Evil Eye

Visited here recently. Juvenile staff. Overpowering scent of cheap incense sticks. Overall poor visit.

You either love it if hate this place
Beer — bottles only but a wide selection from around the world.
Wine yes they do sell some
Cocktails — the reason to visit pages and pages all very well made.
Shots. Yes a full page. Play traffic lights and try s red yellow and green one.
Outside area at the back of the bar covered with heaters so you dint get wet.
Bar area has a few tables but there is seating and lounging on bed rooms on the upper floors.
Food oriental take on food which is excellent and sone unusual dishes.
Atmosphere. Usually it is is busy it takes ages to bag a table but it had a great vibe.
Not a place to take the mother jn law — well not mine as it is loud brash and fun.

I love this place, great prices, yummy cocktails, good food, quirky venue, friendly staff, and a wide selection of non alcoholic too.
I’ve been here of a weekend afternoon to find a quiet spot upstairs to read the paper and people watch. As well as on a busy Friday night. Sometimes the music could do with a little variation, but as value for money goes this place is hard to beat in the centre of York!
The bar uses mainly premium spirits, which is nice to see, and the food as Asian fusion. Good sized potions, and very tasty too.

Had dinner yesterday there, fish cake appetizer was tasty but small (4 cakes 1 ½ inch diameter x ¼ thick); they ran out of beef so only one of us could have the panang beef but it was tasty. Be prepared to wait 20 minutes for any of the curry dishes. Everything was fresh. Definitely a younger crowd and vibe. Large mixed drinks selection and house music.

Great spot for cocktails if you’re looking for something a little stronger than a civilized cup of tea. May not look up to much on passing, but you really must make a point of stopping off here if you’re in the mood for a cheeky drink. They play great music and due to the name of the place, you’ll find that it’s a lot less rammed with tourists than most of the other spots around York.

From the staging it’s obvious that this is a place with fun and vibe. We didn’t go there in late night but we still enjoyed the atmosphere. We had a burger and a cocktail, both were awesome.

Nicely priced, great curries, generous proportions of both food & the drinks. The only two things that kept us from rating a 4 were having to go to the bar for our drinks rather than being served by the food server & the music changed about halfway through our meal from classic easy listening to loud heavy rock… not dinner music for visiting.

I really loved Evil Eye, as evidenced by my visiting twice in one day and then again the following day. The décor is eclectic and definitely warrants the use of the word lounge rather than just bar. During the day you enter through a shop and at night you sneak in through the side door, feeling like a rebel.
When I first arrived I was disappointed to see no beers on draught, but there is a pretty large and interesting selection of bottles. At first I opted for an Erdinger weissbier and then studied the extensive cocktail menu. Later on that evening I returned and had a Persian Carpet Ride — delicious, fruity, and very boozy without being overpowering.
The next day I returned for lunch. I had the Pad Thai which was tasty although possibly overpriced at £10 with prawns. I couldn’t finish the huge portion and wanted some of it in a doggy bag to take home but as I was unable to find a member of staff this did not happen. My boyfriend had a spiced chicken wrap which I believe he enjoyed and I ordered a portion of gyoza to share which were really tasty (although I rarely don’t like anything dumpling themed).
The food took a really long time, around one hour. While ordering at the bar I overheard a staff member talking about there being a wait but wasn’t actually informed personally. Fortunately this just gave me time to drink more cocktails. My choices that day were a watermelon mojito (very good, way too drinkable) and something called a Dick Turpin which included frangelico, Goldschläger and lemon juice among other things (tasty but very strong and far less easy to drink). Most cocktails are £6 which I think is very reasonable although I admit that a few years ago I would have balked at paying that much so it depends what you’re used to.
Overall I really liked this place and would happily head back next time I’m in York to work my way through more of the cocktail menu and generally chill out.

I love Evil Eye it’s a great place for a cocktail. Always heaving on Fridays and Saturdays, and pricey to buy anything (even non-​alcoholic) but the atmosphere and sense of interconnectedness is just second to none in York. Love it.

