A York restaurant has reopened after its £750,000 refurbishment.
After a temporary closure of three weeks, the Cut & Craft steakhouse on St Sampson’s Square reopened just in time for Valentine’s weekend on Friday 13 February.
The venue was undergoing interior changes to transform the space to exude ‘luxury and glamour’, with new furnishings, decor, bespoke wallpapers and design.
“With the refurb, we wanted to keep it as York as possible,” Joe Ilson, social media manager at Cut & Craft, told YorkMix.
“We wanted to stick to the roots and the history of the city, and make the restaurant recognisable – as it already was – but we’ve elevated the experience and the atmosphere of the restaurant.
“We brought it more to what the brand is in 2026, and it’s more cohesive and aligned – you get a more luxurious feeling than before.”
Another major change is the ladies restrooms, which in the new look features a pink palette with hand-painted monuments of York – and makes for a very Instagram-worthy picture!
But don’t worry, the central bar remains, with an added blue-leather bar front, new soft furnishings and lighting enhancements.
The updated look also features a lot of dark wood and gold tones, and the brand’s signature blue.
There’s also a lot of direct references to York throughout the restaurant, such as custom wallpaper featuring a mural of York Minster, and photographs of various views of York over the years.
“As a brand, we have a lot of gratitude towards York as a city, because it was our first site in 2018, and we have our sister restaurant, Lucia here as well,” said Joe.
“Those two restaurants combined really were the blueprint for what we are today and and that’s made sure that we’re able to be multi-site and given us such great and large team – and it’s really all down to the origins of York.
“So we pay homage throughout the restaurant to that.”
The response to re-opening weekend was “really good. York has such a fan base that even regardless of Valentine’s it would have been so busy and full on the Valentine’s weekend because people wanted to see what we were doing.
“There was so much hype and and atmosphere even on Facebook posts teasing what’s to come – people were so excited for York to get that new look. But on top of that, Valentine’s was a really big success.”
Returning visitors can expect to find their high-quality steaks, signature fish dishes and specials still on the menu.
“We really want to emphasise that we’re staying true to what we were. The menu’s staying the same, the pricing is staying the same – it is really just about giving back and giving the people the same restaurant, but elevated for them.”
Take a look inside the refurbished Cut & Craft in our gallery below.
To find out more about The Cut & Craft and to make a booking, visit their website here.
More pictures
