The Bar Convent Café is inside The Bar Convent Heritage Centre at 17 Blossom Street in York. Established in 1686, the wider site is the United Kingdom’s oldest living convent, giving the cafe a setting unlike an ordinary daytime restaurant. The Victorian atrium and peaceful garden provide inviting spaces away from the nearby city streets.
Breakfast and lunch focus on freshly prepared, approachable cafe food. Homemade soup, made to order sandwiches, cheese scones, halloumi baguettes and changing daily specials allow for anything from a light bite to a more substantial plate. Local produce and suppliers are used where possible, so availability can shape the menu.
Cakes, shortbread, sweet pastries and scones make the cafe a natural stop for tea or coffee. Preordered afternoon tea combines finger sandwiches, cakes, pastries and a scone with clotted cream and Yorkshire tea. Guests with allergies or coeliac disease should speak with staff about current ingredients before placing an order.
The cafe can be visited on its own or combined with the heritage exhibition and hidden chapel. Its daytime hours and calm surroundings suit friends, families and travellers arriving near York station. The Bar Convent Café offers simple homemade food enriched by the history and continuing life of the building around it.
Address: The Bar Convent Heritage Centre, 17 Blossom Street, York YO24 1AQ, United Kingdom
The Bar Convent Cafe Menu
Breakfast
Served until 10:30am
Full English Breakfast
Unsmoked lean back bacon, local pork sausage, egg (fried, poached or scrambled), baked beans, potato rosti, tomatoes, mushrooms, fried bread and toast
Vegetarian Breakfast
Eggs (fried, poached or scrambled) 2 vegetarian sausages, baked beans, potato rosti, mushrooms, tomatoes & fried bread
Small Breakfast
Choose 5 items from the above selection
Eggs on Toast (v)
Scrambled, fried or poached eggs
Baked Beans on Toast (v)
Breakfast Sandwiches
Bacon, Sausage or egg (v)
Extra Breakfast Items
Toast and Jam or Marmalade (v)
Sandwiches
Served with a salad garnish on white or malted bloomer/ baguette or sliced gluten-free.
Cream Cheese & Cucumber
Free Range Egg Mayonnaise
Hummus and Grated Carrot
Mature Cheddar & Tomato Chutney
Tuna Mayonnaise & Cucumber
Locally-sourced Ham & Mango Chutney
Chicken & Bacon Mayonnaise
Smoked Salmon with Cream Cheese
Chef's Specials
Homemade Soup of the Day
Toasted Cheese Scone with Cream Cheese & Tomato Chutney
Falafel, Hummus & Salad Wrap
Fish Finger Sandwich, Mixed Salad, Tartare Sauce & Lemon Wedge
Grilled Cheese Focaccia with Tomatoes & Basil Pesto
Smoked Salmon, Spelt Blini, Crème Fraîche & Salad
Jacket Potatoes
Served with a dressed side salad.
Cream Cheese & Chive
Baked Beans
Hummus and Grated Carrot
Mature Cheddar Cheese
Tuna Mayonnaise
Chicken & Bacon Mayonnaise
Chilli Con Carne
Cakes & Pastries
Slice of Cake
Scone with Butter
Scone with Butter & Tiptree Jam
Toasted Teacake
Scone with Butter, Jam, Clotted Cream & a Pot of Tea or Filter Coffee
Sides
Chips
Cheesy Chips
Side Salad
Packet of Crisps
Afternoon Tea
Pre-order 24 hours ahead. Available between 1pm and 3pm. Deposit of £5 per person required.