Posts Tagged ‘Real Ale’

« Older Entries

Trafalgar Bay

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

The Trafalgar Bay is, apparently, the only pub that bears this name in Britain, which we think is quite nifty.

The inquisitive fellow who might think about how this boozer got such a unique name would probably link it to Nelson’s famous victory over the Spanish and French fleets off the Cape of Trafalgar in 1805. It would be a fair assumption, and one thepubsofyork.com made until having a look at Hugh Murray’s excellent ‘Directory of York Pubs’.

In it, Murray suggests that at about the time the pub started trading, it was customary for alehouses to prefix or suffix a famous or popular racehorse’s names with their colour. Pleasingly for fans of this theory, a horse named ‘Trafalgar’ finished 2nd in the Derby in 1806 and won two extremely valuable prizes at the Knavesmire, just a mile or so down the road the following year, with this in mind it’s perfectly reasonable that this unique name has equine connections.

Anyway, whichever theory you prefer, you could do a lot worse than mull it over in this Nunnery Lane hostelry which is not only a Sam Smiths house, but is rather nice too, unless you want to sit outside.

The beer garden wouldn’t look out of place behind a Bucharest police station, but thankfully you have the choice of three pleasant and comfortable internal rooms to sup in; a pool room which unsurprisingly boasts a pool table and two front rooms which are situated either side of the entrance.

The main room, where you will find the bar, has ample space for you to park your posterior and has a warm and cosy atmosphere which we put down to the traditional decor and real fires.

Whilst the the clientele always seem to be of the more mature variety and the locals a bit, er, local, it shouldn’t put you off visiting this place, not least for the famously cheap bar prices.

And if you get a bit bored of discussing the Horse v Battle pub name debate, then try to find the copy of the Reader’s Digest Road Atlas that is generally located in the bar area. Between the covers you will discover over 100 pages of colourful cartograhic enjoyment, with fancy folding out pages and accompanying geographical trivia. Smashing.


View The Pubs Of York Locations in a larger map

VN:F [1.8.3_1051]
Rate this pub yourself! For guidance see here .
Rating: 3.0/5 (1 vote cast)

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Bar Games, Food Available, Location, Nunnery Lane area, Sam Smiths, Within the ring road | No Comments »

Bay Horse, Marygate

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

One of the finest pleasures York has to offer, especially on a fine summers day or a crisp winter morning, is a ramble through the Museum gardens.

As you wander merrily around the potted borders, you can cast your inquisitive eye over a Roman Tower, 1800 years old, clamber over the ruins of St Mary’s Abbey (at one point the most powerful and wealthiest abbey in the the North of England) or feed the pigeons, squirrels and chavs with your left over pasty.

As nice as all these activities most certainly are (apart from feeding the chavs; they only accept White Lightning and Benson and Hedges) you would do well to carry on through the museum gardens, emerge onto Marygate and get yourselves into the Bay Horse, a smashing pub that is deserves your custom, not least because it could quite easily have been a dozen or so swanky flats.

The Bay Horse had been serving drinkers for more than a century, before closing in late 2003. It appeared the writing was on the toilet wall when the building was the subject of two planning applications to convert it into residential use, after being laid empty for five years or so.

To the delight of pub-goers, the developers failed in their bid and the premises was bought shortly afterwards by the Little Pub company, who set about a programme of renovation and re-opened as a pub in the Christmas of 2008, and thepubsofyork,com are most certainly glad it did, for it is a cracking pub.

The stylish wallpaper, comfy upholstered seats and contemporary lighting may be a bit too ‘modern’ for some purists but seeing as though it was so recently and extensively renovated, anything else would probably feel a bit contrived (and if you do want ‘traditional’ head up the road to the Minster Inn which is as traditional as they come).

Six hand pulls are readily available at all times and on our last visit, Greene King IPA and Rocking Rudolph (by the same brewery) were sampled and both were well kept and eminently drinkable.

The friendly bar staff can also serve you a packet of ‘Real Crisps’ which has been stated before on these pages, are the greatest crisps known to man and there’s even a plasma screen in the corner which shows live sport, so football fans needn’t miss out on their weekly fix of Uncle Jeff.

