Harrogate’s answer to a Manhattan cocktail bar will open it’s doors on Friday, with the launch of 63rd+1st.
Decked out in trendy dark blue and gold, and featuring lots of greenery, the restaurant, lounge and bar on Albert Street is aimed at customers who might just want a nibble and a drink after work or a meal out with friends.
The restaurant area.
The extensive selection of cocktails, priced at around £10, include the likes of a New York Hangover and a Fuhgeddaboudit, as well as a more traditional selection. There is also a good choice of low alcohol or alcohol-free options.
With plenty of other restaurants in the area, as well as bars on nearby John Street, the venue will need to stand out from the crowd.
And general manager Eva Souza, from Harrogate, who has been in the hospitality industry for 15 years, believes it will.
She said:
“The location is really great in the town centre. I believe we are the right cocktail bar and restaurant for this particular place.
“People love to go out here and enjoy nice surroundings and I believe this is the right place for Harrogate people.
“There are a lot of Italian restaurants in this area and this is something unique. I believe it is something new for the town.
“Our bartenders are really well-trained and the bar itself is beautiful. You can sit around it and watch them prepare the cocktails.
“It’s like a home away from home and we want to be a nice, cosy place for everyone. The place is very stylish and I hope guests will be very happy here.”
General manager Eva Souza enjoying a cocktail in the lounge area.
The new 3,380 sq ft venue, which was formerly Ask Italian, seats 101, as well as another 12 outside.
The menu is inspired by Manhattan street food and features small plates to enjoy with a cocktail, as well as larger dishes.
It includes a ‘signature burger’ steaks and seafood, as well as savoury donuts, a crayfish roll and a corndog. Small plates include arancini and calamari.
Head chef Nick Chappelow, who is also from Harrogate, said:
“I’m excited to cook all of it. The menu is great.
“I like the fact that there are sharing plates on the menu. It’s more relaxed and you get to just graze, so it’s somewhere in between tapas and a main meal starter size.
“The jammy chicken lollipops are insane.
“There’s a really good team here. I’ve been a head chef for 20 plus years, so I’ve seen a lot and it’s nice to go into this going forward.
“It’s fresh and funky and we are going to hit the ground running.”
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Brunch will be served from 9am on a Friday and over the weekend and there will also be a Sunday lunch option. Diners can also choose table service or they can order and pay using a tablet.
American-style booths in the restaurant area.
The venue, which will generate 30 part-time and full-time jobs, is being developed by Hostmore PLC, which also includes TGI Fridays as part of its portfolio. It is named after the street in New York that was home to the original TGI Fridays and where Tom Cruise filmed Cocktail.
Harrogate’s branch is the third to open in the UK behind Surrey in May and Glasgow in September.
- 63rd and 1st opens on Friday, November 26, at 9am.
