figures of Britain’s farm-to-fork movement, Tommy Banks is a young chef with some serious accolades. Raised in Oldstead, North Yorkshire, where his family has farmed for five generations, Banks has built his reputation on an uncompromising connection to place. It all started at The Black Swan at Oldstead, the Banks’ family pub where he spent the early years of his career. Leading the kitchen since 2013, aged just 24, Banks made history as the youngest chef to hold a Michelin star in the UK. Here is where his fiercely local approach is clearest: 30 acres of his parents’ farmland feeds the restaurant; the rest is reared, foraged and supplied by like-minded producers nearby.

Unlike most chefs, his foray into the world of fine dining didn’t follow the typical trajectory - no culinary school, no decades switching from one acclaimed restaurant to another. In fact, Banks has never held a conventional chef position outside the family business. Instead, supplemented by short stages at Le Manoir au Quat’Saisons, along with Michelin-starred restaurants in London, plus books and experimentation, Banks is almost entirely self-taught.

That drive has paid off. In 2018, he opened Roots in York with business partner Matthew Lockwood, a Michelin-starred city-centre expression of Oldstead's farming philosophy, and later launched the Made in Oldstead brand during Covid, one of the UK’s top cook-at-home meal kit services. Back in action post-lockdown, he relaunched The Abbey Inn Byland to wide acclaim, following more recently with The General Tarleton, the inaugural member of Banks’ fledgling pub group, Jeopardy Hospitality, which he operates alongside Lockwood and his brother James.

Banks’ success has helped the wider industry reassess what rural, sustainable fine dining can be when you reject the idea that world-class dining must include expensive imported ingredients or a London postcode. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given his own hyper-local approach, you’ll find most of Banks’ favourite restaurants clustered in North Yorkshire.

Cresci Pizzeria, York

Tommy Banks says: ‘This is a proper Neapolitan pizza spot, run by Berardo and Armando - people who really, properly understand what they’re doing with dough. When pizza’s done well, really well, it’s one of the most affordable ways to eat seriously good food. And here, it absolutely hits that mark. It’s relaxed, family-friendly, no fuss at all. You can just settle in, eat well, and enjoy it for what it is. And that’s the thing - when the quality is this high and there’s no pomp around it, it ends up feeling quite special without ever needing to say so.’
Where: 20 Piccadilly, YO1 9NU
Book now: Cresci Pizzeria

Mary’s Sandwich Shop, Sandsend

Tommy Banks says: ‘This sits out on Sandsend Beach, just a little way up from Whitby, but it feels like a different world altogether. There’s this long, soft stretch of sand, the kind of place where you’ll hear folk half-jokingly ask if it’s somewhere far more tropical. Sandsend itself is pretty sparse; there’s not a lot going on, and that’s entirely the point. It’s quiet, unfussy, and properly beautiful because of it. I ended up at Mary’s through someone who used to work with me - he went there during Covid and couldn’t stop talking about it. It’s the sort of place you’d never just stumble across; most people head straight into Whitby for the fish and chips, which are brilliant, no doubt. But Mary’s feels like a bit of a secret. What they’re doing is seriously good cooking, just delivered in a completely unpretentious way. Think beautifully sourced meat, slow-smoked for hours, all tucked into something as simple as a sandwich. And you’re eating it right there, on the edge of the beach, with the sea in front of you. It’s understated, but it’s very, very special.’
Where: The Parade, YO21 3SZ
Book now: Mary’s Sandwich Shop

Pizza Social, Harrogate

Tommy Banks says: ‘Another family friendly restaurant is Pizza Social in Harrogate, where Will makes delicious pizzas! He actually did the pizzas for our wedding reception a few years back. The Nduja Love Me with pumpkin, fior di latte, nduja, blue cheese and honey is hard to beat.’
Where: 4 Oxford Buildings, Mount Parade, HG1 1BX
Book now: Pizza Social

The Star Inn, Harome

Tommy Banks says: ‘The Star is now a bit of an institution. It reminds me of the pub in the movie The Holiday. Some readers may have heard of The Star but it’s so worth a visit. They do hospitality really well. Andrew Pern is a larger-than-life character and it’s always great to see him when I go in. The pub bar in the old, thatched inn is really cosy, especially if you get a table by the fire, but if you are staying over for a few nights, the private dining room up in the eaves is pretty incredible for something a bit special.’
Where: High Street, YO62 5JE
Book now: The Star Inn at Harome

Robinsons Cafe, York

Tommy Banks says: ‘I spend a lot of my free time around York, and Robinsons Café on Bishopthorpe Road is always a winner – the queue outside is proof. If you go on a Saturday morning, you can easily wait for an hour and a half for a table, which says all you need to know about it. What I love most, though, is that it’s extremely consistent. The food is always, always on point and the service is amazing.’
Where: 7 Bishopthorpe Road, YO23 1NA
Book now: Robinsons Cafe

Want more chef-led restaurant recommendations? Check out our recent interview with Leo Tanyag, who heads up premium Japanese concepts within Thesleff Group. Or, look to fellow farm-to-fork chef Charmaine McHugo’s favourite restaurants. And, if you’d like a steady stream of all things restaurants, just sign up to the SquareMeal restaurant newsletter for a weekly dose of the good stuff.