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York Tap, York
York
YO24 1AY
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 9 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about York Tap
Situated at the end of Platform 3 but with an entrance from the street and no ticket barriers this is a popular real ale haunt.From the platform the metal exterior seating and the brightly painted exterior give the impression of a modern refurb but the interior is noteworthy with very traditional features,a lot of wood panelling and a railway feel.The circular island bar is attractive and its importand to walk around the discover the true ale range from the 20 pulls,not all of which will be clipped.
I had a brief time slot changing trains and didn't note all the ale options.There was a lot of Locale,BrewYork Viking IPA,Tapped Brew Toha,Verdant Light Bulb, Wishbone Tiller Pin,and a wide selection which maybe permanents from Timothy Taylor namely Landlord,Dark Mild,Golden Best,Boltmakers and Landlord Dark. I would say around 14 options in total at 9pm on a Wednesday.A negative note was a single barman who was overworked,a vast stack of glasses cluttering the bar and some impatient punters wanting an ale before the London departure.I guess I caught it at a bad time and will spend longer next time I'm in York.Great place to start or finish a crawl or maybe both !
On 26th January 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about York Tap
A quick pint between trains. Same as my visit in 2015, it remains an excellent station pub. I went for a Brass Castle Bad Kitty which was in good shape (NBSS 3.5) though a little steep at £5.50.
April 2015
One of two York station pubs, this one has two entrances both inside (platform) and outside the station (oddly, York has no barriers so you can happily meander in and out). One of the Pivovar ‘Tap’ chain with the usual stylistics - a converted rail building (tea rooms in this case) with a lot of restoration of original fittings and sympathetic refurbishment throughout. Look out for the elements of Art Nouveau grandeur; glass ceiling dome, mosaic tiled floor, stained glass bow windows and dark wood feature fireplaces. Centrally located oval-shaped island bar, with banks of 10 handpulls on either side (18 ales and two ciders - a blackboard with beer listing is helpfully provided). All ales and ciders were on during my visit, quality was good on the ones I tried from Oakham, Thornbridge and Anarchy. Prices can be a little on the high side for some - do check the blackboard before you get stung (as I did with the Oakham Racketeer - aptly named in retrospect!). Also an impressive range of high-end imported keg and foreign bottles available. Simple food available - cheese, pies, scotch eggs. Be aware that there’s no smoking allowed in the train-spotters garden as it’s on the platform (you need to go out of the other entrance towards the taxi rank to indulge). Note that it opens at 10am (11am Sun) so a fantastic alternative to Wetherspoons for the pre-midday pint. A well-run place that is an essential stop for all pub fans. Rated 9
On 17th September 2022
- rating: 9
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about York Tap
Enjoyed our visit to this 2019 Good Beer Guide bar last month, and selected 6 of the cask ales on offer from Cocksure, Three Brothers, Manchester, Great Heck and Siren Craft breweries, all of which were fine. One not to miss when visiting York or even if changing trains. Selection of craft beers and ciders available too.
On 11th August 2019
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rob Hunter left this review about York Tap
Visited yesterday (Sunday) afternoon while in York. The place was reasonably busy but there were free tables inside. Most people didn't seem to stay for very long so were presumably filling time between trains, so in that respect tables soon become free.
Entering from the station concourse through the outdoor seating area you are presented with 10 hand pulls for real ale, and on further investigation you will find another 10 round the other side of the circular island bar. I noticed at least one was a cider. There is a chalk board listing what is on all 20 pumps, so you can just pick from that rather than having to inspect all the pump clips individually.
Most of the tables are the round type with four chairs around, and we did see a couple of people struggling to navigate through them with suitcases. The windows look original with stained glass in the top sections.
Pricing didn't seem extortionate though I'm not sure what the breakdown was I was buying a mix of drinks.
The gents are quite small, just two urinals and a cubicle, but it didn't seem to be a problem really. They could have been a bit cleaner though.
My beer was nice, service was fine, and this is one I would be happy to return to.
On 1st July 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 750 recommendations about 598 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about York Tap
I wasn’t prepared to like this place as much as I did. Pubs with this amount of real ale often just feel like beer festivals but here it’s perfectly done. An ideal station pub with an ornate Victorian interior. A must must visit and I speak as a cynic.
On 21st April 2019
- rating: 10
[User has posted 1058 recommendations about 1023 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about York Tap
Permanent beer exhibition in the old station buildings which is a reliable place for a pint before/after your train journey or as a meeting point, but I find the busy, transient nature of the place does not really lend itself to a long session. Always a good choice of beers though, and I have never had one in bad condition.
