Category: Pub of the Month Winners

Our October Pub of the Month is the Pangolin on Middlewood Road in Hillsborough. The bar is named for one of owner Nick Davy’s favourite animals, and has a logo designed by Imogen Wood. The Pangolin opened in 2021, a challenging time for businesses, and spent some of the first part of its life not being able to have customers drinking in. 

Situated next to the Hillsborough Park inbound tram platform, the bar is over two levels in a shop unit. The upstairs has a bar to the rear, with shelving and a fridge along the walls offering a wide range of local and imported craft beers, mead, wines and spirits. There is seating throughout the ground floor. There is a small seating area and toilets located in the basement, along with the cellar. 

Alongside its numerous canned and bottled offerings, the Pangolin offers five craft keg lines and three cask real ale lines – two of these are usually on, with three in busier periods like Tramlines. Due to the configuration of the cellar, the casks are stored in a small purpose-built cooled box and are poured through a Flojet pump system via the tap wall.

The Pangolin holds regular events including a monthly quiz. On 26 September they’ll be holding an Oktoberfest event, with some beers being available into October. By the time Beer Matters is on shelves, they’ll also have tickets for a beer and book pairing on sale, in collaboration with their close neighbours at Hillsborough Bookshop. Details of all events can be found advertised in the bar and on their social media. The Pangolin is also the sponsor and supplier of Steel City 50’s bottle bar.

Join us at the Pangolin to present their award from 8pm on Wednesday 14 October, with the award to be presented at 9pm.

The Crow Inn is our members’ Pub of the Month winner for September. Originally a Rawsons pub, it first opened in 1797 as the Crown Inn. The pub has been part of various local historic events, some of which can be read about in books by local historian John Stocks and our own heritage officer, Dave Pickersgill. 

Reopening in 2019 in its current incarnation, the Crow sports a logo of its namesake holding an ‘N’ in its talons. This, along with the Crown mosaic in the entryway, are the main reminders of its former name.

The Crow has two main rooms, one either side of the entryway, both with banquette seating on three sides. The bar is central opposite the entrance, and there are seven ensuite rooms available upstairs. To the side and rear is a small courtyard for outside drinking.

On the bar is a selection of 17 keg lines, and three real ales. They also have a St Bernardus font, which was the first one in the UK, so have good draft Belgian beer available constantly. There is a large selection of wines and spirits, and home made sausage rolls (pork, and vegan sage & onion) are available in the fridges.

The Crow has a film quiz every third Thursday of the month alongside other events like tastings and tap takeovers are advertised on their social media channels.

Join us for a drink to celebrate the Crow Inn’s award on Tuesday 8 September from 8pm. We’ll present them with their certificate at around 9pm.

Just a few minutes on foot from Edale station in the western reaches of our branch area is the Rambler Inn. Originally built as a farmhouse in the 19th century, the Rambler was subsequently converted to a pub. They have 9 en-suite rooms which are often used by walkers on the Pennine Way National Trail or Kinder Scout, and a self-catering cottage onsite too.

There are 2 fair sized snugs off the main bar, which have log fires during the winter. There is a larger dining area with a smaller room to the rear, which can also be used for dining – or for meetings, like our July branch meeting. We received a warm welcome from the pub and it went on to win the pub of the month award for August, in our special summer ‘Derbyshire’ edition of the award.

The outside has superb views taking in hills and the Hope Valley railway line with lots of benches to the front and a large garden and covered terrace to the side. Dogs are welcome in the garden and bar rooms, though not the upstairs guest rooms – the Rambler operates a ‘muddy boots and paws welcome’ policy.

Operated by the Dorbiere Pub Group under the management of Jo and Chris Doyle, the Rambler features five handpumps in total. The permanent options are Timothy Taylor Landlord Abbeydale’s Deception, and house beer Kinder Downfall (Theakstons). At our July branch meeting these were complemented by Titanic’s Plum Porter and Squawk’s Pavo.

Special events are organised from time to time including folk music, quiz nights, themed dining and a family fun day is planned for 16 August with bouncy castle, tug of war and more!

Please join us at the Rambler Inn on Tuesday 11 August at 8:00 PM for a few drinks and to present the team with their well-deserved certificate.

The Fargate opened in the centre of Sheffield in October 2025, to much fanfare. It is a joint venture between Bakewell-based brewery Thornbridge, and York-based beer importer and pub operator Pivovar.

