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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
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Detail Pages
The York, N1
N1
N1 8EQ
Pub Type
Nicholsons (Mitchells & Butlers)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The York
Nicholsons street corner pub with a traditional exterior ,but the many entrances indicate that at some stage the interior has been opened out into one L shaped space.It's not huge ,with a red leather bench seating arrangement to the left side,a row of butcher block high tables opposite the longer side of the bar,with another red leather bench at the rear.The chandeliers,wood flooring and dark decorative colours give some character,but with muzak playing very loud and some fruit machines blinking away it felt like a chain pub.It was busy with builders after their 4pm knock off,but the service was swift and friendly.
Make sure you inspect both sides of the L shaped bar,because greeting you from the main entrance are just two handpumps.Down the side there are 8 pumps offering on my trip Doom Bar,London Pride,Pedigree,Oakham JHB,Truman Fine & Dandy,Nicholsons Pale Ale,Thornbridge The January Brews (a bit tired) together with a real cider.
There aren't that many traditional pubs around Angel,so I can see why it's popular but this isn't one of the better Nicholsons.
On 27th January 2018
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2936 recommendations about 2936 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The York
Seeing that we were heading down to the Island Queen and the Narrowboat, a quick perusal of the bar offerings were in order. Ten handpumps, all of which were in use on our visit and luckily enough, I spotted Roosters California, so went for that. We took our drinks and did some vertical drinking near an interesting display of Victorian centre ceiling roses displayed on a wall at the end of the bar area. Still attracts a mob of drinkers standing out front, so things haven't altered there.
On 14th August 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3645 recommendations about 3645 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The York
A typical Nicholsons outlet with a good beer range over nine pumps,unfortunately my Titanic Plum Porter was a little tired but perfectly drinkable, that aside a decent place for a beer.
On 2nd May 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2151 recommendations about 2118 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The York
I used to be a partial regular here but haven't been in for at least 7 years; unsurprisingly, nothing has changed.
A largely traditional Victorian pub as described below; there's some nice cornicing behind the bar with cut glass screens and crystal chandeliers.
Beers on: Nicholson's Pale Ale, Morland's Old Speckled Hen and Stereophonics Brewery's Phonics at £4.25, which wasn't in great condition.
This place is better than I remember but it's not brilliant, mainly because of the tourists it attracts visiting Camden Passage market and also because it has a large and noisy sports following.
The likes of side-street pubs such as the Charles Lamb, Earl of Essex and Island Queen just behind are a better bet.
On 22nd March 2016
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2208 recommendations about 2165 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The York
A Nicholsons outlet, handily located 60 seconds from Angel Tube. Attractive exterior with much in the way of hanging baskets etc and set back from the pavement. Fairly small and plain inside, varnished wood flooring and the usual Nicholsons décor touches elsewhere like the floral wallpaper. Of interest are the Hitchcock-related prints at the far end above red leather banquette seating. The cobbled seating area outside looks good for sunny days. Eight pumps, with seven on and my Gadds Sunshine was in pretty good form (£1.90 for a half, a little steep?). Swift bar service. Decent enough as far as Nicholsons outlets go, worth a stop if nearby.
On 27th May 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5552 recommendations about 5533 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The York
This is an imposing Victorian corner-site pub a stone's throw from Angel tube station. It doesn't seem to have altered since previous reviewers' visits. Being a Nicholson branded pub, there's quite a lot of dark wood around, as well as a mix of furnishings - tall tables/tall stools, normal tables and chairs. There are also some modern cut glass mirrors in the area on the left.
As is usual with this chain, there was a decent ale selection. Interestingly, they had on South Town (£3.60 a pint), which is a collaboration between Adnam's and Camden breweries. We all thought it was a decent drop. I actually quite like this pub, although I accept, as others have said, it is typically Nicholson's.
On 10th April 2014
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The York
L shaped Nicholson's pub serving real ales and food.
On 19th March 2014
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2933 recommendations about 2866 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The York
Fairly typical Nicholson's - nothing special, but still a real pub with a traditional-looking 'L'-shaped interior rather than being converted into some ghastly theme bar. Also tends to be very busy, including the outside seating area at the front. However, nowadays you can usually rely on getting a reasonable pint here from the total of 12 handpumps split between the two sides of the bar counter, with the Kelburn Carte Noir (£3.75) being in good form on my latest visit. Overall, this place has grown on me over the last few years as the beer quality and range have improved, so an increased rating was probably overdue.
On 27th October 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8679 recommendations about 8678 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The York
Established in 1851 as the York Hotel, this L shaped pub next to Angel tube station is now part of the Nicholson’s chain. It has to be said that it is one of the chains less interesting efforts, with bare floorboards and floral wallpaper making it indistinguishable from any number of other Nicholson’s pubs. Standard tables and chairs take up most of the room, with a few banquettes here and there and some high tables at the front near the door. There’s a nice fireplace with a carriage clock on the mantelpiece and a grandfather clock stands at the front of the room, whilst the rear area has some unusual mirrors on the wall as well as a collection of Hitchcock photos and posters. Aside from that, there’s not much to distract the eye, with only a few panes of etched glass in panels near the door remaining. Many people had taken their drinks outside where you can sit in a cobbled seating area with numerous benches looking across to the busy A1.
Two blackboards, one on the wall and one on the bar counter, detailed different lists of available ales, although neither reflected what was actually on the bar. The actual line-up was Fuller’s London Pride, St Austell Tribute, Hook Norton Old Hooky (£3.45), Project Venus Venus Black, Sharp’s Doom Bar and Hop Back Taiphoon. I gave the Old Hooky a try and thought the beer was past its best – possibly a bottom-of-the-barrel pint. There are twelve hand pumps, with each side of the L-shaped bar counter dispensing the same six beers.
This was a bit of a disappointment all things considered, but it does benefit from a decent beer selection and a prominent location which means that return visits will be inevitable.
On 12th April 2012
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3350 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Chris 87 left this review about The York
Solid, typical Nicholson's which was busy without being chocka on a saturday evening, with a mixture of pre-club drinkers in attendance. Standard London ales (Pride, Doom Bar etc) on plus Copper Dragon IPA and 'Vicious' Wheat Beer which was an unusual find. Given its prominent Islington location I imagine it doesn't struggle for trade, but its not one of the chain's better boozers.
On 19th December 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 179 recommendations about 179 pubs]