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Cittie of Yorke, WC1

22 High Holborn
WC1
WC1V 6BN
Phone: 02072427670

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Danny O'Revey left this review about Cittie of Yorke

Fine pub worth visiting, very different. Described well below

On 14th November 2023 - rating: 8
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]


Delboy 20 left this review about Cittie of Yorke

Impressive pub which was on my hit list for the day. Well described below but I especially liked the enormous vats above the bar. Sam Smiths beers so no surprises but I don't go in many Smiths pubs so I enjoyed an OBB. Well worth a visit.

On 19th June 2023 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 1651 recommendations about 1553 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Bucking Fastard left this review about Cittie of Yorke

The magnificent three sided clock on the exterior gives a strong hint you should investigate the interior.This Sam Smiths pub is nearly 100 years old and is a fine re creation of a baronial drinking hall in the room along the entrance corridor,with its vaulted ceiling,vast vats and tuns over the wooden bar and the charming four person booths along the right hand side and at the rear.The booths have great wood panelling and hooks for coats and are atmospheric.There is an interesting cast iron heater in the centre,and a collection of more normal dining style tables elsewhere.The booths can be reserved but thankfully at a specific time.
The front room is less interesting but still with good wood panelling and interesting prints and other wall coverings.The downstairs cellar bar will open at peak times,not on my Saturday lunchtime visit.
SS policy of no muzak,machines and flatscreens really does help maintain a traditional atmosphere.The long bar was only offering Old Brewery Bitter on handpump,with a claim that it is the only London real ale served from the wood.My pint was first out,not pulled through and had a slight tang but drinkable (NBSS 2.5) and at £5.10 not that cheap for a 4%,Humphrey has upped the pricing.The same applies to the food with most mains £15,although there are cheaper light bites.There is a keg range of 3 SS beers and 4 SS lagers and all libations are made by SS.
It's a must visit for the CAMRA nationally important interior which is magnificent.Just how long you can ship down OBB may define your length of stay,I lasted a pint,but you just have to inspect it for yourself if you are a pub lover.

On 19th March 2023 - rating: 8
[User has posted 2709 recommendations about 2709 pubs]


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Quinno _ left this review about Cittie of Yorke

9 years since my last visit and of course no changes as it’s a Sam’s house, so the Medieval baronial dining hall vibe remains. Was fortunate to time our visit just after the lunchtime crowd which meant we almost had the run of the pub, one group of students and some stragglers from the courts notwithstanding, which meant we could get a seat in one of the booths and enjoy the atmosphere. Looked like the entire available draft range (for the South anyway – Sam’s mild is only served Oop Nuurf). I had an OBB which wasn’t one of the better examples as it was a bit warm which accentuates the tannin tang in a less-than-pleasant manner (NBSS 2). Also tried the Sam's Brown ale, a new one on me, which is close to zero alcohol; it was decent, actually. Shame about the OBB tainting an otherwise enjoyable visit to this unique place. 7.5

October 2010
Built in 1923, this is another Sam Smith’s beauty with a wonderful interior (holding a place in CAMRA's list of Historic Pub Interiors) and the exterior isn’t too shabby either (look out for the jumbo cuboid clock over hanging the pavement). The main bar is well described below as a ‘baronial hall layout’; high ceilings, dark wood panelled walls and ornately carved booths along the side. Huge old beer (or are they whisky?) barrels above the bar add to the effect. There are also little-used front and cellar bars. Customers are usually lawyers from the local chambers, coppers and a few tourists. The drinks are Sam Smiths – so your choice whether to drink any or hit the lemonade. The fridge is usually well-stocked with their bottled products so there is a decent element of choice. OBB is available as a token ale. The toilets have had an overhaul recently, probably the first money spent upgrading anything in here for 15-odd years. It’s worth a visit simply for the architecture, if nothing else. Rated 7

On 20th December 2019 - rating: 7
[User has posted 5050 recommendations about 5033 pubs]


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hondo . left this review about Cittie of Yorke

Sam Smith's pub with a mock tudor style interior. The main bar has a vaulted ceiling and little snugs down one side. Interesting fire as well

On 8th October 2019 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]


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Tris C left this review about Cittie Of Yorke

