Archive for the ‘Late Night License’ Category

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Vudu Lounge

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

Come on, be honest, you’re probably thinking that thepubsofyork.com must have looked as out of place in the Vudu Lounge as Delboy and Rodney did when they turned up at a wake dressed as Batman and Robin in the 1996 Christmas Special of Only Fools and Horses.

The bars name may well give away that it is a cocktail bar and a favourite haunt of York’s young and beautiful people, and while thepubsofyork.com’s two authors are relatively young, they’re far from being beautiful.

It wouldn’t be right to criticise the sparse selection of draught beers, as although there is only Kronenbourg 1664, John Smiths Extra Cold and Heineken on top of the bar, to visit this place in search of a pint of beer would be sort of missing the point. The fridge is quite well stocked with Moretti, Cusquena and Desperados chilling on the shelves, but its what is on the cocktail list that makes this place what it is.

We are reliably informed that only Bobo Lobo and Evil Eye can rival this place’s in the cocktail stakes and those same people who know what they’re talking about will tell you that the bar staff here are experts at mixing a mojito and serving up a Sex on the Beach. Although if you want thepubsofyork.com’s opinion (and you probably don’t) you really shouldn’t be drinking beverages that take more than sixty seconds to serve and cost more than a Bernard Cornwell novel.

The entrance should give sufficient warning to those who may be averse to fruit based alcohol drinks. When entering Vudu Lounge (did Noddy Holder write the sign for these guys?) you trot up a broad staircase from the front door located on Swinegate and head up to the bar area, which although luxuriosuly appointed, strongly resembles a strip club (so we’re told).

The squarish main room wraps around the top of the staircase and red leather sofas flank the perimeter walls of the dimly lit room which features a DJ booth and stylish chandeliers. While this poorly written description may sound like heaven to York’s young posers, to thepubsofyork.com it reads like a warning message to not visit again.


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Rating: 1.5/5 (2 votes cast)

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1331

Monday, December 28th, 2009

1331 is York’s only bar with actual digits in its name (apart from pubs such as the Three Cranes and Three Tuns etc who are refered to in the more traditional alphabetical way).

So why this numerical moniker thepubsofyork.com hear you shout?

Surely it can’t be in honour of the battle of Plowce which was fought on the 21st of September 1331 and featured the wonderfully named Wladyslaw The Elbow-high at the head of a five thousand strong Polish army? Probably not. It is almost certainly not an affectionate nod towards a centered heptagonal number either, so thepubsfoyork.com can only assume it’s a lazy and uninspiring numerical palindrome based on it’s address of 13 Grape Lane (if you should know any difference, do get in touch). Feel free to ignore thepubsofyork.com’s lack of enthusiasm towards this bars name though and don’t assume that you should be put off visiting, because its actually not that bad.

1331 Bar and Restaraunt (to give it it’s full title) is a lively and vibrant establishment spread over three floors and as it’s Sunday name suggests, it is focussed just as much on the food it cooks as the beer it dispenses.

thepubsofyork.com can’t comment on the quality of the cuisine on offer but if it’s as good as the drinks, then it shouldn’t be too bad at all. There’s a good selection of continental bottled beers and cocktails the odd Belgian beer on tap and you can enjoy your tipple in several different rooms within the walls of 13 Grape Lane.

There’s the central courtyard which is an attractive prospect in the summer and a cosy seedy snug area just off the upstairs bar. This higher bar services another two adjacent rooms which at the weekends are filled with smiling faces and music from resident DJ’s.

Of all the places in York that thepubofyork.com don’t really venture to, this place is probably the best of the bunch. A good atmosphere and quirky interior make for an interesting visit and your thirsty pub reviewers would much rather have a pint in here or Wildes next door than many of their contemporaries.

However, 1331 has far too many young/good looking/expensively dressed people in here to make it just a bit too cool for these scruffy cats. You’re a lot more likely to find your rotund pub reviewers in a hostelry named after a member of the monarchy, an inanimate object or a bird.


