This page looks at the development of sit-in cafes in Penistone. It does not include those which are solely take-aways except for their contact details in the list below. Penistone offers an interesting and expanding range of cafés and bistros, each with their own particular features as important social focuses and perhaps a welcome respite from shopping. They also draw in some stray supermarket shoppers who might not otherwise bother to explore.
For more information about local facilities, please take a look at Visit Penistone's, High Street section, which also has a full list of eating and drinking on its Cafés and Restaurants page. Penistone parish church also has 'Open Doors' lunches and coffee mornings on Market Days and most Saturday mornings. Also see the We are Penistone Facebook group.
Quick List for food outlets and cafes
These opening times are likely to be out of date, so they might be open anyway. Most chip shops close Mondays. Details subject to change (please also visit the Pubs page):
Historical Café Changes
Way back in the 1960s, Green Kleens was a Milk Bar and, further down Sheffield Road, a red-brick building near the viaduct was The Coffee Shop. That has been replaced by chequered houses teetering on the ridge. Little changed in Penistone with few cafes to choose from until the Saddler's Café opened in the 1980s next door to Edric Foster's chip shop (now Ward's chippie). Gregg's/Hagenbachs also had a café in the 1990s but the current Gregg's is sited further up the street (and does not have a loo).
The old (and always very cold) Fieldsend's greengrocer eventually became a café but it changed hands something like three times in the 1990s, before its incarnation as Carolina's Italian Café and Delicatessen. Then it became the current 'Cinnamon Spice' Indian restaurant/take-away, and with a good reputation for authentic curries. With few cafes around at the time the Vicarage Tea Room by the old Post Office (now a dwelling) was popular until it abruptly closed around 2008-9. Its breakfast trade moved to the nearby Rose & Crown for a spell, soon to fizzle out with the pub changing hands several times, eventually to close down and become a legal/property business. Even with those closures, Penistone would never be short of food outlets as new ones filled the gaps, as listed below.
Phraseology: Around the start of the millennium, "May I have ... ?" turned into "Can I get ...?" in the American style.
The reply could be: "No, I'll get it for you."
The current cafés came along almost in a pack. First was SK's Café in 2009 after the Halifax agency closed, followed by The Loft in June 2010 and The Arthouse in 2011. In September 2011, Julie French's former food caravan business moved into the Trans-Pennine Café near St Mary's Street roundabout, later to be renamed Julie's Café.
SK's Café was very busy and opened seven days a week. Its proprietor (I've forgotten his name) would keep the customers amused with occasional min-quizzes, in among his rushing about. One of the specials was a fish pie and peas. The café could have continued but for a leg injury which made it increasingly difficult for him to carry on. He eventually had to give up working around 2011 - 2012.
SK's was refurbished and in July 2012 become Café Crème in a new style. After only a couple of weeks or so, it changed hands again but kept the name. The new proprietor was Karen Harrison (Tyas at the time), supported by family members and a generally youthful staff and she built up a successful and lasting business. Karen had worked at Barnsley's Holiday Inn and Tankersley Manor and had good experience with the public and food. She also ran a quick food van in Fox Valley car park for perhaps a couple of years until late 2019, when a Stocksbridge butcher took it over under a new name. Although the café had special evenings from time to time, such as Tapas, around 2019 they started 'Happy Café' Tuesday evenings for people who are not normally out-going or who needed some social help to mingle with others. The church has long provided similar help. In 2020, Karen took over a failing café in Barnsley town centre to turn it into another Café Crème.
Soon after J&B Antiques Shop had become established in the former Robinson's News corner shop, the 'Vintage Tea Room' was started next door, on Church Street (with an adjoining door), owned by the same people. After four successful years, in October 2017 both businesses were required to move out of the building, allegedly because of a rent hike. After a long delay and rumours of what it might become, builders moved in and two sides were combined into one, to open in September 2019 as 'The Vault' evening venue for food and drinks, and with a cellar bar and as a cafe in the daytime. It also provided early breakfasts at first but these were soon dropped.
