Dyls cafe bar by York's Skeldergate Bridge gets new owners

Riverside cafe bar Dyls, housed in the historic Grade-II-listed motor house by Tower Gardens and Skeldergate Bridge, is to have new owners from the end of this month.

Jan Dyl - whose family has run the four-storey cafe bar with a terrace overlooking the Ouse since 2012 - broke the news on social media last night (Wednesday) in an emotional post.

He said: "After 12 of the best years here at Dyls, the time has come for us to move on and embark on a new and exciting venture!

"Making the decision to sell Dyls has been one of the toughest we’ve made.

"Years of dedication, hard work, and striving to be the best we possibly can has taken its toll, and we feel it’s time to let someone with new ideas and inspiration continue its legacy, which we know many of you have grown to love."

Jan Dyl and his message he posted on Instagram about his cafe bar in York being sold to new owners (Image: NQ)

Jan said their last day would be next Sunday, April 21, and they were planning to "go out with a bang" by hosting Dyls' Last Dance - a party at the venue from 4pm to late.

"We will be hosting a final party in the park, with an extended terrace, free food, live music and performances, and a few extra surprises!"

Jan urged people to follow Dyls on Instagram for the latest details. He also said he would be revealing more information about the family that has taken over the bar soon.

Despite its riverside location and being prone to flooding, the bar has been able to keep trading whatever the river levels after state-of-the-art flood defences were installed in 2017. It also has a second entrance from Skeldergate Bridge.

Fun sign at Dyls - letting the public know it is still open despite the York floods. Photo by Sally Millington of Press Camera Club (Image: Sally Milliington)

The news comes 15 months after the cafe bar was put on the market.

As reported in The Press, Dyls went up for sale in January 2023 with Fleurets for offers in excess of £250,000.

At the time, Jan told The Press he would be miss running the bar when the time came to hand over to new owners.

Basking in the sushine on the riverside terrace at Dyls by Skeldergate Bridge (Image: NQ)

He said: "There isn't a building like this in York - a cafe bar over four floors, in an old motor house, with four completely different rooms with beautiful river views - and the best sunsets in York.

"It is a beautiful building, there is something magical about the place.

"I will be really sad to give it up and I'd like to make sure I pass it on to the right people so I can continue to come back in the years to come!"

In its early years, the cafe bar was hit by regular flooding, however following the Boxing Day floods of 2015 the Dyl family invested in making the building 'flood proof'.

A special lining was installed into the floor and walls to stop water getting in as well as hidden pumps to make sure any water that did try to get in could be pushed back out into the river. It allowed the cafe bar to remain open during York's subsequent floods.