The Blue Bell, York

Small two roomed with corridor space running alongside. Seems to get busy and doesn't take much to fill up. Nice - dark and traditional with real ale.

A bit of a throwback this one , the front entrance leads to a corridor , the first door is the bar with the lounge further on , the bar is a cosy slightly run down wood panneled place , locals were friendly with the main topic of conversation Steam railways . There is a list of no-nos on the door , no groups , swearing or shouting amongst others . 7 handpulls with TT Landlord , several from Bradfield and Rudgate plus Bad Seed Smart Streets which was OK .

Very friendly pub, old school with everyone either chatting or reading the paper. Eclectic clientele- young and old, male and female, locals and tourists. £4 is on the steep side for average pint of Landlord but oh well - excellent pub that should be preserved at all costs.

I didn't take to The Blue Bell as some have which may just be that I visited on a quiet early evening and the atmosphere and chat seemed slightly lacking. It's a cosy nook of a boozer though with a friendly welcome and I'll happily give it another go. Beers on were: Kelham Island Kelham Best, Yorkshire Sparkle Really Pale Ale, Bradfield Farmers Blonde, Rudgate Ruby Mild, Roosters South Side, Half Moon Dark Masquerade and TT Landlord. A decent range showcasing local breweries and nothing I had was in less than excellent condition. A York stalwart.

My last visit to this cracking little pub was on Easter Sunday with the wife, popped in for a couple and ended up staying all night making many new friends and having a right laugh 6 ales all from Yorkshire, my pints of Roosters Astro @ 4.3% all went down a treat. Many things have been written about this pub, it really is a real gem, here’s hoping it is saved from any potential takeover or closure, the country needs pubs like this…scores 10/10 from me every time.

The Blue Bell is an old traditional York pub with a small front bar and small back ‘smoking room’ seating area. I counted seven hand pumps on the bar and noted the presence of Guinness, Staropramen and Carling. I was warned about the governor not permitting groups which at the time I found a little mean-spirited. However, after spending the weekend in the pubs of York I completely understand why the governor and locals would not want groups of drunken hen and stag parties converging on their pub. Taking the advice of my peers I entered alone and was served by a very friendly lady. I managed to perch at the end of a table in amongst some old Yorkshire gentlemen. No mobile phone conversations are permitted and there are no gaming machines, televisions, or music playing facilities. Before venturing up to York from the South Coast this is how I imagined a Yorkshire pub to be. To be honest all that was missing were a few whippets. This is a good pub that is well worth a visit, just don’t go mob handed.

This was my chosen “off piste” visit from the planned route of our Pubs Galore crawl of York and it did not disappoint. I positioned myself in the Smoke room through the rear door, ordered a pint of Rudgate Ruby Mild through the serving hatch and could have easily settled in for the duration had not this been only pub no3 on the crawl. Fantastic old school boozer with a good range of ales and a fantastic 100 year old plus pub interior as described by the reviewers below. However as it attracts customers of a similar age bracket , not one recommended to the younger fraternity.