A few months into opening, a York coffee shop and cocktail bar have been fine-tuning their craft – and want to be the best in the city.
A coffee shop by day and a table-service cocktail bar by night, The Langton is on a mission to be
The man behind The Langton is James Wreglesworth, from York. “Hospitality has always been a part of my life,” James told YorkMix.
His family ran small hotels and guest accommodation while he was growing up, and has worked in cocktail bars as far as Sydney.
James also opened The Blind Swine with Michael O’Hare in Swinegate, York, which closed in 2013.
“That was a really special project, and we’re still close friends. I still speak to Michael regularly and value his perspective.
“This is my first business entirely on my own, and opening it in York felt important.”
Also helping to run things is Mia Barrass who has been “instrumental” in shaping how the coffee shop and bar runs day to day.
“Having Mia alongside me throughout that process made the intensity of opening manageable and kept us focused on what really matters day to day,” said James.
The Langton is situated at number 3 Coffee Yard, right next door to Barley Hall, on the cut-through between Stonegate and Swinegate.
Coffee Yard was formerly known as Langton Lane, named after the Langton family who held land here from the late 13th century.
James is ambitious for The Langton to be more than a coffee shop and cocktail bar. “It’s about hospitality and care,” he said.
“I want it to be the cutest coffee shop you’ve ever been to. We think obsessively about fragrance, temperature, lighting and sound. All the things you feel before you consciously notice them.
“When people visit I want them to feel a sense of romance.”
They pride themselves on using local ingredients. During the day, The Langton serves espresso-based drinks using Recent Coffee’s Barista Blend beans, which are roasted in Wakefield.
All their drinking chocolate comes from York Cocoa Works, milk comes from a herd of 245 Jersey cows at Grey Leys Farm in Elvington, and they’re collaborating with master pâtissier Florian Poirot on all cakes and pastry work.
Cocktail ingredients come from “the wild and our local farmers, producers, foragers, and suppliers” which are then fermented, cooked, clarified and redistilled in-house.
“Each drink is built from the circular rhythm of our day,” explained James, “so you can expect to see chocolate, milk, coffee and pastry reflected on the evening menu.
“This creates a low-waste drinks programme – everything we do is hyper-seasonal.”
A couple of examples of cocktails on their current menu are ‘I Never Dreamed You’d Leave In Autumn’, using Dutch Barn Vodka, an apple-based spirit, pears, and yoghurt from Grey Leys Jersey milk.
Another is ‘Dancing Curtains of Aurora’, which redistills Florian’s pain au chocolat under vacuum to create a liqueur, combined with a little sugar, and topped with Champagne.
The Langton is already winning 5-star reviews on TripAdvisor. One said: “Best coffee in York. The flat white was smooth, and the hot chocolate was delicious. This place is a hidden gem. Highly recommend!”
The reaction so far has been “really encouraging.
“We’ve built a lovely base of locals and regulars who have been incredibly supportive, and visitors have been genuinely curious.
“My ideas are only ever as good as the people around me, and the guests in the room. Hospitality works best when you’re paying attention. That mindset runs through the whole team.
“I’d like us to be here for a long time, and I’d like people to have somewhere truly special that they’re excited to visit. Somewhere that always feels just theirs.”
The Langton is open from 8am to 3pm, Tuesday to Sunday, with sit-in and takeaway available. Then from Wednesday to Saturday, it reopens at 6pm for draft beers, wine and cocktails.
To stay up to date with The Langton, visit their Instagram and Facebook pages.