Apparently, there has been a pub of some sort on this site since 1430, but I can’t find record of one in the last 200 years. The Cittie of Yorke supposedly harks back to the reign of Henry VI, though this pub started life as a branch of Heneky’s wine bars when it was built during the reign of George V, around 1923.
I first started coming here when I was a law student. The legal premises are no longer here, so now it’s unlikely to be a student hangout. It was certainly a place where qualified barristers would chat up female students, probably offering the chance of pupillage, possibly in exchange for…
A return visit after 21 years and the carpeted front bar seems unchanged, though we rarely ventured in there. The only obvious alteration is that the floor is now wooden, no longer paved with flagstones which maybe were less glass-friendly. Perhaps it was a question of Health & Safety (or fafety as it would have been written in Plantagenet England)? The cavernous beamed interior remains, looking for all the world like some mediaeval baronial dining hall, especially with the enormous vats above the bar; all that’s missing to complete the illusion is a harlequined jester gambolling with an inflated pig’s bladder on a stick and a live lute band to accompany the court masque. There is a fantastic triangular island stove which, according to CAMRA, could be Napoleonic. Then there are the side stalls of course, looking for all the world like jumbo confessional boxes though that would be unlikely as Henry VIII would have destroyed them during the Reformation; getting in early doors to bag one is a good tip.
An extraordinary number of customers in here were clearly from south-east Asia, drawn to the authentic tableau of Merry England, made all the more complete for want of Wi-Fi.
Ales: Old Brewery on cask at £1.60 a half.
This place is ok for a while, but the novelty wears thin, all the more quickly due to the lack of ale choice. If drinkers want a slightly more authentic period experience, the Olde Mitre isn’t far from here. Again, like the Princess Louise, I’d bring a friend here who’d never been, but I wouldn’t stay for long.

On 24th February 2018 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1956 recommendations about 1923 pubs]


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Will Larter left this review about Cittie Of Yorke

This remarkable and impressive building has been well described by Blackthorn below. It features on Camra's National Inventory; those interested can read more about this by clicking the What Pub link below. The outstanding feature is the high ceilinged hall, with seating in booths opposite the bar - looking remarkably like an old compartmentalised railway carriage. The Sam Smiths Old Brewery Bitter was in good condition and not as cold as it can be in most Sam's pubs (hope that doesn't elicit a telling off for the manager from Humphrey if he reads this).

Date of visit: 21st November 2017

On 10th January 2018 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3699 recommendations about 3440 pubs]


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Blackthorn _ left this review about Cittie Of Yorke

An attractive, but perhaps a little unassuming from the outside, this pub certainly lulls you in to a false sense of security. Approaching from the street, you enter down a passageway with a cellar bar off to your left, although this was unfortunately closed on our visit. Beyond this, it opens up in to quite a splendid high ceilinged room, almost like some sort of old castle’s dining room.

As you enter, the bar counter runs on the left hand side, and racked up above this are some massive old barrels that were presumably used for brewing at one time. A notice did say that this is the only London pub that serves cask ale from wooden barrels, but going on the size of them I can’t imagine that these are anything other than decorative. Opposite the bar counter is a line of booths for more private seating. These were quite enclosed, other than the entrance doorway and seated about four to six people. A very unusual feature and it was a shame that they were all in use when we visited. Beyond this the pub narrows a little and there were a few more booths down here, one of which housed a darts board. There was a very high and impressive arched ceiling with some stained glass at the far end which included the brewer’s logo. The flooring was wood strip and there was much wood panelling on the walls as well.

Being a Sam Smith’s pub, the only real ale on was their Old Brewery Bitter, although to be fair this seemed to be a pretty decent pint. The solitary cider was also their own. All in all, a “must visit” pub for the architecture, if not the beer selection.

On 7th April 2017 - rating: 8
[User has posted 1937 recommendations about 1850 pubs]


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Real Ale Ray left this review about Cittie Of Yorke

Features in Camra's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors. If you like an impressive pub interior, then the Cittie of York is well worth a visit. The pub has the feel of entering a large medieval banqueting hall, especially when you visit early doors, as we did and were able to appreciate the splendour of the large oak trussed roof void. The cellar bar is open Tues-Fri eves only. I went for the Sam Smiths Alpine lager, which was excellent.

On 5th January 2014 - rating: 8
[User has posted 3378 recommendations about 3378 pubs]


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Gill Smith left this review about Cittie Of Yorke

One of the pubs we visited yesterday from the book of historic interiors, and our second Sam Smith's pub. As we had sampled their Old Brewery Bitter earlier, we decided on trying a couple of their bottled beers, and although they were probably the best beer of the day, I was astounded by the price of £11.00!! No price on the beer leaflet so I paid up. The beers were in 550cl bottles and both were superb. Sam Smith's Pale Ale 5% and Sam Smith's Nut Brown Ale 5%. The interior well described below. Ground floor toilets.

On 16th November 2013 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]

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