please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Great, traditional pub in what is inevitably a very touristy area. Well-kept Old Brewery Bitter at just £1.90 a pint. Simple tap room reached via a sliding door from the entrance lobby; comfortable lounge to the rear. Friendly welcome, god value food and service and a relaxed atmosphere. Well worth a visit. 9/10.
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On Easter Sunday wandering around York the wife and I stopped at this Samuel Smith pub right next to the minster for a beer and sandwich.
1pm when we arrived, the lounge bar was half full with diners, the snug was packed and the saloon was banged out, all 3 areas served by 1 barman who was being run ragged but was doing a sterling job.
The York Arms has a very traditional interior with wood panelling in the lounge bar & stained glass windows, it’s also carpeted throughout.
The usual range of Sam Smith ales, I had a pint of Old Brewery Bitter while the wife a bottle of Organic Cherry beer, which is one of her favs in Sam Smith pubs.
Food was popular for this lunchtime visit, the sandwiches we had were very good and along with the beer was well priced, especially for this part of York as it’s quite touristy.
Will visit again as it has a nice homely feel to it.
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It has gone from worse to even worse. The new landlady has allowed all the previously barred people back in with the result that there are frequent fights and loud arguments flying back and forth laced with four letter words. Tourists and families with children should not venture in, the atmosphere is so bad, especially on Saturday nights.
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This pub has gone very much downhill over the last year due to the management being replaced with increasing frequency by Sam Smiths. Every time a new landlord moves in, the large number of barred people come back and have to be thrown out again usually after excessive noise, violence etc. I would advise tourists or families with children to avoid it.
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Nice pub, due a refurb but the beer tonight was spot on.
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From the outside of the pub I didn't realise it was a Sam Smith's house. Typical furnishings but unfortunately the handpumps were not in use. Opted for the Extra Stout which was very palatable.
Couple of random oddballs which you do tend to find in Sam Smith's houses. To be honest this appeals to my wicked sense of humour as I imagined Bolton comic Peter Kay using them in his Phoenix Nights as characters!
Cheap but quality drinks are the main selling points especially in this part of Yorkshire. Easy to strike up conversation with the locals.
Cheers
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I like this place especially the little front "snug". Sam Smith's OBB was OK but not outstanding but it was very,very cheap!!! The back lounge is fine but the side bar did have a few noisy boozing types which put us off. Stick to the little snug if you can get in. Enjoy this pub with the others in High Petergate - it's a nice little crawl.
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Cask OBB in not very good condition during our visit � the wooden panelled including sliding door in the front room bar is very interesting � shame about our pint
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This pub has recently been taken over by a young new management but retains it's ambience. It IS a "gay friendly" bar - mostly men and middle aged with few queens so you wouldn't necessarily notice it.Like most Sam Smiths pubs the beer is cheap (�1.94 a pint for Alpine at the moment) and thankfully there's no TV or jukebox.
Well worth a visit.
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Typical Sam Smiths place - and I mean that in a positive way. Cheap prices and a bit of character. The punters all knew each other and were having a gentle laugh with the bar staff and a couple of American visitors.
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A haven of bliss away from the soccer. Yes, okay, you get the usual type of Sam's drinker in here (i.e. unemployed/heavy drinkers etc.) but they are generally inoffensive.
You can't beat the prices of course!
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Typically traditional Sam Smiths' pub in the shadow of York Minster. It escaped crass refurbishment in the 1970s and conisists of two main rooms, a large lounge and a small bar room, accessed separately but served from a central bar. A corridor also has hatch access to the bar on the bar room side of the pub. All traditionally furnished in typical Smiths style. Sam Smiths OBB as ever the only real ale on, cheap as chips.
Can't compete with the ale selection of nearby pubs, but the value for money and unspoilt nature of this pub makes it worth a visit in my book.
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A decent pub, well kept Sam Smiths on cask which at �1.50 a pint is outstanding value for money, especially for a city centre pub a stone's throw from the Minster.
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Very cliquey-men only. There are plenty of other nice pubs in York to give this one a miss.
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Perhaps being a huge Sam Smith fan I was oblivious to the 'gay bar'thing. Each time wife and I went in, it was not very full so we were served very quickly. Pints are the least expensive in York (1.40) and the cask ale is wonderful. Two nice sections of the pub provide whatever venue you might prefer. The bar area is relatively small, so we preferred the larger sitting room-which was never full.
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its a bit 'ginger beer' went in with a few mates didnt know it was a gay bar till we looked around the pub after we ordered. had a drink n left!
boney - 23 Jul 2007 19:22 |
I've been here several times over the last 2 years on crawls and whilst it's supposed to be a gay bar I really haven't seen it myself. Am I blind or is it just a normal pub? It looks normal to me and is only �1.40-ish a pint (March 2007) so who can complain?
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I have attended this pub for twenty plus years and it has a longer tradition of being a Gay/Alternative pub, though never a Gay pub - officially.
It is now under managers rather than the old system of Tenants. It lacks continuity.
It used to be a busy friendly pub but most nights I have visited it is nearly empty. It lacks it's 'safe' atmosphere that it used to be famous for.
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A nice "proper" pub - no television, no music (Sam Smith's policy) and a very mixed bag of customers from tourists to locals (who are a pretty mixed bag in themselves).
Usually a warm welcome. Lunches ain't big, bug reasobnable value.
Beer kept well and of course at sam's legendary prices.
Pop in for pint!
anonymous - 16 Jul 2006 15:13 |
I have drank in here quiet a few times, and always found it quite pleasant and generally a nice place to drink. Its Samuel Smiths, so very cheap, and they do serve food during the day.
Yes you do get some very interesting characters in there, and I think there is a gay bar man, but shouldn't put you off too much.
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Friendly gay pub.
anonymous - 3 Nov 2005 15:08 |
This Grade II listed building, situated close the the Minster, is one of nine Samuel Smith's houses within walking distance of York City Centre. It is also one of its finest,serving a good pint of cask beer in a traditional and friendly atmosphere.
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