Harrogate‘s nightlife will offer even more choice from tonight, with the official launch of a new cocktail bar.

Locus Bar, on Cheltenham Crescent, is the brainchild of Flavia Milovi, who will run it with the help of bar manager Natasha Murray. The launch event starts at 6pm and everyone is welcome.

Natasha said:

“We want to give people a reason to get out of their homes and come to a nice, welcoming place that feels just as comfortable, but more stylish.

“We’re strong on wines and cocktails, with a range not just of the classics, but also of some that guests might not have tried before, like the Locus 21 and the Lost in Locus.

“In the future, we have plans to offer meat and cheese platters, live music and even singles nights, and we also have a private function room for hire.”

Locus Bar, which is in premises formerly occupied by Bijou & Wild, is named after a Leeds establishment owned by Flavia’s business partner, Gerti Masllavica, but this is Flavia’s first foray into Harrogate’s social scene. She said:

“We have a lot of friends here, and the people are nice. Harrogate really fits our style of venue, so I very much hope people will come along from 6pm tonight and see what we have to offer.”

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A new bar is set to open on Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road today.

17 Miles will open its doors in the former Scandinavian clothes shop Bias.

The bar sells a range of independent craft beers, wines and non-alcoholic drinks.

Owner Matthew Gray came up with the name by combining the door number and the name of his son, Miles.

Mr Gray, who was granted planning permission for the conversion in April, said he wanted to open in the “up and coming” Cold Bath Road area.

He said:

“I think the vibe around the area is increasing.

“In terms of the venue, it immediately catches the eye of passers by with its windows.”

Here are some photos of the new venture, which adds to the growing number of bars on Cold Bath Road.

The bar is open from 4pm today and is dog friendly.

Its opening times will be 4pm to 11pm Tuesday to Friday, 12pm to 11pm on Saturday and 12pm until 9pm on Sunday.

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A new bar and restaurant is due to officially open today in the centre of Knaresborough.

1858 is situated in the former NatWest bank, which closed in 2017, on the High Street. Councillors granted an alcohol licence to applicant Jaime Wilkinson last month.

The venue, which will launch at 5pm, provides lunch and evening meals and Sunday roasts as well as drinks.

It derives its name from the year in which the building was constructed.

The High Street site was formerly occupied by NatWest.

Kim Lancaster, who was manager of the town’s So Bar and Eats before working with Mr Wilkinson at the Drakes fish and chip shops that he owns, will run the venue.

Ms Lancaster told councillors the venue would feature “elegant fine dining” rather than be a “Wetherspoons quick in-and-out” type experience.

She added:

“We want people coming in not just for alcohol but for coffee and lunch. We’re trying to bring back something to Knaresborough that people can’t wait for. People are going to Harrogate [instead]. We’ve spent a lot of money and want to do it right with the right clientele.”

1858 is permitted to sell alcohol from 10am until midnight seven days a week.

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A new bar and restaurant could be opened in Knaresborough if a licence is granted by North Yorkshire Council next week.

An application has been made for an alcohol licence at the former Natwest bank premises at 42 High Street.

Planning permission was granted last year to convert the ground floor into a cafe and sports therapy rooms.

Now, owner Jaime Wilkinson is seeking a licence to sell alcohol until midnight seven days a week, under the business name 1858 Bar and Restaurant Ltd.

Mr Wilkinson has requested extended opening hours until 2am on bank holidays, including Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The application also states there will be live music until 11pm.

As part of the application, Mr Wilkinson said there will be a “higher retail price for alcohol than other venues in Knaresborough to restrict over drinking and commotion”.

He also committed to install CCTV at the premises, as one of a number of conditions suggested by North Yorkshire Police’s licensing officer.

However, there have been five objections to the plans submitted to the council.

One nearby resident said an alcohol licence until midnight and reference to the premises as a bar is not in line with the planning approval given last year. They said:

“Harrogate Borough Council conducted a public hearing for a former license (sic) application and the resulting decision limited operation and licensing hours to strict terms and much earlier hours than those being applied for again here.

