Cittie of Yorke, WC1

Randomness Guide to London - Cittie Of Yorke entry

Randomness Guide to London - Cittie Of Yorke entry

I visited this pub recently for the first time in about 35 years. Last time I was in there it was a Henekey's Wine Bar (as was The Shades in Whitehall then) and as far as I can recall it looked pretty much unchanged. I seem to recall that at the time they claimed it had the longest straight bar counter in London. I don't know if they still make that claim with so many new (and fairly unremarkable) bars blotting the London landscape. I got in there before noon and felt somewhat as if I had arrived at a party a half hour too early. Politely served with my pint, then the staff continued to get the pub ready for customers. This is an inter-war pub, despite it's almost Henrian baronial appearance, but nevertheless it has been imbued with a lot of individual character and I think the baronial hall layout is fairly unique (perhaps the Coal Hole comes closest). The fact that a pub can retain its unique character for circa 80 years is something of a result in this day and age, bearing in mind the wanton vandalism we have seen inflicted on numerous other pubs. Have a look at the old stove in the middle of the floor - it has an underfloor chimney (if that is not a contradiction in terms). Definitely worth the experience of a visit if you are in the area. Being a Sam Smith's pub you know what beers are going to be on offer, although it does have the handpump version of OBB on.

This place is very interesting and conjures up all sorts of thoughts from the past (be they warranted or not) and I loved the vats above the back bar and the many booths down the side. I didn't go into the front bar, but it looked to be laid out in a typical London pub fashion. The barmaid was slow and needed help serving three customers, but she was friendly and maybe she was new. £1.98 for half a bitter and a coke (sorry cola) can't be sniffed at, but being a Sam Smiths pub there was only Sam Smiths drinks available. Some would say that this is a great thing, but alas I disagree. As we popped in at lunchtime we decided to have a steak and ale pie from the strange choice of food on the menu. It was defrosted quite well and the chips were good, but the salad was out of place and should have remained with the quiche. It was cheap, but then so is hospital canteen food. This place is worth a look, but now I've been I don't plan on revisiting.

Excellent pub with a unique interior. Large back bar with seperate drinking booths, bare wood floors and old spirit vats behind the bar. Good food and Sam Smiths beers at bargin prices for top notch ales and lagers.