Yorkshire is home of cakes and cafes and a visit to a Yorkshire cafe or tearoom is an absolute must. They know a thing or two when it comes to tea - and we mean afternoon teas with proper tea in teapots accompanied by a fantastic selection of homemade cakes. Tearooms are hugely popular in rural Yorkshire and many have kept that traditional friendly lace tablecloth and china tea service welcome. These are often the best places to try traditional homemade cakes and tarts. Having said that, more contemporary styled coffee shops and cafes are springing up throughout Yorkshire's rural towns.
Cafés in West Yorkshire are the best places to find fat rascals and Yorkshire curd tart to have with your tea. Bettys Café Tearooms in Harrogate is Yorkshire's most famous café but you don't necessarily have to visit Harrogate as there are Little Bettys Cafes at York, Ilkley and North Allerton. You'll find York cafes in North Yorkshire a mix between traditional and cosmopolitan cafes many with riverside views, near York Minster itself or along one of the historic streets like The Shambles. For your more trendy coffee shops and cafes you'll find one on most street corners in Leeds and Sheffield where coffee shops and trendy cafes are all the rage.
You'll be hard pushed not to find a café or coffee shop in Leeds. There are chain coffee shops on nearly every street corner and cafes in all the shopping centres in Leeds. With so much competition you'll find little gems along the way whether your preference is for a traditional greasy spoon or a fair-trade café serving up wholesome and vegetation meals.
For those upmarket shoppers Harvey Nichols arcade is a popular place to people-watch and be seen sipping on your cappuccino. Leeds has some unusual cafes such as the Café Scientifique where the clientele meet up over coffee to discuss science or the Arts Café with its contemporary exhibition space showcasing local and regional artists. There's also a choice of internet cafes in Leeds like The Internet Café in the Merrion Centre, Lovejuice on North Lane and The Call Box and Connect at Hamza on Roundhay Road.
Tea rooms and cafes in York are an absolute must as you enjoy the historic streets and tourist attractions in York. One of the most famous cafes in York is Little Bettys - an offshoot of the famous Bettys Café Tearoom in Harrogate. You'll find it on St Helens Square in a glass fronted historic listed building on medieval Stonegate. Downstairs is a little traditional tea shop where you can buy Bettys and Taylors cakes, teas and coffees. Up the stairs you'll find the café in a wooden beamed ceilinged room with an open fire when it's cold - cosy.
There are a lot of traditional cafes all around York like the Earl Grey Tea Room on The Shambles renowned for its high teas or a café with a twist like the Danish Kitchen that uses all Danish products for traditional cakes and pastries. There are also plenty of the chain coffee shops in York.
For something more contemporary you'll find the trendy Orgasmic Café with riverside views or pop into the Picturehouse which also has a Basement Bar that serves as an internet cafe by day and York events venue by night. The Basement Bar also hosts a weekly comedy club. For the health conscious try York's only juice bar, Juicymoosey also on The Shambles. Juicymoosey serves up smoothies and juices made with fresh fruits and vegetables and you can add superfood shots of wheatgrass, aloe vera and spirulina. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate and soups are also available.
Cafes in Sheffield have something for everyone whatever your taste. You can choose from cheap traditional cafes for a hot mug of tea to healthy juice and smoothie bars.
Being a major Yorkshire city you won't go far without coming across one of the chain coffee shops that are prevalent in all big towns and cities these days. But search around a bit and you'll find some great cafes and coffee shops that often serve up cheaper food and drink and much better value. Independent Sheffield cafes often serve up interesting food like the onion bhaji and mango chutney sandwich at Feast on Chapel Walk or a great range of vegetarian, organic and fair trade cafes like Café Euro on St John Street and The Blue Moon Café on St James Street.
Harrogate is the birthplace of Yorkshire's most famous café, Bettys Café Tea Rooms. Bettys Tea rooms in Harrogate first opened their door in 1919 and been going strong ever since. It's a traditional tea room where you'll find an excellent choice of teas and coffees by Betty's sister company Taylor's. The menu has everything from breakfast meals to afternoon teas. It's the afternoon tea that they're famous for, where you can sample a Yorkshire cream tea or a selection of miniature cakes and patisseries. Coach parties often descend on Harrogate especially for Betty's Café and you'll often find it so popular that you may have to wait to be seated. To satisfy demand there are now six Bettys Tearooms: one other in Harrogate at the RHS Gardens at Harlow Carr, with others in York, Ilkley and North Allerton.
Cafés in Harrogate add to the cosmopolitan feel of the town with a good choice of cafes, coffee shops and café bars, often with street dining, interspersed between the chic boutiques and shops in Harrogate. The smell of coffee wafting through the streets will easily tempt you in for a welcome break as you stroll round Harrogate's beautiful town centre with its stunning Victorian and Edwardian architecture. Harrogate cafes offer you the choice of traditional Yorkshire cafes, bistro style cafes with menus reflecting European cuisine, cafes priding themselves on local produce and straight forward American style coffee shops. It's the perfect accompaniment to a visit to Harrogate's spa town.
Coffee shops and cafes in North Yorkshire
Coffee shops and cafes on the Yorkshire Coast
Coffee shops and cafes in the Yorkshire Dales
Coffee shops and cafes in West Yorkshire
Coffee shops and cafes in East & South Yorks