Well, this one is a long time coming! Definitely my former favourite bar in the world, but there was sadly a period where it seemed to fall from grace slightly as it changed owners… that said, I’m happy to report it seems back on track. For those of us that have been going here for ages it still may not live up to what we consider the golden age of Evil Eye, but for anyone else that hasn’t been in the past it will probably live up to the hype that seems to surround for those «in the know» in regards to cocktail bars.
A rumoured favourite of Johnny Depp while he was in the area, this place still oozes character despite the changes over the years… it has a funky bold yet dark and bohemian (ish) interior complemented with an inventive cocktail menu with drinks that are often worth the wait. Many times you will have to wait, especially if it’s busy, but that’s the price you pay for a proper drink… Rome wasn’t built in a day! The prices aren’t terrible either, at least half that of a drink in London. While they do some beers and wine, there’s nothing on draft here and it’s not really the type of place you would go to have a few beers with a mate… this place is first and foremost a cocktail bar, but (and no offence to those who prefer such places) miles above your typical chain equivalents.
While the previously mentioned changeover was a bit rough, with loads of staff changes and the inconsistent drinks that such a changeover can bring at a bar such as this, they seem to have stabilised to a consistent set of friendly and accomplished guys and gals… for me personally it’s nice to go somewhere with a staff that hangs around, especially at a place where your average drink is more than a spirit and a mixer. (Hint: if you’re an ice cream type of person try the Evil Smoothy!) They’re also really good here about trying to help you choose a drink and/​or making a custom one if that’s your preference… a real help with a drinks menu as large and diverse as theirs.
A severely underrated aspect of this place is the food in all honesty… I can’t speak to the roasts they do on a Sunday, they’re just not my thing, but the Indonesian food, various types of Ramen, etc., they do on a Monday through Saturday is seriously good stuff at a price that can’t be beat. The prices have gone up somewhat in the years since I moved over many years ago, but not so much that my example doesn’t hold up somewhat… upon first coming here I order a starter, soup, and main (as many places expect you to do) that came to whatever reasonable amount… far less than a restaurant, or even standard pub at the time, so I had assumed that the portions were are small, etc… the gentleman behind the bar asked if I had any idea of how much food I had ordered, to which I did not, so he kindly steered me to the one main (the Nasi Goreng) which was more than enough for one person and a real treat remaining one of my favourite dishes to this day. I’m not sure I would call it Asian Fusion, even though I’m sure that’s the technical definition, but it’s far more down to earth than that definition can often imply.
For the smokers among you there’s a patio area out back that also doubles a s a good place to sit in the summer, assuming you don’t mind said smokers… it used to be an ivy covered wonderland, but will still do on a nice day.
One other note, if you see a line outside on the weekend it’s normally not nearly as bad as you would think inside… they are only allowed a set number of people in on the weekend, so once you get in it’s usually far quieter than you would have imagined and actually quite pleasant as a weekend spot despite the different crowd a weekend brings. (I still prefer here as a midweek haunt, but would also rather wait here on a weekend over braving some of York’s bigger and busier bars.) I would say Evil Eye is still an acquired taste, so it’s not for everyone here, but there’s really nothing else like it in York.
I’m torn here… many years ago I would have petitioned for a new 6 star rating just for this establishment, but it dropped to as low as 3 for me over the years, to easily rebound to 4 and perhaps even 5 territory if they continue to move in the right direction… I’ll watch this space, but I’m thrilled they’re rebounding back to glory at the moment.

Well what can I really say about this place, I love it!
It’s different from a lot of the places in York which are overpriced generic free houses owned by large companies.
Granted you will not be here for cheap drinks! BUT they are different and made right in front of you! Cocktails come out looking really nice and there is a large selection. Average price is around £6.50. Only small thing is this does mean it takes longer at the bar than a regular place, especially once people start getting out of work!
With unfortunately just getting over sickness when I went I opted for the hot chocolate (£3.50) which is made properly… No powder mix! Whipped cream and marshmallows also comes on top. I am not a usual hot chocolate drinker, but this one was too good to pass up.
My friends and I have never been in there for food but there is a really nice selection on the menu, especially with myself being vegetarian. I would be happy to have food here.
Space is kind of hard to get, especially outside of here. I have always been in a larger group when going and we sometimes struggle to get chairs, they could do with just adding a few more chairs as we have usually sat on ledges that are around the garden area.
Only qualms about the place really is the toilets, the one that is downstairs wasn’t flushing properly when we were there and it is on one of those sensor waving things so after a while I ended up not going to them and just waiting for somewhere else. This isn’t something that I would completely stop going there over.

Just needed something light and simple to eat at the end of the day. We bought a couple of pints which were nice and picked a couple of main dishes from the menu. The service was polite and efficient, the food was nice and in reasonable sized portions. The bill was under £20 for the two of us including the drinks. Very reasonable

Anytime I’m in England, I make sure I pop in this place for a drink :)
Quirky décor, decent music, and the food isn’t bad… For English standards ;)

This was a good place to pop into to buy some of my sweet sweet Rekorderlig cider from the shop downstairs.
I only went into the actual bar once, when a friend was sad about a boy and so we required high quality cocktails. It was nice to have a cocktail, after many months of beer and cider, but it was a little too pricey for the student budget to do more often. Thankfully we didn’t have that many boy problems that year, so we didn’t go broke.

This is theeeeeee best establishment in york for a cockatil, quirky décor inside (if a little dated) but the cocktail and shot menus are extensive and i could have quite easlily spent a fortune in here… as ai do love a cocktail! The staff knew what they were talking about and were very helpful. Please go here if you visit york !

My first proper visit to this place a couple of weeks back, and it wasn’t too bad. I ordered a chicken wrap with chips and a side salad, and the portion size was bigger than I expected, which was definitely a bonus!
The cuisine is Asian inspired which I thought was a little strange as this is not an Asian restaurant but hey, whatever floats your boat. The wrap was nicely made, but there were raw bean sprouts in my salad and that is a no-​no for me, as they need to be cooked.
This place is also not good for talking as the music is far too loud.
I don’t think I’ll be visiting this place anytime soon.

