New pasta and cocktail bar to open in Norwich
From left to right, Krysia Colley, George Colley, baby Matilda Colley, Natty Crothers and Abby Kidd, who will open Yard pasta and cocktails bar on Pottergate. - Credit: George Colley
A new bar serving pasta and cocktails is set to open in the former home of a Norwich coffee shop this summer.
George Colley, of Brick Pizza in Norwich, is set to open Yard with friend and colleague Nathaniel Crothers at 6 Pottergate, which was previously home to Rabbit coffee shop.
They will take over two floors of the building, the ground floor and basement, with pasta served throughout and cocktails and beers downstairs.
Mr Colley said the pair had worked together since they were teenagers, and had decided to take the plunge when the building became available roughly six months ago.
"It was quite a spontaneous decision. We will have a very small pasta menu, with about six dishes," he said. "They'll be between £4 and £9, and it's very fast turnover food.
"Then we will have cocktails down in the basement."
He said there will be three types of beer on offer - Guinness, a pale ale and a lager.
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He said he hoped to show that despite the difficulties facing the industry, there were reasons to be optimistic.
"The industry is strugling but there's opportunities and we both see that here," he said. "We are looking to open in June. Everyone is going to want to go out, so we hope we will be busy."
Mr Colley said he already has a connection to Yard's new home - his mum used to work in the building, which used to be a pizzeria.
Currently, under the prime minister's roadmap out of lockdown, restaurants and pubs can reopen outdoors from April 12 and indoors from May 17.
Then the government hopes limits on socialising and events will be scrapped from as early as June 21.
FLASHBACK: George Colley pictured at Brick Pizza in 2016. - Credit: Copyright: Archant 2016
Mr Colley opened Brick with business partner Sean Morrow in December 2015, and it has since gone from strength to strength.
As well as operating its main restaurant next to Norwich Market, which has been closed for much of the last few months, it also does deliveries and sells frozen pizzas from an industrial estate at Sweet Briar in Norwich.
