A brownie and a schooner of pale ale – sound like an odd and yet somewhat satisfying combo? Well you should head over to the Fossgate Social, York’s new café bar which is doing things differently.
Since bagging a prime spot on Fossgate, brother and sister Mike and Sarah Lakin have invested more than £40,000 into renovating the building, stripping almost everything out from inside and adding new components such as a cellar and a yard in the process.
Opening a business together has been somewhat of dream for the duo for the past three or four years now. “I’ve always wanted to start a business of my own,” says Mike.
Sarah says they were looking for a while before finding their ideal venue at 25 Fossgate.
Sarah is a landscape architect, whilst Mike is a website designer who also dabbles in the music industry.
Although new to the hospitality industry, the two of them are intent on creating an environment where there is an edgy vibe, but not an overt focus on coolness.
Basically it’s indie central.
Food and drink
If you want to get outrageously drunk then this isn’t the place for you as they are all about “sophisticated drinking”.
This, says Mike, has seen an “eclectic range of customers” through the doors since it opened last month.
As a night bar the Fossgate Social serves up Brooklyn Lager schooners for £3.10.
In the day it is a café so that you can get your caffeine fix before you move onto the hard stuff.
As well as a wide range of coffees and pastries, including brownies and cookies, the menu includes paninis for those wanting a light lunch.
“It is very important to provide good quality food, as York’s hospitality standards are constantly improving and customers simply expect it,” Sarah said.
Live music
You’ll be pleased to know that not only do the owners offer to feed and water you, but they also provide you with live entertainment.
Various artists have already performed acoustic sets at the Fossgate Social. It is an indie bar after all.
They included Alex Fox from Attic Records who performed an intimate gig for customers.
Since the performance was so successful, the siblings hope to invest in a sound system of their own in order to accommodate similar performances in the future. Both are “very into music”, says Sarah.
Whilst The Fossgate Social hasn’t had an official launch, the news of its arrival seems to have spread by word of mouth, providing the bar with great success in its first few weeks.
Our first visit and it won’t be the last. We were here for the after party with the McGee exhibition, my daughter’s artwork is a part of ‘Goldsmiths in the North’. The interesting selection of international beers and ales is impressive and the cocktails are freshly prepared. The interior reminds me of a Swiss mountain bar, all reclaimed wood and exposed brick. The atmosphere is fantastic, it has a real buzz about it and the art on display is a real talking point. The staff are friendly and Mike gave us a warm welcome, we will definitely return!
Went in to the social today and it has such a great atmosphere and fab service. Will be a regular from now as its on my way to work xx
Had a really enjoyable lunch here today – we ordered a Sicilian cheese toastie and a pork pie topped with apple, both served with a light salad and crisps on the side – both tasty and very reasonable value too. The atmosphere was very chilled out and relaxed with friendly staff, and in the comfortable rustic decor we felt right at home! We are looking forward to visiting the Fossgate Social again during the evening to sample the beers.
Went here today in a group of 4 this lunchtime. I ordered a decaf latte, but it took them 10mins to realise that they didn’t have decaf & that the only choice was to have ‘caff’ coffee (don’t know why it took them so long to realise!) So they eventually brought 3 coffees, giving me the latte my husband should have had. He had to wait another 10-15mins for his to arrive (no apology was forthcoming). The 3 coffees which arrived first were all lukewarm & about half the size you get in Spring Espresso (and a similar price, mind!) My mum ordered a ‘Sicilian’ toastie, which sounded exotic, but they’d also run out of mozzarella, so we were asked if Red Leicester would do! Not quite the same with basil leaves!! There was meant to be ham in the toastie too, but hardly any to be seen!! Unbelievable as we were charged almost £4 for this! As for the service, it was ‘indifferent’ at best, not at all friendly or welcoming (again, not like Spring Espresso). In fact, we were never asked at any point if everything was OK with our drinks/snacks, and on the way out, we weren’t even acknowledged, said ‘thank you’ or ‘goodbye’ to – you know the usual ‘pleasantries’ you expect when a paying customer?! I couldn’t believe that it hadn’t occurred to any of the staff to pop across the road to replenish any stock which they’d run out of, as there’s an Italian deli not 5 yards across the road!! Service was awful, indifferent & unfriendly – unbelievable when you’re just starting a new business & especially considering the amount of competition in the vicinity. Needless to say, we’ll never be going back!!
Fantastic little place nice sunny yard but2/3 of a pint ? Its a real shame this place is spoilt by the rude staff with too much attitude it shows that there new to the cafe buisness lighten up and get a sense of humour and smile
Hi Phillip, only just found your thoughts on the Fossgate Social. We’re sorry if you’ve had a bad experience. Can we assure you, that no one intends to be rude or have too much attitude, it was probably nerves because we are so new. You’re quite right we do need to lighten up a little! Come back again and we promise you a smile!