Evil Eye was probably one of the highlights of York; completely at odds with the external surroundings, there’s something about this place that makes you feel a wee bit naughty and rebellious against the Minster. The entrance to the bar (the one we used anyway) is through a small shop with shelves full of interesting looking spirits, including mead, which entertained me no end.
The drinks menu reminded me of Manchester bars such as Socio and Font; brightly coloured pages upon brightly coloured pages of unusual concoctions — red wine topped with cola, anyone? — fill your head until it feels like it might explode all over the orange walls. We opted for a bottle of white wine for £11.50, not to be sniffed at, and the service I received was quick and efficient. Maybe past experiences have been at odds with the usual standard? I could understand slow service as it’s a very relaxed and laid back, practically horizontal, but, as I mentioned, it’s a top change from the tea rooms and family orientated service outside of this hideaway. The food menu had us drooling from the get go and we felt quite dissapointed that we’d missed the chance to eat. Described as ‘asian fusion’ they offer a wide range of curries and rice dishes, all served on mismatching plates and bowls, perfect when you’re looking for something a bit different and wouldn’t shake a stick at all you can eat.
Although one might be put off by the ‘different-​ness’ of Evil Eye, everyone is welcome and there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Sadly I have to say that I will never again be back to the Evil Eye.
My latest visit there was the last straw for dealing with their horrid customer service. We walked in mid-​afternoon with three employees standing behind the bar having a conversation. After standing within a stones throw of them waiting for some sort of acknowledgement, we gave up and just sat down with a menu, ironically across from a couple who had clearly been sitting there a while and waiting for service. After looking over the menu (still with no acknowledgement) we stared directly at the employees for 10 minutes… waiting… nothing. Finally they headed towards us, but just walked right past us onto the outdoor patio, lit up cigarettes and continued their conversation. We were so annoyed we finally just got up and left, as did the other couple, with not even a second glance from the staff.

Never been here for a night out (the queue’s faaaaaaar too long) but the food is top notch South East Asian. Cap Cai with tofu and the chicken satay are amongst the highlights, prices are fair and the portions HUGE (doggy bags are available). If you’re old enough to drink here legally you might feel a little bit out of place but the choice of cocktails and bottled beer couldn’t be more comprehensive.
A word of warning if you’re not used to spicey food, ask them to go easy on the chilli, as when they say it’s hot, they mean it.

From the outside it doesn’t look spectacular, but if you make your way in you will be surprised by the size of the location that goes over several floors. The outside area is beautifully decorated with colorful paintings. The bar offers a great variety of cocktails and beers.

During my jaunt out with a friend to York, we decided to grab a quick drink before heading home, and having read some glorious reviews of Evil Eye it made sense to stop by here. As soon as you enter, there’s a sense of how cool this place is. To begin, you’ve to wander through the little off license shop to get to the bar. There you can purchase all manner of specialist things, such as proper beers, wines, cigars and other fine liquors. Once past the shop, you’ll find the bar, low lit with spaced out groovy vibes, funky décor and quirks and oddities all about. Beyond the bar there’s an extremely well heated and sheltered outdoor patio, perfect for those who like a few cigarettes, or to escape to during the warmer months.
I bought my friend one of their specialist beers, and for myself, perused the utterly extensive cocktail list. They don’t just cater for the standard crowd; here you’d do yourself a disservice not to try one of their home made creations, and just a cursory glance at the back bar is enough to impress any more discerning drinker. The menu is a bit tricksy to read, being as it’s in psychedelic colours, but I identified two different creations that I wanted to investigate, and so asked the bar man his professional opinion.
Initially, the music was a bit loud for him to hear me, and so as soon as I asked what he’d recommend, he said, «One minute,» and disappeared off the other end of the bar. He served another chap a bottle of beer, turned the music down and came back over! For a second, I feared I was being snubbed. Not the case, he wanted to properly see what I wanted! So, I explained the two drinks I liked the sound of, he gave me a sniff of the Chartreuse to check if I’d like it, and I opted for their Swish Mojito in the end. It’s a mix of tanqueray gin, elderflower liquor, muddled mint, lime, gomme, and some other bits. In a flash my drink was ready, and off I went.
It was fantastic. So delicious and wonderfully made, I was sad not to stay the duration and drink there all night. Whilst there were the odd ‘too cool for school’ types, the majority of the bar seemed lovely, and there were lots of friendly smiles and faces. Plenty of banter with the bar staff, cool customers and one hot drinks list are three of the reasons that I’m certainly coming back. The other reason is that I’ve yet to make it upstairs and check out their famous beds! The Evil Eye is damned cool, and I totally recommend you check it out.

This place was the only restaurant that left a bad taste in my mouth during my visit to York. After reading such good reviews I was expecting good service, good food. Not the case.
We went in and was told to sit and that someone would be with us. We were left to sit at our table for ages. And the place was empty! There was no excuse considering there were 3 people «working» there. They were too busy chatting with each other than come over to get our drink order and give us menus. No eye contact, no apologies as I huffed and puffed my way out. Nothing.
Maybe this place is better in the evening? If that’s the case avoid during the lunch hours.