Gregg's Bakery had been an established food take-away and bread shop for many years. It was refurbished and it re-opened in October 2013 as a café and take-away. Unlike other Penistone cafés, the new Gregg's sit-down was not required to install its own toilet. On some occasions, its customers would try to use the toilet of another cafe further on but usually with repercussions.
Café Generation had an illustrious start as it provided refreshments for the official launch of the then-new 'Penistone1' (formerly 'Penistone Gateway') offices and shops complex, just prior to its own official opening on Sat. 5th April 2014. A drinks licence was also acquired in 2016. Although it usually opened only during daytime, occasional live music and other events have popped up in the evenings. The Café Generation Bar also became popular as a 'Bumping Spaces' venue for weekly get-togethers. It is the most spacious of Penistone's hospitality outlets and can cater for large groups.
In Sept/Oct 2015, the Arthouse Café also obtained a drinks licence. It appears to have changed hands more than once since Frances launched it. In 2016, Café Crème improved their kitchen but could not proceed with other refinements until a neighbouring building could move its central heating balanced flue, which intruded into the space needed. Unlike another nearby outlet (which, as a chain, might have had more council influence), Café Crème had been required to provide a toilet from the start. Café Crème had its Fox Valley mobile café in an old Citroën van until the autumn of 2019.
In late 2016, the former Dolphin Fish and Chip shop was extensively renovated, to be re-launched in 2017 as The Three Fryers in a shiny new shop. Unfortunately, in October 2017 the 'Vintage Tea Room' and in November 2017 the adjacent J&B Antiques Shop both closed down (associated with each other) after running for four years. The story went that their rents had been greatly increased to the point of making the businesses unviable. In August 2018, the Arthouse Café changed hands for the second time. One of the three people running the new enterprise is Laura Quinn-Hughes.
As early as the Spring of 2018 there had been rumours of a new bistro and bar moving into the former Antiques Shop and Vintage Tea Room at the top corner of Church Street. Planning permission proved the point, then it came to fruition on Friday 29th November 2019 when The Vault opened. Just around the corner on St Mary's Street, the former JT Smith's furniture shop had already become Cristello's bridal shop and wine/gin bar in March 2019.
Jim of the Cherrydale Chinese take-away (Market Street, opposite Gregg's) retired in March 2020 and the shop became available for other uses. On VJ-Day 2020 (15th August) a new venture started. Cherrydale was converted into an upmarket new venue, 'BARiSTA & CUCiNA' as a coffee shop and Mediterranean grill on the ground floor and a wine and cocktail bar upstairs. Its owner, Matthew Crisp wanted it to be bicycle-friendly to attract the many cyclists who pass through our district on road or the T-P Trail. He was noted for the 'Market Kitchen' in Barnsley's new Glass Works complex. Barista-UK. It did not last.
The Spring Vale sandwich shop was formerly called 'Home Cooking' until it became also a café with tables inside and out. It is now called Café 101 and, like the Tardis, the cafe in a back room is much larger than you expect it to be. In fact there is also a cellar dining room, so they can do plenty of meals. The small tea garden at the front is a pleasure in warm weather and perhaps useful for dog-walkers. The Windmill Café high up at Royd Moor above Millhouse Green also deserves a special mention (Facebook). It has been around for quite a long time. With its steadily-increasing popularity, especially with walkers and cyclists, it was renovated and expanded during the 2020 pandemic to provide more seating and a wider menu choice. I can recommend the Windmill.
2022 and Beyond
Two new tea/coffee rooms came along in 2022, sort-of. The first is part of 'All is Good' delicatessen near St Mary's Street roundabout. The lower part was Orca bathroom installations then the delicatessen took over part of the unit, sharing the same door. Eventually, Orca moved out and the delicatessen expanded into the other part, making it into quite a large shop. The next unit below then became part of the business. In 2022, tables and chairs were added as a tea room and at first used for occasional arts and crafts events. In 2023, the cafe came into general use and a table out on the pavement outside.
A new cake shop opened in July, 'Bake Boutique' next to Gregg's cafe on Market Street. With tables and chairs installed, customers can enjoy a hot or cold drink with their lovely buns and cakes. Although many cafes are required to provide toilets, some don't. Then they send their customers to use the toilets of those cafes which do comply.
