The Lowther

Everyone loves the Lowther. It has been changed quite a bit over the years — used to be more like a real pub, now it’s a modern place. Students love it. Nice and clean.

We arrived by bus so I didn’t even know that the Lowther was riverside. Our Contiki tour group went upstairs and had the area mostly to ourselves. There is an upstairs bar and for that night it was cash only since they were having problems with their card machine. We were served a standard 3-​course Sunday pork roast dinner with Yorkshire pudding. Having Yorkshire pudding in York is a real treat. The first course was a pureed vegetable soup which was quite good. The next course was the pork roast with Yorkshire pudding and vegetables. The pork was nice and the Yorkshire pudding with gravy was delicious. The vegetables were overcooked. The dessert was a chocolate lava cake with whipped cream. That came out warm and was delicious. We had a few drinks from the bar as well but I can’t for the life of me remember what I had. My dining companions had mulled wine. I remember disliking the taste of it. The pub has dog wallpaper which is kind of cool. The rest rooms are like ice boxes in the winter. Service was standard but the company was great. 3.5 stars rounded up.

I had a lovely Sunday pork roast dinner here while I was travelling in York. The Yorkshire pudding that was served with it was delicious.
I was here with a rather large contiki group and we were the last table served at every dish so they were a little cold. But we were amused to see what they were making do with by way of serving dishes in the kitchen. Soup was coming out in casserole and soufflé dishes and someone’s roast was served in a bowl! it was a bit ramshackle, but it did make for a great night out.

Hour wait for food and we weren’t told about it.
I had a Cesar salad that cost £7 and I didn’t even eat it!
Food came out cold and had no cutlery for over 5 minutes when we did get it.
Although some people got refunds for this we left hungry and aggravated.
I got ripped off because after the people who did eat got there food, I said something and the supervisor said that I didn’t say anything in time when I sat there with the plate to the side for the times he did come over.
Working in hospitality if I we’re serving food and someone had their plate to the side I would say something to them and ask them what is wrong.
All in all 2 out of 7 people ate, 4 got refunds, and I’m out of £7 for a salad that I never even had because I just couldn’t even be bothered with it.
Will be traveling back to Leeds and hoping that I can make something when I get home.
2 hours of our time definitely wasted.

Scenic location and quaint facility. Good pub food and the best roast beef and Yorkshire pudding ever!

Popped in for a few drinks one sunny day all the staff seemed pleasent beer was cheepish and the jukebox was filled with great music

The Lowther is a pub which attracts a lot of (mainly young) people due to their late opening hours and cheap drink offers. The pub underwent a refit a bit ago and is now quite new looking on the inside. Good things about the Lowther are the cheap drinks and the fact it is a lively and busy place, but it’s also sometimes a bit dirty and sticky which is annoying. I suppose a lot of busy pubs do inevitably get like that but the Lowther does seem to be stickier than most! Also the toilets on the way in smell quite bad sometimes but once you’ve got past them it’s ok.
There are two bars, one upstairs and one downstairs which helps to get served quicker even though it’s really busy. Overall it’s a good bar with good music and cheap drinks.

We popped in here for a quick pint and there was a large group of people shouting and swearing at 2pm in the afternoon which made a quiet pint almost unbearable. Their language was disgusting. The staff should have approached the group and asked them to watch their language and keep it down as I could tell by other people’s expressions that they felt the same way as us. The toilets reminded me of the Industrial part of the Crystal Maze, and I doubt were checked by the staff for cleanliness. We finished our drinks and went elsewhere. Next time I will avoid this place.

We were attracted to the Lowther due to the fact that it has outside seating by the river. There are three pubs along this stretch which all offer this. After going to the bar they send someone out to you to take your order. It’s a pleasant enough place to sit on a nice day but it’s not really a pub for beer lovers as there is only John Smith’s on offer. It’s quite pricey too which is par for the course in York. We visited on a Friday evening and it was busy as was the whole city. Every pub in York had security on the door and I have the distinct feeling it can get quite ‘lively’ on a weekend in York! I have to say that compared to the other pubs we visited in York the Lowther was the least memorable and I wouldn’t really go there again.

I love this place! I visit York most summers and I am planning another trip this year. This place will definitely be on my list! The riverside seating is fantastic on a beautiful summers day (although I once got caught out there in the rain but thankfully we were transferred inside quickly) The prices are reasonable, the staff are friendly and the atmosphere really is fantastic! I would definitely recommend it and I cannot wait to be enjoying a meal and a large glass of wine by the river again soon!!!

Not a bad spot for a drink by the river but the food is terrible.
We’ve visited a couple of times in the past for a drink but we just had our first meal here. Forty minutes after ordering fish & chips and a burger, the waitress turned up with a piece of haddock that was more batter than fish, a dry, lonely burger between two soggy pieces of bread and and some greasy chips.
The only reason we decided to eat here rather than next door at Plonkers was because it was the only one of the two with any free tables outside. Next time we’ll join the queue at Plonkers.

Awesome pub! On the riverside and has a laid back atmosphere.
My favourite thing, apart from great prices is the digital jukebox’s with over 5000 tracks which easily caters for all musical tastes.
There’s even Sky Sports and Santana for all the big match action!
They’ve even got a decent website. Check it out —

When i go into town with my mates this is one of our favourite places to go. The music is generally good and you can pick you own songs to be placed for a small price. There are plenty of places to sit including sofas and arm chairs. The drinks are fairly well priced and their token cocktail River Water is very nice.

Went there twice during my stay in York (Mar’09) and I don’t really rate it.
Thought we would sit outside first time, it’s daft, you must pay for the drinks and then the staff must bring it out to you.
Went back in the evening for quick one and it was playing heavy metal music.
Maybe to some taste’s but not mine.
However sitting by the River Ouse may be great on a summers day, but not in March with a cold wind.

I think if you’ve lived in York in your late teens then you can pretty much guarantee that you’ve been for a drink in the Lowther.
Before the new licensing laws the Lowther was one of the places that would get descended upon once the regular pubs shut for the evening.
There have been times when I have visited that you have to hoick your trousers up so that you don’t get wet legs as a little bit of flooding doesn’t necessarily mean that this place will shut!
The drinks are slightly cheaper than average, and on occasion the beer tastes like flood water, but lets face it, who cares? everyone’s drunk by the time they hit the Lowther!

If you are a student or have ever been in York you will find everyone you know in The Lowther at some point in the night. It’s generally the last pub everyone goes to before they head to a club (generally the gallery). The drinks are not badly priced and often have special offers and good range of cocktails. Best one I’ve ever had was a sex on the beach slush puppie which was a lot nicer than it sounds. Décor is pretty traditional pub stlyey, some nice seating areas for groups and things. Definatly reccomend it, Really nice atmosphere and your bound to see people you know!

The Lowther is a great place to meet up in and start a night out in York! It’s usually really busy with old and young alike and for good reason, the atmosphere is usually buzzing but firnedly and they have a great range of drinks on offer at a decent enough price!
The only drawback is that osmetimes you may have to swim here as it is one of the firstp laces to be flooded in York when the river gets up!

The Lowther
Often flooded, sometimes not; this riverside pub is almost always crowded with students from sixth forms, colleges and the University. A musty, yellowy glow extends from the leather sofas up the stairs to the scrubbed tables and old picture frames making it a cosy and un-​pretentious meeting spot, but certainly not for more sophisticated professionals looking for a relaxing cocktail. Cheeky vimptos and slush puppies are a favourite upstairs and see what you think of the signs for the toilets.