Gatehouse Coffee in York

Cool quirky setting for a coffee house, let down by the service. The three American staff working there when I visited...were nice friendly people, but unfortunately incredibly slow and incompetent...I was convinced they were stoned. It was fairly busy, but the staff moved at a snails pace, forgetting many orders, the lady didn't know how to make a tea and had to ask her coworker. After around 25 minutes of waiting for my order (2 coffees and one slice of cake), I asked if they definitely had it in their queue...they didn't, and had forgotten to print off the receipt for their queue. Coffee was okay, biscoff brownie was extremely dry, price was standard for what you'd expect in a café in that setting. If you want a touristy gimmicky café, in an admittedly really cool location and quirky setting, then it's worth a visit. If you want good service and good coffee/cake, I highly recommend going elsewhere.

Great coffee and staff. Very pleasant environment and I love the WiFi password

Lovely servers, wonderful servers and a brilliant atmosphere!

Such a cozy little cafe ~ definitely recommend visiting , the stairs are a little steep so be weary of that , the hot chocolate here was amazing :D. Will definitely be visiting again !

Located at one of the gates of the city wall, this cafe is perfect for a short rest while exploring the city wall walk. Don’t be misled by the small, closed wooden door at the entrance and upper level; they actually lead to additional seating outside, where you can enjoy a fascinating view of the barbican.

Located at one of the gates of the city wall, this cafe is perfect for a short rest while exploring the city wall walk. Don’t be misled by the small, closed wooden door at the entrance and upper level; they actually lead to additional seating outside, where you can enjoy a fascinating view of the barbican.

Great little stop point for a coffee and cake break whilst walking the walls

Coffee and scones great. Lovely view from top. However staff did not bring to table which means climbing winding steps with a tray! Service needs improving.

Great little stop point for a coffee and cake break whilst walking the walls

Lovely little coffee shop hidden away with the architecture of the York Walls.

Loved having a smoothie and a tea waaaaay up on the rooftop! Great people here and my smoothie was as fresh as they come.

Absolutely beautiful historic building on the walls. Welcoming staff, tasty scones! Thoroughly recommend a stop here.

I only heard of this place because I was dropping off laundry nearby. The gentleman at the laundry simply raved about this coffee shop so I had to try it. What a pleasant surprise. This coffee shop is essentially in the city walls and has an incredible coffee vibe with incredibly strong and wonderfully hot coffee.

Gorgeous place and you don't realise how big it is inside!

The staff are super lovely and the coffee is very nice! An excellent little gem in York

A very comfy cafe with friendly staff and delicious fruit scones. Highly recommend!

Stopped by here a couple of times on a trip to York. Very friendly staff, great coffee with beautiful, homemade cakes and bakes. Lovely areas to sit inside and out, even on gatehouse walls and roof. Well worth a visit.

Beautiful location & atmosphere with super friendly staff! One of my favourite spots within York for coffee

Friendly staff very cosy atmosphere and great hot drinks, mocha was amazing

Lovely quirky coffee shop Very friendly staff and quaint location If you are walking the city walls of York a great place to stop and rest with a brew and cake

One of the sweetest and nicest little coffee spots I’ve ever been to (and I’ve been to a few!) This cute coffee shop is ran by some of the nicest staff and they sure do have some talent for coffee. My wife and I could not get over the Turneric ice Latte (try it with oat milk and espresso), we were OBSESSED! Lovely bagels, sweets, jewelry, knick knacks and even live music by some talented artists (and an especially talented barista). If you’re passing through or from the area, I really advise checking them out!

Best toasties I have ever had, delicious! Pretty good coffee too!

This was a nice coffee shop to visit. The building's a gem. Like Waddler (Mar 2024), I heard a lot of American voices. I took away one of the cafe's promotional stickers, and later noticed it says "Psalm 9:1" at the bottom. I then learnt that Gatehouse Coffee Shop is an "outreach ministry" of Calvary Chapel Bible College (CCBC) York, which is just down the road. There's nothing wrong with church-run cafes, but it depends. CCBC York is an affiliate of the California-based CCBC, whose doctrinal position on marriage and sexuality is not liberal, to put it mildly. Gatehouse offers fine coffee and surroundings, but, if CCBC-California's beliefs are anything to go by, it's for a cause unsuited to liberal tastes. Like Philip A (Aug 2023), in future I shall stay well clear.

Friendly, homely, good pot of tea, exelent coffee, good cakes. Smiling staff.

