The Blue Bicycle is on its way back! Builders move in as restaurant reveals plans to reopen

The restaurant that paved the way for York’s foodie revolution is on its way back.

Closed since the devastating floods of Boxing Day 2015, the builders have now moved in to the Blue Bicycle to remedy the damage.

No date has been set for the reopening. But a spokeswoman for the restaurant told YorkMix that it was planned to be open again late in 2018.

That is excellent news for foodies. Long before Fossgate was filled with fancy eateries, the Blue Bicycle had been a beacon of fine dining in the city.

Serving a European-inspired menu with a major focus on fish, the restaurant won awards and many plaudits.

Major structural damage

Perched on the side of Foss Bridge the Blue Bicycle was one of the properties hardest hit by the floods of Boxing Day 2015.

The placid River Foss turned into a raging torrent, causing major structural damage to the building.

And that is why it has taken so long to get the repairs done, a spokeswoman for the restaurant said.

She said there was major structural damage on the river-facing side of the building.

“These things take time – a long time,” she said. “Trying to get everyone together takes a long while.

“We don’t have a definite date for reopening.”

Complexity of the rebuild

A message on the Blue Bicycle website, updated on Wednesday (March 21) says: “Unfortunately some structural damage to our building caused by the flood water has prevented us from moving forward with restoration works in this particular area, due to the complexity of the issues involved and the proximity of our building to the River Foss.

“York residents and visitors to the city may well have noticed that repairs to our building are now visible externally from Fossgate and Foss Bridge.

“We do not anticipate being open until late 2018. We will provide further updates on an estimated reopening date as soon as we have this information available.”

The restaurant, previously known as the Cockatoo Creperie, was opened by David Rose and Sarah Brownbridge. It was said to be the erstwhile home of a brothel – and is haunted by several ghosts.