please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
After the York Tap, we paid a visit to Pivni which is the second of the three York pubs in their small chain. There's a good range of cask, keg and bottled beers still. Friday's range was Thornbridge St Petersburg, Ilkley Pale, Dark Star Partridge, Arbor Summit & Durham Magus. Ciders were Cornish Orchards Farmhouse Dry & Westons Family Reserve. Incidentally we also tried their new Pavement Vaults pub on Piccadilly, which is also worth a visit but not listed on here.
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Note: the pub is now called PIVNI. It serves a wide and varied range of cask ales, plus the excellent Bernard beers from the Czech Republic - including the superb Unfiltered. Friendly welcome and cosy atmosphere and setting. 9/10.
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Beer choice as interesting as ever. However the upstairs gents toilets were in a terrible state on Sunday afternoon. Nearly needed stilts. Such a shame in a lovely old building.
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Contemporary bar in a historic building. Has the same owners as the York Tap and therefore has an excellent selection of beers and ciders. The downstairs bar was busy. But there is more seating upstairs. Toilets are on the top floor and have a vaguely Scandinavian feel. Cask ales were Bad Seed Espresso Stout, Buxton Moor Top, Hardknott Continuum, Red Willow Feckless Best Bitter. There were also several interesting keg options, a good range of bottled beers and Thornborough Dry Cider. Well worth a visit.
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One of the greats. A pub in an English city with the atmosphere of a continental bar and the beer range to match. Savvy and friendly staff keep a steady stream of varied customers happy. Crazy house style upper floors but that's york. 10/10
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Part of the Tap group of pubs....Pivni is worth popping into.
Good range of cask and keg beers, my 2 half pint choices were both different and very good.
Small downstairs bar area but it works as it quirky.
Love the glass cabinet with the bottle selection all with price tags around their necks...again it's quirky.
Yet again another excellent pub / bar in York....my day of ticking has started off extremely well.
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A cracking bar with a nice bustling atmosphere and the hubbub of conversation. Lots of good beers on tap and handpull, with an extensive bottled beer selection plus real ciders. Would definitely recommend on a trip to York.
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i was blown away by this place. the building is so so stunning, located bang in the middle of beatiful ancient york, and inside they've maintained that historic feel. low bowed cileings, exposed beams, and a welcoming warmth that only comes from old pubs.
those factors alone would be enough for a great pub in my books, but the fact that this is a fantastic world beer/craft beer pub makes it even better. there is a great big selection of bottles and on the taps of all sorts of beers ales perrys and ciders. not so much emphasis on local ales, but on craft beers from all over the world.
i would love, one day, to spend a whole evening here just working through the pumps, with friends in a great atmosphere and a wonderfull setting.
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OMG. Fantastic place. 5 ales including a mild as well as about 12 beers from around the world. My ale Buxton Moor Top is superb. Also a good whiskey selection and loads and I mean loads of bottled beer. Recommend to anyone on a trip to York.
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Gosh I think TWG has done an excellent summary. Pretty quiet when we went on a Thursday afternoon which gave us a chance to see the historical building properly. I do wish BITE would correct errors as I needed loaded this as a newie having not been able to find Pivni at first.
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Yes, it is indeed Pivni rather than Pivo - apparently the closest translation from the Czech is "beery", which I kind of like as the bar is chock-full of diverse beers from around the world. Technically the name does sell the pub slightly short however as its wares go beyond just beer - in addition to 4 (soon to be 5) cask ales, 2 (soon to be 1) keg ale, and a further 5 or so lagers/imported beers, there is a range of ciders. Also, don't ignore the possibility of sampling numerous intriguing bottled options too - beers, ciders, all sorts. My experience enjoyed last Sunday while spending what was a superbly sunny weekend in York was confined to the cask and keg options, but I would easily have been tempted to bring forth the bottlage had I been able to stay here all day.
Curiously, the ales on cask were entirely foreign to Yorkshire - 3 Brodie's were offered (unusual to see even in London) and 1 Cromarty ale. All were sampled and found to be in splendid condition, notwithstanding the lack of a cellar; beer is drawn by pipe from the casks racked on the rear stillage by handpump. Despite this being a perfectly legitimate method of dispense I'm told that the local CamRA stasi refuse the pub entry to the Good Beer Guide because of this. If that is so then shame on them, because this is one of the city's more intriguing of beer houses. I also supped a Sierra Nevada beer on import - bright and tasty and not too effervescent; perfect actually for the near-Summer conditions.
Service was friendly and punters - although relatiuvely few during our stay - were surprisingly varied. Although probably of an evening Pivni is the domain of predominantly young quaffers, of an afternoon it attracts a wider mix. The decor feels contemporary on the first level although becomes increasingly more sensitive to the building's 12th century origins as one ascends to the second floor (games and seating) and third (essentially the toilets - which incidentally were found in good order).