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Edward Balliol (c.1283 – 1367), (a.k.a. Edward de Baliol), was intermittently King of Scotland from 1332-1336
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Rating: 3.0/5 (4 votes cast)

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Biltmore

Monday, December 28th, 2009

The Biltmore sits on Swinegate in a lovely part of central York that seems to be home to trendy hairdressers and lots of cobbles. It is close to Vudu Lounge and (the “new”) Oscars and if you know these other two bars you’ll probably think that it is more than likely that the Biltmore is an uber trendy, wine-bar style establishment … and you’d be correct.

As the bars’ website kindly tells us, the it is housed within a former Elim Pentecostal Church and this architectural good fortune means that there aren’t many more impressive venues in which to enjoy a drink in York city centre.

The space is bright and vibrant and impressive looking light fittings plunge down towards the glass fronted bar from the high ceiling – saying that though, there is a distinct lack of cubicles in the Gents toilets.

Despite the stunning decor, thepubsofyork.com isn’t really at home in this type of bar; there’s no cask ale and in place of delicious packets of Seabrooks Cheese & Onion crisps and Sky Sports the owners of the Biltmore have opted to offer it’s customers cocktails, fine wines and tasty food from the impressive looking menu.

In the face of thepubsofyork.com’s lack of complete affection for the Biltmore, it is occasionally sober enough to recognise that this place isn’t completely unworthy of a visit. Taking a girl here on a first date would probably induce a big metaphorical thumbs-up and it is no suprise that this bar finds it’s way into our “Something for the Ladies” section. In fact, if thepubsofyork.com could only recommend one bar that ladies should visit for cocktails and chats with their female friends, it would probably be this place.

Whilst it isn’t the favourite watering hole of York’s most handomes and suave pub review website there are plenty who find much to enjoy about this place. It’s striking setting and impressive drinks menu ensure that there are certain occasions that might mean that a visit here needn’t be too much of a painful experience.


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Rating: 1.7/5 (3 votes cast)

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Blue Fly

Monday, December 28th, 2009

Here are some facts about flies; there are 1,100 known species of blow flies. The housefly is the most common of all domestic flies accounting for about 90% of all flies that humans come into contact with. An adult stable fly can fly up to 70 miles from it’s breeding site. The Blue Fly cafe-bar in York is rubbish.

Sorry to be blunt, but in the same way as thepubsofyork.com can’t tell the difference between a house fly and a stable fly, the Blue Fly is totally indistinguishable from it’s trendy and equally underwhelming comrades such as Dusk (next door and slightly better) and Orgasmic (round the corner and worse).

And like many of these cafe-bars, as well as not being thepubsofyork.com’s cup of tea, Blue Fly takes on a totally different identity when the sun goes in.

Blue Fly is no different. During the day, it’s a perfectly acceptable place to have a drink or a spot of lunch if you’re with persuasive friends with their hearts set on visiting here. A bright and airy conservatory type structure houses the refreshment and light bite menu. By it’s own admission, Blue Fly changes into a lively cocktail bar at night, with a late license (until 4am on weekends) and regular DJ’s playing ’some of the best funky electro house’. Hmmm.

Blue Fly (or at least a room in Blue Fly) also caters for the geeks amongst you, for it boasts an Internet Cafe and Gaming Lounge which offers York’s Only Local Area Network gaming events. Here you can exercise your thumbs on Call of Duty 4 and Counter Strike Source on systems that are loaded with high end graphics cards and fast processing power. Apparently.

If you type the words ‘Blue’ and ‘fly’ into Google, the first website returned is a New York clothing company who are ‘a leading online retailer of designer brands, fashion trends and superior value.’ Some might argue it’s namesake in York is a leading retailer of alcohol and fun times. But not this website. And it certainly doesn’t offer superior value, it seems overpriced designer lagers are this cafe-bar’s forte.

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Rating: 2.4/5 (5 votes cast)

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Bobo Lobo

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

Bobo Lobo sits on Little Stonegate opposite the imaginatively titled Stonegate Yard and just down the road from Kennedys. It is York’s only ‘Latin American Cocktail Bar and Restaraunt’ and as such offers a unique drinking experience.

