When entering the Brown Cow for the very first time, thepubsofyork.com had a decision to make with regard to the Brown Cow that with hindsight, was as important to our lives as Russian linesman Tofik Bakhramov deciding that the ball went over the line in 1966.

For back on that cold December evening, thepubsofyork.com ventured into the Brown Cow for the first time and as we stood in the small entrance vestibule, there were two choices that could have changed our lives forever – do we go through the left door into the bar, or through the right one into the lounge.

Some sort of divine intervention must have occurred and we went right, into the lounge and ultimately, to our probable safety.

We still received a small amount of ridicule from across the counter (which connects the bar with the lounge) and locals discussed whether or not we were undercover Policemen.

On this particular occasion, York’s premier pub review website enjoyed the company of a very good friend who despite having entered and enjoyed a beer in ramshackle, backstreet bars in Cape Town, Lima and Haxby, stated he had never felt so uncomfortable in a pub as he did on that cold Winter evening.

Thepubsofyork.com has ventured back into the Brown Cow on a couple of occasions since, and admittedly these have been slightly better experiences which can probably be put down to a very friendly barman and a quieter pub, but you simply cannot hide form the fact that the Brown Cow obviously suffers from the fact it is situated near Walmgate which is one of the less prosperous areas of inner York.

It’s a shame really as the (cheap) Sam Smiths beer is good, the building itself is a great example of a traditional pub from yesteryear and could quite easily be incorporated into a pub crawl that takes in the excellent pubs nearby, namely the Rook and Gaskill and the Phoenix.

A few months ago the Brown Cow hit the (local) headlines as the then landlords were sacked and evicted from the flat upstairs for lighting up a cigarette inside the pub after hours. They now run the Mount on the, er, Mount, and thepubsofyork.com suggest they are better off away from this place.

Whilst the Brown Cow surely can’t be as bad as the experiences thepubsofyork.com has encountered suggest, however, with this in mind it couldn’t possibly recommend this pub to man nor beast.

If however you’re feeling adventurous and fancy a pint of Sam’s then good luck to you, and whilst your there, give the fella who was asleep on the sofa when we were last in a nudge.

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