Vinyl Cafe North: I went to a hidden gem ‘London style’ cafe which should be booming
In the heart of West Yorkshire’s creative industry lies a little known cafe which feels like an upmarket common room for musicians.
Last year, Vinyl Cafe North opened inside Tileyard North in Wakefield.
Tileyard North officially opened in 2023 following in the footsteps of its sister venue in London. They too had a Vinyl Cafe London which is now closed.
Our reporter Sophie Mei Lan went to try out Vinyl Cafe next to The Hepworth Wakefield.
Before Vinyl opened in Wakefield one of my favourite eatery’s had been based in the same location - Yorkshire Brasserie. Sadly they had to close their doors in Summer 2024.
Instead, Tileyard launched their own in house catering offer - Vinyl cafe. The cafe features brunch, lunch and snacks as well as a licensed bar and specialty coffees open daily 8am - 3pm.
By the off chance I'd seen a sandwich board advertising the cafe on Barnsley Road.
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I thought I’d try it, rather than a nearby chain.
At first we were the only customers inside. The staff were lovely and welcoming despite the fact that it looked like a trendy cafe/bistro. TileYard has this big city vibe to it with exposed brick and an upmarket industrial feel.
The menu contains everything from a granola ‘parfait’ bowl for £6.50 to salads, and steak with eggs at £12.
As I had come with my younger daughters they also offered to give her a jacket potato cheese and beans and a portion of cheesy nachos.
I opted for a very filling parfait bowl with black Americano made using local roastery Recent Beans coffee.
All of this was for £20 which is very reasonable nowadays.
As we finished up I realised they were preparing for a gig that night. Vinyl hosts a range of socials and music nights. Intimate venues for gigs like this are really seeing a resurgence at the moment.
Tileyard really comes to life when there are events on such as Peddler streetfood market in the courtyard and seasonal markets but it feels eerily quiet when there isn’t an event on. Tileyard really has the potential and talent locally to become a mini Piece Hall. Hopefully with the new gigs announced for next year in a new Live at Tileyard series including The Vaccines - this could be the case.
Vinyl is a lovely little hidden gem if you’re passing Tileyard or visiting The Hepworth.