It was clear within seconds of arriving one lunchtime that the new owners, brother and sister team Richard Horne and Philippa Enever, are mindful of their inherited reputation and clientele, and are sensibly treating both with respect. The decor – simple, clean and homely – remains the same, as does much of the menu. The friendly and informative waitress who, it transpired, was the sister-in-law of one of the owners "helping out over the summer", explained that new dishes would be tried out on the specials board to gauge their popularity and then added to the menu gradually.

The specials board starters begin at £3.95 for soup of the day and go up to about £6.50, while main courses average at about £7.50. Unless you eat fish, there isn't a great choice for the vegetarian, either on the specials board or on the main menu. This is a minor quibble. From the specials, a starter of muffin with bacon and rarebit glaze and salad garnish, and red pepper humous and toast with rocket, tomato and red onion salad looked promising. The muffin was delicious but needed to be better presented. The rarebit glaze, or topping, had not integrated sufficiently with the muffin and was in danger of sliding off rather than cohering with the whole. The accompanying salad had pleasantly fruity surprises among the peppery rocket, but was slightly underdressed despite the hints of balsamic. The red pepper humous, on the other hand, was perfect – coarse and tangy with a lovely homemade consistency, served with generously cut slices of granary toast and a fresh, tasty salad. This could easily have made a very satisfying lunch on its own.

A main course of herb-crusted trout fillet served on local asparagus benefited from its accompaniments – baby new potatoes and a naturally sweet and moist ratatouille where the aubergines had been marinated to perfection in vegetable juices. The combination of fine breadcrumb and the relative dryness in texture of the trout fillet itself demands such accompaniment, otherwise it's a dish that might not have proved particularly inspiring. A main course of cheese and tomato omelette was exactly as an omelette should be – light and fluffy with the tomato and cheese cooked to just the right consistency and the overall effect on first taste gave fresh meaning to the phrase "melt in the mouth". The accompanying salad was a suitably crunchy counterpoint.

This small but perfectly formed eaterie seats up to 25 people, so the ambience is similar to that of having been invited round to a friend's house for a (high-quality) bite to eat and a glass of good wine. The atmosphere is relaxed, informal and unhurried. Your lunch can be a quick break in the middle of a working day or an extended, French-style celebration of the joys of food and wine.

On Friday and Saturday evenings the Bistro opens for dinner – two sittings at either 6.30pm or 8.45pm with a changing set menu similar to the lunchtime one in its sensible brevity. There's a choice of four starters, four mains and four desserts. Starters include yellow split pea and cumin paté, corned beef potato cake and smoked salmon and asparagus niçoise, while some of the mains dishes on offer are pan-fried rump steak, grilled tomato and flat top mushroom with peppercorn sauce, confit of duck leg, butterbean and chorizo cassoulet or spinach and ricotta pancake with hollandaise sauce. All the main courses are served with dauphinoise potatoes and ratatouille.

This menu is competitively priced at £13.95 for two courses or £16.95 for three on Fridays and £15.95 and £18.95 on a Saturday evening.

The wine list offers a good selection of reds and whites, all at reasonable prices. We tried the house white, a Vin de Pays des Cotes de Gascogne from Cuvée Jean-Paul, at £9.95 a bottle. Supplied by the highly respected Boutinot company, it more than passed muster.

Two ladies at a neighbouring table – regulars at the café under the previous management and delighted with what they had eaten that day – intended to head straight to the Martinez vintners on The Grove in Ilkley to get their own supplies. Deliciously dry and crisp, with a hint of both strawberry and honey in its lingering after-tastes, it's a modestly priced ideal companion to most starters and fish courses or as an aperitif.

The number of desserts was wisely limited and each had its own appeal. Included on the list was a lemon curd cheesecake with fresh raspberries, sticky toffee pudding and rhubarb and ginger Eton mess.

The dark chocolate crème brûlée was particularly successful, served with a white chocolate finger of flapjack that crumbled deliciously into the mix with each enticing spoonful. A strawberry and cream tart with strawberry ice cream was a summery treat which made good use of the fresh strawberries, although the pastry could have been more crumbly. If you don't have a sweet tooth, there's the appealing-sounding alternative of Wensleydale cheese with apple, chutney and biscuits. There's good filter coffee with free refills.

The price for two with wine was an extremely reasonable £46.80, excluding optional service charge. The overall verdict: delicious, well-prepared food of generous proportions with friendly, informative – but not intrusive – service in a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Highly recommended.

The Wells Café and Bistro, 7 Wells Road, Ilkley, LS29 9JB. Telephone 01943 601793. Open Tuesday to Thursday 11am-3pm, Friday 11.30am-2.30pm, Saturday 10am-3pm; closed on Sunday. On Friday and Saturday there are also two evening sittings at 6.30pm and 8.45pm for which booking is advisable. Limited on-street parking during the day (more in the evening) and two pay and display car parks nearby in the town centre.