Filmore & Union gluten free, York *Closed*
July 2020 update: Many Filmore & Union branches have closed and their website no longer works – it is believed they have gone into administration. Their Facebook page still exists but hasn’t been active for some time.
I was first introduced to Filmore & Union by some friends who live in York. Their ethos is fresh and healthy food, where everything is made from scratch. As they are also accredited by Coeliac UK, they have a great understanding of gluten free and have a large selection of gluten free options for breakfast, lunch, dinner or just a snack!
Filmore & Union are also located in other northern areas of the UK, such as Leeds, Harrogate and Skipton.
2019 update: This review was of their central York location, they since moved to John Lewis at the Vangard Retail park.
The first floor restaurant in York has a lovely feel and there is also a small cafe downstairs. The menu is clearly marked with gluten free options, and also dairy free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan and ‘contains nuts’. The menu changes regularly and is described as ‘modern European’.
On my first visit (2014), every single dinner menu item was either gluten free or had a gluten free option (eg GF bread with soup), however they do note that their kitchen does handle gluten. As many Coeliacs know, being faced with a ‘normal’ menu makes decisions quite difficult as we usually only have one or two options to choose from, so it is lovely to have the option to choose something you fancy, rather than just what is suitable.
I opted for the roast chicken, as I had been thinking about a roast all day due to walking past several roast shops. It was delicious and everyone else also had lovely meals.
On my second visit (September 2015), the menu didn’t have as many gluten free options (see above), and I actually wanted something I couldn’t have :-(. But the steak I selected was still nice, and we shared some sides and I particularly enjoyed the hot asian slaw.
The raw courgetti salad is a great example of the interesting and healthy options available.
The whole restaurant is dog friendly – how fantastic! Our hotel (the Hilton) was dog friendly as well, so you can travel with your pooch and still dine out in style.
Dog friendly!
The next morning we skipped the hotel breakfast and went back to Filmore & Union and it was amazing! I am a bit of a pancake fiend and am always looking for ways to have them (see London crepes post). To be able to have a delicious pancake with a hot chocolate (so hard for coeliacs as barley is often in the mixes), along with a beautiful juice and I was in raptures :-).
There is a juice of the month, and in September it was Nectarine, Carrot, Ginger, Lemon & Apple – gorgeous! For a review of the cinnamon quinoa breakfast, click this link. For those that like a more traditional fry up, there is a gluten free option for the breakfast below.
While we were at breakfast I noticed you can also get a picnic made up. This could be ideal if you are setting off on a day trip somewhere from York and don’t want to worry about food.
If you are travelling to or from York by train, they also have a store at the train station where you can pick up a variety of food options for your journey (or eat there). Please see the York Station post for more information.
At both the restaurant and the station they have a large variety of cakes, and apparently the brownie is to die for!
You can read more about the owner of Filmore & Union here. Filmore & Union are included in my UK Chain Restaurants listing (one of around 50 chains in the UK that have a gluten free offering) if you are looking for further options whilst travelling around the UK. For other UK restaurant reviews, click here.
York is a fabulous city to visit and also has a great array of gluten free options – for more information on York, please click here. If you are heading north to Edinburgh, there are some great 100% gluten free options there.
Filmore and Union
John Lewis York, Unit C, Vangarde Retail Park, Huntington, York YO32 9AE
Platform 8, York train station, Station Rd, York YO1 7HZ
For more ideas on eating out gluten free in the UK and travelling, please check the following links:
- 100% Gluten Free UK page (including London)
- Visiting the UK
- Summary of chains offering gluten free options
- London restaurant reviews
- Melbourne 100% gluten free
- Gluten free in Paris (including many 100% GF options)
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