The building was constructed by the Yorkshire Penny Bank, and opened in 1889. The upper floors were occupied by the Albany Hotel, a ‘temperance house’ which provided an alcohol-free environment. Fortunately for us, well over 100 years later you can now finally purchase real ale from one of ten pumps on site.

A lengthy £1m renovation was undertaken on the building prior to the Fargate opening. The ground floor is high-ceilinged and decked out in dark wood with an impressive central horseshoe-shaped bar. There are several booths, banquette seating and a snug, all with leather seats. A spiral staircase leads upstairs to a rather different space with more contemporary seating and reclaimed wooden-panelled walls. A pizza kitchen upstairs serves food to the whole pub. In the basement, on the way to one of the bathrooms, you can spot the former bank’s vault which is still in place and used as storage – the Fargate is home to perhaps the safest beer in the city. In May they added several outdoor tables to the front, where drinkers can catch some afternoon sun.

A staff of around 25 under manager Adam Swithenbank and deputy Kieron Lake serve the 300-capacity pub. Across the ten cask lines, six are Thornbridge’s own with the remainder being guests. The 16 keg lines are split with Thornbridge having half, and the remainder divided between some guest craft beer and other lagers or wheat beers. 

The Fargate is a welcome addition to the town centre, in an area which is still undergoing major renovations. Join us to celebrate their award on 9 June from 8pm.

One of Sheffield’s newer micropubs, No.3 was opened by Loxley Brewery owner Stephen Wesley in a former Sharrow Vale shop in November 2024.

It’s named not for its street address but that it’s the third of Loxley’s pubs, after the Wisewood Inn in Loxley and the Raven in Walkley – another recent PotM winner. We visited No.3 as part of our recent Ecclesall Road social and it proved a hit with members, resulting in their win as our Pub of the Month for May.

The micropub is a single wood panelled room with an impressive central bar, made of yew and oak from Grenoside. There is window seating and larger tables in the front, and church pew seating in the rear of the venue. A bench outside offers limited seating in warmer months – and at the end of summer 2025 an air conditioning unit was installed to provide a more literally chilled atmosphere.

Manager Joe and his team curate a large music playlist which is played low to provide a cosy background to the quiet adults-only space. The micropub attracts locals and also diners from the many nearby restaurants.

The ‘cellar’, a small shed located outside to the rear of the premises, provides three lines of changing Loxley real ale. There are also seven keg lines with four lines of guest craft keg from a range of local and national breweries. Alongside these there are regular lines of a cider, Dortmunder Vier, and Loxley’s Black Dog milk stout.

No.3 is a welcome addition to Sharrow Vale and the thriving Sheffield micropub scene, and this award is well deserved. Join us at the bar at 8pm on Tuesday 12 May to share a beer with the team and celebrate.

The Gardeners Rest on Neepsend Lane is our April Pub of the Month. Sitting on the River Don, the pub has long been a favourite with local real ale drinkers and continues to attract both regulars and visitors to the area.

The pub dates from 1898. After significant flood damage in 2007 the building underwent refurbishment before reopening in 2009, and in 2017 it was purchased by the Gardeners Rest Community Society, making it Sheffield’s first community-owned pub. The 382 initial investors raised over £237000 between them, and in the years since their numbers have increased to over 430.

The pub is split into several areas. There is a main bar area where music events are held regularly, and to the left of the entrance is a small billiards room in the former dram shop. To the rear is a conservatory which leads out into an eclectically decorated garden overlooking the Don.

Up to six cask ales are typically available, with a regularly changing lineup sourced from independent breweries from across the country. CAMRA members can receive a discount.

The Gardeners Rest is well known for its community focus, hosting live music, quizzes and a range of local events throughout the year, including beer festivals. They are also the host for Sheffield & District CAMRA’s beer festival planning meeting in preparation for Steel City each year.  With its welcoming atmosphere, varied beer selection and strong ties to the neighbourhood, it is a deserving recipient of our Pub of the Month award.

Join us for a beer and the presentation of the award at the pub on 21 April from 8pm.

Our March pub of the month is the Two & Six on Snig Hill in Sheffield City Centre. This popular and welcoming micropub was opened in 2023 by Juliet and Dan, who have two connected units on the small parade – number 26, which gave the pub its name in pre-decimalisation currency, and number 24 next door which they offer for rental as a gallery, meeting or events space. 

