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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
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Detail Pages
The Black Horse, Whitby
Whitby
YO22 4BH
Pub Type
Punch TavernsReviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Strongers . left this review about The Black Horse
The entrance to the Black horse opens onto a small bare boarded front bar with an L-shaped counter that faces limited seating to the front and the left. Standard and premium keg were available alongside six hand pumps that were drawing Rudgate’s Dinga Dinga, Adnams Southwold, Hambleton Brewery’s Black Dog Rhatas and Bootleggers as well as a couple of ciders. The Dinga Dinga didn’t taste of much, but I had just knocked back a lager in the previous pub. Another bar is found at the rear were the counter runs up the right facing padded benches up the left. There’s a raised seating area at the rear up a couple of steps. The service was polite so I’d pop back in if passing.
On 9th September 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5965 recommendations about 5931 pubs]
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Black Horse
A no frills boozer located in one of the attractive pedestrianised shopping streets just around the corner from the bridge, it’s strikes me as more of a local’s pub than a touristy one, despite it’s prime position.
Internally it consists of two rooms, a small bar at the front and a slightly larger, L-shaped room at the rear. The smaller bar is quite traditional and perhaps slightly dated, with varnished wooden boards on the floor, cream or white painted wallpaper on the walls and ceilings along with some dark stained wood panelling down below and fitted red banquette seating. A number of old black and white photographs were on the walls and there was some stained glass in the windows. The rear room was broadly similar in style, with the exception of a deep salmon colour paint on the walls and some white wood panelling on the ceiling. Being near the water, there was of course the obligatory display of different knot styles in a glass frame. The menu consisted of various Yapas dishes, which for those unfamiliar with the term, is apparently a Yorkshire version of tapas.
Beers on tap were Salopian Lemon Dream, Adnams Southwold, Rudgate Jorvik and Rudgate Chocolate Stout with Black Dog’s Rhatas apparently having run out. Ciders meanwhile were Orchard Thieves, Stan’s Big Apple and Rosie’s Pig Rhubarb which is something of an improvement on the normal dross found around these parts.
On 16th July 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2060 recommendations about 1962 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Black Horse
Can't disagree with anything PSM says in his review below. We called in here both nights of our stay in Whitby. On the second night we shared a Yorkshire charcterie board and a black pudding pork pie for our tea. Over the two evenings I went through the pumps and all 4 beers were in excellent condition. Some friends of ours stayed in one of their letting rooms a few months ago and were impressed with that too. We'll definitely be calling in here again next time we're in Whitby.
On 29th January 2024
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3286 recommendations about 3196 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Black Horse
This is a cosy traditional two bar pub with a prime location on the narrow street leading to the nearby Abbey steps. The pub is split into a front lounge and rear bar, both with exposed floorboards and dark tongue and groove wall panelling beneath plain painted uppers. The front lounge has nice comfy banquette seating under the front window with some padded benches and low stools in support. The servery is at the rear of the room and has a dark wood counter and matching bar back with a nice small stained glass sash window that opens into the porch space behind the bar, possibly a remnant of a former jug and bottle set-up. The rear bar is split-level, with the servery along the right-hand wall of the initial lower level space. Hard backed banquettes provide some austere seating options down the left-hand wall, supplemented by several low stools. The bar has a dark wood counter, similar to the front bar, adorned with various decorative struts and a matching bar back with frosted glass and patterned inserts. The room’s main point of interest has to be the fine leaded windows with their stained glass ‘Black Horse Vaults’ centre pane. Décor includes knot displays, lots of photos of locals and their dogs, various old maps and a few photos of the surrounding area. Two steps at the rear of the room lead up to a raised seating area with a couple more tables and access to the toilets. The pub seems to be quite enterprising, offering a menu of ‘Yorkshire Tapas’ which all sounded very tempting, and selling custom-made facemasks with proceeds going to RNLI. When we arrived, the pub was at maximum capacity, but a very friendly barman happened to be outside taking a quick break and he suggested we hang around for a few minutes, as he was fairly sure there were a couple about to leave, and lo and behold, two minutes later, we were in and seated with a drink in front of us. The capacity issue was based on the pub’s Covid restrictions at time of visit and such limits to customer numbers may no longer apply.
Five handpulls offered a choice of Titanic Plum Porter, Adnams Southwold Bitter and Hambleton Untethered plus a couple of real ciders. I gave the Untethered a try and it was in excellent shape, slipping down nicely as we enjoyed the buzz from a full house. A few people were eating and the food we saw come past all looked very good – shame we’d already booked a table somewhere else.
There are quite a few traditional looking pubs on this side of the harbour, but this was the only one that really appealed to me. Good service and beer (and good-looking food) combined well in a traditional setting to create a memorable visit and I would definitely be keen to revisit this one the next time I’m back in town.
On 12th November 2021
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3350 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
custodian 42 left this review about The Black Horse
Smallish place with a couple of weak real ales and two decent ciders Nothing that special.
On 28th January 2020
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1693 recommendations about 1691 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about The Black Horse
Enjoyed our visit to this 2019 Good Beer Guide pub. Chose Shepherd Neame Hard Labour which was fine.
On 12th August 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Delboy 20 left this review about The Black Horse
Nice looking pub which is listed. 4 beers on including Wainwright, Golden Hen and Black Dog Rhatas. I liked this place and would happily call again.
On 24th July 2018
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1821 recommendations about 1692 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Black Horse
As noted by previous reviewers, there is a small front bar, which has earned the Black Horse a place in Camra's inventory of historic pub interiors. The larger back bar dates back only to a refurbishment by Tetleys in 1986. Beers on at the time of my visit were Black Dog Rhatas and GK Old Golden Hen, plus Old Rosie cider. I quite like this pub and it would be one to settle into for a session, if there's a beer to suit. I enjoyed the Rhatas but just had the one on this occasion.
Date of visit: 11th March 2018
On 3rd April 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 4273 recommendations about 3935 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Black Horse
As noted below this is a small attractive pub with two completely separate bars. I noticed on the way in a sign saying no stag or hen parties due to it being a very small pub. Surely Whitby isn't a big enough to attract that nonsense? It wasn't that busy on a February Wednesday afternoon. Although there are hand pumps in each bar the choice of three was mainstream consisting of Adnam's Southwold Bitter, Black Sheep Best and Robinson's Overhang. I went for the Overhang (£3.70) which like the majority of Robinson's seasonal and commemorative beers was very pedestrian, although in good nick.
I thought this nice little place was let down by being too expensive and a poor beer choice. It's GBG 2018 listed.
On 14th February 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about Black Horse Inn
Tiny front bar with a larger bar behind, it's Grade II listed. There are two pulls in the front bar and more through at the back, all are listed on a board by the front counter. Bench seating at a couple of tables , it's size makes it friendly and interesting, there is the feel of York's Blue Bell in the front room. Four beers were on including two from Black Sheep plus one each from Whitby and Caledonian. It's on the main road up to the 199 steps but not a tourist hell.
On 12th June 2016
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3599 recommendations about 3279 pubs]