Revealed: The swanky new bar that wants to move into landmark York building

A fast-growing cocktail bar chain with a love of the theatrical wants to move into to one of York’s most prominent empty buildings.

The Alchemist bar and restaurant group are applying to take over part of Ousegate House, on the corner of Nessgate opposite High Ousegate.

YorkMix reported in August 2021 that the owners of the four-storey building, the Helmsley Group, were marketing the ground floor as “a rare and exceptional leisure opportunity for a forward thinking and prominent leisure operator to open a significant bar and / or restaurant in the heart of York’s thriving retail core”.

Now it seems to have found an operator.

The Alchemist Bar & Restaurant Ltd is applying for an alcohol licence for the building, which used to house the Royal Bank of Scotland and Thomas Cook.

It hopes to open from 9am to 12.30am from Sunday through to Thursday, then 9am to 1.30am on Friday and Saturday.

The ground floor has more than 3,300 sq ft of open-plan floor space with capacity for almost 150 customers.

Founded in 2010, the Alchemist group began with a bar in Manchester, before opening venues in Leeds and London.

It specialises in cocktail mixology, and bar staff who serve drinks with a certain theatricality.

The Cheshire based group was bought out by a Manchester-based private equity firm Palatine in 2015. It has supported the management team, led by managing director Simon Potts, on its national roll-out.

Now it has 20 venues. And the York Alchemist, if it goes ahead, will be one of three openings next year.

Meanwhile, the Helmsley Group has won permission to turn the higher floors of Ousegate House into 15 flats.