You can't miss this lovely cafe and grab Yorkshire tea with a view. Inside is super cozy like from a movie and outside looks very cool.

Coffee wasn’t too bad but the cakes were stale. I would certainly suggest people continue down the street for a cup of coffee/cake at a cafe a bit further into the city centre. It is okay in a pinch but quite a small area for service.

Good coffee, cheaper and much quieter than the tourist areas, a great stop on the city wall walk. Very cool upstairs area in the old gatehouse tower.

This coffee shop is my happy place whenever I’m in York. Even in winter it’s great sitting on the barbican or the roof with a cuppa. The coffee’s great too, just how I like it. If I lived in York I’d be there everyday.

Great opportunity for a drink and toilet stop when doing walls walk. Amazing to sit up top on a sunny day. The fact it’s all housed inside this old building is incredible.

What an amazing hidden gem. We were walking the length of the city walls and come across this. Don’t be afraid to explore and enjoy both the roof and the Barbican through a hidden door. Staff are more than happy to chat too.

Very good coffee and cakes, helpful staff

Surrounded by history,over 3 floors,great seating,great atmosphere.

Excellent coffee and friendly staff. All in the amazing Walmgate Bar barbican. Definitely worth a visit if walking the city walls or otherwise just fancy a coffee.

You just can't miss this coffee shop it's on the wall which ever way you walk the wall, you'll come across it, but it does matter which way you walk how far it is from wherever you start enjoy the walk

Its taken me years to finally come here - and I wondered what took me so long. Very characterful building in the old walls gatehouse, and on the roof you can sit out in the sun on top of the gatehouse. The inside room is a bit special too for the chillier or wetter days. Seemed to be full of American voices for some reason. Just a shame its on the less attractive side of the walls (immediately surrounding buildings aren't the nicest area of York being post-war 20th century buildings and on other side there is a busy road). So the roof doesn't present as good a view as you might hope, but its still pretty cool to be sat on an old gatehouse rooftop. They did me a long black even though it wasn't on the menu, but I prefer the coffee at other York locations (VI, Dark Espresso, Biga+, Alma, Stam and Maria, Spark etc).

Fantastic barista, friendly staff, wonderful specialty coffee, amazing scones in such a cool environment- loved it!!

Lovely and quaint cafe, clearly popular and very welcoming! Love the building and how it's located on the wall of York!! Highly recommend!

Friendly staff. Up a set of stairs.

Great place for a coffee with fresh scone on your walls walk tour :)

This is a lovely spot that feels like a hidden treasure nestled within the York city walls. Just a short 10 minute walk from the shambles, this atmospheric cafe has welcoming staff, terrific tea and tasty toasties! The staff were very kind, going above and beyond to make sure my Yorkshire tea was extra strong, just how I like it! Would highly recommend.

Excellent coffee and a wonderful quirky venue. Would be great if they accepted cash payments instead of only card for a coffee but all the same - really great place to stop off walking along the York wall.

Great coffee shop in the Gatehouse.

I've seen this building thousands of time, whilst sitting in traffic. Decided we needed to visit, and so pleased we did.. Chatted to owner, very friendly, and very welcoming. Explained how he came to own the Coffee shop and problems associated with such an old building. Great coffee and good selection of " Sweet treats " Invited us to visit outside seating. We'll revisit on a dry sunny day to experience it.

This place is a must visit for visitors to York! A nice little cafe with fantastic ambience in a historic gatehouse. Even the toilet is adorable. Outdoor seating is available if the weather is nice and even a cosy fireplace seating area inside for when it's vile out.

Excellent strong espresso (served with a glass of water without having to ask.) Service took a while, but it was worth the wait. Lovely opportunity to sit and enjoy an ancient building.

A beautiful spot, with the nicest staff.. definitely worth a visit..

Popped in on a very wet Monday whilst walking the city walls Made very welcome by the owner. Highly recommended to visit. Outdoor area perfect on a sunny day to sit out.

Delightful historical cafe inside the walls. Delicious food and a calming atmosphere! A little chilly today on the battlement roof but wonderful views. A must for anyone visiting the walls.

Just love this place. Quirky, friendly staff and great vibe.

We only dropped in for a coffee. Plenty of space upstairs, excellent service from polite and attentive staff. Would definitely go again

Great wee coffee house in historic wall. Over different levels including outside terrace.

Didn't get any food so unable to rate it. The service was amazing, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming, you could even sit outside on the wall if it was full.

