Burns Hotel, York

called in a few times on my short stay in york always a good crowd in its a proper pub with plenty of good beer and not much food see you in the spring Bert

A narrow terraced Sam Smiths pub with brown frontage and undressed brick upper stories The interior is a single room with the serving bar the way down on the left. The top part of the pub is characterised by booth areas with green leather seats - some a little worse for wear, while the bottom part of the pub is more stools and standing, which has a decorative sky light. Victorian pictures, yes, of Hansom cabs hang on the wood panel walls and there is a coffee kind of coloured ceiling. The service was functional, the clientele, when always i visit here, seems to be more of the locals than the tourist hoards, as the language will testify. Beer; Samuel Smiths keg range, with a decent enough Dark MILD and Stout, with Old Brewery Bitter on handpull. A spit and sawdust pub, very different to most in York. I like it and always pop in when in the City.

A Sam Smiths pub in a street linking York's two main shopping streets, narrow fronted like most older buildings in York. The interior is high Victorian in style with dark wood panelling, lincrusta ceiling, mirrors and brass light fittings, although none of it dating back earlier than a 1960s rebuild of the Burns Hotel. The interior is said to be based on a Hansom cab. There are some leather armchairs by the front door and at the back beside a fireplace, booth seating to the side and in the bar area only shelves with stools so there is a fair amount of vertical drinking space. This area is top lit by a skylight. Old photos of various towns and cities share wall space with charity certificates, a collection of drawings of Hansom Cabs and a neat display of some of today's regulars in their 1950s prime. As it's a Sam's pub only their products are sold and although the OBB was cold as usual it was a very good pint and only £1.57. Possibly the pub equivalent of a slow, sedate Hansom cab ride, the majority of the punters were a friendly mix of older locals and tourists.