However, the pubsofyork.com is about as Latin as Sean Bean or Yorkshire Pudding, and this subsequently means that crossing the threshold of this bar (which admittedly isn’t that often) generates similar feelings to those that Juninho must have encountered when visiting Middlesbrough for the first time after he signed from Sao Paolo in 1995.

For many people, Bobo Lobo no doubt conjures up feelings of excitement and happiness which isn’t totally lost on York’s most up to date pub review website. The attractive lighting, decor and atmosphere could put a smile on even the most cantankerous of faces. Salsa classes are advertised on the  interior walls of the bar and the (somewhat predictable) large mural of Che Guevara leaves you under no illusions as to what sort of bar you’re in.

The drinks on offer, if you’re that way inclined, are impressive, with an attractive cocktail list (which rivals Evil Eye) and over 30 rums and tequilas on offer. There is also Red Stripe on tap which as far as thepubsofyork.com know (and this website should know, shouldn’t it) is the only example of this Jamaican lager beer on draught in York. Your thirsty reviewers were also pleased to see the fridge was well stocked with a varied selection and it was a delight to spy Quilmes and Cusquena.

There is nothing of interest for the real ale enthusiast but you wouldn’t expect to be able to get a pint of Brakspear Oxford Gold in Bogota now would you? And to be honest, if you only wanted to drink real ale, the facade of Bobo Lobo is sufficiently vibrant enough to send you searching for an alternative before you get anywhere near the bar (in case your wondering, the Punch Bowl is the best and nearest alternative).

Bobo Lobo is a fun, friendly and colourful bar. It serves good food, offers a good time and has a huge coffee machine that looks incredibly like a dalek. Whilst not for everyone, including (on 363 days of the year) this website, it definitely has a place in York’s drinking scene.


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Rating: 3.0/5 (3 votes cast)

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Vodka Revolution

Monday, December 21st, 2009

According to thepubsofyork.com’s dog-eared dictionary, revolution means “a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving”.

Quite why the people behind Vodka Revolution think that this bar, or indeed the vodka it sells, is a drastic change from the thousands of other places offering a similar drinking experience is beyond the wit of this website.

Everything about it, to the grumpy minds of thepubsofyork.com is stagnant, insipid and cliched; from the handsome bar-staff to the ambient music, from the black and white paisley ‘feature wall’, to the irksome ritual of being presented with a napkin underneath your drink (in fact, what the ruddy hell are you supposed to do with these things? Seriously? Do you take them with your drink and use them as a mobile coaster, or should you leave the napkin at the bar, it’s job being just to clean up the initial moist bottom? If you can help clear this up, please get in touch).

As has been mentioned many times on these pages, these sort of places just don’t float this website’s boat any longer, but that’s not to say that you will not like this incarnation. One man’s meat is another man’s poison and all that. However, thepubsofyork.com are told this is a good place to party, somewhere cool to drink, eat and be merry, and it must be said, of the Vodka Revolutions this website has had the (mis?)fortune to enter, this is one of the nicer examples.

This is mainly down to it’s location which, along with it’s bedfellows Orgasmic and Pitcher and Piano, is perched next to the river and provides fine views of some water, two bridges, the horrific looking Park Inn, some tramps sleeping in North Street gardens, the Norwich Union Aviva Offices and All Saints Church.

Incidentally, All Saints Church has some of the finest medieval stained glass in England and is well worth a visit. It also used to house a 15th century hermit whose abode (albeit a rebuilt one) at the rear of the church can still be seen (but not from the balcony of the bar).

Whilst Vodka Revolution isn’t so bad as to make your authors suggest they would rather be a medieval hermit than drink in here, it’s just not thepubsofyork.com’s cup of tea. This chain is so prevalent within the UK nowdays that you probably know exactly what you’re going to get anyway, so  it is assumed that you are only perusing this review because you’re extremely bored, or trying to spot our typos and despicable use of grammar.


