Author: Dominic Nelson

Going back 15 years or so, a big night out on the town in Sheffield generally involved going to a nightclub as pretty much every pub and bar closed at 11pm. It would cost £5-10 to get in the club (although there were cheaper offers if you went in before 11pm to beat the queues) and although there were attractions in the form of music and opportunities to pull, the choice of drinks was generally terrible and expensive. In many city centre bars and clubs, I used to opt for the safe option of a bottle of Beck’s. The nightclubs generally used to shut at around 2am, from when there were huge queues in kebab shops and a choice of going on a hunt for an elusive taxi or catching the 2:30am night bus. Fast forward to today, following the licencing reform of 2003 – something CAMRA campaigned for – pubs and bars can apply for a licence for any opening hours as long as the council feel it is appropriate for the location. There are now many places to get real ale (and other craft beers) well into the night – on a weekend, at least. The fast food and taxi situation is much improved too, although sadly night buses are no more. Anyway, here is the first part of my guide to a post-midnight pint in Sheffield city centre – whether that be on a big night out or unwinding after a late shift at work!

Bankers Draft

Market Place Large classic Wetherspoon’s pub on two floors offering all you expect from the ‘Spoons chain, including national and local ales at reasonable prices. Open until 1am on Friday and Saturday nights.

Beehive

West Street On a Saturday night the opening hours are extended until 1am, it has music and TV screens but also plenty of seating if you want a more relaxed evening. There are a number of real ales available, a mixture of national brands and the more popular local beers, including Bradfield Farmer’s Blonde.

Bessemer

Leopold Street On a Friday and Saturday night this bar parties through until 2am with 80s music. A range of the more popular real ales, both local and national, are available here.

Botanist

Leopold Square Despite the lack of handpumps, ale is available here – look out for the little blackboards hanging above the bar. A quiet, civilised bar with tables outside in the square and a restaurant upstairs. The bar is open until 1am on Wednesdays and until 2am Thursday to Saturday (midnight the rest of the week).

Bungalows and Bears

Division Street By day this bar located in an old fire station is a relaxed affair serving up beer and burgers. At night it is still civilised thanks to keen door staff, but livelier with DJs providing music. A couple of real ales are on offer; Abbeydale Moonshine is a regular. Open until 2am on Friday and Saturday nights.

Cavendish

West Street Aimed primarily at students, this long thin venue has pool tables at one end and seating throughout the rest plus music and TV screens. A couple of real ales are available – normally a national brand and one of the more popular local ones – and there are some craft beers of reasonable interest on keg. Open until 1am on Friday and Saturday nights.

Church House

St James Street By day this pub, located in a classic gothic building, feels smart and relaxed with a simple food offering. At the weekends it often sees live rock music and possibly a more alternative crowd. Real ales are generally national brands such as Theakston’s and Robinson’s but local guest ales also feature at busier times. Open until 2am Friday and Saturday nights.

The Devonshire

Devonshire Street Previously known as the Old House, this recently refurbished little bar in an old Georgian townhouse run by True North Brewery has a range of beers. While the daytime vibe is a relaxed one with food service, the evening is livelier with a DJ providing the music until 3am on Friday and Saturday nights.

Devonshire Cat

Wellington Street Run by Abbeydale Brewery and refurbished in 2016, this is somewhere to sit back and chill out with a decent beer. An extensive choice of real ales on handpump and craft beers on keg means there is always something interesting to try. Open until 2am every day. Look out for more late night beers next month! Andy Cullen

Four trains an hour operated by Northern run between Sheffield and Barnsley for much of the day, two of which are relatively fast trains. There are stations inbetween at Meadowhall, Chapeltown, Elsecar and Wombwell – all places with real ale pubs! The principal attractions at Meadowhall and Wombwell are Wetherspoon’s venues (the Steel Foundry and the Horseshoe, respectively) which need no introduction, so I will focus on the other stops along the line. Talking of Wetherspoon’s, the closest pub to Chapeltown station is one of theirs – the Wagon & Horses. The usual mix of national and local beers on the bar at reasonable prices are present and correct along with an all day food offering. Special events including meet the brewers and quiz nights also take place from time to time. Walk down Station Road from here and you will come to a long established Good Beer Guide regular, the Commercial. This is a classic multi roomed pub with a lounge, snug and games room plus an upstairs function room. A central bar services all three rooms and offers a great range of ales and cider. Simple home cooked food is available at meal times. Special events take place throughout the year including beer festivals and whisky tastings and there is always a great friendly atmosphere created by the landlord, staff and regulars. On to Elsecar, where the hill from the station down to the village centre is host to a number of traditional pubs serving real ale and a pub crawl is possible here! Options include the Crown Inn, Fitzwilliam Arms, Milton Arms and the Market Hotel. Twice a year (May and September) Barnsley CAMRA hosts a beer festival in Elsecar to tie in with other festivities taking place. Our last stop, Barnsley, offers a conveniently compact mini pub crawl from the station (leave via the bridge through the bus/train Interchange concourse then turn left into the town centre). There is a Victorian-style pedestrian thoroughfare lined with shops known as the Arcade and if you walk through here you will find the Arcade Alehouse, a great micropub with a choice of real ales and craft beers served by friendly staff. There is also a balcony upstairs looking out over the arcade. When you pop out the other end of the Arcade and cross the main road you will find Acorn Brewery’s tap – the Old No 7 bar showcasing a range of their beers, plus a few guests. Occasionally special events take place downstairs in the cellar bar. Next door is another real ale outlet, the Joseph Bramah – another Wetherspoon’s pub with all the usual features. A South Yorkshire Connect+ day ticket costs £7.90 and offers unlimited travel by bus, train and tram anywhere in South Yorkshire. Alternatively, an off-peak return from Sheffield to Barnsley costs £5.40 (or £3.55 with a railcard). Other great local destinations for pubs reachable by train include Dronfield & Chesterfield, the Hope Valley and Worksop – however they are for future instalments! Next month, we will be on the buses. Andy Cullen

Food is back on the menu at the Closed Shop. Following an extensive refurbishment of the pub’s kitchen facilities, Stancill Brewery has appointed local chef Rose Heggie to develop brand new food offerings. Drawing upon her previous experience working at some of Sheffield’s best-known restaurants including Whirlow Hall Farm, The Summer House and The Rising Sun, Rose has pioneered a brand new menu featuring locally sourced produce. To mark the reopening of The Closed Shop’s kitchen, pub manager Hayley McPhie is offering locals the chance to see the fruits of their labour on the menu and has teamed up with local allotment owners to swap vegetables for beer vouchers. Hayley said: “Our new menu is a celebration of the best food available within Sheffield. Our meats are carefully chosen from local farmers and we use local producers for our fruit and vegetables. Working in an allotment can be hard, thirsty work and we wanted to reward the efforts of local growers and hit on the idea of ‘vegetales’ giving enthusiastic amateur gardeners the chance to see their produce on the menu. “We provide allotment owners with beer vouchers for the surplus produce they have grown. It’s a win-win all round – gardeners are able to enjoy a beer, surplus vegetables aren’t wasted and everything is grown close to the pub, making it good for the environment as all the allotments are in walking distance.” More information about the Vegetales scheme is available from members of staff. Food is served daily from 12pm–10pm Mon–Sat and Sunday lunches are available from 12pm onwards.