The Old White Swan Restaurant in York

Not great..we had the last roast chicken at 4pm and the beef had already gone! Dry chicken and no stuffing despite it being on the menu (forgot to check before starting). No atmosphere and limited choices..very disappointed

Really reasonably priced drinks Lovely bar nibbles. The halloumi fries were the best we have ever had and the batter was so light and chilli’s were the best complement with the dip. The nachos were nice just what they say on the tin. We will be back for the halloumi fries. Busy but worth the wait!

The food here is so good. We ate two nights in a row. Sampled different food. All of it was good. We ate outside and in the pub. The atmosphere is really nice. Friendly service. Casual is the best why to describe this place. You don't need to be all fancy and can relax with a good meal and drinks. I would recommend it to anyone.

Chain pub but good quality food and beer. Great service from staff.

York City Restaurant Week offers a pie 🥧 😋 with mashed potato 🥔 and 🥕 🥕 carrots served with a pint from a selection of beers 🍻 😋 or a glass of wine 🍷 for £15. Here throughout the promotion. Enjoy 😉

Oh dear what a disappointment . Not been for a while but decided to treat the family as all very good last time. The Old White Swan is not going down the 'Swanee' is it? There were others saying similar . The staff were rushed have to admit but the standard of presentation wasn't as it should have been. As for me the pie was a bit overcooked and the chips weren't particularly hot. The rest of our party weren't overly impressed either. There are other places to eat better than this in York. Hope it improves food wise as the pub is a lovely olde worlde one,

Great pub in the quieter side of York 👍

Just stopped for drinks at one of the oldest pubs in York

Great pub, lots of choice of live sport and in the other end has live music. Loads of space to sit and a brilliant big fire.

Nice old Grade listed pub cosey full of character good food very helpfull staff would recommend while in york give it a try.

Fantastic old pub. The 3rd most haunted in york but don't be put off. It is very cosy and welcoming. The staff are lovely. Lots of space to find your own corner. Sit in front of the fire and enjoy a pint. Toilets very clean.

Another pub in York charging over £8.50 for a pint and a half of lager. Dick Turpin was here.

A Nice historic pub but the food is just disappointing ! I had the fish pie , and found it tasteless and stodgy ! All in all very disappointed

Great pub in the middle of York, rich in history. The food is lovely and the staff are very friendly with plenty of food and drink choices. I would highly recommend visiting here when in the city! ☆☆☆☆☆

We were a group of ex work mates who called in the pub, for a quick, lunch time pint, during our walk round the city walls. As it was early, 11.30am, it was pretty quiet, but the staff were friendly and helpful. We sat outside in the seated area. Tables, and chairs were of a good standard, and tables were cleared strait away. Would recommend a visit.

A beautiful, ambiance and historic public house. Just had a simple cup of tea, although the "pot" was only half full, asked for a small jug of hot water to top up and given a very small top up. If you would like customers to recommend your business, a little extra hot water would go a long way. However, the overall experience was lovely.

Just a great pub. The best ambience that exudes a lot of peace and security. Our lunch was great too. Family-friendly, something for everyone. at a fair price.

Just popped into this charming old pub for a quick pint! It is set out in a variety of different rooms so has something for everyone's taste! We didn't have time for any food but the meals getting served looked lovely! A nice range of popular beers!

Had a lovely meal with a dear friend for several hours here. Steak and chips with peppercorn sauce was just delightful, so full of flavour. Staff and servers were wonderfully pleasant as well. All in the setting of a historic building, beautiful 😍 highly recommend.

Great food , lovely friendly atmosphere, large choice of drinks . Great service .

Anywhere that pours a perfect Guinness dwells in the Elysian Fields, in my eyes. The whole group enjoyed a really good variety of ciders and ales for the couple of hours we stayed. We were a group of about ten yet there was plenty of space in this cosy pub for us and the bar staff were lovely. Definitely coming back next time we are in York!

A great find! The steak and ale pie is the best I can remember ever having and they have a decent selection of beers on tap. Staff are friendly and even called us over to a less crowded area when they could see they were dealing with hungry travelers and not folks interested in joining the dudebro sportball watching that was going on. Honestly wish I had room to try some of the appetizers, they sounded great. Very worth a stop.

Expensive, like most places round here, but nice enough.

Just came here for a drink on our days in York. We sat outside with our dog, drink was nice, service was good, the bartender seemed to be working on their own, so a queue was a given. Didn't try the food unfortunately, but there was 2 outdoor seating areas which was good. There were also alcohol-free options.

I have been coming to this place for years. Then I went home and just got back after 17 years. Still the same or even looking better now 😊

Visited as a family of 4 on a Thursday evening. Ordered 2 x fish and chips, a Nicholson burger and sausage and mash. All were freshly cooked and absolutely delicious. Black sheep best bitter a very good quality pint. Lovely traditional feel to the pub and pleasant, efficient staff. Well worth a visit.

