Coffee Culture. York

Coffee Culture is a little coffee shop on Goodramgate in York. We headed here after a recommendation on twitter. Coffee Culture is very cosy, set over 3 floors with wooden chairs mixed in with sofas and very comfortable looking window seats with good views over the busy street below.







 We ordered a pot of teapigs breakfast tea, and Australian Skybury Flat White from York Coffee Emporium and a strawberry milkshake.

The coffee was excellent, not my usual drink, being a black coffee and espresso drinker, but after being recommended to try it, I was very impressed and it came with some very nice coffee art.

Service was very good, friendly and speedy



Overall a nice little coffee place and well worth a visit.

The Blue Bell, York

 Easily my favourite pub in York. a perfect example of how a pub should be in my opinion. Located on Fossgate a bit off the beaten tourist path, The Blue Bell is York's smallest pub, it consists of two very small rooms with a bar separating each room, a long corridor joins each room and is usually a drinking location when the rooms are full and by full I mean no more than ten people in each room. It is quite a novel experience ordering a pint through a little hatch in the backroom or standing at the door into the bar area.
For a tiny pub, there is quite a good selection of ale, along with a scrumpy cider, crammed onto the bar all in perfect condition. the pub still retains its fixtures that have been there since 1906 and the back room is like someones old fashioned living room, with a mantle piece, fire and various random pieces of furniture, very cosy in winter.
The pub has 3 rules however;
1. No Large Groups
2. No Swearing
3. No Mobile Phones.

Brilliant

The Blue Bell
53 Fossgate
York,
North Yorkshire,
YO1 9TF
01904 654 904

My Top 5 Pubs in York

 York has got to be one of my favourite cities, beautiful architecture, a wide varied collection of quaint shops and a sense of history at every turn but one thing i really like about the city is, of course, it's vast collection of real ale pubs. I am unsure of the exact number but its rumoured to be in the hundreds both inside and outside the city walls. Being a regular visitor, albeit not as regular as I'd like, I have visited a few of these so I thought I would do a post on my top 5.

5. The Kings Arms
Located on the bank of the River Ouze, this pub serves Sam Smiths beer, for those ale drinkers among you this means cheap but good beer. The pub itself is not great its a bit grimy and it gets packed by every tourist in York ( or seems that way at times). The reason I have include this is because once you have battled through the crowds, got a drink and found a spot on the bank of the river on a beautiful summers day, then you just forget all that and watch the world go by. Perfect in Summer, head somewhere else in Winter.

Kings Arms

4. Maltings
Those of you who frequent York by train will probably know of this pub due to its close proximity to the station. Its possesses a dramatic black stone exterior, which can be slightly off putting but if you get over that and wander in then you won't be disappointed. It is a small one roomed pub decorated with; tiled floor, old style tin signs, a bar made of old doors and for some reason the days broadsheet papers in frames in the gents toilet. The Maltings serves plenty of real ales and ciders and there will be a drink that takes your fancy. Great pub.

Maltings

3. The Golden Fleece
The most haunted pub in Britain (apparently). If this sort of thing appeals then that reason alone is worth visiting, the rest of us can enjoy a decent pub. It may or may not be the most haunted but it can claim to be one of York's oldest, dating back to the 16th century. The beer range is not very adventurous with most of the usual suspects making an appearance, Black Sheep, Taylors etc. It is decorated in traditional pub style, with photos and little pieces of history on the walls. Located at the end of The Shambles.

Golden Fleece

2. The York Brewery Pubs
I couldn't decide which of the pubs owned by the cities brewery as my number 2, so I've included them all. Each pub serves the breweries beers alongside a couple of guests and they all serve bar meals. I'll try and keep the descriptions brief. Yorkshire Terrier - cosy and intimate, located behind a little shop selling bottles and merchandise from the brewery. Three Legged Mare - open and light, almost like a wine bar. Last Drop Inn - sort of a cross between a bar and a pub. Each is worth a visit for their own individual personalities.

Three Legged Mare

Yorkshire Terrier

The Last Drop Inn

1. The Blue Bell
I think this one needs its own post - The Blue Bell

Harlequin Cafe, York

 On a recent trip to York, we decided to start off with a coffee, a quick search on Google and the Harlequin Cafe kept featuring with good reviews so we decided to head there.
It is located on King Square, near the Minster and The Shambles. It is quite easy to miss as it is just a doorway next to a Bookmakers. The cafe is located on the 1st floor above it.






The cafe is light and airy with various art prints on the walls. It was reasonably busy considering its location. we sat down and a friendly waitress came over and took our order, I opted to try their house blend served in an individual French Press. The Other Half decided on a cold drink and chose Fentimens Dandelion and Burdock.
Service was very good, quick and friendly, I was pleased to be offered the choice of cold/hot milk or cream with my coffee.

The coffee itself was very good, rich with subtle hints of chocolate. A variety of usual cafe food was on offer such as sandwiches soup etc... the selection of cakes also looked very tempting but with our next stop being the food festival we resisted.
Overall a very good coffee house and a little oasis from the hustle of York on a Saturday

2, Kings Square
York,