York’s best pub table?

WHERE is the best pub table in York? We have been debating that question in the office this week.

We weren’t talking structural integrity – although balance and sturdiness are obvious advantages in tables. No, we were trying to agree the best place to sit for simply savouring a pint, taking in the view, or soaking up the atmosphere. The best place, in essence, just to be.

The upstairs window table at The Yorkshire Terrier in Stonegate was suggested as a peaceful spot from which to watch the crowds pass by.

The central table in The Lamb and Lion’s garden, behind Bootham Bar, was tipped as offering unrivalled views. And the front-room tables in the Minster Inn were agreed upon as a good shout for those looking to eavesdrop on old-school pub chitter-chatter.

Now though, I find myself considering a new contender, slap bang in the centre of York. For in a pub named after a duke, comes a view fit for a king.

Take yourself to the small round table at the top of the stairs in the Duke of York, Leeds Brewery’s new pub in King’s Square. True, it is not much to look at, but there are few better spots from which to look out.

Through the panelled panes, York opens up before you – across King’s Square, up Low Petergate, all the way to the central tower of the Minster looming over the surrounding rooftops.

Take away the hoardings around King’s Square – as the city council will do later this month – and then add a pint, a sandwich perhaps and a bit of peace, and it’ll be utter bliss; a perfect place to while away an afternoon, watching sympathetically as Christmas shoppers trudge below.

When you tire of that view, head downstairs to enjoy another fine one: 18 beers or ciders lined up along a commanding concrete bar, with another 25 or so bottles in the fridges behind.

Inevitably, the core Leeds range occupies a fair section of the bar. Yorkshire Gold, Leeds Pale, Midnight Bell and Leeds Best are all firm favourites among Yorkshire drinkers and will be mainstays here. But this is no insular tied house serving up only its owners’ products.

Last weekend saw a “War of the Roses” battle between Hop Studio and Lancaster Brewery beers, while Magic Rock, Acorn and Wold Top have also been well-represented in the first few weeks.

I enjoyed Acorn’s Kashmir, a dark ruby-coloured beer with a fruity caramel flavour, but the Wold Top Marmalade Porter was my best ale so far – it’s a delicious, rich, smooth, pitch-black pint with a zesty zing lurking in the depths.

From far beyond Yorkshire, there are American and Belgian beers on keg and in bottle, highlights including Brooklyn lager, Odell’s St Lupulin and the ever-excellent Orval and Bacchus Kriek.

This place opened four weeks ago, on the same night as Ossett Brewery opened The Hop in Fossgate, but the two pubs are very different venues with notably contrasting feels.

The Duke of York is more leisurely than the livelier Hop, with multiple rooms and some cosy corners. It takes up the lower two floors of a four-storey site and spreads between what were once several buildings.

Some parts date back more than 500 years and the whole complex, known collectively as St Trinity House, has been listed since 1954. Leeds Brewery’s work has therefore been understandably sensitive; the façade is understated and bordering on subdued, even without the nearby hoardings blocking the view from afar.

For those looking to eat more than crisps, the food menu is far above average for the pub scene. You can choose to eat anywhere if you wish, but the upper floor is definitely a preferable spot, away from the hubbub of the bar – and offering those enviable views.
 

THE Hansom Cab in Market Street has reverted to its former name, The Burns Hotel, following a brief closure and refurbishment.

The pub became The Hansom Cab in 1975 but has now gone back to its former name. Owners Sam Smith’s have worked on the building inside and out but there are no obvious major changes aside from the name.

Twitter: @pintsofview