Ippuku Tea House

I found this place by complete chance and only decided to go in because they advertised Japanese food with vegan options. What a great surprise, not only was the food vegan but it was the most authentic Japanese food I have ever had in the UK. As a half Japanese person I always struggle to find proper Japanese food but the cooks at Ippuku tea House are cooking homemade style Japanese food and doing it with respect and technique. The presentation was beautiful and the food tasted exactly how it should. I'm definitely going back for more.

Incredible food. I can't praise this place enough. Small & cute, but the menu is varied and we had dishes that I can safely say we'll probably never have again, unless we come back! The first mouthful of every dish was mind blowing and we chased every bite after that! So unusual to the Western palate but the depth & combination of flavours was absolutely to be savoured. Brilliant for Vegans. My no. 1 recommendation for York!

This small restaurant is delicious! The food was fresh and seemed simple but was packed with flavor. I had a rice bowl with tuna, edamame and avocado and it was delicious. I also tried the pork gyozas, they were juicy and somewhat crispy at the same time . They have outside seating in an inner patio, perfect for good weather days. The service is quick. Highly recommend it!

This place is a gem in York! They have the best dumplings I’ve ever had in my life, probably because they are cooked with sesame oil. The beef bowl was very flavorful, and I would absolutely recommend adding the onsen egg. Its method of cooking makes it very very creamy! Definitely a must!

Really large portion of authentic Japanese food with acceptable price. The staff are as friendly and polite as what Japanese should be, while their food quality is higher than I expected as well. Highly recommended!

A lovely cosy little place with the most beautiful Japanese food and drink, in terms of both taste and presentation! Lots of options for vegans too. The staff were all lovely and friendly but they were definitely understaffed which meant service was slow, hence losing a star. But would still highly recommend and we will definitely be returning again!

Omg. This is a must visit. The food transported me back to Japan and all its flavours and brought back all the good memories. The donbury is delicious, highly recommend the veggie gyozas and the straight matcha is amazing. The staff is super nice too!

Vegan reviewer: An absolute hidden gem in York. I can’t wait to come visit again and try something else. I’ve given these guys 4/5 because I didn’t love some of their side plates but this could easily go to a 5/5 on my next visit. The overall quality of food is EXCELLENT. Great vegan opinions throughout the menu. Specials and desserts are only on the boards in store so it’s worth going in, there’s a cute shop that sells food, sweets and utensils at the front, and there’s interesting decor. Recommend booking due to small restaurant size. Friendly staff. We ordered: 1 vegetable gyoza teishoku set 2 teriyaki Tofu teishoku set The teishoku sets come with a big bowl of miso soup, steamed rice, cabbage think steamed?, and pickled carrot & bean shoots I absolutely LOVED the teriyaki tofu- delicious The veg gyozas were also really nice and perfectly crisp. I loved the miso soup and the steamed rice. The rest was neither here nor there really- the pickle wasn’t very pickle-y and the cabbage was just very bland limp cabbage but neither were unpleasant and I still ate it all. For sides we ordered: 3veg gyozas 4 garlic-miso-mushroom yaki onigiri 5 soy yaki onigiri We ordered extra gyozas to share but these were exactly the same as the ones on the teishoku and just as nice. The soy onigiri was quite dry and a bit overdone. The flavour was ok but I don’t think I’d order again. We preferred the GMM onigiri which was nice, but also wouldn’t rush to reorder. Overall, really enjoyed it and was full. However I did still have room for dessert! They come and sit the dessert board on a chair next to you, which is a bit odd especially given how small the restaurant is. It was a couple of weeks ago now so I can’t remember the exact order, but we had some kind of vegan chocolate brownie that was AMAZING!! I’m not even the biggest brownie fan but they really nailed that one and my mouth is watering over it right now! Shout out the the lemon yuzu drink I’d never seen before- I love yuzu and this was just the perfect drink to have with the meal! 100% will go again. As I said, this is so close to being a 5/5 but that for me means nothing could be better and there were a couple of things that could have. But generally EXCELLENT and a do encourage everyone to have a visit!!

Absolutely amazing - surpassed all expectations. Drinks great, food great, desserts great. Plenty of gluten free options. Service prompt and staff very friendly. As other reviewers have mentioned - it is traditional authentic Japanese food and very tasty. One of the best Japanese restaurants I've been to in the UK. This restaurant is a real gem and deserves a 5 star review from me. Well done to the owners and staff and thank you for opening such a lovely restaurant.

Could not be more perfect. What a gem, whether for a delicious casual lunch or tea and sweets. Excellent service, really remarkable.