The York Beer Census Prologue

Well tomorrow is the first great York Beer Census and me and the Within the Walls crew are down to cover all the pubs in Goodramgate. For those that don’t know that’s The Old White Swan, The Snickleway Inn, The Habit, Vahe Bar, The Cross Keys, The Golden Slipper and The Royal Oak. Bit of a mission that’s become slightly more of a mission when I found out they want the forms back to The Waggon & Horses by 8:30pm, eeek! But it’s nothing us hardened pub reviewers can’t handle!

Well we’re meeting for some food at The Cross Keys first at 4pm, so all being well have about 30mins(ish) to cover each one. Don’t worry people of CAMRA, if we start to run out of time we’ll split up or (god forbid) not have a drink in one of the pubs…. well maybe only a half… Could I just suggest to give us till closing time next time, lot of our lot work Saturdays, lol.

Anyway, I’m really looking forward to it, should be a grand day out and although we’ve reviewed every pub in Goodramgate bar The Habit, the fact that we’ll have got the forms in before closing means we might be able to hit a few unreviewed pubs and get them sorted for Within the Walls! Quite liking that my 1.5yr old will be out for a bit with us too, until my other half takes her home, don’t worry she’s not staying out boozing. Seren will give her toddler scores on family friendlyness of each pub and whether they have blackcurrent fruitshoots will be added to the cenus forms!

So good luck to everyone involved and well done for Gav, Lucy and all the others that have been sorting it out preliminary, hard work fuelled by beer is always a good thing! See you tomorrow! 

Review - Royal Oak New review online, here’s the summery: Although steeped in history this 15th Century pub is rather a standard affair, a couple of small bar rooms and a dining area. The dining room is very plush with a lovely conservatory roof but only accessible if you’re eating. It’s all nicely enough presented with a stylish modern retro taste and has a large selection of beers across their small bar. It’s not the cheapest by any means, but it’s a pleasant enough friendly gastro pub aiming more towards the high end of the market. The toilets are also on the second floor and due to the age of the building and its size it is a tad cramped. Unfortunately lacking any outside space this does leave us with a pretty average all round pub, nothing bad but nothing really outstanding either amongst the high quality York has to offer. Worth popping in, maybe for a romantic meal rather than a pint. For further details and full scores see the main page.
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Review - Royal Oak

New review online, here’s the summery:

Although steeped in history this 15th Century pub is rather a standard affair, a couple of small bar rooms and a dining area. The dining room is very plush with a lovely conservatory roof but only accessible if you’re eating. It’s all nicely enough presented with a stylish modern retro taste and has a large selection of beers across their small bar. It’s not the cheapest by any means, but it’s a pleasant enough friendly gastro pub aiming more towards the high end of the market. The toilets are also on the second floor and due to the age of the building and its size it is a tad cramped. Unfortunately lacking any outside space this does leave us with a pretty average all round pub, nothing bad but nothing really outstanding either amongst the high quality York has to offer. Worth popping in, maybe for a romantic meal rather than a pint.

For further details and full scores see the main page.

Review - Lamb & Lion Inn New review online, here’s the summery: Situated in the shadows of Bootham Bar and the City Walls the Lamb & Lion Inn is surly a jewel of authentic hostelry, with such a history setting and Victorian styled décor to match it’s almost like stepping back in time, everything is beautifully presented with superb attention to detail. Upon entering you are greeted by a small and friendly bar area adorned with old gas style lamps with the old shop front looking onto Bootham Bar. It can be a struggle to get to the bar at busy times but for such a small area they have a satisfying selection of real ales at a reasonable price. The rest of the building is a collection of nooks and crannies, quaint little rooms linked by narrow corridors, with oak panelled walls and comfy seats. Although this really adds to the character it does mean the place isn’t very accessible or particularly family friendly, but we can’t see how this could be improved with such an old building, so although scoring low in these areas this doesn’t affect our overall mark. The real crowning jewel though is their beer garden, again accessibility is a real issue, but if you can get past the narrow steps then you enter what feels like a secret garden raising up steeply along the City Walls and shaded by a peaceful canopy of mature trees. In our opinion this is the best beer garden that York has to offer making the Lamb & Lion Inn an essential visit in the summer months. For further details and full scores see the main page.
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Review - Lamb & Lion Inn

