Yorks Cafe has opened in the Ikon Gallery in Brindleyplace, offering huge 20 inch pizzas and two cocktails for £10.

It will also serve the breakfasts and brunches made famous at the Yorks Bakery in Stephenson Street, but the second location means they are open in the evenings too.

That means unusual pizzas to share, six types of craft beer and cocktails, with a two for £10 deal from 4pm to 6pm on Monday to Friday.

Yorks is taking over from Cafe Opus which left the Ikon just before Christmas.

Catch the blossom while it's out in Oozells Square

It’s been transformed inside, with owner Simon Ford and his wife doing the interior design themselves.

They have stripped the walls back to the exposed brick, discovering six layers of paint dating back to when the building was a school in 1870.

The design

The exposed brickwork and eggshell lamps

Simon designed the interior himself, basing it on the exposed brick, concrete floor and wooden tables which have worked at the Stephenson Street cafe.

He could have opened the Ikon cafe in January with just a lick of paint but he wanted to spend time doing it properly.

Features include the metal light fittings he made himself and the lampshades that look like eggshells, designed by his wife, hairdresser Mandy.

Dining al fresco

And the mirror over the bar is a window frame which came all the way from Poland.

There are tables outside and great views of Oozells Square, currently covered in blossom.

Pizzas

Making a pizza

The opening hours are 7.30am until 11pm and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, so the evening trade is a new development for Yorks, along with their huge 20 inch pizzas which take up almost all the table.

Designed for sharing, they cost £20 and have unusual toppings. The American Osiris, named after an Egyptian god, has a cauliflower cheese base with burnt aubergine, mozzarella, harissa and Egyptian nut seasoning dukkah.

The Nahuatl Mushroom is named after the language of ancient Aztecs which has a word for ‘god mushroom’.

Simon Ford with the 20 inch pizza paddle

Or invent your own pizza using toppings such as Nduja sausage, Korean chilli, Milano Salami and bresaola.

If that’s too much for you, they also serve pizzas by the slice for £3.75.

The pizza chef comes from Sicily and could serve up to 150 pizzas a day.

Best of the brekkie

Yorks Bakery, which first opened in Newhall Street in 2012, first became famous for their breakfasts.

Avocado on toast at Yorks Bakery
Avocado on toast

The Sunday Times named it as one of the best places to brunch in Britain, for its unusual flavour combinations like poached rhubarb and labneh yoghurt on toast. And The Guardian singled it out for their breakfast.

Many of their signature dishes are now served at the Ikon too, including Avocado Smash (£6) - avocado and feta on sourdough – and Eggs Benedict with bacon, avocado, mushroom and salmon.

There’s also Arabian Buttered Eggs (£7.50) and Bacon Brioche (£4.20), plus the full House Breakfast (£12).

Drinks

There are six craft beers from independent breweries on tap, including Bibble from Wild Beer and Highwire Grapefruit from Magic Rock.

The bar with craft beer on tap and a mirror all the way from Poland

As well as wine, there’s an extensive cocktail list including Espresso Martini, Breakfast Club (gin, marmalade vodka and Earl Grey syrup) and Roseberry (fresh berries, rosemary and vodka).

The cocktails cost around £8, or two for £10 in happy hour.

Yorks are proud to be the only Brummies roasting their own coffee in Birmingham and also serve 20 types of loose leaf tea.

Simon says

Owner Simon Ford at Yorks Cafe at the Ikon Gallery

“We weren’t looking at opening somewhere else so soon after moving to bigger premises in Stephenson Street, but it was too good an opportunity to resist.

“I have to admit to feeling a pang of envy when Cafe Opus moved into such a beautiful building in the heart of Brindleyplace.”

Simon, 42, is a father-of-four young children who is from Solihull but has lived around the world and worked in a series of jobs, such as head chef at a Marriott hotel in America and running Debenhams in Dubai.

Yorks at the Ikon

But he was drawn back to his home city and to his passion for food and drink.

He says: “I started Yorks because I really thought I could create something better than what’s currently in Birmingham.

“Cafe Opus couldn’t make the Ikon space work for them but we understand what it takes to make a relaxed cafe environment with a vibrant and youthful atmosphere.

“We’re really excited about this expansion.”