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Detail Pages
The Old White Swan, York
York
YO1 7LF
Pub Type
Nicholsons (Mitchells & Butlers)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Graham Coombs left this review about The Old White Swan
A very touristy pub with two distinct bars: the Tudor bar is the cosier and includes the dining area, while the Coach bar is not quite as nice and has several sports screens. Both have lots of beams and historic junk. Usual sort of Nicholson's range of beers on offer, including a very palatable Titanic Plum Porter.
On 15th November 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about The Old White Swan
Enjoyed our visit here last month. A couple of bars serving a choice from Nicholson's range and we sat outside with our Laine Mangolicious 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.
Brainy Pool left this review about The Old White Swan
this is a nice example of a well preserved old pub. dark inside with a nice outdoor yard that fills up quickly on sunny days. Contains the usual Nicholsons expensive food offers aimed at tourists but in fairness there is a reasonable selection of well kept real ales and a much less tacky atmosphere than Greene King’s Olde Starre for example. Worth a visit if you’re in York.
On 21st April 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1058 recommendations about 1023 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
custodian 42 left this review about The Old White Swan
Not quite as good as the Cross Keys but another decent Nicholsons outlet with some good real ales.
On 26th January 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1693 recommendations about 1691 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about The Old White Swan
A very old multi-room pub with exposed Tudor brickwork, bigger than the outside suggests there are groups of four pulls and various short founts are dotted round the central vaguely circular servery. Reasonable quality being a Nicholsons with mainstream regional Brewers, St Austell, Robinsons, plus Sharps from Molson Coors. Pretty much furnished for eating, there are some leather armchairs by the big fireplace and some tall tables and stools. Staff attitude is a bit "well it's a tourist city so we can brass people off while making life easier for ourselves". There's an outside courtyard appealing to the mainly young clients, off of this is a more basic bar with eight pulls big screen and machines.
On 2nd October 2016
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3230 recommendations about 2939 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alex Conway left this review about The Old White Swan
Another of Yorks Nicholson pubs, the old white swan is used by us a lot in weekday evenings if we ever want a drink past 11 as this is one of the few pubs serving until 12 most nights.
Being a nichiolsons pub the prices are very steep and on a recent visit Guinness was £3.95, extortionate in my opinion!
There is always a good selection of real ales available but some can be a bit hit and miss and so can the quality, nothing badly kept just not as good as it could be. regular Yorkshire brewery's feature and John smiths cask and nicholsons pale ale are always available.
The pub is a nice place to be and both lounge areas are very comfortable and warm but the high prices ruin this place, a shame as it could be fantastic.
On 25th October 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 456 recommendations about 456 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Old White Swan
A very large Nicholson’s pub wrapped around a central courtyard, it consists of a number of rooms with some quite different styles. Like many of York’s pub, it claims to be haunted and in this case the incumbent ghosts apparently have been known to relight the fire should it go out! Staff were all friendly and helpful as is usually the case in this company’s outlets.
The left hand half of the pub is perhaps more the lounge/dining side, and this was quite pleasant with something of an olde worlde ambience with black beams on the ceiling and a tiled floor. A massive brick fire-place at the back took up most of one wall, with a small passageway to one side of it leading to the other half of the pub. Elsewhere was another fire-place with a copper chimney hood. A smaller bar at the front had much wood panelling on the walls and was somewhat reminiscent of a hotel drawing room. A display of old bottles was here, and elsewhere was some exposed brick wall. The other half of the pub on the right was a little more contemporary with a wood strip floor and a couple of plasma screens. It did however have an impressive vaulted ceiling at the rear along with a couple, of old wooden cartwheels and a section of roman wall was visible through a glass panel in the floor. Another bar counter was also on this side, so make sure you check both in order to gauge the full range of ales available.
The menu offered an extensive selection of dishes including classics, sharers, sandwiches, burgers and pies. A Beef & Ale Pie was a generous portion with tasty, tender chunks of beef, and an Ocean Pie was also pretty good although they seemed to have scrimped on the prawns a bit. The accompanying beans and carrots though were very poor, being quite rubbery and well past their best.
A chalkboard outside boasted that there were thirteen real ales available, and I noted Gathering Storm, Purity Mad Goose, Liberation Blonde, Daleside Old Legover, Nicholson’s Pale Ale, John Smith’s Cask, Apus Navigation, Yorkshire Terrier, Doom Bar and Proper Job. That’s “only” ten, but I quite prepared to accept that I may have missed some. Whichever, an impressive selection. In contrast, the only cider was Mortimer’s Orchard.
On 6th April 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1947 recommendations about 1860 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Old White Swan
A Nicholson's pub serving a good selection of real ale and food. The pub is split in 2 by a courtyard.
On 18th May 2013
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
OogyWawa . left this review about The Old White Swan
Probably the best of the York "Nicholson" pubs - especially when it comes to beer. Nearly always 5 or 6 handpulled real ales offering a good mix of national and local breweries fares. The jazz on a Thursday night is a good draw and you won't be worried about getting a seat as it has 3 large bars. Open until midnight 7 days/week which is handy for those who prefer later hours.
On 13th May 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 15 recommendations about 15 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john mcgraw left this review about The Old White Swan
Large Nicholson's pub that seems to have bars all over the place.A good selection of beers on my visit but the pub seemed a bit too foody.
On 9th January 2012
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2044 recommendations about 2025 pubs]