The Phoenix Inn, York

The front bar was easily the busiest, perhaps because PuG crawlers had just arrived en mass. But it was a great atmosphere, possibly not helped by the powerful aroma of the large display of lilies on the bar counter. As others have said, this remains a two room pub with its original late Victorian layout still intact. Thus it's on the CAMRA Regional Inventory of pubs with historic interiors. The larger back room is traditionally furnished and seems to be some sort of shrine to jazz greats, as old black and white photos of them adorn the walls. This room had a bit of an annex with a dartboard. Several decent ales, as articulated by others, make this yet another top notch York pub.

Just inside one of the gates to the city walls, this pub retains the two room format with the old public bar being the ront room where the servery is located. Green painted wood panelled walls, bare boarded flooring, red bench seats and a red painted wall to one end. Candles in glass vases on the tables and a tall vase of flowers on the end of the bar. There is a small serving hatch to the side corridor, the area then winds around behind a fireplace complete with coal fire to a rear room with green benches and stools. There is plenty going on in here, a bar billiards table, red pool table and a dartboard, a piano against a wall and framed pictures of jazz musicians the main items of decoration. Another York pub with a good beer menu, Half Moon Stellar Oatois, Copper Dragon Golden Pippin, Wold Top Bitter and Half Moon Dark Masquerade. Not sure if they do full meals but the proper pork pies were a snip at £1.95.

A traditional pub immediately adjacent to a stretch of the city wall, it consists of a front and rear bar as well as a smallish courtyard garden which offers great views of the wall. The front bar is perhaps the smaller of the two and this has a sanded wood floor, etched glass windows, green wood panelling on the walls and a dark red feature wall at one end. A coal fire was smouldering away and a large vase of lilies on the bar was appreciated by Mrs B. The rear bar included a bar billiards game, darts board and a piano. I suspect they don’t do much in the way of food, although a chalk board advertised pork pies at £1.95 and these were appreciated by some of our party. Beers on a recent visit were Timothy Taylor Landlord, Half Moon Dark Masquerade, Copper Dragon Golden Pippin, World Top Bitter and Stella Oatis.