“We kindly ask the team and [North Yorkshire] Council to review the former hearing outcome and consider this in review of this latest application, where all points we believe are relevant, as are the views of those objecting and as such the restrictions should adhere again here to this license (sic) at the least, if indeed permitted at all.”

The application will be decided by North Yorkshire Council’s licensing committee at a meeting next Thursday.

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A Harrogate bar owner will be raising a glass or two after successfully appealing alcohol licence restrictions that he says would have made trading from his Cold Bath Road premises “impossible”. 

Dave Swallow received a licence for his bar, AAA, in November, but it came with conditions.

Harrogate Borough Council said he had to build a barrier to separate his forecourt seating area from the pavement; he had to build a lobby as a sound-proofing measure; and he could only serve alcohol till 9pm. 

He told the Stray Ferret: 

“I couldn’t comply with those conditions as well as the building regulations and the fire regulations all at the same time. It was just physically impossible.” 

So he took North Yorkshire Council, which assumed all Harrogate Borough Council’s functions on April 1, to court – and won. He no longer has to build the barrier or the lobby, and may now serve alcohol from 12 noon till 11pm, as is the norm for bars and pubs in England. 

He said: 

“I’m elated. The waiting is over, the amalgamation of work and stress has lifted and I’ve cleared that hurdle. 

“Now I’ve got a long list of things to do to make sure I comply with the remaining licence conditions, but that’s fine – all bars have to do that. The main thing is, we’re serving now!” 

AAA, pronounced triple-A, is a bar that also sells vinyl records and merchandise from another of Dave’s ventures, clothing brand Audio Architect Apparel. He said he wanted to create “a nice, cool place where people can come to listen to good music on a good sound system, drinking good drinks”. 

He added:

“We’re getting in more vinyl by the week, and we’ll soon be serving breakfast, lunch and sociable, picky stuff in the evenings, such as charcuterie and cheeseboards.

“We’re taking on more staff and we’ll be having an opening party on July 14. After months of waiting, this court victory means we can finally move ahead with our plans.” 

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The owner of Brew Bar has opened a new coffee shop in the centre of Harrogate.

Simon Somerville-Frost, who has operated his original venture on St Winifred’s Avenue since 2018, opened the new coffee shop on Royal Parade this week under the name &… Harrogate.

&… Harrogate provides lunch and brunch as well as a wide range of coffees, pastries and bakes. It plans to transition to also operate as an evening bar in the weeks ahead.

It took about nine weeks to transform the former Gron building, which closed last year.

Mr Somerville-Frost said &… Harrogate was designed to look and feel completely different to Brew Bar, which has established a reputation as a community coffee shop in the saints area of Harrogate.

He said:

“We just decided to something totally different. It’s a completely different look from Brew Bar and a really nice space.

“It’s a natural evolution from Brew Bar. I didn’t want the space to look too ‘coffee shop’.We’ve gone for a quite darker aesthetic so we can transition easily into an evening bar.

“People feel comfortable in both environments and we are excited to get going.”

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A sound engineer who has worked for some of the biggest names in pop has opened a vinyl coffee house and bar in Harrogate. 

Dave Swallow’s CV includes stints with Amy Winehouse, Erasure and James, and he still routinely joins Norwegian mega-band A-ha on tour. But he’s launched a new venture that brings his love of music to the town he now calls home.  

AAA (pronounced triple-A) on Cold Bath Road is currently operating as a coffee house, open from 9 to 5pm, but a temporary licence over the spring bank holiday weekend will see it function as the bar it is meant to be, open till 11pm. 

AAA on Cold Bath Road also has outdoor seating.

From early July, when it receives its full alcohol licence, AAA will be a coffee house and bar that also sells vinyl records and clothes from another of Dave’s ventures, clothing brand Audio Architect Apparel. 

Dave, who is originally from Southend-on-Sea but has lived in Harrogate for 16 years, said: 

“Last July, I was touring with A-ha, playing Rio de Janeiro and the Hollywood Bowl, and then just two days later I was back here, being handed the keys to this place.  