Perfect atmosphere with a good selection of Ales. Food was perfect and service was really friendly, I think the lads name was Joe. Perfect size portions of food and really tasty

We spontaneously ate here. The very friendly service gave us a table in the really rustic room. We had fish and chips and a delicious pie. In terms of price it was absolutely ok for what was offered.

Great food , beautiful decor , great atmosphere

I used to come here all the time. Sadly, the food has gone drastically downhill. Hopefully this pubs food will return to its previous standard. It would be such a shame if not, as its such a beautiful building.

Was on a Coach tour and had prebooked as group (48 people) and also pre ordered our meals a day in advance for 8 pm. Meals were brought out close to 9 pm very slowly and some people had already finished before everyone got theirs. Staff very slow bringing out plates. They were cold, burnt and some inedible..the group not happy as it was our farewell dinner together.

The food is amazing!! Staff are very friendly and service very quick. We felt welcome, and we had a lovely time here.

Beers, atmosphere etc were great. But the boar and chorizo pie I had was almost empty and devoid of the wonderful flavours described. Choose your pie wisely. My friend's beef pie looked great.

Good atmosphere and super delicious food! Pet friendly and with live music on Tuesdays and Sundays. Try the PIES, they are delicious!

Good pub with an attractive outdoor area. The food was very good and there is a decent beer selection. Staff very friendly.

Nice old pub with a good atmosphere. We had the chicken breast and chorizo meal. The chicken breast was way overcooked and dry, as was the chorizo. Potatoes and broccoli were very nice though.

The burgers are average at best, opt for the sandwich or salmon salad instead.

Adequate beer but nothing special.

Really lovely food very traditional old English lovely and cosy especially in the winter when the fire is lit in the old fireplace. Also full of history. Highly recommend.

A stunning and perfect place. Beautiful and pleasant, atmosphere and efficient, courteous and friendly service. Excellent food!!! We came back again the next day.. Stunning place. Excellent and delicious food and the service is again super kind, pleasant and kind!

My partner and I decided to have a couple of drinks here with our big dog, there was plenty of space to sit out (and inside). The staff were friendly and efficient. There was a nice atmosphere and it was overall a place I would recommend.

Cracking place to chill or party..

Fantastic meal, so pleased the Chinese restaurant was closed and we popped in here for a meal. The food was amazing and the staff were excellent. Lovely pub with a great ambience.

Best beef n brisket pie ever tested! Outstanding 😊 young man serving drinks very kind, helpful and polite

Visited again July and August 2024. Food was beautiful and tasty. Staff were friendly too. We did have to wait a while for the food to arrive, but they were very busy. Overall would definitely recommend

Carling a £1.00 more expensive than other pub,what a rip off 😪

Food was very dry and overcooked. We ordered 3 different dishes and all were the same sadly. Historically was always a safe bet.

Fantastic pie & a pint, lovely old fashioned pub

Lovely bar, nice atmosphere and always immaculate

amazing food and really nice staff, the building and general atmosphere is mesmerising and this place is worth the praise it gets

Good pub, with plenty of room. Traditional as well as modern beers. Serves good pub grub. As oasis in the madness of York.

Very friendly staff and a good pint served Unfortunately Fish n chips over cooked and over priced, sausage and mash a bit tasteless (didnt taste like proper mash) but the lads throughly enjoyed the steak pie and burgers Would I go again... yes but not for the fish or mash

Beautiful haunted pub with good drinks selection and lovely food. Especially the pies. Loved the big carrots that came with them

Third oldest pub in York; the food was excellent, the locally brewed beer was delicious. Highly recommended!

Pleasant and welcoming, enjoyed our food in nice surroundings, we have been back a few times since the original review, and I have to say I love it more each time, food is magnificent, staff very friendly, all in all a fabulous place.

Wow what a lovely pub! I believe it's the 3rd oldest in York? We went at around 730pm, the place was rammed with all ages and groups of people we had pre booked a table and were taken round the corner into a quieter area. Our food came promptly I ordered the steak pie and my sister the beef burger with BBQ brisket on top. I can honestly say it's one of the best pies I've eaten, proper home made, packed with meat. The gravy also lovely, I was a little disappointed with the chips which I believe are McCain home fries, but I excused it due to the pue being so good and to be fair that was the star of the show. My sister's burger she said was beautiful also. Service was fab, especially given the place was so busy. Atmosphere was great a real mix of people in the place.

Went in for a coffee as a quick stop. If we hadn't been in a rush, it would if gone back, as it was luke warm!!

We are locals and had lunch here, £60 for 3 people in our lunch hour. Two had reasonable burgers but the third meal ordered was chicken and mushroom pie. It was a very small meal just a pie with 4 pieces if carrot. Only when we got home did we realise we hadn't been given any 'creamy mashed potato ' as the menu stated. Surely the chef must have known half the meal was missing! Used to he regulars here but not any more. Catering for tourists and not locals, £60 for two and a half meals, never again! Very dark rooms too, worse than usual. Give it a miss in future after many years. Very disappointing short changing customers. Word soon spreads in York.

Beautiful establishment. Very pleasant. Nice beer list (light of course 😀). Concerning the meal, a reservation on the Classic burger (basic and overcooked meat) however the beef pie was good.

