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Chat about:
Beer of the Week (w/e 14th April 2024) with Thuck Phat
on the Pub Forum
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Blue Scrumpy left this review about Pivni
Run by the same owners as the York Tap and also the Sheffield Tap, this bar is located in a narrow sidestreet in an old timber-framed building. There is a small, narrow bar on the ground floor, with further drinking space upstairs. On my 2 visits so far, I have managed to secure a table on the ground floor. So, I still haven't been upstairs. Nevertheless, there were clearly more people upstairs than downstairs, judging by the footfall.
Real ales on were Bristol Beer Factory Milk Stout, Marble Manchester Bitter & Helmsley Howardian Gold. Ciders were both from Lilley's - Pineapple & Somerset Scrumpy Dry. Craft beers were Thornbridge AM:PM, Bristol Beer Factory Laser Juice, Full Circle Repeater & Rotator, Vault City Strawberry Sundae & Delirium Red.
The two young barmaids were friendly and chatty and my Howardian Gold was in a decent condition.
On 23rd January 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2452 recommendations about 2451 pubs]
Steve C left this review about Pivni
Pivni is located in one of the tall and thin medieval buildings just off Shambles Market Square. The entrance leads to a flight of wooden stairs to the rear and a small tile floored bar area to the left. Seating runs along the front windows faced by the bar counter along the rear wall. Premium and craft keg were available and the five hand pumps were drawing Wilde Child’s The Italian Job, Redwillow Brewery’s Feckless, Vocation’s Bread & Butter, Pulp’s Apple Craft Cider and Lilley’s Mango Cider. It would only take ten or so people in here to make it feel very cosy. The aforementioned stairs lead up the timber building to a first floor seating area with a mix of armchairs, pews, benches and wooden chairs. A jukebox on the wall was supplying some background music, I can’t imagine any money had gone in due to there being hardly any other customers so it must have been on autoplay. The stairs also lead up to the second floor where, what looks like, purpose built benches with tables are found.
I found the service to be friendly, and the building’s exposed brick and old timber frame give it a lot of character, so there was atmosphere even though quiet. Well worth a look, but not if you’re in a large group.
On 8th June 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5228 recommendations about 5196 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about Pivni
A strongly atmospheric bar stuck in an ancient half-timbered building with an excellent range of mostly obscure independent and craft beers on keg and handpump, plus a few interesting European brews. One day I will get round to investigating the 'more seating upstairs', but if you are lucky you will grab a seat near the bar. The music seems to have a tendency towards hard rock, which suits the place. Can be a bit pricey, but well worth a visit.
On 3rd April 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about Pivni
Building from the C12th, running over three floors. Its a shame in these times that you cannot get to the bar to see what is on offer - as they had 17 on tap and looking at everyone else's glassware - some exotic european numbers to try.
To save my friendly barman (can I still call them that?) from reeling off all 17 brews - I stopped him at #2 and had a lovely Bristol Beer Factory Vale of Eden.
Would love to come back in normal times.
On 13th October 2020
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1337 recommendations about 1323 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about Pivni
Nice old building in central York, good real ale.
On 7th October 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Oggwyn Great left this review about Pivni
Really liked this place , lots of non mainstream kegs , 4 of the 5 handpulls on with beers from Tiny Rebel , Cwrw , Brass Castle and a very nice Totally Brewed Guardian of the Forest .
On 27th September 2019
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 797 recommendations about 683 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about Pivni
Lovely building just off the Shambles, and an alehouse that lives up to it. full of beer and brewery memorabilia etc so brilliant if you’re into that kind of thing. A very cosy atmospheric place downstairs and the room is tiny. Five ales i’ve never heard of but a stout/porter would have been nice. World beers galore in the fridges I believe, though I didn’t look today.
On 21st April 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1058 recommendations about 1023 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
custodian 42 left this review about Pivni
Decent enough place with many real ales and items on tap. Unfortunately the 5.9% American IPA was £4.00 per half (we didn't try it!) which was ridiculous.
On 26th January 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1693 recommendations about 1691 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alex Conway left this review about Pivni
From the people that brought us the Sheffiel, Harrogate and York Tap among others is a centrally located pub up an alleyway just off Goodrumgate. As mentioned it has a very nice worn in feel to it with nice old fashioned features that give it a traditional feel. located over three floors the upper two are more modern with lots of seating while the ground floor has the bar and a few tables and chairs.
No generic brands ever feature here with the regular lagers coming from Bernard and numerous taps of rotating craft ales from the likes of brew dog and Magic Rock. There are five real ales that are always kept in fantastic shape but are horrendously over priced. Oakham inferno (£3.80) and Tiny rebel Cwtch (£4.00) were brilliant but I would expect it paying that price.
Overall a brilliant place that is well worth a visit but will begin to shun people away especially locals if it continues its outrageous pricing policy.
On 21st March 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 456 recommendations about 456 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about Pivni
A delightful old building which has been converted into a pub with just the right degree of grunginess about it. It has that lived-in feel that the Leeds Brewery pubs (Duke of York and Eagle & Child) notably fail to achieve. Downstairs is the bar with beers on stillage behind; upstairs a beautiful light and airy room with old fashioned scrubbed kitchen tables and a variety of chairs of many different dates and styles. This room is wider than the ground floor, as can be seen in the photos, so there's more room than in the ground floor bar-room. Further up the stairs are the toilets and another room, with plenty of salvaged floorboards making the necessary partitions.
The (foreign) barman was friendly and helpful - the light being fairly low, I had trouble discerning that two of the beers were 6.0% and 8.0% respectively - there was also a handpulled pilsner. Music on the sound system at the time of my visit: Tamla Motown and 60s R&B; not exactly contemporaneous with the building, but it suited me.
On 26th November 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3724 recommendations about 3461 pubs]