Yorkshire is renowned for its brewing tradition with some of the biggest names in the industry including Theakston and Samuel Smith. But it also has a thriving microbrewery sector, producing beers with notable names like Riggwelter and Seven Deadly Sins.
Unsurprisingly, there’s a plethora of places to satisfy the county’s thirsty drinkers, from atmospheric inns in remote Dales villages (dogs and muddy boots welcome) or brassy Victorian establishments in city centers to chic country gastropubs or hipster joints serving obscure selling craft beers for beer nerds. Below we reveal Yorkshire’s best pubs.
For more inspiration, see our holiday guide to Yorkshire and the best hotels, restaurants, beaches and things to do in the area.
Find a bar or pub by area
North York Moors and surrounding area
Birch Hall Inn, Beck Hole
This eccentric little pub in the hamlet of Beck Hole really shouldn’t survive as it’s ridiculously small and well off the beaten track. But these qualities are of course its charm. Customers crowd into a tiny room, with space for three tables and a fire, and order at the bar with a serving hatch. But the six real ales, including the house beer ‘Beckwatter’, are well maintained and there is a small menu including pork pies, wedge butties and beer cake. In summer you can sit in the backyard next to the stream. Before you leave, pop into the sweet shop next door – on the other side of the hatch – for old-fashioned dwarf gems and licorice sticks.
Contact: 01947 896245; facebook.com
Prices: £
The new inn, Cropton
This family-run pub on the edge of the moors is a welcome stop for a refreshing pint in the middle or end of a day’s walking. Many of the six or so cask ales come from the pub’s own Cropton brewery in the field next door (book in advance for a tour) which started in 1984, long before microbreweries came into fashion – indeed the village has a brewing tradition dating back to until the 17th century. Classic beers include Monkmans Slaughter and Blackout, plus a real Yorkshire lager. Traditional bar meals or more formal dining are also available.
Contact: newinncropton.co.uk
Price: £
The Horseshoe Inn, Levisham
This handsome stone-roofed and tiled pub in charming Levisham is run by the Wood brothers, Charles and Toby (front of house and chef). It has a distinctly personal feel and a smart (but not posh) traditional style with polished wooden floors, fireplaces and a wood-paneled bar. There are Black Sheep and Timothy Taylor’s beers on tap, plus Yorkshire cider and about 15 wines by the glass. The food is hearty and filling – perfect after a day of walking on the nearby moors or in Dalby Forest – and there are tables and benches on the village green opposite.
Contact: horsehoelevisham.co.uk
Prices: £
The Durham Ox, Crayke
This 17th century coaching inn, in the small village of Crayke, has all the essential amenities of a traditional coaching inn, including flagstone floors, open fire, exposed brick walls, beamed ceilings, lots of brass and brass and old-fashioned settlements. , but has been given a smart makeover. As well as four cask beers – mainly Yorkshire origins such as York Brewery and Timothy Taylor’s – it has a good list of wines by the glass. The food is well above average – including lobster, but also steak and beer pie – and there is a lovely courtyard for warmer days.
Contact: thedurhamox.com
Prices: £
Yorkshire Dales
The Red Lion, Burnsall
With its riverside location in the heart of Wharfedale, next to a stone arch bridge, beneath soft green hills and in a village of impossibly desirable stone cottages, this has location, location, location. This also means it’s popular with everyone from locals and muddy-booted walkers to friends and families here purely for the food (well-crafted classics). But there’s plenty of space in the atmospheric nooks and crannies, including the long bar with wood paneling from the 16th century. Choose from a good range of Thwaite’s cask beers and, if it’s warm, find a table in the garden by the river.
Contact: redlion.nl
Prices: £
The George & Dragon, Hudswell, near Richmond
This cool-looking inn in the hamlet of Hudswell, outside Richmond, is Yorkshire’s first community-owned pub. It was saved from permanent closure by an energetic local team, but reopened in 2010 and now houses the village shop and community allotments in the rear garden. With a string of CAMRA awards under its belt, it stocks around 10 cask and keg beers, mainly sourced from smaller local breweries. Always on tap are the fruity, malty Falconer from Wensleydale Brewery and the nutty-tasting Ruby Mild from the Rudgate Brewery in York. No pint would be complete without one of their delicious home made cakes.
