The Three-Legged Mare, York

Situated close to York Minster, the Three Legged Mare is one of 3 York Brewery pubs in the City Centre. Externally resembling a shop rather than a traditional pub, the interior is a not unpleasant mix of traditional and modern, but with an overall feel that is perhaps more continental café bar than a traditional British pub. Outside a blackboard tells us that the pub was CAMRA York Pub of the Season in Autumn 2008. It promises us a friendly welcome and - at the date of my visit in late June - was proudly announcing itself as a football free zone. The main bar contains a number of photos of old York and leads through to a small conservatory and an outside patio. In the conservatory we learn that a three legged mare was a novel form of gallows comprising a horizontal triangle supported by three legs. Its design meant that several felons could be hanged at once. A replica of this may be found in the back garden. On the real ale front, there's 3 banks of 3 pumps. Beers on from the York Brewery were the usual 4 - Yorkshire Terrier, Centurion Ghost, Guzzler and Constantine. Also on from York Brewery were York Mild plus Wonkey Donkey, the latter of which is promoted as unique to this pub. Guest beers were from Tring and Castle Rock. York Brewery beers were generally priced at being between £ 2.60p and £ 2.80p. The Yorkshire Terrier was in good form. The pub is in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide for 2010. The staff here were exceptionally attentive and helpful and, on my visit, were going way beyond the call of duty in helping a group of irritating and demanding tourists with limited English language skills, find their way to the brewery for one of the brewery tours. This is a good place in the City Centre for sampling the wares of the York Brewery.

A York Brewery, terraced, undressed brick and blue frontage pub/eatery, with rear patio area, apparently with a, let’s hope, non-working replica of the gallows that gives the pub its name (it was too dark for me to see this) The interior has a couple of rooms. The main bar/lounge room tapers down as you approach the serving bar, which is on the right. A door then takes you into a conservatory area. The décor is coffee, green/blue (difficult with the light) and wood panel, with white ceiling and wood floor. There is a mix of sofas and stools, with barrel tables, trying to blend comfort and tradition. There is a collection of eclectic prints and pictures on the walls, with old York pictures and rugby featuring significantly and odd bits of ephemera, such as a bottle collection and some saucy postcards (as they would say in On the Buses). I didn’t eat here, so can’t comment on the food. The service was fine and the clientele mixed – and it was so busy. There was no TV that I saw and background music was supplied by a rather eccentric pianist, who had half a piano! Beer; tap stuff with a decent choice of real ales; the York Brewery range, Blonde, Guzzler, Centurion’s Ghost, Constantine, Wonky-Donkey, as well as Courage Directors and Wolf Brewery’s Granny Wouldn’t Like It. I sampled the Ghost, Constantine, Wonky and Granny, all were decent. It gets better with every visit. If you miss it, you deserve to be hanged

A York brewery pub which sells their full range (including the unique-to-the-pub Wonkey Donkey) along with two guests. I was only in for a short while whilst Mrs Quinno disappeared off to the nearby shop for an emergency birthday present but was there long enough to appreciate my pint of Centurion's Ghost, polite service by the barmaid and observe a group of American tourists doing a cheese and ale tasting session. The interior is nice (it's a 'quiet' pub, no music or TV) and new without being overly sterile and its proximity to Yorkminster means it's an essential stop if nearby. A cracking place.

My favourite York Brewery pub of the three, bigger than the Terrier and more discreet and less food oriented than the Last Drop, it also has a better choice of ale on its 9 handpumps. Another shop conversion, it has an hourglass shape from the large front leading to a narrower area by the bar counter then opening out into a wider seating area at the back. Usually has the York range of beers plus 3 or 4 guests in super condition hence its frequent GBG appearances. Seating is an eclectic mix of chairs, benches and a settle, with a barrel as a table as well as more normal tables. Food consists of simple sandwiches, soup and nibbles. The toilets are in the basement reached via a rickety steel spiral staircase. The garden at the back is supposed to contain a replica of the Three Legged Mare but I've never looked.

This is a York Brewery tied house that was opened in 2001 in a busy tourist area it has one longish room and a good choice of real ales on the bar we had Yorkshire Terrier and this was a very nice drink.

Apparently a three-legged mare is not some unfortunate pedestally challenged equine, or a wonky donkey as another distinguished reviewer called it, but some sort of tripodal hanging execution device. Anyway, there were nine handpumps on the go, almost all dispensing York Brewery ales. I went for the Yorkshire Terrier, which was excellent once I had convinced the barmaid to remove the sparkler. Apparently she was a sparkler-less beer tap virgin, nobody having asked her to remove that item before! The pub itself is quite light, and fairly modern in appearance. The seating is mainly traditional, consisting of banquettes, normal tables and chairs, although I did spot a barrel for a table, as well as a high table with a couple of high stools. It had something of the appearance of a wine bar about it. As to decor, Mrs R was mightily impressed by the presence of some prints of The Rolling Stones, including the late Brian Jones. There was no pop music, nor any other ancillary mechanical distractions, just the sound of punters having a good time, and the pealing of the Minster’s bells. All in all this is a rather good pub, and with nine or so ales on offer (and a cappuccino for Mrs R) I would be delighted to be able to pay a return visit.