www.pryordurkin.com

Run by Gordon and Marie, the Harlequin Coffee and Tea House Cafe on Kings Parade in York is a fantastic place to have a break.   The professional service, the warm welcome and the smart clean surroundings are a great local secret and like today we regularly stop by for lunch or afternoon tea.  The food is always nicely presented and made up of locally sourced ingredients.  I particularly like the Salads, sandwiches and jacket potatoes.  As a treat we have also been known to try the Harlequin Scone with organic jam and clotted cream. It is nice treat that is difficult to resist despite our ever widening waistline

The place was very busy as we arrived today, but we must have timed it just right because we managed to get a table straight away.  Clearly popular with local people in York, it soon had a queue of people waiting to get in.  I opted for the roast vegetable soup and freshly made rye bread while Paul went for the home cooked ham with chutney salad sandwich.  Both were excellent as usual.  My soup had clearly been prepared with freshly roasted ingredients, was well seasoned and piping hot; just the way I like it on a old winters day. We finished off with the traditional Harlequin Afternoon Tea, which is made up of fresh hot Yorkshire Tea, two warm fruit scones, organic raspberry jam and clotted.  The queue of people waiting to get in had a great view of us two old dears tucking into this fayre; we couldn’t help but smile at how we might have looked to them.

Since we last visited, a chain coffee shop has opened up next door, but we were delighted to see that this had not put the locals off, who like us know when they are onto a good thing.  Lets keep the secret going and leave the coffee shop next door serving the tourists and screaming kids alike.

Rating 4 Stars.

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