IN ITS unique setting there simply had to be a few train puns.

“The station links are reasonably subtle, with drinks names like Steam Locomotive and slogans such as 'Just the Ticket', says James Garside, general operations manager at Twisted Bars, the company that runs the Ticket Office in Ilkley.

“We are opposite the actual train station ticket office and try to keep the train puns running throughout with the names of some drinks and some of the decor inside."

So if you’re arriving in the elegant spa town and have time for a Steam Locomotive, you’ll experience the delights of Slipsmith sloe gin, Amaretto Disaronno, fresh blackberries, pressed apple and cranberry juice, and Crème de Mure.

Ilkley’s ‘first class drinks carriage’ opened in 2017. It is owned by a group of four local people who also own Everybodys in Guiseley. The group is about to take on a new venture at what used to be The Yard and more recently The Hub in Ilkley.

“All three bars have their own unique selling points,” says James, who has worked for the company for seven years, spending time at individual sites, before moving to cover them all in his current role.

“Everybodys offers a family-orientated, all day dining environment, The Ticket Office a premium cocktail lounge and The Yard /Hub/official name to be decided, will very soon offer a sports and games bar with late night DJs.”

Visitors from across the world pop in to The Ticket Office or a drink and a bite to eat. Says James: “Ilkley is very much a destination town and so we get a lot of visitors from throughout Yorkshire and beyond - I was chatting to someone from New Zealand last week although I can’t be sure he came over just to visit us! That said, we have a great bank of locals and after four years we like to think we are nicely settled into the Ilkley community now.”

The Ticket Office offers a franchised kitchen: current residents are ‘End of the Line”, headed up by former Box Tree chef Linford Nicholson. Their menu is seasonal and ever changing on a weekly basis, to keep on-trend and using the freshest foods available.

‘End of the Line’, ‘Mainline,’, and ‘Final Stop’ are among the rail references that grace the menu, where mains include a variety of steaks, truffle fried chicken breast, Yorkshire wagyu fried beef patty and crispy jackfruit patty.

Starters include whitebait and truffle and parmesan fries.

"We welcome walk-ins but are often full so would highly recommend booking to avoid disappointment," adds James.

"Depending on time of the week we can have a relaxed feel with some subtle jazz music playing or, particularly on weekends, we have a buzzing and vibrant atmosphere and cool bar music turned up a touch to add to the atmosphere," says maths graduate James, who enjoys his job.

I like the variety of the work I do. I do a lot of admin work - planning events and using my degree to digest business analytics - but I also create and write interesting and inspiring menus and deliver them to our customers.

"It’s a full-circle role overseeing every aspect of the business and seeing the team’s hard work come together to deliver a great offering to our guests."

*The Ticket Office, 11, Station Plaza Station Rd, Ilkley LS29 8HF

*Visit ticketofficebar.co.uk