The Ackhorne, York

Splendid old-school pub up a side alley with a strong local following. There are three areas joined into one, all with a glorious mismatch of old benches and stools. A bar billiards table stands at one end and there are tables out in the yard behind. Some surviving glasswork adds to the character and it is generally a fine place for a pint or several. This is helped by half a dozen handpumps offering a good and changing selection of mainly local ales. A serious ale drinkers' pub.

Tucked away down a little alley - this is a locals pub. A bit rough and ready inside but Good Beer Guide recommended and friendly locals and pub dog - who likes to lick your shoes, by way of introduction.

really charming, well run traditional pub down a narrow street off Micklegate. Really good choice of real ales on, had an excellent Rudgate Ruby Mild and I was certainly surprised to find it was pubco owned. a chatty, cosy ale house well hidden away, certainly one for the serious ale drinkers. Staff, customers and the dog roaming around the pub were exceptionally friendly.

Called in this pub last month and chose Bad Co Yorkshire Bitter from the cask ales available. This appears to be a traditional locals pub with games, quizes and live music.

A serious drinkers' pub hidden down a cobbled lane off Micklegate. My only real grumble is that people naturally tend to congregate on the bit of bar nearest the door, which makes getting in and out tricky. Once you have fought your way through, there is a fair amount of nice old pub beyond, as well as a courtyard area to the rear. A good range of ales is usually on offer with various local examples.

Not that good a choice of ale last night for once but as the range is usually decent I'm not marking it down at all. A good pub off the beaten Micklegate track.

The Ackhorne is a decent sized historic pub that is extremely easy to miss by virtue of its secluded location down a narrow alleyway off Micklegate. The pub has an open plan layout, although the split level interior does help to create some distinctively separate areas within. The main bar is on the right hand side of the rear wall in a bare boarded space, with a traditional counter sporting some nice patterned panels and a more modern looking canopy covered with unsightly blackboards. As you move over to the left, you find yourself in a carpeted space with plenty of dark wood fixtures and a lot of old pictures and photos lining the walls. There is a good deal of seating available here most of which looked pretty solid and comfortable enough, although a decent Friday evening crowd meant that a number of us elected to stand in the open area to the left of the bar. There is a fireplace on the back wall and I noticed a collection of tankards on a high shelf, all of which helps to enhance the traditional feel the pub has. To the rear is a very wide raised space with dark floorboards, additional seating, a dartboard and views out to the rear patio area which appeared to be raised further still. Another good ale range could be found here - a recurring theme in York - with options on this visit being Cameron's Strongarm, Roosters Yankee, Wychwood Hobgoblin, Saltaire Blonde and Atom Blonde Ale plus Weston's Old Rosie cider. I gave the Saltaire Blonde a try and was pleased to find it was kept very well. This is a likeable pub that avoids the weekend crowds thanks to its unassuming location, making it a good bet for a city centre, late-night weekend option. I felt the place didn't quite match up to some of the other excellent pubs visited on our crawl, but would still rate the place highly and can't imagine it would disappoint most pub and beer aficionados.

Located to the right of the Ackhorne’s entrance is the bar that supports six hand pumps and fonts for standard draught in addition to San Miguel and Staropramen. There is a seating area at the rear that also houses a dartboard, but there was no visible oche and it would have been near impossible to move the furniture for a game. There was some low dance music playing, but this was inaudible over the chatter of the punters. Out the back is a beer garden. This is a decent enough pub that is worth a visit if passing.

For a fair-sized pub, this place is easy to miss in a narrow cobbled lane off Micklegate. Traditional furniture and decor in the main bar, side snug and raised seating area. Rear patio beer garden. Six handpumps, with a variety of real ales - including Hobgoblin and Atom Pale - plus a cider.