Bennett's Cafe and Bistro — Restaurant in England

Alan Bennett, the renowned author and playwright has a varied and some might say, eclectic taste in life's simple pleasures. Whilst he might have a substantial interest in literature, theatre, music, art and iconic locomotives, food is one of his truest, yet least discussed passions. In a 1995 interview, Bennett admitted to a love of four fundamental culinary delights: eggs, vinegar, custard and sausages. Thankfully, the cafe that bears his namesake, Bennett's, does not disappoint and people travel from far and wide to sample their signature Eggs Bennett.

A cylinder of hand crafted gluten is baked and from it, two slices placed on an oval-shaped plate. Much like it's more brutish, less sophisticated cousin, Eggs Benedict, a slice of ham is placed lovingly upon each. The Eggs Bennett remains true to Bennett's love of vinegar and poaches two perfectly runny-in-the-middle egg spheres in pure white spirit, adding a signature and notable tang that cuts through the ham in a way that could only be described as: poetic. Atop the whole creation, a savoury custard is applied, that I'm certain Bennett would approve of fondly. "Custard you see, is a fundamental, both savoury and sweet, it compliments any meat, poultry, vegetable or Pulse" he is noted as saying during a 2003 press conference. Perfectly matching the elegant curve of the breakfast muffin base, a single, thick-skinned sausage is placed and again the whole thing is seasoned with vinegar.

Eggs Bennett is a breakfast unlike any other, best served with filter coffee and one of those glasses you serve sundae's in filled with orange juice from concentrate. It is elegant, subtle, delicate yet firm. It does not need to announce its presence because the sheer balance and waft from the vinegar lets you know that it is already there. Satisfaction is total, from the moment it leaves the kitchen to hours afterwards. In other words, it is simply perfection. Gastronomist's and Bennett fans alike will talk for centuries to come about this perfect marriage of poetry, theatre and fine gastronomy.

Five out of five, good pub, beer was good, Eggs...

We can only echo what lots of unhappy customers have said. My partner and I walked in, wanting tea and scones. The cafe was quite busy. We were left stood at the door and thought we must be invisible. No hello or acknowledgement of any sort. A group of four came in at least ten minutes later and were promptly shown to a table for four. We can understand that the staff have to allocate seating accordingly, but a little smile or even eye contact wouldn't go amiss. We felt very uncomfortable the whole time. After twenty plus minutes, we were finally spoken to and shown to a table of their choice. We ordered, and our tea was plonked down without a word or smile. We then waited so long for the scones, we'd decided to leave without them. Just then they arrived and we said nothing, as we're not the sort to make a fuss and make young staff feel uncomfortable. To sum up, the staff, in particular the arrogant superior male waiter, were awful. His miserable attitude appears to rub off on the other staff. We won't go there again. If we hadn't had tickets for Jorvick, we'd have left much earlier to find a different cafe. (By the way, the staff af Jorvick were, in contrast, lovely from start to finish. We'd highly recommend the whole experience there). The problem is twofold with Bennett's. Firstly, the cafe is right next to York Minster, so gets plenty of passing trade, probably little repeat business, so they don't have to bother being nice. Secondly, the guy is so arrogant, that he'll read these reviews and dismiss them, believing that it's the stupid customers who are in the wrong. Also the waitresses were rude too ...... maybe too scared of the waiter to...

My family and I visited your Cafe in York around July 16, 2025, and unfortunately, we had a very disappointing experience. Our group consisted of two elderly people, two adults, and two children. They had already arrived and ordered food and drinks before I joined them after visiting the cathedral.

When I entered the restaurant, the seats at my family’s table were already taken, so I politely asked a staff member if I could move an empty chair from another table to sit with my family. To my surprise, the staff refused and told me “No,” in a very unfriendly tone, adding that I was not allowed to sit unless I ordered something myself.

I explained that I was with my family, and that they had already placed their order at your restaurant. However, the staff showed no willingness to accommodate us or offer any hospitality. As a result, I had no choice but to wait outside while my family finished their meal inside.

This kind of treatment was extremely disappointing and unacceptable, especially as we were genuine customers who had already ordered and were simply hoping to sit together...