The Slip Inn, York

Not much that is worth adding to earlier reviews, but this continues to be a "must visit" drinkers' pub. Perhaps not quite as traditional as it used to be, but you are still guaranteed a good pint from the 8 or so on offer. Thankfully it is completely ignored by normal tourists, but does attract quite a few beerophiles.

Got to be determined to seek out this 2020 Good Beer Guide recommended pub. Its off the beaten track, down a street of houses and very much a locals pub. Everyone was staring at me when I was checking in and sanitising but this transpires that I was under the tv and everyone wanted to see if Boris was going to close down pubs on his traffic light system of lockdowns. The answer, as always, is not straightforward. Very, very good pint of TT BoltMaker. I nearly went as far to say its better than Landlord.

Enjoyed our visit to this 2019 Good Beer Guide pub, which is a friendly community pub with traditional games. Front bar with a larger comfortable back room and a lovely outside seating area. We enjoyed Darkland Jera and Crooked JoJo from the seletion available.

A very nice back street pub near its sister pub the swan, personally my favorite out of the two. five real ales were dispensed on my visit with Timothy Taylor boltmaker (£3.25) and Leeds Pale (£3.00) being good value for the area and very good condition. the pub is on the small side so visitors must arrive early on weekends to secure a seat. The pub has two large screens showing the rugby world cup when i was there and also has a small side room with a dart board. A very nice local pub outside of the hustle and bustle of York, perfect for a quiet sit down drink, well worth a visit.

This back street local's pub takes its name from a slipway that used to run down Clementhorpe, past the pub all the way to a boatyard on the River Ouse. Much like the Phoenix Inn, this was a fairly bog standard Marstons pub and in danger of being given up on, before the owners of the nearby Swan Inn decided to take it over and revamp it as a friendly local with a good beer range. The entrance leads into a compact front bar which is carpeted and has padded banquettes around the perimeter, under some frosted glass windows with the pub's name picked out. There is also a lovely stained glass pane in the front door which proudly proclaims 'Slip Inn Free House'. On the end wall is a small fireplace, above which hangs a blackboard detailing some of the options available at the bar. A large TV set was turned off with background music playing unobtrusively instead. Moving past the right hand side of the servery, you emerge into a chequer tile floored area with an open seating area to the left, effectively behind the servery, offering plenty of low stool seating under a large old map of York. To the right there is a small side room up a single step which provides some good overspill seating, much needed on our visit, whilst a rear door leads out to a surprisingly pleasant courtyard style garden which was a nice spot to spend some time in on a bright afternoon. On the bar there were three house beers - Leeds Pale, Rudgate Ruby Mild and Wold Top Wold Gold, plus two guests in the shape of Liverpool Craft Quoka and Taylors Boltmaker. The Leeds Pale I tried was very drinkable and the staff did reasonably well in working their way through a twenty strong Pubs Galore surge at the bar. This is a great example of a well run back street boozer, with good beer, modest but comfortable surroundings and friendly service combining to great effect. The pub is well worth a visit in its own right, but with the Swan just a few yards up the road, there is an excellent double-header to be enjoyed here.

Nice traditional locals pub, a little on the backstreets but only a couple of minutes from the Swan. A lovely stained glass door greets you on entering. There’s a comfy front bar and a larger and more basic rear room beyond. A basic rear courtyard for the smokers. Black and white photos of various river scenes (presumably the Ouse seeing as it’s only a hundred yards away?). It’s a freehouse here and the five ale pumps including Wold Top Gold, Tim Taylor Best, Leeds Pale, Liverpool Craft Quokka and Rudgate Ruby Mild – can’t recall what I had but it was in good nick. Also a real cider. Bar snacks included pork pies and pickled eggs. Was a Marston’s pub they wrote off and sold - and surprise surprise - a proper private owner has applied some care to the place and it’s now popular! Note that this is another late afternoon opener.

The Slip Inn consists of a bar in the front left corner with seating to the rear and another room to the right rear where a dartboard can be found. The bar supports five hand pumps and I was served a decent pint by a friendly member of staff. I didn’t note the presence of any televisions and there was no background music playing. Out the back is a concreted beer garden that is decked out with café tables. This is a fine example of a traditional back street local which was worth the visit.

Compact side-street local, retaining a pleasantly traditional look and feel. Five handpumps on the counter, with several good ales including Rudgate Ruby Mild.