Roots (restaurant)

Roots is a restaurant on Marygate, just north of the city centre of York in England.

The restaurant, in 2023

The building was constructed as the Bay Horse public house between 1893 and 1894. It replaced an earlier pub of the same name, which was on the opposite side of the road. It was designed by Walter and Arthur Penty. From 1951 until 1986, it was run by Eve and Arthur Briggs. It closed in 2004, at which time it was owned by Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries. In 2007, the brewery proposed converted the building into an office with flats above; however, it instead reopened as a pub in 2008.[1][2]

In 2018, chef Tommy Banks and restaurateur Matthew Lockwood converted the building into a restaurant, named "Roots", which focuses on local produce and self-sufficiency. This became the first restaurant in the city to win a Michelin star, in 2021.[3][4]

The building in 2010, in use as a pub

The two-storey building is grade II listed. It is built of brick, with the first floor partly tile-hung, and partly covered with timber-framing. The ground floor windows and doors are surrounded by stone, and the roof is tiled. All three bays of the Marygate front are gabled; there is a half-octagonal tower at the right-hand side, and a central porch with a round arch. Above the door is a panel which reads "BUILT 1894". Most windows are mullioned and transomed, with some on the first floor diamond-paned. Inside, the basic room arrangement survives, although some walls were removed in the 20th century. Original features include the bar and two timber fireplaces, one of which has a carved panel above depicted a bay horse and dated 1898.[5]