Ye Olde Starre Inne (York)

Ye Olde Starre Inne has always boasted to be one of the oldest Pubs in York and rightly so, with the longest serving licence dating back to 1644 and the cellar going back even further to sometime around the 10th Century. If anywhere was to encompass the extensive history of York then it’s this pub.

Situated just off Stonegate down a long covered snicket the only indication of its location is the famous sign which spans the street, another historical artefact as it has been there since 1733. You are greeted at the bottom with a cosy courtyard and the pub hidden away between the buildings with two other well maintained courtyard areas, there's plenty of seating and some stunning views of the Minster. This area although quite small has to be one of the better beer gardens in the City.

Inside is a warren of low ceilinged rooms, the nicest of which are the two wood panelled ones by the 1890s decorative leaded glass, one of the oldest original interior features as most of the pub has been extensively redesigned over the years.

Otherwise it's smart enough inside if a little hectic with people at times. The bar stocks an okay selection of cask beers with 7 pumps but usually there's much less on and you can expect to pay a real tourist premium here with some of the cask being over £1 more than other similar pubs.

It's not a bad spot if you're hunting for history and ghosts but the front room is a little bland and there's a lot of TV screens everywhere, also being a Greene King pub does it no favours. Their food is pretty decent though and if you can get a seat in one of the nicer rooms it can be rather pleasant, it's just the beer range and prices that let it down somewhat.