York – Brigantes

I’ve walked by this pub on many occasions in the past (well, obviously not in the future), but I don’t recall ever going in, but since it’s in the Good Beer Guide I had a moral duty to change that. It was all very comfortable and relaxed when I visited in the afternoon, a nice separate area for diners and a friendly barman who was keen to engage about the selection of dark beers. It’s operated by Market Town Taverns, a small local chain who specialise in pubs with a strong food offering.

A decent selection covering various beer types, with the prices being reasonable. Although it’s clear that there is a food orientation to this pub, well – bistro, they still seem very welcoming to drinkers and there are seats at the bar to cater for this.

My half pint of the Brass Castle Bad Kitty beer, which doesn’t have huge initial flavours but there are some pleasant afternotes of vanilla and chocolate. I liked it, especially as it’s a local beer to here, with Brass Castle being located at Malton.

The reviews of this bar are positive, other than when the chef forgot to put someone’s chicken burger in the, well, chicken burger meal. No doubt a genuine mistake, but the reviewer rushed to give them a 1/5 rating because of it. Mind you, one person left a 1/5 rating with the review:

“There were no pies. At 7:30pm. Enough said.”

It’s not exactly the fall of the Roman Empire is it?

Or this review, which I copy in its entirety:

“I have no idea why they are so slow with bangers and mash but I have been waiting for 50 mins now with no explanation. It is appalling.”

How do people possibly cope with such trauma?

Anyway, I didn’t order any food here, but I’m confident that it would have been of a decent quality. The staff were friendly and I liked that I was thanked when I was leaving, always nice to get some form of acknowledgement. I’d say that this is a very deserved entry into the Good Beer Guide.