Lovely cozy cafe. Had a very yummy Chai latte😌

Good food. Nice open-air seating area on the roof and around the battlements. If its cold weather, recommend making sure you're wrapped up warm.

Fab place for coffee and a sandwich visited last week and left my phone the guys kept it for me till I could return ….. so relived ! Thanks again x Ps your landline goes straight to answer phone don’t know if you realise .

Excellent service on a quiet Saturday, stunning place to have a coffee, great coffee and scones, amazing views from the top of the gatehouse , and some stunning artwork for sale x 🙌💕🥰

BEST COFFEE SHOP IN YORK! Lovely atmosphere, friendly workers and great specialty coffee. A must stop on a visit to york, or great place to hang if you live in or around the city. Located right on the historic city walls. Definitely a hidden gem!

Had plans to help a friend shoot a short film here but they changed their minds on us and refused filming one day before due to the script implying a new relationship between 2 women. I cannot willingly support an establishment who discriminates against people just for loving who they want to love.

This coffee shop is truly a hidden gem. Set in the Roman barbican, it is probably the best location for a coffee shop I have ever seen. The shop is tastefully decorated and the warm atmosphere is perfect for relaxing with a friend and chatting. The tray cakes were delicious and the drinks were executed beautifully. The staff was very friendly and helpful. I will definitely return soon.

Lovely building, limited food, excellent hot drinks but will remember in future to ask for extra hot as was made drinkable temperature, a tad too cool for me 😊

Excellent place to stop during the wall walk. Great coffee and cakes, with very friendly staff.

Nice coffee lovely place but staff were miserable I wouldn’t go back.

Great coffee but people serving were really miserable and unhappy, the man and woman serving need to cheer up a bit !

Visited this on our last day in York and so glad we did. The coffee was fantastic and the place is incredible with its medieval history. There are multiple levels and each area is incredible. We had coffee daily on our vacation and this place was my favorite coffee shop of all that we visited.

Best almond matcha latte I have had so far, would recommend! 🍵

Great building but unfriendly staff and mediocre coffee

An incredibly cosy little coffee shop within the walls, very popular with tourists and unsurprisingly as it is beautiful inside and on the terraces. A nice selection of coffees with small sweets available as well, definitely somewhere to visit when in York.

What an amazing venue to sell coffee and the coffee was some of the best out there. So why the score then? During my experience I felt that I was in the way, an inconvenient consequence of them selling coffee and clearly interrupting the engagement with friends that appeared to pop in for catch-up. There is nothing wrong with being social however when customers feel burdensome I think it’s a time to reflect. Of course this could be a one-off so why not give it a chance?

Great spot to enjoy excellent coffee and pastries, indoors or outdoors; all within the walls of historic Walmgate Bar. Loved that you can actually see the original medieval gate structure, and original exposed stone walls. Plenty seating space, whether you prefer to stay cozy indoors or al fresco. Friendly staff, reasonable prices. This is a “must visit” in York. Highly recommended.

Great to see the towers being used. Gatehouse Coffee is fantastically atmospheric actually being in the tower and having a portcullis as one of the walls. There is also an upstairs terrace which is great. There was a nice welcome and the coffee was made quickly and was nice.

I've driven almost 250 miles to sample a coffee served in a unique place. Its one of the gates or 'bars' in York. It's situated in walmgate bar which is one of the gates to the city centre, and roughly about 10 15-minute walk from the centre of city. The coffee served here is from a London Manchester based coffee roaster called allpress, which I've drank many times before and is considered to be quite good. If you fancy a change from the chain coffee shops and have a hot drink in such a unique place then I recommend coming here, that's if you can climb steps.

Oh my gosh! We literally had coffee and the best desserts ever in a castle gate! What a fun adventure!!!

A lovely gem of a place to find and exactly right time when we needed a drink

Fresh, herby Focaccia bread with the added bonus of beautiful filling. (I could have eaten the bread by itself.) Lovely, fresh and hot. Complemented our Ginger beer very well. Great service. Excellent stop on our wall walk.

Gatehouse is my favourite cafe in the whole of York.