Formerly the Cuccina and, under the same ownership, renovated and opened in 2023 as the Chapeau cafe and latte bar. The definition of 'Chapeau' is a hat, which can be plumed as in certain uniforms. The logo is a disc of almost concentric circles, like looking down an illuminated pipe with a lot of sections. No, me neither. It lasted about five minutes and became a burger bar in 2023.
Penistone Leisure Centre (sports centre, the former Drill Hall) created The Hub coffee bar and slowly extended its offerings, encouraging board games at the same time. By the spring of 2024 it gained an outdoor seating area and be known as The Hub Community Cafe.
2023 Coal Drop Plans
This area has long been about to be improved, with nothing actually happening for years. Then, Fairbank Investments published plans for the Coal Drops on Facebook, according to which a new building would be put above the drops with restaurant below. A new building at ground level behind the drops would have a cocktail bar. Retail units would occupy the actual coal drops. Further down the lane would be blocks of office and business units, a walkers' hostel by the Trail, a new bicycle hire unit and an AirBNB unit in the Regency House conversion (which had been a pub years ago). There would be around 30 to 35 parking spaces to benefit the office and shop units during the day and the restaurant in the evening. The drawings looked good and better on the eye than the current Coal Drops. Penistone people seem to welcome the plans and it could add more diversity to the somewaht limited shopping we find in Penistone, which these days is mostly cafes.
Patties. In 2023, the Barista and Cuccina coffee shop mentioned above (across the road from Gregg's) closed for several weeks in 2023 to re-open in July as 'Chapeau' - a 'café, food, late bar' but, as before, it did not last long. It soon closed, to be reinvented under new ownership as 'Patties' burger bar, opening on 14th December 2023. In three years it has changed three times. Watch this space.
Towards the end of 2023, the All is Good delicatessen next to Generations Cafe (St Mary's Street roundabout) was re-arranged such that the previously small coffee bar section on the left was expanded into a more serious cafe on the right. In November, the Bake Boutique (cake shop, opened June 2022) closed for refurbishment and re-opened as, wait for it ... another cafe, The Holme Coffee House. Its name is not explained as Penistone is not in the Holme Valley. Some might say that its dark windows lend it an intimate air, but others might not enter a cafe that you could not see inside. In fact it has a lot more room inside than you might think, looking from the street.
2024 'The Manhattan' (Former Green Kleens), bottom of Shrewsbury Road.
Opened in May 2024 for
'Good Food, Good Coffee, Good Times.' The former Green Kleens hardware shop had lain empty for several years before work started in January 2024 to convert it into a new cafe. The menu includes: Hot and Cold Sandwiches, Wraps, Hot Dogs, Skewers, Burgers, Smokey Joes, Meatballs, Lasagne, Fries, Chili, Curry sauce, Jacket Spuds,
Salads, Vegetarian,
etc. The food arrives in cardboard cartons, for consumption by finger or wooden cutlery, cafe or take-away (no washing up).
Open 9am for breakfasts, then all day to 6pm in the evening (not Weds). Has an old-style jukebox (four tunes for a pound) with 1950s/60s records, such as Elvis, Beatles, Rolling Stones, etc. An interesting addition is a railways arrivals and departures indicator above the door, giving travellers somewhere for a brew before catching a train. The theme is rather like a 1960s milk bar and you might imagine bobby-soxxed girls dancing to the music, with Cliff Richards crooning. Or perhaps something more American. An interesting concept. The cafe is on the ground floor only at first but work continues upstairs to increase the seating and custom. A lavatory will also be available upstairs when it is finished. See Facebook. From the outside, it is not obvious when it is open.
Penistone Town centre Cafés and Tearooms
Depends upon the time of day, not many open into the evening.
Number. = Approx Map Location; W = WiFi available.
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The proposed Coal Drops development has been a long time in gestation and the cafe originally planned might become a restaurant or night spot instead.
The Paramount can provide hot and cold refreshments before performances and in the intervals.
The Vault
New for 2019, this opened as a bistro and bar in the former Antiques Shop on the top corner of Church Street. The layout is a bistro at ground level and a cellar bar down some steps. This is aimed up-market, and described by its owners as: 'A contemporary bistro restaurant with a speakeasy cocktail bar underneath. Situated in the heart of Penistone'.
