The Motorist: Cars, Coffee and The Driver’s Lounge

Michael Palmer
3 days ago
5 min read

The Motorist: Cars, Coffee

The Motorist in Sherburn in Elmet is an automotive venue that brings together cars, motorcycles, food, coffee and regular motoring events in one place.

Based between Leeds and York, it has become a meeting point for car and bike enthusiasts, but you don't need to be attending an event or arriving in something exotic to visit. The Driver’s Lounge is open to visitors looking for food or coffee, while the wider site hosts a changing programme of automotive meets and events throughout the year.

Me and Lyn went for a coffee, we turned some heads when we pulled in in our Skoda Scala, in blue (standard trim). I laid some rubber down on our exit.

We only visited for coffee, so as always we are keeping our own comments to what we actually experienced rather than reviewing food we haven't eaten.

The Motorist at a Glance

Location: New Lennerton Lane, Sherburn in Elmet, Leeds, LS25 6JE

Type: Automotive venue, restaurant and events destination

Food & Drink: The Driver’s Lounge

The Motorist: Cars, Coffee and The Driver’s Lounge in Sherburn in Elmet

What you'll find: Cars, motorcycles, automotive events, food, artisan coffee and The Motorist Store

Good for: Car and motorcycle enthusiasts, families, coffee, food and meeting friends

Our visit: Coffee at The Driver’s Lounge

The Motorist is also included in our Yorkshire Food & Drink listings, where we're building a collection of independent Yorkshire businesses and places worth knowing.

What Is The Motorist?

The Motorist describes itself as a venue where like-minded people gather to appreciate cars, food and the wider automotive culture.

The site at Sherburn in Elmet hosts regular car and motorcycle meets alongside larger themed events. The programme changes throughout the year, so the vehicles you see can be completely different depending on the day you visit.

You might find an event focused on a particular manufacturer, country or style of vehicle, while on another day the site can be considerably quieter.

That makes it somewhere you can visit in different ways.

You can deliberately choose a busy event because you want to see the cars, or simply call in for something to eat or drink.

The Driver’s Lounge

The Driver’s Lounge is the food and drink side of The Motorist.

It has been designed as a relaxed restaurant within the automotive venue, with seating where visitors can stop for food, drinks or coffee while remaining part of the wider Motorist atmosphere.

The Motorist says the idea behind the lounge was to create somewhere reflecting the community that has grown around the venue: relaxed, sociable and rooted in automotive culture.

That's where Lyn and I stopped during our visit.

We had coffee rather than a meal, so we can't personally comment on the wider menu, but it makes The Motorist somewhere you can visit even when you aren't attending one of the organised events.

Food and Coffee

The Driver’s Lounge serves food alongside drinks and artisan coffee.

The food offering and menus can change, so if you're making a special journey for breakfast, lunch or another meal, it's worth checking the current menu and opening information before travelling.

For us, the useful thing is that The Motorist isn't dependent on an event taking place.

You can call in for a coffee or something to eat and still enjoy the surroundings and whatever vehicles happen to be around that day.

That makes it a good addition to our growing Yorkshire Food & Drink guide.

Car and Motorcycle Events

Events are a major part of The Motorist.

The venue runs car and motorcycle gatherings throughout the year, including events centred around particular makes, styles and types of vehicle.

The calendar changes regularly, so it's worth checking what's coming up rather than assuming the same events run every week.

Some visitors will undoubtedly plan their trip around a particular event.

Others may simply enjoy arriving without knowing exactly what will be there.

If you're looking for more things happening around the area, our What's On in West Yorkshire guide brings together upcoming events from Wakefield, Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Halifax and communities across the region.

More Than an Event Venue

What makes The Motorist useful as a place to visit is that there is more to it than the organised meets.

The Driver’s Lounge gives you somewhere to sit and have food or coffee, and The Motorist also has its own store.

That means you don't necessarily need to look at the events calendar before every visit.

For somebody interested in cars, the changing vehicles on site are obviously part of the attraction, but you can just as easily use The Motorist as somewhere different to meet someone for coffee or food.

You Don't Need a Special Car to Visit

The Motorist attracts plenty of unusual, classic and performance vehicles, but it isn't somewhere you need a particular car to enter.

Visitors come for the food, coffee, events and general atmosphere as well as to display their own vehicles.

Our Skoda Scala managed perfectly well.

The important thing is that The Motorist feels accessible to people who simply enjoy cars as well as those who own something unusual themselves.

That makes it suitable for a wider audience than a traditional owners' club or specialist motoring gathering.

Sherburn in Elmet

The Motorist is on New Lennerton Lane at Sherburn in Elmet, with Leeds and York both within reach.

Its position also makes it useful as part of a wider day exploring this part of Yorkshire rather than necessarily being the only destination.

The White Shire's aim is to make places like this easier to discover alongside independent shops, cafés, restaurants, tradespeople and services from around the county.

You can find more through our Yorkshire Businesses guide.

Planning a Visit to The Motorist

If you're visiting specifically for an automotive event, check the current programme before setting off.

If you're going primarily for food or coffee, check The Driver’s Lounge opening hours and current menu.

Because the site hosts events throughout the year, opening arrangements and what's happening at the venue can vary.

The published address is:

New Lennerton LaneSherburn in ElmetLeedsLS25 6JE

The Motorist also publishes its current contact information and opening hours on its own website.

Why Visit The Motorist?

The Motorist gives Yorkshire car and motorcycle enthusiasts somewhere permanent to meet rather than relying entirely on occasional shows and temporary events.

But it also works as somewhere to visit when there isn't a major event taking place.

The Driver’s Lounge means you can call in for food or coffee, the store gives you another reason to look around, and the regular programme of automotive events means there's often something different happening.

Our visit was simple: we went for a coffee, had a look around and enjoyed somewhere a little different.

For current menus, opening times, events and visitor information, visit The Motorist's official website.

You can also discover more independent places through The White Shire's Yorkshire Businesses and Yorkshire Food & Drink guides.