In fact, thinking about it, bypass the Museum Gardens and head straight here, you won’t be disappointed.


View The Pubs Of York Locations in a larger map

VN:F [1.8.3_1051]
Rate this pub yourself! For guidance see here .
Rating: 3.0/5 (4 votes cast)

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Bootham, Gillygate & Marygate, Food Available, Live Sport, Location, Real Ale, Real Ale Heaven, Within the ring road | 2 Comments »

Habit

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

thepubsofyork.com doesn’t pretend to be some sort of authority on this sort of thing (and how dare it when it was once a Boy Scout AND used to collect Warhammer models) but this place is probably one of York’s coolest bars.

It manages to give off a laid back, chilled out vibe without any of the roped off VIP areas, uniform beer fonts and zany bar staff that some drinking establishments think are conducive to coolness (you know, the thing that everybody seems to think Samuel Jackson portrayed when playing Jules the bible quoting killer in Pulp Fiction).

Some of you may have read before that thepubsofyork.com is fond of Goodramgate, and The Habit does nothing to diminish this love.

A trip along this ancient road that heads North out of the city centre takes in stunning buildings (go and have a look at Holy Trinity church) and some very fine pubs; Koko, the Golden Slipper and the Royal Oak are all brilliant watering holes, and the Habit isn’t half bad either.

According to the pubs website “Many centuries ago, the building that the Habit now occupies was owned by the Minister, housing a collection of Stone Masons and Clerics” and you can certainly appreciate this sense of history when you admire the low beamed ceilings and very slightly sloping floors.

thepubsofyork.com also appreciated the nice choice of beers on offer, which on it’s last visit included a tasty tipple from Acorn Brewery and Olde English cider.

This place has friendly laid back staff, a decent choice of drinks, a beer terrace to it’s rear, is in a building packed with character and sits close to some other brilliant pubs. There’s even art work for sale on the walls, but thepubsofyork.com will stick to a pint of Barnsley Gold please.


View The Pubs Of York Locations in a larger map

VN:F [1.8.3_1051]
Rate this pub yourself! For guidance see here .
Rating: 3.5/5 (4 votes cast)

Tags: , ,
Posted in Food Available, Location, Real Ale, Within the city walls, Within the ring road | No Comments »

Black Swan

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

The Black Swan on Peasholme Green is without doubt one of York’s most aesthetically striking pubs, and this two storied timber framed building is as interesting as it is attractive.

This medieval grade II* pub was originally a private dwelling and was once home to Sir Martin Bowes, a Lord Mayor of London. In the early 18th century, it was also home to the future General James Wolfe, who fought at Culloden and died while commanding the British Army at Quebec, which secured Canada for the British crown.

Not only did the wood panelling witness the infancy of these two remarkable young men, it also glimpsed a significant occasion in 1990’s; A group of plucky 17 year olds hatched a plan to go on a ghost walk.

This ghost walk cunningly ended in the upstairs room of the Black Swan which, unsurprisingly for a ghost walk, is said to be haunted. As expected, many of the ghost walk customers were all middle aged and respectable, and decided to finish off with a drink in the bar area, and as the plan came together, they provided the perfect foil for a small band of teenagers to appear older and more sensible than they really were. Thus the back bar at the Black Swan provided one half of thepubsofyork.com with it’s first ever pint of beer.

Thankfully, the older and wiser thepubsofyork.com need no such ruses anymore to drink in this atmospheric pub, and it is the aforementioned back bar where you should head to sample this place at its best. The low ceilings, stone slabbed floors and original fireplace ooze character which can make for a very pleasant drinking experience, especially as there is usually a reasonable selection of real ale available – Spitfire and Hobgoblin most recently.

There are another two rooms to the front of pub, either side of the entrance corridor. Both are pleasant enough but neither exude the ‘wow factor’ of the bar room and generally cater for the diners keen to enjoy a wholesome menu.