A special menu item is 'Hanging kebabs.' There are vegetarian options, sandwiches, full meals and, initially, breakfasts on the menu. It looks as though they have stopped doing the breakfasts. More on this if or when I visit. Facebook.
Bistro in the Barn
This one on Lee Lane seemingly popped up out of nowhere, perhaps in 2016. Not a café but 'Bistro in the Barn' as a restaurant at Hazlehead in the grounds of Hazlehead Hall, off Lee Lane, Millhouse Green. They say: 'Bistro in the Barn: gluten-free restaurant and one of the best places to eat. Our ethos is... locally-sourced, home cooked, tasty food.'
Hazlehead Hall is also an Equestrian Centre. In the days of the Civil War, Haslehead Hall (as it was then spelled) was the home of Captain Adam Eyre. Hazlehead is not spelled as you might think. The restaurant is in a renovated 400-year-old barn but is barely advertised. Perhaps 'word of mouth' is enough. If so, that would be a high commendation but our area is often like that. The menu looks wonderful, if a bit on the dear side, but I really must try it out.
Opening Hours, Wednesday to Saturday, 5pm to Late, Sundays, Noon to 4pm.
Gluten free and Vegetarian options available.
For bookings or more information, call 76 5700 or Email: info@bistrointhebarn.co.uk.
Address: Hazlehead Hall, Lee Lane, Millhouse Green, S36 9NN. See Bistro in the Barn and Facebook.
Café Crème
This café is ideally placed on Penistone High Street and has a relaxed, family atmosphere. It is a chatty and welcoming place for the new faces who call in every day. The café is clean and tidy and service is always reasonably efficient. For many decades the shop had been the Penistone Conservative Party office but was closed most of the time except for occasional jumble sales. Then it became a Halifax Bank agency and financial adviser until 2009 (one of the early banks to abandon Penistone). Following this, it became a cafe. The Conservative Party owns the building and still have meetings upstairs. For several years, the upper floor was the studio for Penistone FM radio station.
Starting as SK's Café in 2009, this is the end shop on the High Street which was named after its first cafe tenants, Sue and Kelly. Lee did a great job as the chatty front man who kept customers entertained with jokes and even an occasional impromptu General Knowledge quiz. After an injury it became increasingly difficult for him to keep going and, after about three years, it had to close in 2012.
After refurbishment, the café re-opened Friday 7th September 2012 under Joanne Walker but changed hands in late October 2012 to Karen Harrison (Tyas at the time, pictures below) with help from her mum Janet, daughter Molly, son George and others joining in from time to time. Sometimes Karen's auntie Vickie might help out. Improvements took place in 2013, with WiFi, redecorating, new curtains and new signage. A new website and Facebook page went live in 2014 and the front section was re-arranged in April 2015, with new tables, stools, high shelves and a lick of paint.
Its menu is based on good quality home-made dishes and cakes. They do cooked breakfasts, soup, paninis, fresh sandwiches, home-made cakes, snacks, hot lunches, afternoon tea and take-out food. There is enough vegetarian choice and they are willing to allow variations to menu items to accommodate difficult people like me. Much of their menu is gluten-free and wheat-free and there is quite a demand for that in Penistone. Gluten makes Karen poorly. Most of the menu can also be done as a take-away, along with hot and cold drinks.
From April 2014, as a new direction, Café Crème started opening late once a month for Tapas Evenings but this was not continued. Other special events such as the safe spaces have been held in the evenings to help those with social isolation difficulties, or even poetry nights. The Café can supply wine or a small range of alcoholic drinks with a meal but does not have a full drinks licence.
Also a Theatre?
Well, not quite but, as a one-off, a small play called 'Twelve Miles North of Sheffield' played on Sunday 14th June 2015, the Mayor's Parade day. They also run a few other extra-curriculum activities, such as a sewing and knitting circle, cake decorating sessions, a weekly Happy Cafe, children's craft sessions, baking classes, poetry evenings, anniversary specials and more. They have also had tapas evenings.
