Evil Eye

My friends and I took a day trip to York and stopped in for an early afternoon drink. I was first pleasantly surprised by their gin shop in the front of the bar. The inside of the bar itself is very funky. The reason to go here is for the cocktails. They have pages and pages of delicious creation. I had the green fairy and loved it. After that, I ordered a gin and tonic with Monkey 47 gin. Thrilled to see that they carried this.

This place is a must for a unique drinking experience when in York.

Expertly mixes cocktails. Great ambiance. A marvellous selection and some really good deals.
He decor is interesting and the staff are friendly and attentive.
Overall a nice, friendly place to either alone or with fiends.

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.

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 really loved Evil Eye, as evidenced by my visiting twice in one day and then again the following day. The decor 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.

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.

An excellent alternative cocktail bar set in the heart of York, with great atmosphere and crazy and idiosyncratic but very cool decoration. As soon as you hit the top floor with its psychedelic maroon, purple and rave neon-yellow colours, and then secondly realise that you can sit or lie on beds (yes beds) whilst drinking chocolate cocktails you will realise Evil Eye is quite an interesting place, like some kind of living breathing dream, the kind you get when you have eaten too much cheese intersected with flashbacks to Gene Wilders Willy Wonka. Obviosuly, this place is above all unique with a capital U! Hmmm. or maybe I drank too much cocktail.

Speaking of which, The cocktails are miniature works of art, kind of like more grown up (and liquid and alcoholic (!) ) versions of cupcakes! An extensive list of cocktails means that everyone will find something they will like, alongside real ales and a handful of popular lagers. Although to be fair, I'm not exactly a 'seasoned' drinker who can pub-tour after pub-tour, preferring atmosphere over cheap drinks and beer-belly competition, I can quite readily lose my ability to render any meaningful cognitions with the weird and wonderful cocktails in this weird and wonderful place.

A really unique and independent cocktail bar, take care on the stairs which were not really meant for heavy use, being tiny and pretty cramped however and suitable for one person only, (more like half a person really), and probably being pretty much ancient and creaking with age- with people insisting that it is their 'right of way' when in all fairness it seems that they're (to a diplomatic observer- sans absinthe cocktail) perhaps a little impatient. A small observation but nevertheless true.

Great place - try 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.

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.

Evil Eye is just amazing. Probably one of my most favorite spots of all time. My advice is to go upstairs and lay on one of their fabulous beds, adorned with what seems like hundreds of silky pillows, tap into their wireless connection, and snuggle up with a tasty brew by your side. The place is part mysterious and part delirious. When you try it, you'll know.