Stunning new bar, restaurant and games room opening at one of York’s top hotels

It’s the Royal York Hotel – as you’ve never seen it before.

You could be forgiven for not spotting it straight away. A York landmark since 1878, its splendour has faded a little in recent years.

But now the Victorian edifice is being brought bang up to date with a multi-million investment featuring a new restaurant, bar and games room.

Owner Starwood Capital wants to bring back its glory years whilst creating new, destination restaurant and bar concepts for hotel guests and York residents.

And we’ll get to see the first fruits of this work next week.

The Chapter House bar and games room will open on October 26 and be serving a menu of classic cocktails, spirits, wines, craft ales and bar nibbles.

Food options will include black pudding sausage roll with HP Sauce, Fountains Gold toastie with Branston – made with Fountains Gold cheddar from the Wensleydale Creamery – and Bridlington scampi with tartare sauce. 

Cocktails mix classics with some local flavour, such as

the Duke of York –Lanson Pere et Fils champagne, suffused with mandarin liqueur and grenadine, and
the Yorkshire Twister – rum, maraschino, grapefruit and ginger.

The wood-panelled games room will feature a half-size pool table, tables with a chess board decoration, cards and board games.

The Refectory Kitchen & Terrace will open on November 12, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.

Both the Refectory and the Chapter House bar have been conceived and developed by London restaurateur Des McDonald.

Executive chef Nick Evans – who has joined The Refectory from Middlethorpe Hall Hotel – has worked with Des and his team to create a “moreish, seasonal menu that is packed with local produce”.

This will include Yorkshire Dales lamb and Whitby cod to Yorkshire cheeses and stem ginger Parkin.

The light-flooded dining room seats 126 guests with a further 35 on the outdoor terrace.

Both the Refectory and the Chapter House have been designed by award-winning architects Michaelis Boyd, whose clients range from London’s Groucho Club and Soho House Group through chef Tom Aikens to the Byron restaurant chain. 

The multi-million pound Royal York Hotel investment will also include:

• refurbishment of all 159 bedrooms and suites
• refurbishment of the hotel lobby, and
• the creation of a Garden Room looking out to York Minster.

The work is due to be completed in December, and has created up to 90 new local jobs.

Halifax born Stephen Carter has joined The Royal York Hotel having overseen a similarly ambitious, multi-million pound investment at Cameron House in Scotland.

“The city’s world-class heritage attracts visitors from across the UK and around the world,” said Stephen.

“We hope to put The Royal York Hotel ‘back on the map’ by working closely with local businesses, suppliers and cultural partners.”