The 2025 Message
It seems that some customers were not sure about the when and the what in regard to Cafe Crème, prompting this Facebook entry by Karen in early April 2025:
'Think I need to do a bit of an honest and open post… facts and info that bemuses me people don’t seem to always know, even after all this time…
Opening Hours:
Monday to Thursday, 8.30am to 4pm,
Friday, 8.30am to 3.30pm,
Saturday, 9.30am to 3.30pm,
Closed on Sunday.
Breakfasts available in the morning but check for times.
Café Crème (Facebook).
9 High Street, Penistone.
Also Café Crème Barnsley - In the Bus Station. Facebook.
To order Birthday Cakes, Christening Cakes, etc. (gluten/wheat-free available), call in, call 76 6118 or Email cafecremepenistone@live.co.uk.
The Arthouse Café and Delicatessen
This popular café was opened in July 2011 by Frances Greenwood (Barkworth at the time) and proved to be a great success.
In January 2015, it was taken over by Paul Winterburn and Jane Dunning
who also kept it going in the same style.
Now, in August 2018, the café has changed hands again. One of the three people running the new enterprise is Laura Quinn-Hughes. See Facebook.
In good weather, this café has a particular advantage over most of the others: it has outside tables with a pleasant view of Penistone Church and with birds singing in the trees opposite. If there is a wedding going on, you might also benefit from the pleasant peal of the church bells. There are usually people around on the street who are likely to say hello. You can watch cyclists and cars from here going the wrong way up this one-way street. Service is friendly and pleasant and the place is quite free from riff-raff (excepting perhaps my visits). The room is clean, bright and modern, with Wi-fi for customers and gentle ambient music. Although the front door is up some steps, there is also wheelchair access to the rear of the building. Omelettes are now on the menu.
In the Beginning
Going back to the start, the lease had been obtained on 20th January 2011 and work could begin on turning an ordinary dwelling (next to Hackett's florist on Church Street) into an unusual café. The ArtHouse Café opened 3rd July 2011 (there's a sign hanging inside with the date on) and it introduced Penistone to a new style of café and a new experience as a combined delicatessen, art gallery and café. The walls are adorned by art (for sale) from local artists and arty, hanging nick-nacks here and there. It has continued in that style ever since.
In January 2012, the café and its proprietor Frances Barkworth were featured in the Yorkshire Life magazine. Their Twitter said: 'An Art-Cafe in Penistone, Proud to promote Handmade, Artisan, Unique and Delicious Products. Laid Back and friendly - come and see us!' However, it is changing hands in 2015. On 18th January, proprietor Frances Barkworth handed it over to the new owners, local couple Paul Winterburn and Jane Dunning. They are going to keep things the same as before, with artwork for sale, a similar menu and will keep the same staff etc.
These photos were taken soon after it opened in 2011. The second picture shows Frances smiling pleasantly whilst perhaps trying to avoid the camera. Her dad Paul often worked in the café. He thinks that his picture looks something like a Lowry ('Matchstick Men'). Well, they do say that the camera never lies. Unless it's mine, of course. The glass cabinet normally has specialist cheeses and other foods but it was being re-stocked at the time.
A range of locally-produced jams, honey, chutneys and marmalades is available and some buns and cakes are baked on the premises. The menu has some veggie choices and can be found on their website. Upon request, they can make a decent mug of builder's tea and their toast and marmalade is well up to standard. Their mugs are about the right size for a lad who likes his tea although actual builders might be a rare sight in here. Their Veggie breakfasts and Greek salads are also very good.
The café provides 'Delicious home-baked scones and cakes, light lunches, a full range of coffee and locally-made ice-cream (by the yummy scoop)'. The highly acclaimed Yummy Yorkshire Ice-cream Co. provides the ices. I can recommend the liquorice flavour. On the vegetarian side, I can recommend their feta, apple and walnut in a granary stick, with a cole-slaw salad. Very tasty.
Opening Hours:
Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm,
Sunday, 11am to 4pm.
Breakfasts served before noon. They also do a range of take-aways.
Breakfast sandwiches take-aways are available before noon.
They will also hold private functions in the evening when they would otherwise be closed.
