Masons Arms, York

My first visit here, and what a warm comfy pub this is. The Milestone Rich Ruby and York Guzzler were good. The menus on boards behind the bar gave good food choice, although it was a pound or two above a lot of food places around York. Looked good on the plates coming out to the diners though.

This is a smart mock-Tudor looking pub, eatery and hotel on the outskirts of the city centre. The lower-half of the building is in stone, the upper, undressed brick, with timber frame and a central front facing gable. There is a patio. The interior has two rooms that form a U-shape around the bar that faces you on entry, with a larger main room and smaller side room. The décor is white and wood panel, with a small tiled fireplace in the side room and a nice wood fireplace in the main room. The place leans strongly to the food market, but a drinker would feel comfortable here as well. There is an eclectic collection of ephemera and pictures, with plates, hanging jugs and pots scattered about. We didn’t eat here and it didn’t seem that cheap, but the surroundings are nice – even the loos are nicely tiled. Music was supplied at a decent level via the radio and there was a TV that wasn’t on. The service was fine, but there was no other clientele at my midday visit. Beer; tap stuff with Everard’s Tiger, Black Sheep Bitter, York Brewery’s Guzzler and Terrier – the Black Sheep was fine. A decent place, with a decent range of beer. I would be more than happy to go back here.

This is a decent pub that is wood panelled inside there were four real ales on the bar with John Smiths cask and three guest beers. I hav'nt had a meal here but a friend of mine said the food was very good and you got a lot of it.