There is also an upstairs which contains a handsome function room which is host to a prestigious folk club (it recently won the Radio 2 award for Folk Club of the Year award) on Thursday nights and is another string to it’s already impressive bow.

Despite the fact The Black Swan is slightly out of the way in city centre terms, it stands alone both geographically and figuratively as the only ale house in York that thepubsofyork.com visits frequently, despite just an underwhelming selection of beer.

So, It is on the strength of this grand old boozer’s atmosphere and architecture that it is subsequently placed in the ‘Highly Recommend’ category. However, if you disagree with this accolade, tell us why, below.

it whilst it may not have the best selection of ale inthe city but for a pub as beautiful as this, an exception can be made.


View The Pubs Of York Locations in a larger map

VN:F [1.8.3_1051]
Rate this pub yourself! For guidance see here .
Rating: 3.2/5 (5 votes cast)

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Food Available, Highly Recommended, Location, Real Ale, Within the city walls, Within the ring road | No Comments »

Ye Olde Starre Inn

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

If you’re a tourist visiting York there’s a massive chance that your guidebook will suggest a stroll down Stonegate. It is also likely that your pocket sized companion will inform you the street derived its name from the large limestone blocks that were carted up it to build the Minster.

And if you’re anything like thepubsofyork.com you’ll be looking for the “Pub” section of your paper-back informant to see if any of the four pubs on this ancient street are worth frequenting.

York’s premier pub review site doesn’t mind letting you know now, that all four (the other three being the Punch Bowl, Evil Eye and Yorkshire Terrier) are pretty good.

Ye Olde Starre Inne, which is Grade II Listed, is rich with history and is one of many pubs in York with claims to being the ancient city’s oldest tavern.

If you’re walking up Stonegate towards the Minster you will access Ye Olde Starre Inne via a long thin alleyway on your left hand side. Before entering the front door of the pub you’ll pass through a small beer garden, which is often home to a selection of the smokers who have been forced to congregate outside pubs since 1st July 2007, much to the delight of patio heater companies.

These same smokers can often be seen enjoying some fresh air in the pubs rear beer garden, which while slightly more picturesque doesn’t have quite the same atmosphere as the front space. Once inside you have several seating options, and you’ll probably marvel at the cosy, Olde Worldeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee vibe this place gives off.

The last time York’s premier pub review website visited, the range of ale on offer included four well kept and varied tipples, and of course, the standard commercial offerings you’d expect to see in an English pub.

If you believe everything you read on the World Wide Web (and there’s some pretty weird stuff about Prince and Marilyn Manson’s ribcages that thepubsofyork.com marvel at) you’ll be fascinated to hear that the cellar was used as a hospital and mortuary by Cromwell’s Roundheads; nowadays thepubsofyork.com assumes that all that is stored below the bar is delicious beer and cider.

A pretty young, vibrant crowd visit this place on week nights and Thursday nights witness the hosting of an Open Mic night. The bill seems to usually consist of young boys strumming away on cheap acoustic guitars while fighting with their vocal chords to sing a mournful Nirvana cover.

Don’t let this put you off though, the beers good, the staff are friendly and you can marvel that in the seventeenth century Cromwell’s men struggled for their lives in the space below your feet.


View The Pubs Of York Locations in a larger map

VN:F [1.8.3_1051]
Rate this pub yourself! For guidance see here .
Rating: 3.0/5 (5 votes cast)

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Food Available, Location, Real Ale, Within the city walls, Within the ring road | No Comments »

Golden Slipper

Monday, October 26th, 2009

Situated slap bang next door to the Royal Oak, the Golden Slipper, like it’s bed fellow, is another grade II listed boozer within the city walls.

The pub (apparently) takes its name from a slipper found by workmen doing some rennovation work within the pub in 1984, as by all accounts, it was a medieval tradition to place two shoes in the construction of a building to ward off evil spirits.

Whilst a pair of London Base loafers or some Rockports usually send the thepubsofyork.com running, your favourite pub review website has no such reservations about medieval boots, which is quite convinient as the Golden Slipper is a rather nice pub.

