Vitello Lounge Ilkley: Loungers cafe and bar group to take over former Banyan restaurant after closure

Loungers, which operates Cosy Club, Bianco Lounge and Caballero Lounge in Leeds, will open a new site in the town’s Brook Street in March. Named Vitello Lounge, the café and bar will open seven days a week.

It comes after Leeds-based hospitality chain Arc Inspirations announced the closure of its Banyan bar earlier this month. The site is now being transformed by West Country-based group Loungers, mirroring the look and feel of its sister sites – combining coffee shop culture, the British pub and dining.

Vitello Lounge will serve breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and drinks, including full kids’, gluten-free and vegan menus. The family-friendly venue will have a selection of games, books, colouring pencils and pads for children, as well as high chairs and baby-changing facilities.

Promising to have the Ilkley community at its heart, Vitello Lounge will include a space to host meetings and events – from business networking, book or knitting clubs to parent and baby meets and life drawing classes.

The café will open on Wednesday March 20, Loungers confirmed, and a number of former Banyan staff were offered posts.

The community Manager at Loungers, Gemma Irwin, said: “We’re so looking forward to opening the doors of Vitello Lounge in March. We hope our family friendly environment and top-notch food and drink offering will prove popular with local residents.

“We’re passionate about integrating genuinely into the communities we serve so we’re looking forward to meeting everyone and to playing our part at the heart of Ilkley’s food and drink scene.

"Anyone looking for a space to host events or groups should pop in once we’re open, we’d love to hear from them and see what we can do to help.”