I had an excellent coffee here while walking the city wall. Well worth the stop

This is a fantastic location for a cafe , the view from the top is great, the interior steeped in history, the coffee and cakes are good but sadly despite the photos and reviews they “haven’t done food since COVID lockdown”, haven’t bothered to put that on their review page, their website is ‘brewing’ , their phone is disconnected so you can’t enquire ( I tried) . The people behind me also wanted food , same long winded response, In these difficult times I wonder about some businesses thinking

Happened to pass by late yesterday afternoon for a coffee in what looked like a nice location. Unfortunately it was near 4pm and they were closing - fair enough. We were only there for a coffee and when one is outside there are no signs saying that the place is run by a church and/or that you will subject to the full on Jehovahs Witness-style relentless attack from the fundamentalists there within. Be particularly aware of the six foot Christian poster boy with the pearly teeth, Jesus beard and the kind of glazed-eye demeanour that only the truly idiotic possess. This clown accosted us on our way out with his well-rehearsed banal pleasantries and proceeded to spout drivel about his delusions, despite my making it very clear immediately that I had no interest in religion or his half-witted interpretation of it. After five minutes of rolling our eyeballs around the roof of our head, we finally managed to escape this clown prince of stupidity and get on with enjoying the rest of our day in York, which was strangely what we were therefore and NOT to hear a childlike adult bend our ear with his lunacy. Please avoid at all costs - unless you too are also looking for some quick fix to the fairytale afterlife.

Love this little cafe. Had no idea it even existed as it's built inside an arch way of the York walls. Friendly service, rustic decor and good food. I will be back

Cafe inside one of the towers on the wall in York. Choice of seating indoors or out on the roof or wall. Cakes homemade and the lemon and blueberry cake is one of the best cakes I've had! Staff very friendly and clean toilet!

This place is so cute, it's one of my favourite places to go and sit for a couple of hours to do some work. It's also a great place for first dates! Adorable and the food/drinks are decent, not too expensive.

Great coffee and cake in amazing location on the city walls

Lovely place great staff ideally situated on the wall for a pit stop and lovely clean toilets . And the terrace on the roof beautiful spot for a cuppa and a cake 🍰

Great place to stop for a drink when walking the city walls. Friendly and helpful staff and good coffee.

A hidden gem, the best coffee in York.

Amazing location and a wonderful cafe with lovely staff, highly recommend!

This place is a true gem in terms of the venue ❤️ However, if you are tall and curvy you might struggle a little bit to get through tiny door, steep and narrow stairs, nevertheless this place is so cool

Such an unusual place to have a cafe but so worth the climb. Fabulous tea cakes and views from the outdoor seating areas. Amazing.

Absolutely great coffee, and an even better location. Absolutely awesome location, plenty of cosy room inside and then two different outside areas to choose from. Either the roof terrace with 360 views of York or on the barbican walls themselves.

A unique and historic coffee shop with excellent quality. A special mention to the person behind the counter yesterday (Sligo!) Extremely friendly and pleasant, made the visit even better than it usually is!

We came across this place by chance whilst walking the walls but it can also be accessed from the street (Walmgate). The cafe is located inside one of the gates (towers) and, like many historical places in York, access is a little tricky with steps and small doors but I’m 6’ tall and had no issues whatsoever. The coffee shop is quite charming and so relaxing to just chill and have a drink. There are also cakes too. My wife and I only had soft drinks from bottles but we observed the coffees being prepared with barista flourishes. There are lots of seats outside too. Our favourite area was upstairs above the entrance. It was very homely. We did have a little wait to be served but the ambiance of the cafe inside a historical tower more than made up for this.

Great place in unique position, coffee spot on

Cool coffee shop in an historic gatehouse, so great vibes. Delicious hot drinks and a good spot for reading, working, or catching up with friends. We love coming here!

York has some wonderful, quirky coffee houses and this one does not disappoint. I had a delicious raspberry and white chocolate blondie and much needed cup of tea in this friendly coffee shop on the walls

Very nice place for a coffe , the staff are very kind and the atmosphere is amazing . The only thing i dont recommend there is the bakery and food bites

It has a wonderfully unique experience being high on the walls with a somewhat medieval feel. Except everything feels incredibly current and the range of food and drink completely divine. I sat outside on the terrace and enjoyed the sunshine. The soup of the day was wonderful and a pot of tea was exactly what was needed. A perfect place for a pitstop on a walk of the walls or just if you happen to be in the Walmgate area.

Gorgeous flat white and so delicious dirty chai latte. Highly recommended place!!!

It is amazing. The atmosphere is like you are going back in time. It is also warm but if you prefer to eat outside with a view you can eat on the top! The prices are very reasonable. Would highly recommend.

Such a hidden gem, definitely don't miss out on the lovely seating upstairs!

Lovely spot hidden in a unique area with amazing coffe and stunning area to enjoy it