Masons Arms

Once again the Masons retains its crown as home of the best home-made pub food in York. We came for my partner's birthday meal and weren't disappointed. We're big seafood lovers but the menu had a wide and seasonal variety. The food was in a league of its own for taste and quality. The pub itself is lovely. It's a traditional 'little old man' pub with an open fire, plenty of pub memorabilia and us friendly locals. It's the traditional vibe, old-fashioned atmosphere plus the incredible food that make this place the best for a pint and a bite. Try the calamari if unsure. Mmmmmmm!!

My partner and I booked in for our evening meal on a Friday, we arrived early but this was no trouble. The pub was full, and the atmosphere was fantastic, it felt like a step back in time to when the pub was the community hub. We both enjoyed our food, my rib eye was cooked perfectly to my request and my partner enjoyed her carbanara. They held a great selection on the bar including a number of traditional British ales. I can testify that the Timothy talyors 'landlord' was very much on point having tested it thoroughly throughout the evening. I noticed the decor included some traditional pub and ale memorabilia including a 'Bass served here sign' above the door. The only thing that would have made this place better would have been a pint of the red triangle 🔺️ itself. The bar/waiting staff were absolutely exceptional. They were friendly, approachable, always seemed to be smiling and very attentive. They are all a credit to the establishment and helped to produce the atmosphere that is lacking in many similar pubs. We shall be back again.

We have been visiting the city of York for many years staying at various B&Bs and more recently one of the few Premier Inn hotels purely for convenience and known standard they provide. This however was our 2nd visit in a row to the Masons arms as our accommodation and will now be our go to place if available for future visits. Location. Excellent, right on the Fishergate at the city walls giving access to the walls themselves and only a 5 min stroll just round the corner from the supposed gave of the notorious highway man Dick Turpin. The city centre and York Minster is about 10 minutes, There is also a host of other restaurants and pubs in the immediate area. Building / Accommodation The main building is a large traditional old English style pub with both public and lounge bars offering a variety of expected drinks as well as serving food throughout the day from lunch to dinner and i will go on to speak about the food later in the review. To the rear of the main pub you will find a small carpark for about 6 cars this is a free car parking for all guests which if you have ever visited York before you will know is a great addition to have, it is a tight space but with some careful manoeuvring i managed to park a rather large Skoda Superb estate car without much of an issue. There is a small covered seating/smoking area another very large covered seating area and a further open seated area giving access to and views of the river Foss which is the smaller of York's 2 rivers. The accommodation which is in the form of converted buildings 2 being ground floor and 2 being up a flight of stairs is also accessed from this rear court yard area, These are all classed as doubles in as far as i am aware, not the biggest of rooms by some standards but perfect for our needs, Ours consisted of very comfortable double bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers, bed side cabinets, flat screen tv, fan, mini fridge, kettle with tea coffee and biscuits and an ensuite bathroom with shower, sink and toilet, again as with the actual bedroom the bathroom was small but fine for us, Cleaning and towels are on request. Even although the accommodation forms part of a pub and is in the rear court yard next to the outdoor beer garden areas we were not disturbed once by any noise. Food. There is no breakfast offered at this accommodation which is not a problem and similar to many other hotels nowadays, but rooms do have kettle, coffee, tea etc so my tip would be to get yourself a few pastries from the local shop for first thing until you head out, there is a Wetherspoons bar just across the road which does serve breakfast however we found this to be quite poor and always went to the Walmgate sandwich bar and café at the corner of Walmgate and George st only 5mins away around the street from Dick Turpins grave. We have always eaten a variety of lunch and dinner in the pub and this is where it really excels in our opinion, The food is quite simply put "superb" all freshly cook