Despite the embarrasment of riches that we enjoy in Leeds in terms of Pubs and Beer, York remains a favourite drinking spot of mine. There’s nothing specific to it, but the great pubs of York are really great; from the stalwart, none-more-Yorkshire The Maltings and the low-ceilinged, Dickensian Three Tuns, to the hectic, modern flavours of The Evil Eye Lounge and The House of Trembling Madness. I had my stag do in York, as it happens – and bloody good it was too.
Now there’s a new addition to the York circuit, and it couldn’t be in a more convenient position. The York Tap is brought to us by the team who are responsible for Pivo, the tiny shrine to Craft Beer in Swinegate. If you’re familiar with Pivo, then you’ll know what to expect from the bar at least. What sets the York Tap apart is the building itself; a lovely space to drink in with tiled flooring and open fires and a circular bar serving up a great range of Cask and Keg beers. Rennie Mackintosh-style lighting fixtures and dark wood dominate, and you can’t help but notice the two stained-glass domes at either side of the bar, flooding the York Tap with natural light.
Obviously, there’s no escaping that the York Tap is set on a railway platform. There’s a rotating door at the far end of the bar, and this is kept swinging by a steady stream of drinkers who are either sinking a quick pint before thier train – or missing it entirely by the promise of that last beer.
Beer-wise, you’re spoilt for choice. Beers from Yorkshire Brewers such as Magic Rock, Ilkley and Great Heck nestle next to brews from further afield; Scotland’s Fyne Ales are well represented, as are perennial favourites Thornbridge and new boys Camden Town (whose event I was actually attending). There’s no food as such, but with all that York has to offer in that department, I don’t think that’s a worry.
Despite being busy, the staff remained pleasant and knowledgable, and all in all The York Tap is a welcome and individual addition to the York scene and one that it should be proud of. Like all of York’s drinking spots, the York Tap has a wonderful identity of its own, yet remaining entirely Yorkshire; quietly elegant and proud of itself. Now, when’s the next train…?
Thank you for the work. Write-up aided me a great deal