The Old White Swan

...about my pubs in York. The Old White Swan is one of my favourites, and in my opinion I definitely under-use it. Firstly, how to get there.

From my general start point of the fountain in Parliament Street, head north-east towards Efe's kebab van. If you have any sense, stop there and get some food, and your photo taken (which will be posted on the van the following week). Incidentally, I rate Efe's 6 out of 5 for food. Anyway, from ...
...Old White Swan is on the left. On Fridays, there will be 2 bouncers. The large one with the waxed head is Andy - he's cool. Enter.

The Old White Swan has distinct areas. There is a nice courtyard with vines and stuff in the centre, which is excellent for sitting all year round. To the left is the restaurant area, which you can sit in with beer. Straight ahead is one of the bars, the smaller one, an area which features the toilets, ... more

Here's number 5 in my short series about my pubs in York. The Old White Swan is one of my favourites, and in my opinion I definitely under-use it. Firstly, how to get there.

From my general start point of the fountain in Parliament Street, head north-east towards Efe's kebab van. If you have any sense, stop there and get some food, and your photo taken (which will be posted on the van the following week). Incidentally, I rate Efe's 6 out of 5 for food. Anyway, from Efe's, head east down the street containing the F1 shop, and Cappucinos. Continue past Wine Rack, past Boots, and thw Old White Swan is on the left. On Fridays, there will be 2 bouncers. The large one with the waxed head is Andy - he's cool. Enter.

The Old White Swan has distinct areas. There is a nice courtyard with vines and stuff in the centre, which is excellent for sitting all year round. To the left is the restaurant area, which you can sit in with beer. Straight ahead is one of the bars, the smaller one, an area which features the toilets, and the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire machine. To the right is the main bar, which on Friday nights features Hazard County, a truly excellent coutry-folk band. More on that later. The pub is basically a horseshoe shape around the centre courtyard.

This pub is excellent for entertainment. Any pub with a Weakest Link machine, or a Millionaire machine, is excellent. But with the band.....this is one of the best in York. Hazard County really are an excellent band, which an amazing lead guitarist - even if you are one of those weirdos who don't like computer games, come just for the band. Beer is not really cheap for a pub, because it is a very popular place, at least £1.80 for a pint of Worthington's, but someone has to pay for the upkeep of such a beautiful pub, I suppose.

There's lots of seating, and surprisingly, it is possble to sit in the pub without the live music overpowering conversation. I like to sit in the courtyard, because its usually warm, and traditional in a nice way, rather than traditional in a 'I-can't-be-bothered-to-upgrade' kind of way. Nice.

On the down side, this pub is a little out of the way. Its not right in the city centre, and on the opposite side of the town from the famed Micklegate Run. However, if you follow this well trodden path (by us lot anyway) of -

1.Bus Stop (6:45pm Friday) - Walk into the city centre past Alders. Turn right at the T-junction. Go past Pizza Hut to the Northern Wall.
2.The Northern Wall (6:50pm) - Sink a four-pint jug. See review of this pub in the 'York - Pubs' section). Exit the Northern Wall, and head directly North, probably past a kebab van. Continue up to King's Square. Turn right at the cross roads and go to the Old White Swan.
3. The Old White Swan (7:30pm) - Have a drink and watch the band for a bit, then settle in the courtyard to finish the drink. Exit the pub, turn right, and walk straight on, past Wine Rack, to Efe's.
4. Efe's (8:00pm) - Buy Donner Meat and Chips for £3. Lots of white sauce. Have photo taken. Walk north-west towards Brown's, and follow road, past Northern Rock and Borders, cross the square towards the Post Office, and opposite Varsity enter...
5. The Judge's Lodging (8:15pm) - Have drink sitting outside (in the summer). See review in 'York - Pubs.' Exit to the left, and walk straight along Coney Street. Pass Allsports, and Virgin Megastore, and turn left at Woolworth's. Walk uphill, turn right at the fork, and enter the Hansom Cab.
6. The Hansom Cab (8:45pm) - Depending on your blood-alcohol levels, drink as much as you need here. £1.30 per pint of Sam Smith's (see review)!! Play on the Weakest Link until you have lost as much as you can. Exit to the left, turn left at Woolworths, pass GAME, cross the main road, continuing south. Take the second downhill road left to The Grapes.
7. The Grapes (9:45pm) - If you can still control your body, have a drink of your choice here. I recommend alcopops as you will almost certainly need energy. Remember to ask for flyers to the Gallery for £3.50 entry if you are behind schedule. Play table football upstairs (if you can get up them). Exit to the right, up the hill, and turn right on the main road. Enter the Gallery.
8. The Gallery (before 10:30pm if you want to get in cheap) - Pay, turn left to get to the cloakroom, then go to the bar and sink some drinks. Head downstairs (if its open, not normally before 11 or so) to boogie around in the hip-hop section. Exit at 2:30 (closing time)
9. Ring Ace Taxis 01904 638888 for the cheapest taxis in York. Try not to puke in the cab!

There you go - the definitive giude to York drinking! And a review of The Old White Swan - ermm, a little bit of sidetracking there! Oh well, there it is.....next time you're in York, follow the Dawson Formula for a classy night out!

 

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