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Rating: 2.7/5 (3 votes cast)

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Pitcher and Piano

Monday, December 21st, 2009

This place is part of a chain of trendy, fashionable bars that probably put as much focus on the food they cook up as on the drinks they serve.

It sits just off Coney Street next to Vodka Revolution, City Screen and Orgasmic and affords lovely views across the Ouse to North Street if you can grab a seat on the beer terrace.

This al fresco delight is the best reason for visiting this modern bar, not to say that things inside are so bad.

Despite almost never visiting this place (apart from for reviewing purposes of course), York’s premier pub review website is somewhat impressed with the range of drinks on offer, and upon the last visit, did detect a pretty cool vibe that in a different life, could have been appealing. Like many other similar drinking dens though, it can get a bit lairy on a weekend and this cool vibe can turn into an altogether different beast.

On draught the Pitcher and Piano generally offers Staropramen, Amstel, Peroni, Fosters, Guinness, Scrumpy Jack, Becks Vier, Heineken and Bitburger. They even had Pedigree, although it was drawn through an ice covered pipe. Whilst thepubsofyork.com should really know more about brewing procedures and optimum serving conditions, it is pretty sure this isn’t the way to obtain the best pint of this Marston’s tipple.

There were also some pretty cool bottled options, with VB, Vedett, Budvar and Innis and Gunn chilling in the fridge. The choice of spirits on offer was particularly impressive too, although the young, pre-pubescent looking bar man seemed a bit confused by a request for a single measure of Jura.

As thepubsofyork.com stood admiring some very nice looking wrought iron pillars, it considered the absence of crisps behind the bar and deduced that it could only really respect a boozer that was able to sell it a packet of this staple fried potato snack.

Despite this, thepubsofyork.com reckons Pitcher and Piano is more worthy of your time and money than the two bars it sits next to (but, to be fair, they are pretty shit). It offers better ambience and a far superior choice of drinks and of course, shares that very nice view. However, Ladbrokes are offering odds of 100/1 on you ever bumping into this website here.

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Rating: 2.0/5 (3 votes cast)

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Orgasmic

Sunday, December 20th, 2009

If this isn’t the first review you’ve read from this website then you’ll probably guess that it’s not going to be a glowing write up of this trendy, often thronging city centre bar. And you’d be right.

Orgasmic, York, Coney Street, BarApparently this place is a Cafe Bar and thepubsofyork.com has a big problem with these places; cafes serve cooked breakfasts, cups of tea and have ketchup holders in the shape of tomatoes, while bars provide beers and spirits and you go to them to have a good time with friends, or to enjoy a quiet pint and a book in a secluded corner.

thepubsofyork.com couldn’t have a good time in this place if British Sea Power were playing a secret gig upstairs and it had just got six numbers on the lottery. They generally always have shit names too, and Orgasmic certainly doesn’t disappoint on that score.

Access is gained from Coney Street and the bar sits very closely to Vodka Revolution, City Screen and the Pitcher and Piano. thepubsofyork.com would only usually venture to this part of town to watch a film and it’s recent visit hasn’t convinced it to come drinking here more often.

Patrons have to walk down a long, slightly dingy corridor to arrive in the large open, two floored bar area, which rather pleasingly features a cool looking white tiled wall and industrial RSJs. This decor detail and the exceptional view from the beer terrace across the Ouse to North Street (which is the sole reason that this place gets ‘Brilliant Beer Garden’ status) are all that this place can offer thepubsofyork.com, but that’s not to say that you, dear reader, won’t be more turned on.

The drinks choice is somewhat limited with Bulmers Draught, Boddingtons, Guinness Extra Cold (what would Arthur think?), Stella Artois, Becks Vier and Staropramen on offer. Most visitors however will probably opt for something from the fridge or one of the bottles hanging upside down behind the bar, and they’ll probably be young, usually female and scantily clad. There are brown sofas to kick back on, but thepubsofyork.com suggests not getting too comfy here, the two nearby bars, (or should that be Cafe Bars?!), in thepubsofyork.com’s humble opinion, are a better bet.


