Arts Café

A welcome contrast to most of the bars on Call Lane.

Arts (or Art‘s — there seems to be some disagreement on the apostrophe) Café is the only spot of its kind on this block: a relaxed and quiet café bar amongst several Call Lane nightspots. It’s a welcome sight and a lovely place to drop in for a reasonably priced lunch or something a bit more expensive off their dinner menu if you’re feeling flush. You’d also be welcome to enjoy just a drink at the bar in the front, but its main focus is definitely serving meals. They even do a Sunday roast.

If you are after a drink, however, you’ll be able to choose from Old Speckled Hen, Sagres, Quilmes, Vedett and Erdinger plus a handful of bottled ciders, and Birra Moretti or Amstel on tap. It’s definitely not a beer-lover’s haven, and you won’t find anything for less than £3.30 a bottle, which seems somewhat pricy given the just-average selection. They seem to be prouder of their choice of wines, featuring that menu on their website. You’ll have to take a look and tell us what you think, since that’s really not our area.

The bar area, taken from the elevated dining area in the back.

The atmosphere is perfectly enjoyable. The walls are covered with photography showcasing the best sites of Yorkshire and New York, and all the art is for sale. Good quality music plays at a level conducive to conversation, and one could comfortably linger here. (By the way, you need not rely just on our photos. Why not take a full tour of the place courtesy of Google Café View here?)

We definitely won’t be back just for the beer, but Arts Café offers a nice place for relaxed meal or a quiet drink perhaps on your way to somewhere that does have more exciting brews on offer.