Quirky Café and Bar opens on Lendal Bridge in York

The Quirky Café and Bar is situated in the former toll house on the York station side of Lendal Bridge, just across the road from its sister café the Perky Peacock.

The building, formerly home to Hartley’s café, has stood since 1873.

The site originally only had two seating spaces for customers. Now it boasts three new rooms, as well as an outdoor seating area.

Richard Potter and his wife Shirley have run the Perky Peacock, in Barker Tower, for the past two years, and the café has proved a popular spot for locals and tourists.

Richard said that during his time at the Perky Peacock he has always had an eye on the former toll house as a potential new venue.

However, once the building fell into their hands it required a lot of work to create the space it is today. Richard described the renovations as “quite daunting” at first.

He said: “It was a huge effort, it took about four months, it was quite painstaking.

"We knew what we were taking on, but we could see the potential."

Richard added: “We’ve put a breath of life into this building."

The interior now showcases an array of décor, with a variety of themes and furniture.

Describing the décor, Richard said: “We tried to give it that eclectic look."

For Richard, the character of the building is an essential part of the experience.

Much like its sister café, The Perky Peacock, it’s a unique space inside some of York’s old architecture.

“We didn’t want to do a café in a normal building on the high street, that’s why we’re so happy that we got this," Richard added.

Between the elephant room, turret and cellar, customers have a variety of rooms to enjoy as a café space during the day. But in the evening it transforms into a bar.

“You can come and enjoy some lunch and a lovely coffee, but also enjoy our cocktails later on.”

The new café already host a happy hour (12pm-2pm) with talks of a bottomless brunch coming in the future, alongside an assortment of coffees and lunch options similar to its popular partner across the bridge.

The bar is proud to sell York Gin as well as other locally sourced products.

Richard said that carrying on the heritage of the city is an important part of the new site.

He said: “Like many owners of places like this we feel that we’ve become custodians of this building, it’s up to us to look after it.

“(This café) is utilising one of the lovely old buildings in York."

The Quirky Café and Bar is open from 10am-10pm on weekdays, and from 10am-midnight on weekends.