“Ultimately, I just want to create a nice, cool place where people can come to listen to good music on a good sound system, drinking good drinks.” 

Dave Swallow wants to create a cool place, with good music and drinks.

AAA currently serves hot drinks, cakes and traybakes, but as a bar it will offer wines, spirits, a range of bottled beers, and two brews on tap – a pilsner and an IPA, both made by music-inspired brewer Signature Brew. 

In addition, anyone who still has any old vinyl records but no means to play them can take their discs along to AAA and Dave will play them. He said: 

“Music is a language without words. It’s emotional. You can take a band from Liverpool and drop them in South America, and their sound travels. It crosses boundaries and brings people together. That’s what I’m doing here.” 

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A plan to convert a former Cold Bath Road shop in Harrogate into a bar has been approved.

The proposal, which has been tabled by 17 Miles Ltd, will see the former store at 17 Cold Bath Road converted.

The building, next door to Lunns Blinds and Curtains, was previously occupied by Scandinavian clothes shop Bias, which has since moved to Montpellier Parade.

Now, North Yorkshire Council has approved a plan to convert it into a bar and cafe.

Documents submitted to the authority propose opening times from 4pm to 11pm Wednesday and Thursday, and 12pm to 11pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

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However, further details, including the name, have yet to be revealed.

Cold Bath Road already has a selection of pubs and bars, including the Fat Badger, District Bar and The Last Post.

An Italian restaurant in Harrogate town centre is set to relaunch next Thursday (April 27) following a £30,000 overhaul. 

The refurbishment of Piccolino on Parliament Street sees the return of the ground-floor bar that was popular when the site was run as Restaurant Bar & Grill.

When it became a Gino D’Acampo restaurant in 2017, the ground floor was turned into a deli, but owner Individual Restaurants rebranded it to Piccolino in January 2022 and is now bringing back the bar area in response to local demand. 

Andrew Garton, CEO of Individual Restaurants, said: 

“I spent 10 years of my life living in Harrogate and enjoyed every minute of it. On taking my position as CEO at Individual Restaurants, bringing the bar back to Harrogate was the top request from my friends and contacts – and this is exactly what we have done. We look forward to bringing back the buzz to the local community as well as ensuring that we continue to serve the finest Italian food and drink. 

“I encourage everyone in Harrogate to come and relive the good times and experience the best venue in Harrogate.” 

The re-launched bar will serve cocktails and host sets by local DJs. The roof-top terrace and private dining room will also be reopening. 

The Harrogate restaurant is one of 18 Piccolino sites around England, most of which are in the North.

The venue will be led by a new general manager, Salvatore Cataldi, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the industry, including stints at San Carlo and Grantley Hall. He said: 

“I am super excited to be joining the Piccolino Harrogate team as general manager. I can already see how this will soon become the ‘go to’ place for dinner and late evening drinks in our new bar. 

“I also have a strong business network within the local community, and I think our private dining room and rooftop terrace space will be a hit with local businesses looking to surprise and delight their teams and clients! I look forward to welcoming our guests to the restaurant over the coming months.” 

The Manchester-based Individual Restaurants group has 18 Piccolino sites across the UK, including Harrogate, Ilkley, Collingham, Sheffield, Bramhall, Birmingham, Chester, Didsbury, Hale, Knutsford, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Stockton Heath, Bristol, London and Virginia Water. It also has restaurants operating under other brands in Leeds, Hull and Marlow. 

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A plan has been submitted to convert a former clothes shop in Harrogate into a bar and cafe.

The proposal, which has been tabled by 17 Miles Ltd, would see the former store at 17 Cold Bath Road converted.

The building, next door to Lunns Blinds and Curtains, was previously occupied by Scandinavian clothes shop Bias, which has since moved to Montpellier Parade.

Documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council propose opening times from 4pm to 11pm Wednesday and Thursday and 12pm to 11pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Further details, including the name, have yet to be revealed.

Cold Bath Road already has a selection of pubs and bars, including the Fat Badger, District Bar and The Last Post.

A decision on the proposal will be made at a later date.

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