Cross St Helen’s Square in the ancient city of York at any time during the day and you can guarantee that there will be a queue of people all eagerly waiting to sample the delights of the world-famous Bettys Tea Room.

A family business since 1919 Bettys was founded on the dreams of a young Swiss boy, Frederick Belmont. Life had dealt little Frederick a cruel hand. He was orphaned in a fire at this father’s mill in the tiny Swiss village of Wangen-an-der-Aare and then sold to the highest bidder as a farm labourer.

He settled in the spa town of Harrogate and styled himself as a ‘Chocolate Specialist’ and it was here that his luck started to change. He fell in love and later married his landlady’s daughter and with the financial support of her family the first Betty’s was opened for business.

His combination of mouth-watering Swiss confectionery and Yorkshire hospitality in an elegant setting proved irresistible and Betty’s was an instant success and soon was able to boast of ‘Royal and Distinguished Patronage’ on its letterheads.

In 1936 Frederick Belmont decided to open a new Bettys in York, and he had big ideas for what he envisaged would be his flagship branch. Following a voyage to America on the Queen Mary, Belmont was inspired by the Art Deco grandeur of the transatlantic liner, and employed the firm of London craftsmen responsible for the ship’s grand interiors to create his dream café. Bettys York, the fourth Bettys café at the time, opened on 1st June 1937.

During the war the Oak Room became Betty’s Bar (they still had an apostrophe then), a popular haunt among servicemen from nearby air bases. Some left a permanent reminder of their visit by inscribing their name onto a  mirror which still hangs in the basement café.

The swinging 60s were a time of experimentation in the branch, and the business as a whole. The Belmont Room was converted into a self service restaurant and the Oak Room was transformed from a raucous basement bar to a chic Italian restaurant, complete with continental chefs and waiters.

In 1997, to mark Bettys York’s Diamond Anniversary of the York branch, the Belmont Room on the first floor of Bettys was restored. Many of its original Art Deco features were reinstated, such as elaborate brass grilles on the doors and etched glass panels depicting trees and mountains.

Famous for their afternoon teas Bettys also has an equally popular lunch and breakfast menu that entices customers from all over the world.

Joining the queue for lunch we were amazed by the number of different nationalities and accents that are waiting to enjoy the Bettys experience.

We counted at least seven and it was interesting to hear how excited they were to enjoy what was to come.

As soon as you get into the queue you are asked how many in your party and given a menu by one of the café hosts.

Our wait went so quickly it was not long before we were seated with a great view through the large windows of the ancient street outside.

Bettys is renown for its old style service. The tables are beautifully set with silver cutlery, china and crystal glasses and your server is full of knowledge about the menu and so attentive to your requirements.

We were spoilt for choice as we looked at the lunch menu and ordered a glass of their Swiss Speciality Wines – Fendant de Sion which was crisp, dry and fruity and served beautifully chilled.

From the side dishes menu we ordered a starter to share. Rosti Bites were the perfect choice. Made with crispy fried grated potato they came with a lemon mayonnaise which was the perfect contrast to the rosti. The bites were piping hot and tasty and very crispy on the outside.

For my main lunch dish I chose the Chicken Schnitzel. The Yorkshire chicken was succulent and tender and topped with Gruyere cheese. The chicken had been coated in breadcrumbs and panfried until golden brown and was a very generous size portion. It came with pommes frites, salad leave and cherry tomatoes.

My colleague decided on the Salmon Salad – the perfect dish for a summer lunch. The Salmon was panfried in herbs and garlic butter and  was tender and moist and again a very generous portion. It came on a bed of mixed green salad dressed with a lemon Swiss dressing with sauteed new potatoes.

We had saved ourselves for the sweet course as one cannot come to Bettys without having a cake or patisserie.

My colleague chose Carrot Gugelhupf a carrot sponge cake with water icing decorated with a light frosting and chocolate and the Bettys logo making it special on the top.

Bettys Brown Bread Sundae was my amazing heaven on a plate. It came in a tall sundae glass. It consisted of their exclusive Bettys Brown Bread Ice cream and was packed with crushed macaroon, pecans, toffee sauce and finished off with what I can only describe as a mountain of whipped cream.

The nuts and macaroons diffused the sweetness of the toffee sauce and made it a real ice cream sundae to savour.

Leaving Bettys we had to indulge in some retail therapy in the shop to take home some goodies for our long suffering partners before our much needed walk to the station.

Bettys Café, 6/8 St Helens Square, York

Tel: 0800 456 1919

Open: Sunday to Thursday 9.00am-5.30pm; Friday 9.00am-6.00pm; Saturday 8.35-6.00pm

NEW AT YORK AND HARROGATE EVENING DINING – 6.00PM – 9.00PM ON THURS,FRI & SATURDAYS. BOOKABLE