Perhaps some of the bar choices would be considered a little eclectic for some pubgoers, and food does not feature (I think a number of potential customers decided against coming in for lack of victuals). It may also not suit those with mobility issues. However, for the non-hungry, adventurous and able-bodied beer/cider lover this place is most definitely for you.
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Nice little pub, great beer range. Young clientele.
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Nice little pub, great beer range. Young clientele.
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huge trek to go pee pee,expensive drink's if this place was a touch out of the "sky high rent"area i would be a regular ,but i have'nt a wealthy purse at the minute........ shame.
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Great selection of brilliantly kept beers. Would be nice if more of the menu was available but this place is about beer and (aside from costing a bit more than I woul expect of a couple of belgian bottles) I can't fault it.
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Excellent pub with a great selection of foreign beer on draught and in bottles as well as a good selection of ales on tap. It has been called 'Pivni' rather than 'Pivo' for quite a while now, so this listing probably needs changing.
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A great pub with fine range of 4 rotating real ale's on tap. Good friendly staff who care about doing a good job. Well worth a visit.
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Terrific pub from this amazing chain (Sheffield and Euston Tap are younger siblings I think). Great Brew Dog cask ale and interesting keg beer too. Right next to the shambles, charming staff, a must visit when in york. Along with the maltings, the last drop, the yorkshire terrier...
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Excellent pint of Marble. Only downside is the walk up the stairs to the loos.
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Found this place by accident, Great selection of beer, both british and foreign. great place to sit and chat, friendly staff and customers alike. made 3 visits on a one night stay in York.
A must if you in the city.
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Great little boozer serving quality beers such as Thornbridge cask ale, Bernard Czech lager and Sierra Nevada Pale ale. The Meantime IPA was cracking too. Recommended.
Slake - 27 Aug 2010 15:03 |
Very friendly little bar just off the market and the world famous Shambles. Although some regret the tie up with Thornbridge, I always find the beers from that brewery excellent. Their house beer, Pivni, is well worth a try, as is Wild Swan, only 3.5% alcohol but packed with flavour. And they do have occasional guests (from Kelham Island when I last visited). It also has an extensive range of bottled and draught lagers, including the wonderful Czech beer Bernard.
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Called in there on Saturday, named changed to Pivni and it has got even better, three hand pulls from the beloved stable of Thornbridge ,all of this and their usual array of bottles and continental beers.
It was Jaipur, St Petersberg and Hopton when we visited.
As Carlurmston says there is this joint ownership with the Sheffield Tap, so the quality of the handpulls is virtually assured.
A good pub just got better.
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About to close for refurb when i called in last week so no real ales so had to "make do" with a continental brew. Will re-open with a differnent name in a week or so. Good place doing good things.
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serves draught Sierra Nevada - nuff sed
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Continental-style bar occupying an historic Tudor building in the centre of York. It's split across three levels and has quite a bit of character, from the beams to the wonky flooring, although there is more than a nod to the contemporary in the name and the atmosphere.
An impressive array of foreign beers plus Thornbridge avaialble (the bar is owned by the same oweners of Sheffield's Tap.) The pumps were being cleaned on my visit so no handpumped beer- not a great pity considering what else was available, though some might mark them down for this. Very busy but also very expensive, it's not a pub as such but I enjoyed it and would return.
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One of my personal favourites in York. Great selection of Belgian beers, awesome guest ales, brutal stouts on occasions. Can be a danger to start there too early...it's always a struggle to leave...
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Previously missed this little gem as it looked sleazy, but you can't judge a book by the cover ...
Timmermann's strawberry beer was a delight, and my partner was on the hard stuff.
Great beer , but this place is in danger of trying too hard to be bijoux.
Otherwise, good things come in small packages, will go again.
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Bar extremely crowded when we visited and there was only 1 real ale available, Outlaw (Roosters) Abbey Bells. Struggled to get away from bar area, and went upstairs where we managed to share space on a table. Beer excellent, and would like to try something from the foreign beer menu another time when it is not so busy. Much prefer early sessions when it is quieter.
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Stopped in to see what Pivo's was all about and thought it was pretty pleasant. Shipman and Porter are right, though, as the place can get so packed that it can be hard to get service. It's an ancient building, however, and luckily, I was able to get served and get a look around despite the Christmas crowd. Pivo's is 2 stories so after chatting up the barman for a brief second, I got my prize (Wadsworth) and headed upstairs. Again, it's pretty tight there, too, but I did find a spot and perused the multipaged beer menu.
Had several interesting international beers on draft including the Californian Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Harvest (winners in my book! We cannot even find these on draft in the states); various Belgians and a Schnieider Weiss from Germany which sadly was off. Also had 3 real ale selections (Rooster and Wadsworth) and the Wadsworth 6xmas was spot on.
Visited the gents after being told that there was a gargoyle being used as a urinal but sadly, that had been removed and you could tell that there had recently been some work done there.