There’s always a good, solid selection of ale on offer and the last visit saw your authors sample a pint of Golden Tankard from the Wylam brewery in Northumberland. At 4% and with an extremely light, hoppy taste it was eminently drinkable. John Smiths Cask, Old Speckled Hen, Deuchars and Bombardier were also available should you fancy something a bit maltier.

As well as a decent selection of ale, there is a choice of rooms in which to sup your pint. The bar area in the middle of the pub leads into four sepearate rooms, the nearest of which with a TV and front aspect is generally used by locals, with the room opposite providing good views of the tourists trapesing up and down Goodramgate and is set up for diners.

The back room, complete with dartboard is less cosy, especially when comparing it to the snug over the corridor which somewhat strangely doubles as a mini library. As well a couple hundred of books, a more conventional provider of entertainment is the wall mounted juke box that stocks classics from several eras. Its impossible not enjoy ten minutes picking songs from this beauty whilst reading a Mills and Boon with your pint.

But no matter where you sit (or what you read) you’ll enjoy a friendly atmosphere and a good pint, just so long as you’re not an evil spirit.


View The Pubs Of York Locations in a larger map

VN:F [1.8.3_1051]
Rate this pub yourself! For guidance see here .
Rating: 4.2/5 (5 votes cast)

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Bar Games, Location, Real Ale, Within the city walls, Within the ring road | No Comments »

Maltings

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

If you are visiting York or have never been in this pub before and you like your pubs stupendous, you really should make sure the Maltings is on your itinerary.

The painted black stone exterior of this small one-roomed boozer could perhaps give the impression of a dark and unwelcoming hostelry, the type of place where you order a pint, realise your mistake and neck it without even taking your coat off.

Once you step over the threshold, any preconceived notions of gloom instantly disappear and you are left with a mild sense of euphoria. The Maltings, quite simply, is a wonderful, wonderful pub.

There are more real ales and ciders than you can shake a stick at and, despite other establishments running it close, the compact bar could boast York’s finest selection (Koko and the Rook and Gaskill are others vying for this crown). Regardless, there’s far too many tipples on offer at the Maltings for thepubsofyork.com to list on this tiny part of cyberspace, so, if you want to read about their jaw dropping selection, head over to their website, here.

It’s not just the fabulous selection of ale that makes The Maltings special, although that alone would make it well worth visiting. The interior which, amongst other, less notable features consists of an attractive tiled floor, old tin signs stolen from Beamish (maybe), and a ceiling and bar counter which are constructed from old doors (!). All of this works together to give the the place a nostalgic homely feel, which definitely aids thepubsofyork.com’s chat of football, music and which is the best episode of Sharpe.

You can also enjoy some spankingly good pub grub along with your chosen drink and not only this, when your bladder has had its fill, the powers that be display a page of a broadsheet above the urinals. This simple touch in the gents toilets (oo er) makes a micturation both informative and enjoyable (which is othwerwise only achievable when taking a podcast of Countryfile into the throne room).

If you haven’t already guessed, thepubsofyork.com love this pub and would happily have the evening do of its wedding reception here if it were allowed. In many other cities in the UK this place would be top dog, but it says something about the quality of the pubs on offer in York that there are one or two which are probably just as fabulous.


View The Pubs Of York Locations in a larger map

VN:F [1.8.3_1051]
Rate this pub yourself! For guidance see here .
Rating: 4.0/5 (7 votes cast)

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Food Available, Highly Recommended, Location, Real Ale, Real Ale Heaven, Within the city walls, Within the ring road | No Comments »

NEWS: 05/09/09 – White Swan pub in Wighill is set to reopen

Saturday, September 5th, 2009

A VILLAGE near Tadcaster is to see the return of its only pub, two years after the business closed.

A former regular of the White Swan in Wighill is now refurbishing the building and has said he intends to return the business to the focal point of the community.

Full story here

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in News | No Comments »

Pivo

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

thepubsofyork.com love Pivo. You could say we’re Pivophiles.

