Cittie of York

had a great evening aboard coach seeing the Christmas lights then to round off the evening our guide directed our coach party to the Cittie of York for  a fish & chips or chicken & chips supper which was included in the package. To say that it was the very worst meal we had ever experienced would be paying it a compliment the meal arrived at the tables with what appeared to be some sort of skinned steamed chicken breast accompanied by cold evil smelling mixture of  vegetables and whitish greasy chips, the fish were frozen pieces with a brownish looking flesh, we complained as a group now our organiser will be contacting the coach firm to complain, so if you or your party are directed to the celler dinning area then i suggest you avoid it like the plague.

Very rude Manager

I love this Sam Smith’s pub, alot nicer than most even though am a big fan.The interior is just proper cosy especially in the little booths, historic and beautiful long bar. And to make it better the staff are really efficient and friendly.

The Cittie of York has a lovely historic interior, and it’s a Sam Smiths pub so the beer’s cheap – what’s not to like. The booths, if you’re lucky enough to get one, are particularly cosy and the whole pub has a really nice atmosphere.

The Cittie of York is a nice pub. Met a couple of friends in there last night and was quite impressed. The bar area feels spacious and service was very prompt. Sam Smiths always amaze me with their prices - £2.06 for a pint is quite brilliant for this part of London!

This pub is pretty old school. Met Andy here for two pints before going to watch the cricket. Interesting old building and cheap beer. But it is totally FULL OF LAWYERS

I’ve been meaning to come to this pub for the longest time (I mean a pub has been here since the 15th century so I really should have made the effort sooner!) , but somehow just hadn’t made it. But by one of those pleasant coincidences a friend I hadn’t seen in a while texted me from within its visually impressive and cavernous (almost churchlike) interior and I made haste.

Not much to say on the drinks. The usual Sam Smith’s stuff. This is definitely one of their better pubs though, just for the lovely interior. Really has to be seen at least once. Can get very busy though, but I guess the area, the pub and prices mean that this would be inevitable.

I met a friend here at the Cittie of York for a pint, which somehow turned into four pints and staying until the pub closed! It's a very atmospheric old pub. Others have noted the very long bar (the longest in Britain?). There is an interesting triangular metal fireplace, towards the middle of the ground floor of the pub, and some cool little booths along the walls. I think my favorite part (besides the pints!) is the surprisingly high ceiling, complete with beams. Very atmospheric.

Service wasn't outstanding, but it was more than adequate. The pub was quite crowded when we arrived (on a Tuesday night around 7), although of course the crowds thinned over the course of the evening.

I recommend a stop at the Cittie of York!

Cittie Of Yorke is a pub that boasts the longest bar in Britain. As another reviewer has said it's not worth making a trip to come here but great to call in if you're in the area. Sam Smiths pub as well so cheap prices

The Cittie of York is probably not worth making a special visit for, however if you do find yourself stranded in this part of town it's certainly worth a visit. Perhaps an old coach house or an old brewery, you can't really determine its origin although legend recalls it's been an inn since 1420, the building was rebuilt in 1645 and then again after it was burnt down in the 1890s , I just couldn't get over paying 120 shillings for a whiskey and coke, thank you Sam Smith!

Situated in Holborn this is a great pub to bring tourist friends to. Architecturally fascinating both in the exterior and the interior. Inside the main bar area is like a mediaeval great hall, and to the side are tremendous little private booths which comfortably seat 4. They ought to serve mead really.

Sam Smith's pub so only Sam Smith's beers and generic label spirits and wine. Funnily enough they don't serve Sam Smith's Sovereign beer.
A great pub to bring people from out of town to, and a fascinating historic building

One of London’s most interesting bars - laden with history. Well run, serves food at lunchtime. Has a really interesting fireplace - three faces and the flue is underground.

Dropped by for some beers and was pleasantly surprised. I rarely go out in the Holborn area since I’m lazy, but found the trek worth it. I’m a fan of Sam Smith’s pubs in general, as they do some pretty decent brew. However, the ambience of the place -- the cavernous rooms and the giant barrels (not to mention the triangular fireplace) -- make it a cool place to hang. There was an oddly high concentration of French speakers when I was there, and would be curious if they were regulars.

Food is not great, but I don’t think you go there for the cuisine.

Popular Samuel Smith pub, handy because it is close to work and cheap! It gets pretty busy, but you can’t really complain because the beer is so inexpensive.

It’s been a bit of a week of Sam Smith’s pubs. Having reviewed The Chandos on Tuesday, I met up with some people in the Cittie of York on Wednesday. I know this pub pretty well, and like the interior (and, of course, the excellent prices).

The pub really has three sections - an upstairs bar at the front of the premises, all wood panelling and lounge-bar like, the high-ceilinged Great Hall-like bar at the back, with its lovely carved booths (though you need to get there early to acquire one!) and finally a rather labyrinthine cellar bar, with white painted low barrel-vaulting and the inscription “In Vino Veritas”.

The drink selection at SS pubs is always good, so long as you like their own brand stuff, but the food is rather average. Tip is stick to standard pub grub - I ordered meatball pasta, and it was bizarre: a smattering of meatballs and pasta in tomato and chickpea sauce spread thinly over a bowl of chips(!), two huge wodges of garlic bread, and a mix of salad leaves and coleslaw. If you count the chickpeas, that’s four types of carbohydrate in one meal, so if you’re off rowing/running maybe this is your dream meal. I was just confused.

They operate a funny system for food: you order, they give you some kind of electronic buzzer. It buzzes when the food is ready, you go and get it from the bar.

While the cellar bar is good, it lacks the ambience of the upper rooms, so do try and blag some space on the ground floor if you can.

Cavernous old boozer on High Holborn that gets busy at lunch, attracts a good post-office crowd most evenings, and is one of the few pubs in the Chancery Lane area to open at a weekend - all pretty strong signs that it’s a decent venue.

For real ale fans it’s worth a punt as the well-priced Sam Smiths beers are always a good alternative to the wine-bar / pubco nature of the surrounding area. Food is reasonable, but you wouldn’t go out of your way for it; as with the ale, typical SS - hearty, simple pub grub.

As other reviews note the biggest attraction is perhaps the history and architecture, which make it worth a visit alone. Uncommonly (and thankfully), 'poky’ and 'uncomfortable’ don’t fit with the 'historic’ description.

As with all SS pubs you will be guaranteed a half decent pint at a good price. So for me that’s about 65% of the battle won.

Saying that this pub has a lot of history (links to Dickens etc) and the main bar is very impressive indeed. So all in all well worth a visit.

This is how a pub should be! Really old fashioned with a touch of the gothic, I suspect if Harry Potter were old enough to get drunk this is where he would come. Its also not overcrowded, making it easy and speedy to get served, the prices arent too bad either!

This is my favourite Sam Smiths bar in London, even more so than Chandos on Trafalgar Square. It’s unique layout and interesting history give it a quaint feeling that is so rare in places these days.

The vaguely impractical features around the place like the stove make it quite a unique area.

Being Sam Smiths means the bar prices are right too.