Ben a mate of mine from when I spent three months in the wilds of Argentina honing my thirst for the perfect pint was in London so we went for a beer. As a quick aside in Argentina we were drinking Quilmes Bock in the big one litre bottles they do out there. I’ve seen Quilmes over here in London regularly recently but not seen the dark lager version anywhere.
Anyway the pub we went to was the Cittie of York on Chancery Lane. The pub is in an amazing building like a beamed medieval hall. It has to be one of the most spectacular pub interiors in London. Along one side of the room is the bar and opposite are wooden panelled booths. When we got there it was pretty packed in the main hall but there is another room around the corner which isn’t quite as cool as the first room as it is more modern in appearance but it has comfortable seating so was good enough for a while.
The beer is Sam Smiths so as usual you can get some cheap beer on tap which for London is always a bonus. The beer isn’t the best however from the taps but Sam Smiths do make bottled beer well so if you are looking for a good pint go straight for the bottles of IPA or the Stout. Food is cheap as well, Ben had some and whilst the portions were decent it didn’t look amazing but for £10 you can’t complain really.
Later on in the evening we managed to get a seat in one of the booths in the main hall of the pub. Worth waiting for as it’s a great pub to sit in and take in the architectural styles of the place. I read that it’s not actually that old and definitely not medieval more I think it was built in the 1920s as a wine bar.
Overall a good pub worth visiting for the interesting pub interior first and foremost and also for cheap beer if that’s something you are looking for. I’d go back but it’s not the sort of pub I’d want to spend a whole afternoon in. Like the Cheshire Cheese the main hall does not have a relaxed feel to it and there is a lack of natural light as well that can distort your sense of time.
