Owners of new wine bar in trendy York neighbourhood say they would close early on race days to deter drunk punters

Married couple Laura and Mark Edwards, who run The Dark Horse Espresso Bar, hope to move to Bishy Road, as it’s known locally, to create a family-friendly cafe that encapsulates Australia’s coffee culture while also serving alcohol.The new bar will achieve this by offering a space where Knaresborough Kitchens previously traded for people to meet friends and family late on a weekend, serving hot drinks, beers and wine.Dark Horse Espresso Bar plans to open from 8am to 6pm on Monday to Thursday, 8am to 11pm on Friday and Saturday, and 8am to 9pm on Sundays.“We serve quality coffee, gourmet toasties, homemade and locally made cakes,” Mrs Edwards told councillors on June 22.“We’re family run; we’re very family orientated.“We’ve got two children and my dad even comes in and helps me set up in the morning.”Mrs Edwards said her business is mostly recognised for its coffee and has built up a clientele of regulars since opening.“We don’t attract groups of drinkers,” she added.“We’re not that kind of venue and it’s not what we intend to be at all.“We want to create an atmosphere where customers can enjoy a glass of wine or a beer but they don’t necessarily have to be in a pub or a bar to do that.”The couple wants to build a deck outside the space to level the sloped ground so people can enjoy a drink outside.However, the outside area will be closed by 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays, while customers can convene inside for the last couple of hours it will be open.The cafe’s windows and doors will also be closed past this time to limit the amount of noise to respect the nearby residential area.The outside drinking area will mostly open during the summer, rather than the colder months, and may not be open every Friday and Saturday depending on the weather.It also may close early when race days occur to dodge potential clientele who may have had too much to drink while at the nearby racecourse.There are also plans to have an acoustic guitarist playing background music for a couple of hours in the afternoon.Coun Ian Cuthbertson told Mrs Edwards he would deliberate with other councillors on the licensing committee and write to her with their decision within five days.Dark Horse Espresso Bar has a rating of 5.0 on TripAdvisor and is ranked as the second best out of 88 places to get coffee and tea in York.One satisfied customer commented on TripAdvisor: “Very good coffee and the toastie I had was excellent.“A huge two slices of sourdough with lots of cheese, ham, tomatoes and chilli relish.“Really filling and good value for £6 plus the coffee it came to about £9.“Far better than one of the chain coffee places if the weather is good.”Another said: “You simply will not get a finer latte in the whole of York, maybe even Yorkshire.“The food is delicious coming from such a small establishment.”