Posts Tagged ‘Cocktails’

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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Posted in Late Night License, Something for the Ladies, Within the city walls, Within the ring road | 1 Comment »

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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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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Evil Eye Lounge

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

thepubsofyork.com doesn’t believe all it reads and doesn’t hold grudges (apart from against Christos Michas) so subsequently won’t be elaborating on the Evil Eye’s somewhat less than complimentary recent press. Therefore, the following review will be based purely on this websites visits to said establishment, and there’s been a few.

If you didn’t know the Evil eye was there, you would be forgiven for never visiting in the first place. The entrance to the bar is via a well stocked shop accessed from Stonegate which sells an enticing collection of spirits, liquors and interesting beers.

Once you’ve negotiated your way through the beer emporium and entered the bar proper, you will instantly notice a couple of things. 1) The huge and extremely impressive selection of bottled spirits behind the bar, and 2) An even more impressive cocktail list which is, according to people who know more about this sort of thing than this website, probably the best in York. (It is on the strength of it’s cocktails that Evil Eye is placed in ‘Something for the Ladies’ category).

However, if you visit on a weekend, you will also notice just how incredibly busy this place gets.

On Friday and Saturday evenings it regularly throngs with trendier-than-thou types all jostling for position at the bar in a Rugby League type scrum. The somewhat cramped layout of the bar area (long and thin) doesn’t really help matters, although you can take your drinks to any of the other two floors, and the longer than average service times due to the aforementioned cocktails being shaken and stirred can also .

All this is absolutely fine if you like that sort of thing (and plenty do) but it doesn’t really float thepubsofyork.com boat.

Visiting on a school night or during the day however is a totally different proposition and it can be a rather nice place to have a bite to eat, sample one of the many interesting bottles of real ale or check your emails (the Evil Eye also doubles as an internet cafe).

When squinting a bit and blocking out the Yorkshire accents, the bar itself has got a bit of a Meditteanean/North African/Asian (those should just about cover it) feel to it thanks to the vibrant colours and very un-British ornaments. Which is most certainly a bonus on those cold, dark November afternoons.


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Rating: 2.7/5 (3 votes cast)

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