Builders renovating historic Leeds cafe uncover 'ghost' signage that is generations old

The Empire Cafe sign, which is thought to date back to the first half of the 20th century, was found during recent renovations at the former La Strega cafe on Fish Street.

Little is known about the Empire Cafe but the name is likely to refer to the Empire Theatre which opened on nearby Briggate in 1898 on the site of what is now Harvey Nichols.

Chef Sam Pullan, who is turning the venue, which has been closed for the last few years, into an all-day cafe, said he plans to keep the sign up even though he is changing the name of the cafe to Appys.

"As we started taking off the front, we discovered this ‘ghost sign’ for the Empire Cafe,” he said. “There’s no real reference online about it but it’s right behind where the Empire Theatre used to be until 1962. The owner of cafe Strega, who bought it in the 1970s, didn’t realise the sign was there.”

Mr Pullan, who previously ran The Bear at Carriages, in Knaresborough, said the sign was already a huge talking point in Leeds.

“Everyone who is walking past is looking up and taking photographs,” he said. “It’s probably one of the last remaining areas of the city centre that hasn’t been redeveloped so there probably aren’t many signs like these left to uncover.”

Mr Pullen, who left The Bear at Carriages earlier this year in search of a new venture, said: "I knew cafe Strega from my college days in the nineties. Me and the lads used to go down there for our butties. Leeds back then was very different to what it is now. It’s been really interesting to speak to people passing through while we’re doing the work who remember the cafe.”

He added: “We want to give a little bit of Leeds back to Leeds. Cafe Strega was always an all-day dining place with breakfast, lunch and dinner. There aren’t many independent places that are like that any more.”

Mr Pullan and his partner, Nicole Deighton, have signed a 15-year lease on the building which they are currently investing £75,000-£100,000 in transforming.

"It’s a small space and we’re taking a lot of it back to the brick,” he said. “Luckily the place had been ripped out before we went in. The specialist equipment we’re putting in isn’t cheap but we want the finish to be nice.

"At one point the front of the cafe would have been all glass – we can tell from the construction – so we’re going back to that.”

Mr Pullan, who hopes to launch the new business in December or January, plans to open four days a week – Wednesday to Saturday - offering dining in as well as takeaway options.

He intends to source as much of the food as possible from nearby Kirkgate Market.

To combat the current high energy prices, Mr Pullen has designed an open kitchen for theatrical cooking using a German chicken rotisserie that cooks on an open fire. He is also considering switching the lights off in the evening to create dining by candlelight.

"If we come across a piece of equipment that uses a lot of electricity then we’re just not going to use it,” he said.

"Someone asked me what we’re going to do about rising costs of power and I said we’re all going to have to make less money. It’s as simple as that.

"It’s not ideal or fair considering how much blood, sweat and tears you put into it but essentially we’re just going to have to tighten our belts. But if you love what you do you’re going to carry on doing it.