Evil Eye Lounge

One of several bottle shops on Stonegate, but probably the most disappointing in terms of selection, and unfortunately the rear bar did nothing to enhance the short visit I made here. It probably does well from tourists given its location, the fact it serves food, and the wide range of spirits and liqueurs available.

The Evil Eye incorporates a shop and bar (the Lounge) in Stonegate. It’s an attractive place - trendy in a hippy kind of way, just the sort of place you’d expect to see in Totnes or Glastonbury - but the shop doesn’t have the range offered by Trembling Madness a couple of doors away and the Lounge, which is through the back, is more a cocktail bar than a beer destination. It’s a long, low room, changing from turquoise to a warm pinky orange so that it feels a bit like entering a tropical garden and there’s a bright mural in conservatory room at the back. There’s no cask ale. (Last visited 26 February 2012).

Good, but by no means excellent selection of english ales plus the usual suspects from Belgium, the U.S. and Germany. Not worth a detour......

I got mad when I found this place in York. The range of beers is unbelievable...

Very cozzy bar in the center of York, some Belgian, German, Czech and English specials, nice selection of Cocktails as well. Attached to a beer shop with a larger selection of beers. Must to visit when in York

This shop is now connected to the much larger Hit The Bottle store just down the road. Between the two venues there is a reasonable selection of belgian beers, Rochefort 8 & 10, Westmalle, Piraat, Barbar. However most of them are pretty warm as they’re very close to some strip lighting. Selection of British beers is very extensive, and a small german range plus a good selection of world beers. Worth a look for a good range and some decent glassware.

This is a bottle shop connected to a bar in the heart of the York city centre. Go through the bottle shop to enter the bar, which is small but has three levels. Beer selection in the bar is paltry - no real ales, macro swill, a couple of your generic Belgians, and Chimay. Ecclectic food is served in the bar area, as well as Sunday roast. My rating is based on the bottle shop. Small shop, mostly British regional beers and a decent selection of relatively easy-to-find Belgians. Full line of Orkney, York Brewery, Durham Brewery. Chimays, Rocheforts, Gulden Draak, as well as Schlenkerla and a couple Sierra Nevadas. Also plenty of glassware+beer gift sets, from countless Belgian and British breweries. Some gripes include inattentive staff: give off a weird vibe, mostly unwelcoming, although if you’re there to pick up a bottle and be on your way I guess it isn’t a big deal. Also, beers stored on top shelves are subjected to some pretty intense heat from the lighting on the walls - the Rochefort 10s and Orvals are warm to the touch; don’t know how good that could be for the product. All told, ths second best bottle shop in the York city centre, with a load of fairly unique bottle-conditioned regional British beers.