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Rating: 2.7/5 (3 votes cast)

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Dusk

Monday, December 7th, 2009

Dusk? Anybody? No? Dusk? Anybody? No? Dusk? Anybody? No? …

Well, actually, yes, sometimes, with twisted arms, and especially when all the proper pubs are shut and you want that extra beer or two to help anaesthetise your stomach lining before you send a filty donor kebab its way.

Generally though, other than the odd bit of late night desperation and a mid afternoon bite to eat with females who need a quick re-fuel before hitting the shops again, thepubsofyork.com has never ventured here of its own accord.

To be fair, in isolation, Dusk would be generally OK and a perfectly pleasant bar to have a quick drink or bit to eat in (despite the complete lack of any decent ale ). You can try to grab a table outside, at the front of the bar when weather permits and count OAP’s heading into BHS for girdles or you can take advantage of the warmer climes within. It’s customers are on the whole, a mixed and friendly bunch, with families and couples often enjoying the warm and welcoming atmosphere.

However, it must be said, the odds are stacked against you ever bumping into your cherubic scribes in here, and that is basically down to the fact that Dusk is located in the trendy bit of town. As such your favourite pub review website gives this area a wide berth of an evening – in a similar way that  groups of men in Manchester United shirts and Bradford (all of it) are avoided like the plague.

Dusk (in what must be a bit of planning authority quarantine) sits next to Blue Fly, opposite Haha and just a £7 cocktail away from Orgasmic and Vodka Revolution et al. All of which the thepubsofyork.com are quite simply too old, too poor, too ugly and too bloody miserable to even contemplate visiting.

However, if you’re a student (or just under 25 years of age), like your bars to have a good ‘vibe’, stay open late, play good music and you aren’t too fussy about what you’re drinking, then you will probably like Dusk. It doesn’t do anything particuarly different from hundreds of similar bars dotted around the UK, but, it could be a whole lot worse.


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Rating: 2.6/5 (5 votes cast)

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Victor J’s Art Bar

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

Now, thepubsofyork.com would never usually choose to drink in a place with no real ale on tap, and would definitely usually avoid anywhere called an ‘Art Bar’ like a B*witched re-union gig, but, an exception should just about be made for Victor J’s.

The ‘Art Bar’ bit of it’s name, probably comes from the fact that artwork and photographs are displayed on the walls, and next to the artwork and photographs is a price, which means you can probably buy it.

This is the most logical explanation and is more probable than the owners using the moniker to try to attract Neil Buchanan to it’s front door.

VJ’s has a reputation for being a bit of a ’studenty’ place (maybe the ‘Art Bar’ suffix is supposed to appeal to bohemian undergraduates too) and although your favourite pub reviewers don’t generally party with the kids these days, the occasions when a visit has been undertaken on a weekend have yielded no sightings of vomiting teenagers or mop haired boys partaking in ludicrous drinking games. All that is really present is a lively yet still relatively relaxed atmosphere; of course the music is cranked up and both the upstairs and downstairs areas get busy, but thepubsofyork.com would much rather be in this place than anywhere on Coney Street or Micklegate.

It’s fair to say that thepubsofyork.com would undoubtedly spend more time in here if there was a better selection of ales on tap. During the last visit your eagle-eyed reviewers paid to this place, the only ale of any discernible interest was Black Sheep, which was in bottles in the fridge. Not ideal. Not ideal at all.

There were however, two excellent draught lagers on offer (Lowenbrau and Budvar) and the less excellent Becks Vier, as well as a lot more good quality bottled lagers keeping the Black Sheep company in the fridge.

thepubsofyork.com aren’t sure why VJ’s have decided to go down the route of naming their establishment after what is on the walls (along these lines the the nearby Three Cranes would be called the ‘Woodchip Arms’) but they have done, and once you get over the pretentious name (it took thepubsofyork.com a few years) then you may be in for a nice little surprise as Victor J’s is really rather nice, despite having no real ale. And a crap name. And not a hint of Neil Buchanan anywhere.


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