Your memories of Elizabeth's as city centre institution is transformed into community cafe

With its distinctive dark red colour scheme, Elizabeth’s in Bridge Street served Sunday dinners and other classic meals for decades.

It’s stood empty since 2017 after the restaurant served its last plate of mince and dumplings, however, work has now started on transforming the site into a counselling cafe for the community.

At the helm of the new venture is city businessman Steven Lynn who is hoping the cafe will encourage more people, in particular men, to seek mental health support.

Counselling helped Steven through unimaginable tragedy when, in 2018 his son Steve died after contracting flu. The popular 25-year-old‘s death came not long after his grandparents’ death and counselling helped Steve Snr through an incredibly difficult chapter in his life.

The memory of Steve Jnr and his grandparents, Jean and Kenny, will live on in the name of the new cafe, which will be called Betsy Jenny Counselling Cafe. Betsy was Steve’s nickname and Jenny is an amalgamation of Jean and Kenny’s names.

The new cafe has been met with an overwhelmingly positive response, with people pleased that the much-loved site will be put to such good use. The news has also sparked plenty of memories of meals gone by, with hundreds of people on our Facebook page sharing their memories.

Lisa Prendergast said: “Loved going when I was little with my grandparents Jennie and Ernie Everett. Every Saturday they’d go, same table meeting same people. Great memories. Hope it goes well.”

Clara Cloggs said: “Many happy memories going here when I was a little girl. The best roast lunches around and desserts to die for. Good luck to all.”

Adele Croft said: “We always went to Elizabeth”s when we went to the Empire for a show, loved it.”

Mick Wilson said: “I used to love to take my old mam there. Great food. Best of luck to the new owners.”

Stacey Barnes said: “I have fond memories of this place, excellent idea for its new future too!”

Support your Echo and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news, the latest on SAFC and new puzzles every day. With a digital subscription, you can see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.