Winter Opening Times
9am to 4pm, Sundays 11am to 4pm.
3a Church Street, Penistone, S36 6AR.
Tel: Call 76 5080. Facebook.
First Anniversary 2012
Here we see the staff marvelously dressed up for their first anniversary, July 2012. There was also a nun somewhere in the kitchen. Fran is the tiger in the middle picture. This was under the previous owner, Frances Barkworth, but it has been retained on this page as a little bit of local history.
Changes in 2015
Sunday 18th January 2015 was the last day of the lovely Frances Barkworth as proprietor, as she handed over to Paul Winterburn and Jane Dunning, with a distinct lump in her throat. I was greatly privileged to be invited to her send-off gathering. Frances is justly very proud of having created and maintained this lovely café in Penistone and making it a success. Frances thanked the customers and offered her best wishes for the future of the business. The new owners have kept to the familiar style, with artwork on view and for sale and a similar menu.
In the 20s
A Barnsley lass took over and kept things running as before. The menu with its specials is written on a large blackboard behind the counter. Meanwhile, Frances became married and raised a family. Now she sells jewellery that she makes and helps out at the Leisure Centre.
The Loft Coffee Shop
This coffee shop opened in 2010 on Back Lane near the market place. This was during a time of great disruption when the Market Barn was being built. It soon settled down. In fact, the original plans had included that area as a 'Fur and Feather' Market (auction room) but the plans were changed. The cafe is is in a good location for the Market Barn and 'Penistone 1' offices nearby but can only be accessed by stairs, which might be less convenient for some. It is also adjacent to a ladies' hairdresser shop, which must mean that the cafe's heating bills will be minimal.
There are two sides, with padded armchairs and low tables at one side and high tables with 'Christine Keeler' chairs at the other side. (Who, over a certain age, will ever forget that picture). There is also a kind of bar counter with high stools.
This café is a treat for the nose, with fresh coffee and some occasional scented wafts from the hairdresser shop below. They have a wide range of coffees or you can try Chai Latte, which isn't a coffee at all but a delicious cinnamon tea. Or choose from a nice selection of home-made buns. If you ask nicely you might get beans on toast but it isn't on the menu.
A review on the 'Yelp' site says:
'Very impressed with the coffee and the cake selection is a joy. I am a regular even though I live 10 miles away. highly recommended.'
Their Facebook says:
'A modern, friendly coffee experience in the heart of Penistone where you can relax and unwind in comfortable surroundings and sample all the delights we have to offer.'
Opening Hours:
Monday to Saturday - 9am till 5pm
Sunday - 10am till 3pm
The Loft Coffee Shop,
The Old Stables, Back Lane, S36 6BZ.
Tel 01226 379 196
The Café - The former 'Saddler's Café
More accurately, it is Ward's Café and Chip Shop, right in the middle of Penistone on the corner of Shrewsbury Road. It has been a fish and chip shop for aeons of time serving that great British delight of Fish & Chips and all the extras.
Following on from Bert Saville, the fish and chip shop continued under Edrick (actually Cedrick) Foster and his then wife Ann for eight years or so during which time he opened the 'Saddlers Café' in the early 1980s. Edrick sold the business to the Yates family in 1983, then moved on to the Stanhope Arms (now closed) at Dunford Bridge and kept it as a gastro-pub. Various domestic matters intervened and the Stanhope eventually closed.
The Yates family continued with the chip shop and café until January 2003, when Nicola Ward and her husband took over. In fact, as Nicola is one of the Yates family, she can claim to have worked in the shop for more than thirty years. The café kept its name as the 'Saddlers Café' until fairly recent times when the signage on most of the town centre shops were re-painted or replaced. Then it was became 'The Café.'
Take-away menu items are also available in the café but there are other items which include toast, full English breakfasts and you can actually get a bowl of porridge. I often call in for 'Egg, Chips & Peas with Bread & Butter', which might give away who is writing this.
These interior shots are from 2010 and out of date now that the plastic chairs have been replaced with better ones. I would call it slightly cramped but it adds to the fun and the customers are mostly local people who are happy to engage in conversation. This café and chip shop is handy for the bus shelter around the corner and the public toilet is next door. Given its location, one can buy fish & chips and eat them outside a pub with a pint of beer. I call that 'very civilised'. Tel 76 6026.
