24-05-2025
We join the queue to try York's newest bakery and bistro – is it any good?
Review: We try menus at Black Wheat Club, Fossgate, York
THERE was fanfare and fuss when this new eating spot opened in York a few weeks ago.
Expectation built for weeks on account of a series of 'teaser' posts on social media and the fact its windows were blacked out during renovations.
When Black Wheat Club (BWC) finally opened at the top of Fossgate (in the former Bowler vintage fashion store), people were queueing for a table.
And I was one of them.
Black Wheat Club in Fossgate. Photo from York Press
In the first few weeks, the business – set up by Tomasz Mlynarski and Marta Obuchowska, the Polish couple behind the Krep food truck in Shambles Market – was billed as a 'microbakery' and 'bistro' initially just offering a brunch menu.
This menu is still available and features the likes of freshly baked pastries, breakfast buns, egg dishes – all with a unique twist (leek, celeriac and cheese morning bun anyone?).
On my first visit – after a brief wait outside (luckily we were first in the queue) – we devoured one of the best sandwiches we had ever had in York: freshly made focaccia (all soft inside with a crisp, salty crust) packed with a stack of wafer-thin ham, mustard mayo, and layers of finely sliced pickled cucumber. The coffee and cakes were very good too.
Black Wheat Club in Fossgate, left, and its focaccia and ham sandwich for lunch. Photos from York Press
When we learned the owners' intention was also to open in the evening (Thursday to Saturday only), we vowed to return.
Which brings us neatly to a warm Friday night in May. We'd booked a table for three for 7.30pm.
On arrival, there were only two other groups of diners; a booking for four was a 'no show' so our friendly and super-helpful waiter gave us their space rather than the smaller, raised table with bar stools we'd been earmarked.
Small menus are always a plus for me (who wants to plough through a book in order to pick something to eat?) so BWC quickly won Brownie points for having its selection on just one page. Drinks get two pages!
We noticed the wine was priced from £32-£45 for a bottle, which felt like an electric bolt to the body. But we then spotted a Vermouth and Soda was only £5 (ditto the House Negroni), as was a can of IPA. A round of drinks for £15 – we were smiling again.
Our Vermouth 'sharpeners' came in pretty ornate classes. Served with lots of ice and a sprig of fresh thyme, they were a perfect drink for a warm, pre-summer evening.
Interiors and the Vermouth 'Sharpener' at Black Wheat Club. Photos from York Press
On to the food. BWC follows the fashion for serving small plates of food, designed for sharing. There were ten savoury dishes on the menu and two desserts; we ordered seven of them between us and were told they'd come in a random order.
Random was certainly the word, but I quite liked the surprise element.
We were surprised when the first dish to arrive was the house salad (£10). Tucked away at the bottom of the menu almost like an afterthought, it was anything but.
In fact, it was one of our favourite plates of the night. Presentation was impressive: the greens and deep reds of the salad leaves were mixed with the bright yellow of the turmeric-infused pickled kohlrabi, all topped with the edible white flowers of wild garlic. There was a taste of fennel too, from the seeds in the dukkah topping.
The leaves had been leisurely left in the house marinade so were glossy and slightly wilted, and utterly delicious. We asked the waiter if they sold the dressing? No was the answer. Well they should. He did reveal the secret ingredient was orange; I will now be adding that to my salad dressings at home.
After something so summery and light, we were thrust back to the tastes of autumn and winter as two plates of heavy-duty carbs came our way: roasted celeriac (£12) and the BWC potatoes (£9).
Burger, left, and celeriac dish at Black Wheat Club. Photo by York Press
The former was another pretty plate, the two fat and slightly-charred wedges of celeriac opening like a butterfly on a moat of yellow romesco and fermented squash salsa and filled down the middle with dukkah. It tasted divine: the celeriac crunchy on the outside and soft, but still with a bit of bite, inside.
The potatoes were definitely in the 'naughty but nice category', cooked so they had gone beyond soft (yum) and topped with just-melting Botton cheese and creamed rosemary butter, together delivering a gooey gorgeousness with each bite (double yum).
Our 'protein' plates came next: starting with the house burger. Encased in greaseproof paper that we had to unwrap before cutting into pieces to share, we all agreed we'd come back and have one to ourselves. At £15 this might be one of the most expensive burgers in York. But it also might be one of the best.
The plaice fillet (£17) was perfectly pan fried, delivering mouthfuls of soft, succulent fish. It came with three rounds of charred celeriac on the side.
Pan fried plaice at Black Wheat Club. Photo by York Press
We also chose the pork steak (£16) which had been slow cooked to the point it fell away as we raked through our forks, scooping up hearty mouthfuls which were quite divine.
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At six dishes between us, we were quite full, but in the interests of offering a full review we selected a dessert too.
There were just two choices – bread and butter pudding or cheesecake; we plumped for the latter. This was another winner – and a rather whopper of a helping, which was easily generous enough for us to share.
Pork steak, left, and cheesecake at Black Wheat Club. Photos by York Press
Thick, dense and creamy in the tradition of all the best baked cheesecakes, it came with a sweet and sticky raisin sauce.
The bill for three was just £102 (tip not included). For around £35 a head, we thought we'd had a very special dinner in York.
It's also worth noting that the restaurant's interior is quite special too: we loved the wood panelling in dark green and the stamped table ware – and the loos must be some of the smartest in the city.
Bathroom upstairs at Black Wheat Club. Photo by York Press
We just hope that word gets out and the restaurant fills up – the Black Wheat Club deserves to have a healthy 'membership' in York and beyond.
Fact file:
Address: Black Wheat Club, 52 Fossgate, York
Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays
W: (reservations via website)
Instagram: @blackwheatclub
Our view:
Food: Fresh, seasonal and tasty with choices for breakfast lunch and now dinner
Decor: Smart and fashionable - with really lovely loos!
Value: Not cheap, but you are paying for quality produce and skilled cooking
Verdict: A great addition to York that deserves to do well
All reviews are independent and meals paid for by The Press
