The Market Cat Reviews Summary

Ambiance and Decor

Pros:

• "Top notch craft beer venue near the Shambles York. Set over three floors with nice views onto the market square."
• "A great pub in the centre of York with a fantastic atmosphere, comfortable seating, calming background music and lighting."
• "Beautiful building that's been done out so nicely. Atmosphere is lovely, staff too."
• "This is a great place, whether you’re out in the day or evening! They’ve done a very good job of renovating a boring 60’s building into something that feels a lot nicer on the inside!"
• "Nicely decorated, clean and reasonably priced."
• "Beautifully decorated with lots of wood panelling."
• "A great bar with three levels overlooking the market with a good mix of modern pub and historic vibes."
• "Fantastic bar, great range of beer, and a great selection of wines. Brilliant atmosphere and stunning surroundings."

Cons:

• "Worst pint of Jaipur I have ever had, tasted like the beer lines had not been cleaned properly or were in need of replacing due to trichloroanisole/TCA which makes the beer smell and taste like an old, damp church."
• "Cheap looking in the upstairs areas. Flimsy table on top floor that felt like it would snap. Walls on the way upstairs had stains and damage only after a few days."
• "It was alright plenty of beers, ales, and bitters to choose from. The only downside to it is the amount of stairs you have to climb to get to the toilets."
• "I love York for it's old pub's but this new place has it all, oldy and warming on the ground floor, rustic on the 1st and 50s diner look on the 2nd."

Service and Staff

Pros:

• "The staff are super friendly, the atmosphere is great and everything is reasonably priced."
• "Particular mention to Thomas and George who have a sound knowledge of their beers and are willing to spend time with customers."
• "Staff were very friendly and helpful, helping us select a very nice Rum."
• "Friendly and smiley staff, big selection of beer from both Thornbridge themselves and guests."
• "Staff always very friendly, definitely recommend."
• "However, the staff on the night try to fob us off with ‘staff shortages’ when there were clearly kitchen staff in the building. They then got a bit shirty when challenged."
• "I like pubs and real ale and this was a place where you can enjoy both. It has been updated but retains the feel of an English pub. The staff are knowlegeable and helpful."
• "Pleasant staff, good range of beer. Go to the top floor for an outstanding view of the Minster and the Shambles Market."

Cons:

• "Great venue but unfortunately unfriendly staff and the food was below par for what I was expecting. Pizza was full of soggy chicken skin."
• "First visit was ok, but went back the following day and despite opening hours on website it was closed. Staff were inside but ignored us, even when we tried calling to confirm opening hours."
• "Barman was exceptionally rude. I went to the bar, ordered a drink, and was told he was'just going to serve someone else first', no explanation given; there was no one else for him to serve."
• "Incredibly rude stuff where they decided to insult me innocently pronouncing the name of the beer wrong (Mojo), acting like they were better than their patrons."
• "I give the market cat 5 but would prefer to aim at 4.5 if I could. As a venue I like it. Its a great atmosphere and design. The seats on the upper floors (of which there are plenty) offer a great view but it tends to be rather crowded for this reason."
• "Two members of bar staff were extremely rude. One called my husband a “knob” when all he was doing was laughing with me and my friend. And the member of staff who served us was very rude too."
• "Don't waste your time going here when it's busy. Ignored by staff. Randomly serve people who come in and queue at the bar after you."
• "Was very disappointed with this place. The bar its self is nicely done out. However they didn't have any good Keg beers on. Ended up having a whisky. The staff where helpful."

Food and Drinks

Pros:

• "The pizzas are fantastic and freshly prepared and cooked in the kitchen which can be viewed on the first floor."
• "Serving a variety of beers from a local brewery and delicious food, the Market Cat is a great place for a pint and a view."
• "Pizza was very nice, perfectly cooked and good quality ingredients."
• "We had Pizza which was very good, great base and topping."
• "We were looking for some great pizza in the city centre and we found it here. Thin crust style: the bottom layer was crispy not floppy, and the edges were thick and fluffy without being burnt. Yum!"
• "The pizza is to die for and very reasonably priced, although there are only a couple of vegetarian options they were happy to make a couple of small changes to suit my father's taste."
• "Cozy place to have well made pizzas. This places makes it is own dough! You can really tell when have the first bite."
• "Beer selection was good and well kept. The pizza's were excellent."

Cons:

• "The food was the only thing that let down the experience. The tomato garlic bread was so bland. It lacked any flavour and tasted like tomato puree."
• "Worst pint of Jaipur I have ever had, tasted like the beer lines had not been cleaned properly or were in need of replacing due to trichloroanisole/TCA which makes the beer smell and taste like an old, damp church."
• "Visited frequently. Not able to sit upstairs as reserved for large party which is fair enough. Sat downstairs and watched 50 people arrive, all with backpacks in a crowded bar and order one drink at a time. Went to order pizza but informed more than an hour wait due to large party."
• "We’ve been coming here for a few years, it’s a great pup with great beers. The pizzas have always been really nice, however for the last year or so when we’ve visited the pizza toppings have been majorly rationed, hardly any cheese on the margarita, tiny cut up bits of pepperoni and chicken, massively different to how it was before."
• "Great place to visit if you are in the area. It is a Thornbridge pub so, as can be expected, the beers are good."
• "Always nice to go there for the atmosphere and beer. However after a large group of us ordered various pizzas off the menu, we widely agreed that they were bland and lacking in ingredients."
• "If you're disabled turn round and don't bother. Toilets are 6 flights up, lift has been broken for months so they obviously aren't bothered."
• "THEY DON'T HAVE PRICES FOR DRINKS ON THE MENU! ASK THEM! Over priced drinks. Over priced burnt pizza and no adjustments for those with dietary preferences. They were not able to switch artichokes for mushrooms on a pizza. Apparently picking up a different vegetable is impossible for these guys."