Cottage Inn, York

A surprisingly large Stonegate pub which had lost its way, being given a new lease of life by new tenants. A lot of lowrise building round the original structure contains several areas opening onto the main bar, with a mixture of fairly-tired decors awaiting refreshing. Furnishing is mainly traditional although there are some high tables, there is a dartboard in one corner and a couple of screens. To the front is a patio area and a garden is signed to the rear, while at the back is a large and slightly decrepit-looking function suite. Just the one cask ale on, a slightly iffy Robinsons Trooper, and food had been suspended due to excessive heat. They still have a way to go to get back on track but it has good potential.

Outwardly a 19th century building but much modernised inside and not entirely in a good way. It’s basically one big room with a restaurant beyond, there’s a mishmash of flooring and furnishings, fortunately only the odd wall is grey, others are cream and one has a large 19th Century OS map; always interesting and it’s a popular thing around York. Daft things painted on beams is less interesting. Not as up market as it is attempting, constant music, screens and machines, Friday afternoon building industry customers drag it down a tadge. The counter is straight ahead when you enter, three pulls, one blank, Ossett blonde and a Mancunian traveller in the form of Lees Bitter which wasn’t in bad condition although a bit chilly. Two quad T-bars and a trio of solos cater to keg tastes. There’s some sort of parking problem as signs everywhere, and I mean everywhere, implore you to enter your car registration number or you’ll get what is legally an invoice not a fine. There’s some residual walls but an old pub has obviously been lost.