New review online, here’s the summery:

Situated in the shadows of Bootham Bar and the City Walls the Lamb & Lion Inn is surly a jewel of authentic hostelry, with such a history setting and Victorian styled décor to match it’s almost like stepping back in time, everything is beautifully presented with superb attention to detail. Upon entering you are greeted by a small and friendly bar area adorned with old gas style lamps with the old shop front looking onto Bootham Bar. It can be a struggle to get to the bar at busy times but for such a small area they have a satisfying selection of real ales at a reasonable price. The rest of the building is a collection of nooks and crannies, quaint little rooms linked by narrow corridors, with oak panelled walls and comfy seats. Although this really adds to the character it does mean the place isn’t very accessible or particularly family friendly, but we can’t see how this could be improved with such an old building, so although scoring low in these areas this doesn’t affect our overall mark. The real crowning jewel though is their beer garden, again accessibility is a real issue, but if you can get past the narrow steps then you enter what feels like a secret garden raising up steeply along the City Walls and shaded by a peaceful canopy of mature trees. In our opinion this is the best beer garden that York has to offer making the Lamb & Lion Inn an essential visit in the summer months.

For further details and full scores see the main page.

Review - The Golden Slipper New review online, here’s the summery: From the very traditional Victorian façade and well crafted ironwork signage you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the depth and character ranging back throughout the centuries that is on offer at The Golden Slipper. For its narrow size and series of small connected rooms it still has an open warm feel of beams, history and a very friendly ambience. One particular room has a full library of books covering one wall and a selection of kid’s toys, very quirky and family friendly. It is evident of the 15th Century origins and how this Inn developed over the years, emphasising these features and the rickety nature of the building generates charm throughout while still providing the luxuries of the 21st Century. There’s a great selection of beers, although a little pricey as this end of town seems to be, and they have the cutest little yard area out the back, good utilisation of space but not the best of beer gardens. There’s also plenty of entertainment with darts, jukebox, quiz’s and the such like, a very vibrant local pub. We feel if it wasn’t let down a bit by the 19th Century toilets and the high prices this would surely be a five star pub, but either way it’s a definite recommendation and we will be back. For further details and full scores see the main page.
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Review - The Golden Slipper

New review online, here’s the summery:

From the very traditional Victorian façade and well crafted ironwork signage you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the depth and character ranging back throughout the centuries that is on offer at The Golden Slipper. For its narrow size and series of small connected rooms it still has an open warm feel of beams, history and a very friendly ambience. One particular room has a full library of books covering one wall and a selection of kid’s toys, very quirky and family friendly. It is evident of the 15th Century origins and how this Inn developed over the years, emphasising these features and the rickety nature of the building generates charm throughout while still providing the luxuries of the 21st Century. There’s a great selection of beers, although a little pricey as this end of town seems to be, and they have the cutest little yard area out the back, good utilisation of space but not the best of beer gardens. There’s also plenty of entertainment with darts, jukebox, quiz’s and the such like, a very vibrant local pub. We feel if it wasn’t let down a bit by the 19th Century toilets and the high prices this would surely be a five star pub, but either way it’s a definite recommendation and we will be back.

For further details and full scores see the main page.

Within the Walls Recommended Pub Crawls

We now have a new feature page online showcasing some of the best pubs to visit on a night out, whether your new to the City or a local we hope to cater for all with our guides, utilising foursquare which provides maps, tips and check in’s, you can follow our routes and share them with others. More pub crawls will be added periodically so please check back.