On 3rd May 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about York Tap
I found myself with some time to kill between trains so I thought I would give this one a try. I got here just after 11:00 on a snowy Tuesday morning to find it fairly quiet. The famous banks of ten hand pumps on the island bar were full with just two ciders on offer. Even I wasn't going to make a note of that lot but did see two from Timothy Taylor and Arbor plus one from Vocation. I tried a Neepsend Raki and a Mallinson's Rasinook both of which were £3.60 which is probably not excessive for York (I paid more for mainstream dross in Whitby).
By now I'd realised that the majority of the 18 beers on offer were bitters or pale ales around 4.0-4.5%. I decided to try one that obviously wasn't, the Tiny Rebel Stay Puft which although only being a modest 5.2% abv cost an exorbitant £4.60.
My only other criticism of this one was a table near me where a not so young couple were sitting to be later joined by two not so young blokes one of whom was consuming a coffee from outside. They had obviously met here to catch a train and none of them spent any money across the bar. By the sound of them they were local but they should have been slung out.
It's a good venue with a great beer range but I wasn't over enthusiastic about it.
On 14th February 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Thuck Phat left this review about York Tap
A tremendous station boozer, already well reviewed. I was impressed by the ceiling windows which do a decent job of letting natural light in.
Having stepped off a train just before 12 it seemed ridiculous to do anything other than head in for a pint. The Tap opens at 11, civilised if you're travelling, and there were a few punters already availing themselves of it's ale and warmth when I visited.
Service was polite and swift and the ale range magnificent.
My visit found 20 handpumps across both sides of the bar displaying the following: Harbour Ellensberg Session IPA, Lawman Horizon and Pixel Bandit, Oakham Bishops Farewell, Tapped Brew Co. Stout, Fyne Jarl, Squawk Falconers Flight, New Lion Mane Event, Half Moon Old Forge, Bad Seed Kiwi and Sobremesa, TT Landlord, Poulters Porter and Boltmaker, Moor Beer Raw, Saltaire Elderflower Blonde and Anarchy Boot Boys in addition to 2 ciders. If that doesn't hit the spot then there are also 10 keg pumps offering beer from quality breweries.
That's a fantastic range, probably the widest in York, or indeed anywhere else that I can think of, and those I tried were in great shape.
It perhaps doesn't have the warm and cosy atmosphere of a traditional boozer but that beer choice more than makes up for it.
A must visit in York.
On 8th January 2018
- rating: 9
[User has posted 679 recommendations about 678 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alex Conway left this review about York Tap
A new pub part of the pivonar group and as you would expect showcases a fantastic range of beers on a next level! there are 18 cask ales on offer and numerous craft ales so beer drinkers are in for a real treat. Prices or on the slightly expensive side but then again compared with most train pubs this is really not too bad with many beers under £3.50 but some touching the dreaded £4.00 mark. A brief selection of the beers i tried were Helmsley honey. Dark star hophead and Thornbridge wild swan, all were in fantastic condition as the turnover here is very rapid so beer seldom has time to go off. This pub is busy with locals as well as passers by from the station and is a real destination pub. The only thing holding this place back from a 10 is it is quite large and imposing and get quite bare and cold especially if not busy due to the draft from the platforms and has a limited availability of comfy seating. Apart from this it is a must visit pub for all real ale visitors to York.
**Update February 2017
On my last two recent visits I enjoyed Ram tam (£4.30) and Boltmaker (£4) from Timothy Taylors and Welbeck Abbey Red Feather (£3.40). The beers were all in top top shape and slipped down very easily but god are they expensive. This place was always a little pricier when it opened but £4.30 for a 4.3% beer in the North of England is pretty criminal. I know Taylors charge more for their beers but I thoiu8ght this was excessive. There are still some beer priced more reasonably at around £3.40 but this is becoming rarer. Overall I am usually very impressed with these type of places as I usually love station bars and this is one of the absolute best. I would return again If ever stuck in York station or as a good starting point when visiting the city but with what they are charging now I’m not sure I’d stay for too long which is a shame as it is the sort of place you could have a great session in
On 7th March 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 457 recommendations about 457 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
custodian 42 left this review about York Tap
Good standard pub which I have visited many times and am always impressed by the selection of beers which are listed on blackboards so you don't need to be peering at the pumps to find out what strength you are asking for. Where I sat I could see a sign for the Chaplain's Office next door. Don't know if that is ominous or not!
On 15th December 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1693 recommendations about 1691 pubs]