Arc Inspirations to open ninth Yorkshire bar following £1m chapel renovation

Banyan York will open on 12 July in a 161 year-old building on Little Stonegate in York city centre. 

Featuring 212 covers, the venue will follow in the footsteps of the Banyan Bar & Kitchen in Harrogate which also sits within the Arc Inspirations portfolio of venues alongside Arc, The Box, Trio Bar & Grill, Zed, Napa Bar & Kitchen and Kobe - all in Leeds.

Flagship​

The upcoming opening follows an extensive £1m refurbishment project to transform the building which had most recently been operated as a bookshop.

Martin Wolstencroft, the owner of Arc Inspirations,​ revealed the new bar was set to become a flagship venue for the company.

"With some seven million visitors to the city each year, its responsive resident and business community, and existing lively nightlife, we recognised that the city could provide us with a terrific opportunity for one of our award winning Arc Inspirations venues.

"On Little Stonegate, we are also within an area of the city that boasts some superb independent bars and restaurants and Banyan York will need to compete with some of the best in the city," Wolstencroft admitted.

Banyan tree ​

Banyan York will feature an all-day dining menu created by executive head chef John Richold - a set of dishes, using seasonal produce from local suppliers where possible, will be available from breakfast to early evening.

"We will enhance the food and drink offer throughout the day, as well as into the evening, so we can cater for a broad range of customer. We’re confident that Banyan York will be an asset to the city and one of the North’s premier destination bars," Wolstencroft added.

Arc Inspirations, which was founded in 1999, has spent most of the budget on the interiors of the York venue. Many hidden architectural features have been restored, including a listed staircase which will be one of the bar's main features.

Each of the venue's three floors will feature a bar and the first-floor library, which would have been the home of the chapel's choir, will become a small, exclusive-use space. A 'Banyan tree sculpture' will reach from the ground floor to the first-floor level.