Nice restaurant. Service was great, food was lovely. Ruined just slightly by loud drunks sat outside.

We were there on a Saturday and there were quite a few people, the place was large and pleasant.

Good food, friendly service, we liked it!

I've just been to the pub and was ignored 3 times by the bar maid she just walked past me and served other people. Won't go again.

Live music every Friday fantastic place for a drink nice mature crowd

Lovely pub, great food, friendly staff, solid music. Just tucked away from all the bustle of the tourists (he said, as a tourist). Big fan of the place.

The beef rib, shin and pulled brisket pie was simply delicious. I had chips rather than mash and I enjoyed it so much I had it twice on 2 consecutive days. Hot and fresh. Partner had Nicholsons burger we were both stuffed when we finished. Nice surroundings too without being too busy so could relax and enjoy. Loved it.

We didn't eat so couldn't rate the food but the younger staff were lovely full of banter and so friendly and normal in their attitude. Refreshing. Clean outside area, we sat in the sun. Clean toilets. All great. Just one older woman light hair was grumpy and unfriendly with a couple who had a lovely grey hound dog sitting peacefully outside, sow her later inside when went to toilet she was grumpy with a staff member too. Glad she didn't serve me. Everything else was wonderful.

I come here quite often and generally go for the great pie meals I wish I had We decided to go for the Sunday lunches My chicken and everything on the plate including the Yorkshire pudding was dry and tasteless. The beef was also very dry !!! We had one of the first meals of the day so I can only assume they are preprepared and staked up in the oven There was no courtesy checks otherwise I'd have raised my concerns I think they only go for passing trade who generally don't come back Sad

We were walking past and the pub had a great live singer on and he was brilliant, the pub has a lovely atmosphere with beautiful surroundings. The next time we visit we'll be having a Sunday lunch 🍻😜

Excellent food and atmosphere; really enjoyed the live music. Would highly recommend (especially the steak and ale pie!).

Really nice bar..friendly welcoming staff..Great place to visit when in York

Lovley pub in the heart of York. Food served but never tried it.

Nice pup, good staff, Great to watch sports in Decent beer garden at the back, nice pub grub

We had the best pie here! The bone in it and the marrow added so much flavour second to none! The service was good and the historical value was great We thoroughly enjoyed our visit very good for a chain Local beer too A worthy stop

Nice meal and decent pricing, pub area where we ate was a little dull/dark. Worth a visit though

Food here was amazing, real home cooked and very tasty. The gravy was the best I've ever tasted. Staff very accommodating. Reasonably priced so excellent value, we would definitely return!

This pub was a real find after a disappointing meal the previous night. Great atmosphere. Excellent cask ales and good pub food. All reasonably priced.

Absolutely beautiful place, so full of character, staff so efficient and friendly, couldn't fault the food and such a lovely atmosphere

Sat outside in the court yard , dog friendly. Nice beer and great to watch the world go by

Great place, but Wi-Fi is really annoying to log into, have to create a whole account (which you then forget).

Always enjoy a pint here, definitely recommend.

We were away for a weekend break and had remembered going past this pub last year and wanted to visit for a meal but was fully booked. So, this year I decided to book a table. We were not disappointed. The food was amazing and staff too - nothing was too much trouble. We have booked our stay again for next year so will definitely be back again

Great old English pub roast beef meal was excellent.

A bit tired but right in the centre of York. The service was fine but the drinks were more expensive than our hotel!

Great old style pub with great food and drink, nice patio/courtyard. We were a group of 45 and they delivered a great dinner efficiently, and very tasty. Thank you

1 pint of carling 1 small bottle of Peroni none alcoholic lager 1 pint of lemonade and blackcurrant and a tiny bag of pork scratchings nearly fell over the guy at the side bar charged me £16:05 either he made a mistake or robbed me blind and no offer of a reciete To see prices, also school hols yet he was only person serving at lunch time Wednesday. Long wait.

Traditional English pub. Nice vibe and comfortable sofas :)

Always good for a pit stop when shopping in York. Historic pub with a good atmosphere. Didn't eat but the food looked good.

Just had a roast beef dinner/ steak & ale pie with chips & veg. Beautifully cooked, & very lovely young girl who served us.

Lovely venue, staff were very friendly and food delicious 😋

Country Graden non-alcoholic drinks are delicious

Food was excellent but we watched the football after the food. Hard to watch as outside entertainment on and hard to hear the football.

Had a very good meal, didn't notice the tv's in the garden and bar for the footie😅 Great layout will be back, definately.

This was a great pub for the atmosphere. It was clean with polite staff. We had lunch here and all ordered sandwiches. The food was, however, average, not outstanding. The side salad was tasteless, and the bottom of my sandwich was soggy.

Good beer with live football broadcasts.

Food was good, service was excellent.

Friendly staff, food excellent.

Nice place for mid morning coffee.

Friendly, cosy pub in the centre of York. Good drinks range, including Real Ales. Excellent food, the pies in particular!

Great food and service. Friendly atmosphere