A longstanding fixture of the Broomhill pub scene and beloved by students and locals alike, The York earlier this year swapped pies for puri as the team behind Karobar – an Indian kitchen with venues in Waverley and Horsforth – took over the culinary offering and later the whole operation at the Fulwood Road establishment.
Since the move, the pub’s focus has shifted. As manager Eva puts it, it’s becoming “more of a food-based place than a pub first, food later” as they reshape The York into a new kind of neighbourhood fixture – where the taps and the tandoor feel like natural companions.
The concept of good beer paired with Indian plates in a traditional pub didn’t need selling to us, and with both the festive menu and a selection from their Sunday offerings on offer, we went to see how Karobar’s kitchen holds up at the heart of this much-loved S10 local.
If you’re heading there hungry, the smart move is to start small. Karobar’s sharing plates are built for passing round a table, though you might quietly regret sharing once they land. The Chicken Wings 65 arrive first, crisp and spicy with that south Indian heat that sticks around just long enough to make you reach for your pint. It’s the perfect pub finger food.
The Beetroot Tikki patties were warm, earthy and gently spiced, but it’s the tadka yoghurt that gives them lift. The huge Crispy Masala Dosa is the standout of the opening round – the shattering crispness, the soft potato masala tucked inside, and the trio of sambhar, coconut chutney and roasted tomato chutney dips give us plenty to go at.
For the mains we move to the Sunday side of the menu, where Karobar leans fully into the Anglo-Indian mash-up. You might think that a tandoori chicken with Yorkshire pudding shouldn’t work, yet it absolutely does. The chicken is tender on the bone, marinated in ginger, garlic and Kashmiri chilli, carrying enough warmth to cut through the roast potatoes and carrots without overpowering them. The salmon baked in banana leaf is even better. Soft, fragrant and lifted by a silky Moilee sauce, it’s another winner from a kitchen that clearly knows what it’s doing.
We also try a curry from the main line-up, the chicken makhani. It’s everything you want from a makhani: rich tomato depth, that unmistakable cashew creaminess and chicken tikka that tastes slightly charred. We take it with naan, which turns out to be the right call for mopping every last bit from the bowl.
Dessert seals the deal. A warm chocolate fondant with a molten centre might sound like pub-by-numbers offering, but pairing it with saffron kulfi and gulkand turns it into something more interesting. The perfect residual spice-killer and creamy, floral and rich all at once, it draws a neat line under a meal that proves Karobar isn’t here to just borrow space in a Sheffield institution. It’s here to elevate it.
Vibe check in, and it’s a resounding yes from us. Book yourself in at theyorksheffield.co.uk and see if you agree.
Kitchen Hours:
Mon – Thurs: 16:00 – 21:00
Fri – Sat: 12:00 – 21:00
Sunday: 12:00 – 20:00
Location:
243-247 Fulwood Road
S10 3BA