Julie's Café
Julie French's catering caravan off St Mary's Street had a long history but eventually blossomed into a proper café nearby. Its location might explain the occasional waft of bacon buttie that a keen nose might detect when walking in the area. It was a new build and opened in September 2011, with plenty of parking space and located right next to the Trans-Pennine Trail near 'It's For Hire' and Cycle Penistone. Also, it is only a short walk from Tesco, St Mary's Street roundabout and the Penistone 1 development.
Going through the door, the take-out and kitchen side is on the left and the sit-down café is to the right, with a toilet door in between. The café room is light and spacious and decorated with pictures which are for sale. Julie's attractive daughter is shown in the picture below.
They do full English breakfasts and a range of hot and cold food, to sit in or to take out, all at very affordable prices. They also do meat, mash and veg types of meal. A particular delight is their home-made scones with jam and clotted cream with a nice mug of tea or coffee. As they are cheap anyway, I think it is particularly important to add a tip.
This café gains some passing trade from walkers, cyclists and horse-riders but it has regular customers from the roadside caravan days. They now have a bicycle rack and outdoor tables, which will be handy for people hiring and returning bikes next door and for the car wash next to it.
Update for 2015
Please note that Julies now opens on some Sundays 10am to 2pm during the summer months to cater for visitors to the Trans-Pennine Trail. See Julie's on Facebook.
Gregg's - Not Quite a Café
In October 2013, Gregg's (bakers) had a major refurbishment and new shop layout; putting the counter at the back of the shop rather than down the left side. Along came a set of tables and chairs for customers to enjoy their products. They didn't do plated, cooked meals like other local eateries, just drinks in cartons, sandwiches and wrapped foods. That serves a 'quick foods' purpose but often leads to some very bad parking near the pedestrian crossing by customers and the Post Office next door.
Unlike all of the other cafes Greggs has not been required to install a lavatory but that might stem from there previously being a cafe at the same location, so it might not have qualified as 'change of use' to trigger any later planning requirements. From August 2014, Gregg's has advertised Wifi using 'the Cloud'. Review website 'Yelp' says: 'A fine pie shop, if a little cramped inside.' As a newcomer to the Penistone café scene, it is surprising that they were not required to provide a toilet. Woe betide any Gregg's customer trying to use another cafe's loo!
Generations Café and Bistro
Formerly called Café Generations, it was re-named 'Generations Café and Bistro' in the Autumn of 2014, with new signage outside. This café is in the Penistone1 development on St Mary's Street. It is run by mother and daughter team Karen Waddington and Danniella Ghous with other family members and hired staff, providing home-cooked dishes in their brand-new café using locally-sourced produce. It is licenced for beers and wines, etc. with meals and has Bistro and Tapas evenings "with a proper chef". It might be a little more formal in style than some of the other cafes.
The first picture below shows the café interior on the opening day of the new 'Penistone 1' development, Weds 2nd April 2014. The development started as 'The Gateway'. The second picture shows the proprietor Karen serving a customer at the counter, a few days after opening. The third picture shows a new mural on the wall, which encompasses some features from our countryside. The business card scan is not 'clickable'. The long picture shows the Gateway Building as in March 2014. The new café is the white-rendered shop left of the yellow car.
It is bright, warm, spacious and has good WiFi. The clientéle is very varied and very typically are families or groups of friends. There are about thirteen tables mostly of medium height but there are some high tables near the window at one side and a low coffee table with sofa on the other. In nice weather there are a couple of tables outside.
Unlike other local cafés, this one has a great deal of room and is a particularly good venue for larger groups such as for business conferences in Penistone1, birthday parties or possibly funeral parties, although parking is limited nearby. The large Tesco car park (3 hours max.) is five minutes walk away.
The menu has a wide range of coffee and teas, including good old Yorkshire Tea for dedicated tea-drinkers like me and they are now licenced to sell beers, ciders, wines, etc. with a meal. There is a scattering of 'V's on the menus for people like me (and students) and the kitchen can adjust menu items to suit the customer, where it is reasonable to do.