Contact: georgeanddragonhudswell.com
Prices: £
The George, Hubberholme
You have to make some effort to get here – it’s at the head of Wharfedale, where the road narrows to climb to Wensleydale via Langstrothdale. The long and low, whitewashed pub, originally a farmhouse, sits on the river, opposite the church (a favorite haunt of Yorkshire writer JB Priestley whose ashes are buried in the churchyard). Inside, everything is as comfortable, traditional and cluttered as you’d expect: low beamed ceilings, stone walls, solid wood furniture, coal fire and a mess of brass and brass. About four cask ales from Yorkshire breweries are served at the bar, and it would be a shame to miss one of the acclaimed home-made pies. On warmer days you can enjoy both a pint and a cake on the terrace.
Contact: thegeorge-inn.co.uk
Prices: £
The Craven Arms, Appletreewick
In a great location, overlooking the Wharfe Valley from tiny Appletreewick (Ap’trick for locals), this free house pub has about eight hand-pumped ales, mainly from small Yorkshire breweries such as Hetton’s Dark Horse and Saltaire Brewery. Also ciders on tap and above average pub food. Three small bars are decidedly traditional – carpets on tiled floors, wooden cupboards, fireplaces in cast-iron stoves – creating a warm, homely atmosphere; strangers soon start chatting with each other. With a touch of warmth, everyone sits in the beer garden or on the roadside terrace and enjoys the view.
Contact: craven-cruckbarn.mobi
Price: £
East Yorkshire and coast
The Bay Hotel, Robin Hood’s Bay
In a beautiful spot where the road ends above the quay in the run-down coastal town of Robin Hood’s Bay, you’re here for the view as much as the beer. It looks straight out to sea and along the coast in both directions. Even when the wind is blowing, it’s best to do it outside on one of the two terraces, although you can get soaked at high tide. Inside you can expect patterned carpets, lacquered wooden tables and red banquettes, plus a real fire in winter. The wood-clad Wainwright’s Bar at cellar level is so named because the pub marks the end of Wainwright’s 190-mile coast-to-coast walk. You don’t have to have done it to enjoy a pint of one of their four Yorkshire ales.
Contact: 01947 880278; facebook.com
Price: £
Places and cities
Whitelock’s Ale House, Leeds
Tucked away in the long, narrow Turks Head Yard, between Briggate and Trinity Street, this gem of a Victorian pub can be easy to miss – despite its reputation as the city’s oldest pub (established in 1715). The inside is just as long and narrow, resplendent with mirror-paneled walls, Victorian tiles and a polished copper wand for doing your make-up. Choose from one of around 10 cask and draft beers mainly from Yorkshire, such as Kirkstall Pale Ale or Mary Jane from Ilkley Brewing Company. There are tables outside where you can sit if it’s warm, and you can order an excellent beef and beer pie if you’re feeling hungry.
Contact: whitelocksleeds.com
Prices: £
Friends of Ham, Leeds
Despite the slightly strange name – this place is as much about cheese as it is pork when it comes to food – this light and airy bar, close to the station, caters to beer lovers, but not in a serious way that would put others off. It offers around 15 regularly changing cask and keg beers, all from independent or craft breweries, and a huge range of bottled and canned beers, including Trappist, sour fruit, lambic and gluten-free. There is also a good range of organic and natural wines, and plates of specialist meats and cheeses, as well as tapas dishes.
Contact: Friendsofham.co.uk
Prices: £
How we choose
Every bar, venue or experience on this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who’s dropped by to give you their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets and styles, from casual pubs to exquisite cocktail bars – to suit every type of traveler – and take service, drinks, atmosphere and price into account in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to stay informed of the latest vacancies and to provide current recommendations.