April 28, 2012
A quirky pub with friendly service and a good choice of beer. The Maltings has six interesting and ever changing hand pumps, seven or more keg taps, a couple of draft ciders and a long bottle list which includes the three beers brewed especially for the Maltings by Milestone in Newark. The pub is just below the Museum Street bridge, between the railway station and the city centre. It’s cosy and rough hewn and I like it very much. The ceiling in one part of the bar is lined with old doors and in another with the backs of church pews. There’s a toilet in one corner, mercifully with the lid bolted down. The walls are a rich ochre colour and covered with various old fashioned tin posters, hung by someone with a wry sense of humour. For example, those advertising Veno’s Lightning Cough Cure and Beecham’s Lung Syrup were in a nice juxtaposition next to adverts for Will’s Gold Flake cigarettes and St Bruno Flake. (Last visited 27 February 2012).

April 2, 2012
York is a fine drinking city, with many good, quality bars to choose from, almost all selling cask ales. The Maltings is popular with locals, as well as tourists. Over the weekend of the Christmas Market (26 Nov-28 Nov 2010), it was full to the rafters with both. Doormen having to monitor the flow of customers from early until late. Every hotel and B&B fully booked and over 200 coaches on the Saturday alone, York is a very popular city! My little party of 16 arrived at The Maltings in dribs and drabs (otherwise we wouldn’t have been allowed in), we got seats and a table in the end, and as our group grew we spread out even more, taking over almost a fifth of the pub by the end of the night. Single room, basic place, difficult to comment on the decor, etc, because it was so full. Good friendly atmosphere, staff busy but pleasant, serving as quickly as they could and without favour, cask ales in good order and all in all a good place to be on a frozen Saturday evening

February 19, 2012
Cracking little pub... emphasis on the little! You can struggle to get a place in here a lot of the time. But when you DO manage, and sidle up to the bar, you’re in for a few treats! Always some crackers on tap and constantly changing. Some real ciders too. Friendly staff and a cracking atmosphere make this a must-visit if you’re in and around York.

January 9, 2012
Great food, atmosphere, beer... the works!

January 9, 2012
nice pub, good selection.

June 6, 2011
Poor, condescending service from two different bartenders on two separate visits turned a nice place with great selection into a below average experience.

November 1, 2010
Slightly hidden pub, both not far from the National Railway Museum and the York Railway Station; the woody - quite cozy - interior and the wide range of well kept beers make it worth a detour. Recommended!

September 2, 2007
On the way from the train station to York’s actual centre, this pub, one of the most authentic in the city serves a nice range of 7 casks and 2 good ciders including stuff from the excellent York brewery. They had a stout and a mild on there as well. A definite must stop if you come by train, but overall, one of many good pubs in the city and if not my favourite, easily top 5.

July 10, 2007
Click on the web link above. The location and the ambiance are not to be believed. Lots of stuff to look at inside. Always lots of interesting real ales. Pretty darn good food as well. Usually lots of pamplets and sheets laying out what is going on in the area ale wise. Good spot to lay out your assault on the York pubs.

January 28, 2007
Great pub and perhaps the only one you really have to get to if you’re not in York for the beer on its own. Very small, darkly lit, wooden doors on the roof, random signs hanging from every crevice. Food served 12-2 M-F and 12-4 on the weekends. Basic pub food although the cheesy and chili chips are amazing. Noisy on weekend nights, but one of the guys behind the bar actually told a group of 10 or so to stop singing happy birthday to a 60 year old man - so they mean business, and it certainly won’t get out of hand here. Weekday afternoons are the sweet spot: enough people to fill up some tables but not congested. 7 or so rotating casks with maybe another 10 taps serving a couple of lagers, Leffe blonde, etc. 4 or so traditional ciders usually on as well. Bottle selection is paltry, Rodenbach Grand Cru and JW Lees vintage (2004) barley wine are standouts. Casks are the highlight: only mainstay is Black Sheep Bitter, although York’s Guzzler has been on for a while. They always carry something from Roosters, usually an Outlaw, but it changes rapidly. Spend two days away and you’ll come back to nearly a completely different guest ale offering, usually 3 session bitters/milds and 1 or 2 stouts. A serious drinkers pub but without pretension. Minimal drunken idiots. Staff could be a little more knowledgeable but maybe I wasn’t asking the right questions.