Opening Hours - (24th March 2018):
Breakfast items available until 11.30am.
Monday - 9.30am to 4pm;
Tuesday to Thursday - 9.30am to 9pm (Teatime Specials from 5pm to 8pm)
Friday and Saturday - 9.30am to 5pm;
Sunday - 10am to 4pm.
Watch for special events such as live music, Tapas evenings, Medium evenings and more.
Tel: 76 1583, Mobile: 07780 292 727,
Website: Generations Café Bar.
Also on Facebook
Windmill Nursery Coffee Bar
Not strictly in Penistone but as it is near the Royd Moor wind turbines, it is close enough for a short car ride. There are around a dozen tables of two or four seats each and you place your order at the counter. This can be a surprisingly busy place and a great favourite of cyclists and walkers. There's a Garden Centre shop next to the Coffee Bar which is good for such as plant food, weed chemicals, humane slug repellent, insect sprays, pots and garden ornaments.
Prices are very reasonable. The menu includes such as sandwiches, toasties and jacket potatoes. Also soft drinks, tea and the usual wide range of coffee styles. I can recommend their mushroom omelette, which can arrive with either beans or salad. They are open for breakfasts (not sure when) in the morning and close at 4.30pm, with the last hot food orders at 4pm. It might be best to arrive before 12.30pm, to beat the rush. Find them on Facebook.
Burger Bar
The former Cherrydale Chinese take-away re-opened as a new cafe and cocktail bar following renovation work as the BARiSTA & CUCiNA (with those capitalisations) on Saturday 15th August 2020. It proved to be popular, with tables both in and out, and in all weathers. In this incarnation, it was a coffee shop and Mediterranean grill on the ground floor with a wine and cocktail bar upstairs. It also advertised as being 'bike friendly' to catch a useful passing trade from the many hardy cyclists who visit Penistone. On occasions, the venue also has had live music. Its owner, Matthew Crisp was already noted for his 'Market Kitchen' in Barnsley's new 'Glass Works' complex.
The business closed in the spring of 2023 for further renovations and re-opened in July 2023 with the name-change to 'Chapeau' and with the original owner and contact details. The Facebook blurb says: 'Amazing cafe bar by day and a true apres feel as we go into the night. Great drinks and food assured.' Definition of Après (French) = 'After.' Chapeau (Facebook). Call 76 3590..
All change again in 2024 ,under different ownership. It re-opened this time as a burger bar but always looks quiet.
Coal Drops?
Another café (or possibly a restaurant or even a night spot) that has been a very long time in gestation was intended for the Coal Drops. These are the stone arches next to St Mary's Street roundabout and are Listed, which means that there are limitations on what can be done to their appearance and structure. In their original state, railway coal wagons would empty their cargos into waiting trucks below, which means there is a big gap in each arch roof.
As a business, the structure would need a great deal of work to be made good. The business which submitted the BMBC Planning application 2013/0563 specifically stated that it would not provide hot take-aways but would be for sit-in only. Not a bad location either, for easy road access and off-road parking. We shall have to wait and see what happens, if anything. BMBC Applications: 2013/0543, 2013/0544, 2013/0563, and 2017/0156.
All is Good (Delicatessen)
This one had flown under the radar as its coffee bar section gradually morphed into a larger cafe. It had started as an innovative delicatessen, where you can take your own jar for a refill of a wide range of goods. Now it is half-and-half a cafe and deli. Not yet been tried by yours truly.
The official address is: All is Good, Unit C, St. Mary's Street, Penistone, S36 6DT but it is easier to say "Across the road from the British Legion". Its customers frequently risk parking in the loading bay, unaware of the regular visits by traffic wardens (the whole parking area is for loading and unloading).
Jack's Notes for a Good Eatery
Some simple suggestions for a better customer experience. Here's what I think and I hope you agree.
Hygiene Ratings
The official hygiene assessment of your favourite café, pub, restaurant or take-away. Some outlets cheat.
See Scores on the Doors. This is overseen by the Food Standards Agency (scores explained).
W C Fields: 'I always keep a supply of stimulant handy in case I see a snake - which I also keep handy.'