This cracking little pub-cum-cafe bar humbly sits in the heart of York, in a 12th Century timber framed building. The beer on offer in this place is outstanding and far too extensive to remember by memory only, so a quick look at their website tells us they:

currently boast 3 cask ales, 11 other exceptional draught products including 2 Weisse beers and the only unfiltered pilsner currently available in the UK. The bottled product range features around 60 beers from across the globe.

Just what we like to hear.

Pivo is very small, but perfectly formed. The downstairs bar probably won’t be able to fit more than a dozen seated customers in and whilst the upstairs is bigger, you’d struggle to fit two football teams up there. This isn’t a bad thing though, in fact, if anything, it adds to the character of the place, once you’ve snaffled a seat in Pivo you feel empowered, just like you did when you were at school and sneaked a quick sit on the teachers chair.

The upstairs room, as well as being a fine example of a wooden frame building, also boasts a very good jukebox, something which thepubsofyork.com wishes there were more of in York.

No-one likes listening to the complete works of Cliff Richard over and over again (head to the Slip Inn in Clementhorpe if that’s your bag) but they do have their place, afterall, what’s better than good company, good beer and your own hand picked songs coming out of the speakers?

One last reason to visit Pivo (and one of the biggest reasons why thepubsofyork.com are often found there) is the chance to sup Aspall’s Suffolk Cyder – a drink close to this website’s heart and one near the top of the ‘drinks to take to a desert island’ list.


View The Pubs Of York Locations in a larger map

VN:F [1.8.3_1051]
Rate this pub yourself! For guidance see here .
Rating: 3.1/5 (7 votes cast)

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Food Available, Highly Recommended, Location, Real Ale, Real Ale Heaven, Within the city walls, Within the ring road | 1 Comment »

Brigantes

Monday, August 31st, 2009

If you didn’t know it was there, you’d be forgiven for never getting as far as Brigantes – there could never be a good pub amongst the cheesy, vodka fuelled groping dens of Micklegate, right? Wrong.

This wonderful pub, which is named after the pre-Roman tribe who controlled most of what is now North Yorkshire, sits on Micklegate like a shining light in a sea of darkness and vomit.

Once inside, it’s easy to forget everything else other than the wonderful selection of ales in front you. On thepubsofyork.com’s last visit there were no fewer than SIX well kept beauties on offer, all served by friendly, knowledgable bar staff. (There could have been more than six on offer but after several pints, thepubsofyork.com’s mental ‘rithmatic leaves a lot to be desired).

The plain, simple interior of Brigantes means you can get down to a good old chinwag without having chrome/BBC news 24/drinks promotions popping into your eyeline, only the old beer tap labels stuck to the ceiling give the bar (effectively one large room) any real colour.

The function room upstairs provides a convivial space for you to celebrate any particular occasion. thepubsofyork.com can recommend it wholeheartedly for such a purpose after hosting a very successful soiree here to celebrate some forthcoming nuptuals.

There’s also food on offer which is very good, although York’s #1 pub review website don’t sample it as much as they should, mainly because of the ‘Real Crisps’ which Brigantes stock – in particular the Roast Ox variety – which are possibly the best crisps known to man and the perfect accompaniment to a pint of real ale.

If there’s any negatives about this place it is maybe derived from the fact that thepubsofyork.com have never had a ’session’ in here. This could be because of it’s ’sore thumb’ location or the fact it has a somewhat transient atmosphere caused by the flow of suited office workers popping in at lunchtime and after work, but that really is about it.

The journey to Brigantes, especially on a Friday or a Saturday night, is a treacherous one, but once you’ve traversed the swamps of strumpets and have evaded the aggressive beasts that roam these parts, you will be rewarded with an oasis of real ale and a place where you can easily wile away a few hours without ever having to clap eyes on a mini skirt or a pair of Rockports.


View The Pubs Of York Locations in a larger map

VN:F [1.8.3_1051]
Rate this pub yourself! For guidance see here .
Rating: 4.0/5 (3 votes cast)

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Food Available, Real Ale, Real Ale Heaven, Within the city walls, Within the ring road | No Comments »

« Older Entries