Follow the city walls and you’ll end up in the Phoenix Inn’s beer garden – making it the ideal retreat after a long day exploring the city’s major sights. The pub’s 18th-century interior is candle-lit in winter and covered in flower decorations in summer, and on Sundays, the in-house jazz band rattle through standards and original pieces.
One rumoured to have more pubs than there are days in the year – yeah right – York’s cobblestone streets brim with old-world inns straight out of a fairytale. Many of this city’s boozers have rivalries dating back centuries, though thankfully the fighting has largely subsided, and even if several of the most famous remain mostly as they were back then, others have been revamped in a much more up-to-date style. From converted toll booths and gatehouses to marshmallow-flavoured ales and kegs-turned-urinals, original features (and brews) abound at these brilliant pubs in York. That’s not to say you won’t feel at home here, though – if you’re looking something a little cosier than a bar or restaurant, perhaps with a fire or darts tournament on the go, our ultimate York pub guide has you covered.
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