This story is sponsored by 63rd+1st.
Harrogate’s answer to a Manhattan cocktail bar, 63rd+1st, launched in November last year and has continued to grow in popularity on the town’s dining scene.
We visited after work on a Monday evening and it was a perfect way to start a busy week.
Decked out in trendy dark blue and gold, and featuring lots of greenery, the restaurant, lounge and bar on Albert Street gives off a relaxed and welcoming vibe.
The menu is inspired by Manhattan street food and features small plates to enjoy with a cocktail or mocktail.
The restaurant area.
It includes a signature burger, steaks and seafood, as well as plant-based and vegetarian dishes and loaded fries.
The idea is you choose a few dishes each and order more if you fancy it – like an American-style tapas.
To start, I had seared king scallops, black pudding and pea puree (£12). The scallops were cooked perfectly and melted in the mouth like butter. The pea puree provided a refreshing accompaniment to the saltiness of the black pudding. My partner went for the Maryland crab bon bons and crab mayo (£10), which had a light, crispy coating and were perfect for sharing.
Scallops.
We followed this up with a mozzarella corn dog on a stick – just like you have in New York – and a sirloin steak. I’ll admit, I’ve never had a steak sharing dish before, so I was delighted to be able to pinch a bit of my partner’s sirloin (£14). It was perfectly cooked and came with a tangy chimichurri sauce. You can also choose a topper to add to your steak from options including garlic and chilli prawns, seared scallops and short rib croquettes.
Sirloin steak.
We decided to order loaded fries with chipotle mayo and crispy onions to accompany our dishes (£5). We could have kept going, but decided to save room for a dessert instead.
If there’s one thing Americans know how to do, it’s dessert. And it did not disappoint. We chose a banana taco, which was served with salted candied pecans, caramel and vanilla ice cream . It was essentially like a banana pancake and the salty pecans added the perfect crunchy texture to the dish. Ridiculously good. Other desserts include peanut butter and jelly donuts (£6) and an NYC baked cheesecake (£7).
We also had some fabulous cocktails to accompany our meal from the (very) extensive cocktail menu, including an old fashioned woodford rye (£15).
If you fancy a drink and a few nibbles after work, this is a great place to visit as you can order as much or as little as you want.
There is also a bottomless brunch available on a weekend for just £20 per person down from £35 with a special Stray Ferret voucher offer. Get your voucher now!
‘Sneak peek’: Harrogate’s new Manhattan-style cocktail barHarrogate’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.