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Having visited this establishment on 26/11/09 with a friend,we sat at the bar,in front of the pumps,for at least 10 minutes while the barman made up plates of food. He even walked past us but did not aknowledge our presence. Another customer arrived and had the same experience. The two of us gave up and walked out in frustration.
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Visited here last Thursday having arrived in York from Kings Cross on a staem hauled excursion. Having read that this bar had won The Publican's award for its variety of beers then a visit was compulsory. It is a small deli type bar.Two cask ales were on offer plus some foreign beers on fonts. Sadly we were not to taste any beer at all. We arrived around 2pm and there were half a dozen ladies dining on salads and drinking coffee. We sat at the small bar.The lone barman was preparing food for a couple of customers which took him five minutes. A man next to be served ordered a selection of items including a pint which took another eight minutes. We were next to be served but the barman decided to make up some more salads. At no time did he acknowledge us or say something like 'I will be with you soon gents'. We had no choice but to leave.I have never written negative comments on this site before but I couldn't let this experience pass without comment.
Happily a few minutes later we enjoyed some superb ales and company in The Guy Fawkes Inn.
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Although I visit York at least once a year, I'd never come across this place before. Mrs Clodsthecat spotted it first as it adverised Ossett Silver King (our local brewery). We went in and what a pleasant surprise. A small bar area on the ground floor that probably gets busy, but was fine when we went. There is an upstairs room as well, but I didn't see it. At least 3 real ales and more lagers/wheat beers etc than you can shake a stick at. I ventured for a Hambleton Silver Link (I think) and can honestly say it was the best pint I had all day. The missus plumped for a Bernard Czech lager and really enjoyed it. Will definately visit here again next time I'm in York.
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We spent a pleasant hour in here, the bar was quite quiet but you could tell that it would be popular later on. The girl behind the bar knew her stuff about Belgian and American beers, however we found the Cask ales to be a little tired on this visit. Definitely worth a look
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Plenty of continental beers and a couple well kept real ales. Worth a visit but worth knowing that while the downstairs is tiny there is plenty of tables upstairs.
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A handy place which clearly cares about their beers (both UK real ales and continental lagers). Worth dropping in if you are passing.
alexw - 25 Aug 2009 19:57 |
I'd agree with everything oldboots says. The prices aren't too bad, actually - a half of the Bernard Svetly Lezak (4.7% ABV Czech lager) was �1.45, which is less than what you would pay in many York pubs for Stella.
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Small half timbered three storey European style bar. 10 fonts for interesting european beers mostly served in the correct glassware plus three handpulls for British ales. Remarkable range of foreign bottled beers which are on show in a large glass case as you come in. There are a few small tables with tiny stools by the large front windows where you can watch the tourists going past in the tiny street, some tall stools along the bar and further seating upstairs, there isn't a lot of standing room. Plain red walls are enlivened by enamel German and Belgian brewery adverts and the ceiling is low, dark beams. The staff were friendly and served me fairly quickly, another interesting York pub well worth a visit.
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The range of beers in this bar is truly impressive, although the number of European and American beers means that it is an expensive place to drink in. The service has got a lot better recently - on my last couple of visits it hasn't taken ten minutes to get served. Gets very busy in the evening. Has a fancy jukebox which you can download music on to. The men's has one urinal, in the form of a gargoyle.
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Curious bar with a selection of unusual Belgian beers (Trappist) which went down well. We were seated downstairs in the bar area, but there is also an upstairs seating area.
The toilets are on the top floor of the building which doubles as a storage area for beer barrels which I found off putting, thinking I had wandered into a staff only area; and had to double check with staff as to the location of the toilets.
Would return again, but wouldn't like to go on a busy night as it is not a large venue. (The building used to be a ticket booking agency as far as I remember).
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Very welcome new(ish) arrival in York - a couple of decent microbrewed beers and big range of foreign lagers. Nice old building, with more room upstairs if the bar's full.
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Late review from November visit. We found bar staff friendly and enjoyed chatting about Bredog brewery which appears to be a favourite of the customers. It had run out when we visited so we had Moorhouses Blond Witch. Love the place and will go every time we get up country to York.
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Second time I have visited Pivo when in York.
Good place to have a daytime ale when your partner wants a coffee or tea.
The good bits. The selection of beer and cask ales, The building is superb with its wooden beams and creaky stairs.
The bad bits, The staff or lack of who only want to talk to their friends who sit at the bar and not serve customers, not much in the way of bites if you get there mid afternoon or later.
Will visit again despite the staff because the of the great beer selection.
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This was a delightful find in York, recommended to me by someone in one of York's other real ale pubs. This is not a pub but a cafe bar, yet there were 3 real ales on offer when I visited in December 07. The ales offered were also from micros and I had a Hambleton Belly Warmer. Although the ground floor level is small, there are rooms upstairs and I enjoyed wandering round too. It is an old timbered building and I hope it does well.
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