Dinner on our first night in York was at Stonegate Yard Bar & Brassiere tucked away on Little Stonegate, a short avenue running between Stonegate and Back Swinegate, it is slightly off the main tourist track but also right in the midst of the dining action.

We were on a mission of sorts seeking out some Pie Action. One of us (not I) had been here before and raved about how good the pies were so I was kind of along for the ride on their repeat visit.

I confess that I might have dismissed the place if I had been casually strolling by but today I was happy to be led in to dine through recommendation as I do love a good pie

DAILY SPECIALS

The original plotline was that I was supposed to be trying the Steak and Ale Pie one of the house offerings.

I never was very good at direction though as I went off-script with my choice by deciding to get the Chicken Pot Pie from the Daily Specials menu at Stonegate Yard.

I love a pot pie and this one described on the menu as ‘Chicken with mushrooms, smoked bacon, root vegetable & peas in a creamy sauce. Topped with short crust pastry‘ was too hard to resist

Luckily my partner in dine was going to be having the Steak and Ale pie again so it would still get to feature on the blog 😎🤣

CHICKEN POT PIE

The Chicken Pot Pie was served with a bowl of chips and a jug of gravy. First thoughts were that the pastry topping the pot looked fab with a lovely golden glaze egg wash. Even in the low level lighting the photo managed to capture much of its glory

Inside there was a thick creamy sauce of white gravy mixed with generous chunks of chicken, smoked bacon bits and and peas.

It was a bit tricky to eat and I should probably have deconstructed the whole thing pouring the contents onto the plate alongside a handful of chips.

Instead though I broke into the pie as if I was at the football scooping out forkfuls of sauce and pie case until I could start dipping my chips into the pie.

The rest of the chips were smothered in the remnants of the gravy from the pot so I was attacking this meal from two modes of chip action. Pie, Gravy, Filling, Chips.

All was good in the world as this was an exceedingly good pie

The pie that I should have chosen according to page 1 of my ‘Eating at Stonegate‘ script was the Steak & Ale Pie described on the main menu as being ‘Slow cooked chunks of beef in ale with a puff pastry top served with chips and garden peas & jug of gravy‘

STEAK AND ALE PIE

I have to say that this pie looked equally as good as my Chicken Pot Pie and I was slightly jealous but not enough to have any pie regrets.

If I am honest I might have preferred the puff pastry instead of the short crust pastry on my pie. I always find that it soaks up the gravy a lot better.

I also would have liked the side of garden peas that this pie was served with it looked a lot easier to eat off the plate than my pie which was very much a scoop from the pot effort.

The Steak and Ale pie filling was glorious with big chunks of tender meat all coated in a rich thick dark looking gravy sauce. It looked good and it smelled good from my side of the table.

I was happy with my Chicken Pot pie but I could easily see why the Steak and Ale pie is popular

OK so tonight was all about pies but Stonegate Yard has a lot more to offer. I have heard stories of a huge Lasagne that is big enough for two people and defeated one or two diners. I reckon that is another challenge that I would care to take on.

On their website they say “We’re really proud to offer you fresh, homemade and locally sourced food. Our chefs are passionate about delivering consistently excellent food.” which sounds good to hear.

Apart from that Lasagne I would be keen to try their Smashed Burger ‘Double Patties served with SGY Sauce American Pickles & Melted Cheese‘ which is a recent addition to the menu.

They also offer SFC Stonegate Fried Chicken ‘Homemade buttermilk chicken thighs with an extra crispy salt & pepper coating served with chips‘

There are loads of places to east in York but I will keep Stonegate Yard on my list of thoughts next time I am in town if I fancy a safe pair of hands

Stonegate Yard is located at 8-10 Little Stonegate in York YO1 8AX you can also check them out through their Facebook page and Twitter Feed