Walmgate Ale House & Bistro

What's it good for?

Food, especially the best bar snacks in York.

Where is it?

Located on Walmgate just over the bridge from Fossgate, the Walmgate Ale House ties together the two streets spearheading York's food and drink scene.

Previously known as Melton's Too the owners have overhauled the downstairs bar area and re-branded to both emphasise that this is a pub as well as a restaurant, and also to distinguish the Ale House from its sister-restaurant Melton's on Bishopthorpe Road.

What's it all about?

There is a strong distinction between the downstairs Ale House and the upstairs Bistro; as a pub guide I'll be focussing on the downstairs bar and leave the restaurant reviews to others. Having said that the restaurant kitchen plays a large part in the bar by providing an array of incredibly tasty and moreish bar snacks to complement the drinks.

The bar area will cater for drinkers and also act as a waiting area for bistro customers, the high tables and minimal seating allowing more space for customers to stand with or without a drink and feel like they belong there. There is a room at the front of the bar and also a snug at the rear with plenty of seating for small groups to graze through the bar snack menu.

The 17th century property that Walmgate Ale House occupies was for many years Ellerkers Rope Shop and the walls (and ceiling) are adorned with photographs of the shop, memorabilia, and of course rope.

What's on the bar?

Ditching brewery pump clips in favour of a custom chalkboard disc with just the name of the ale on offer made it harder to know what type of beers were available, luckily the staff are knowledgeable and friendly so a quick chat revealed a selection of local ales from York Brewery, Brass Castle, and Great Heck. The wine list is extensive as it caters for the restaurant and there were local lagers and a Yorkshire Cider on tap.

Do they serve food?

Now this is where it get interesting. The Walmgate Ale House has a selection of snacks available that are all prepared in their restaurant kitchen. There is a chalkboard next to the bar marked up to show prices and if the items are available that day.

A few examples at £1 include Pork Scratchings, Cheese Straws, and Vegetable Crisps. At £4 you can get Pigs in Blankets, Potted Pulled Pork, or Swaledale Cheese with Chutney. In total there were 16 different items on the board and I can't think of many other pubs that can boast of a bar snack menu as wonderful and diverse.

Moving upstairs is the Bistro with an Express Lunch, Fixed Price, and a Full Menu available. I was happy to see there is a Sunday Lunch and have reviewed it separately for my York's Best Sunday Lunch list.

Is it accessible / allow kids / dogs?

Walmgate Ale House is fully accessible with a disabled toiled on the ground floor but the Bistro is up a winding staircase. As it's a restaurant I wouldn't expect to see dogs downstairs but it is child friendly.