Blue Boar

You're walking down Castlegate—that steep cobbled stretch between the Castle Museum and the river—and the Blue Boar sits right there, unpretentious and welcoming. This is the kind of pub where you can still get a proper pint, where the staff know regulars by name, and where the noise level suggests people are actually enjoying themselves rather than posing for Instagram. The food is straightforward but done right: the sort of stuff that makes sense alongside a Yorkshire ale. It's got character without trying too hard, and that's exactly why locals keep coming back.