A new café is set to open in the former Legends Bar, which was once a popular spot on Batley’s ‘Golden Mile’.
The landmark white Art Deco premises, on Bradford Road, Batley, were built in the 1920s, but were bought last year by a Bradford family, who previously ran Bradford businesses including Clothing World, Universal Clothing and also the Taza Grill, on Great Horton Road.
The popular Legends Bar closed in July 2020 when trade ceased during the Pandemic, after being run by DJ Mick Ingram, for 27 years.
It re-opens as Legends Café, on Thursday 21 December, with an extensive menu, described by the owners as a “traditional concept with a twist”.
Brothers Mohammed Zahoor and Mohammed Zafoor, with support from other family members and their Bradford businessman father Manzoor Bahadur, a former Bradford magistrate, have spent months refurbishing the building.
Mr Zahoor said: “We saw this as a great opportunity to create a wonderful place to eat. We came and had a good look around the area and know there are a lot of places to dine out, but we realised there was a lack of traditional British food, so we have created a menu which is tasty, home-cooked food with a twist.”
The café will seat up to a hundred people and will open seven days a week, and will include breakfast, lunch and an evening menu at weekends. New jobs have been created and there is residential accommodation above.
Mr Zahoor said the menu included a wide range of choices with everything from Sunday Roast dinners, salads, and a variety of breakfasts to home-made burgers, kebabs, desserts and puddings, plus there will even be a Legends Steak on the menu.
“We were initially thinking of a new name for the venue, but it became obvious that people would still have called it Legends anyway. We like the name and it feels right,” he said.
“There is a focus on home-made, nutritious and healthy food, it also has plenty of vegetarian options. We are excited to finally open.”
The present building was formerly the Knottingley Wells pub, which later became The Legends bar in 1993, was also known as Hollywood Legends, thanks to the Hollywood sign in huge white letters, on the grass banking behind the pub.
The venue has had some special guests in to sample the menu, including local traders and Batley History Group, who spoke about the fascinating history of the site, which was home to the Railway Tavern from the 1830s.
One of the first people to be shown around was Paul Ellis, who was born in the pub, when his parents ran The Knottingley Wells for the late 1950s, for ten years.
Mr Ellis, who is President of the Dewsbury and (now merged) Batley Chamber of Trade and a former Kirklees councillor, said he was delighted with the news: “It is wonderful to see Legends has a new lease of life. The owners have done a fantastic job and the food is great. I am delighted the building has been saved and restored.”
Mr Ellis remembers as a child watching the Batley Variety Club being built just across the road: “I used to watch the famous stars arriving to appear there weekly, and the ones which stand out in my mind most were The Batchelors, who opened it in 1966.”
The brother’s father Manzoor Bahadur, 72, who came to Bradford when he was aged 10, said he was proud of all the hard work the family had achieved to transform the building.
The former manager of Karmand Community Centre, who also held managerial positions with Bradford Council, added: “It has been hard work but the place is looking wonderful. We can’t wait to open and serve some great home-cooked food.”
Legends Café at 315, Bradford Road, Batley, opens on Thursday 21 December, 2023.