In prior incarnations the micropub has had a range of uses, including a gallery, local theatre company, and a ‘selfie centre’ with local street art. It has since been fully refurbished to be a welcoming wood-panelled space with bespoke furniture. As well as pump clips of previously served beers, the walls are also full of pictures of former Sheffield pubs, all now sadly closed.

The Two & Six offers four real ales always including a session and mid-strength pale, a dark line, and a strong line. Juliet and Dan aim to stock beers not commonly seen in Sheffield, and have recently had a number from brewers such as Jolly Sailor, Brid’s Cross and Wishbone – these careful picks make the micropub an integral part of the route for any beer ticker. There are also two real ciders, usually one fruited and one standard. Finishing the beer lineup are an imported German lager and three craft kegs, one of which is always gluten free. The bar also offers a substantial range of gins and other spirits, and wines.

Open Wednesday to Sunday, the bar is home to some regular events. Each Sunday at 8.45 there is a quiz with prizes including beer vouchers for winners, and biscuits for the losers. On the second Monday of the month (an exception to their usual opening hours) the Two & Six is home to Sheffield’s Laurel and Hardy Brats Tent, ‘The Sons of the Desert’ – one of a number of UK groups who get together to celebrate the works of Laurel and Hardy.

Join us for a special Sheffield Beer Week edition of our award presentation on Thursday 12 March at 8.30pm. Juliet and Dan aim to have beers originating from Sheffield tapped, including some brewers they’ve not previously stocked.

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Thanks for the many votes we received in January – it may have been a record! Nominations are always open on our revamped nomination form, and are ratified at each month’s committee meeting (third Tuesday). Voting then opens until the branch meeting (first Tuesday). If you have feedback on the process or the new form, contact us at potm@sheffield.camra.org.uk. 

As always, please consider visiting and nominating venues you may not have been to before, and supporting the excellent independent businesses in our branch area.

The Raven Inn on Palm Street, Walkley, opened in November 2019, an unexpectedly challenging period for any business – let alone a new pub. Formerly the Palm Tree, the Raven underwent an extensive refurbishment before opening. The mixed contemporary and traditional interior consists of wooden furniture with contrasting walls adorned with antlered light fixtures.

The Raven Inn is Loxley Brewery’s second pub, following the Wisewood Inn in Loxley and preceding Sharrow Vale’s ‘No.3’. It offers five of Loxley’s own real ales and a rotating guest real cider alongside nine keg lines including guest craft keg, Loxley’s own craft offerings, and a lager. 

To the rear is a very spacious beer garden which in the warmer months usually hosts a pop-up kitchen on weekend evenings. Throughout the year a variety of pork pies, sausage rolls and scotch eggs are available over the bar every weekend. Each Wednesday there is a pub quiz at 8pm and other one-off events including live music are listed on the pub’s social media feeds.

Join us for a drink at the Raven on 10 February at 8.30pm where they’ll be presented with February’s Pub of the Month award.

Getting there: buses 52a and 95 stop a short walk away on Walkley Road or South Road.

Happy new year to everyone, and thanks for all your nominations and votes over the last 6 months. Nominations are always open on our revamped nomination form, and are ratified at each month’s committee meeting (third Tuesday). Voting then opens until the branch meeting (first Tuesday). If you have feedback on the process or the new form, contact us at potm@sheffield.camra.org.uk.

This time of year is always the hardest for pubs, and 2026 will be no exception – at the time of writing both Turner’s bottle shop and the Closed Shop have already announced their closures. Please consider visiting and nominating venues you may not have been to before, and supporting independent businesses in our branch area.

The Beer House Hillsborough (recently renamed from the Beer House S6) is the sister pub of the Beer House on Ecclesall Road and opened in May 2023, joining several other micropubs opening in Hillsborough in recent years. 

While the micropub remains under the same ownership, new manager Karl has undertaken a gentle rebrand over the last part of 2025, with new external signage. Their emphasis on serving good beer and being a part of the Hillsborough community has continued, reflected in the nomination and award of Pub of the Month from local members.

In the heart of Hillsborough and positioned handily on the inbound tram stop, the venue was in the early 90s a Famous Army Stores before becoming Mad Harry’s Discount Warehouse. As noted by locals in The Star in 2023, the Beer House was a welcomed new addition to HIllsborough.

The open planned yet cozy bar has six cask lines and five craft keg on rotation. The micropub places importance on both variety and quality, stocking from breweries such as Two by Two (always on one line), Pentrich, Elusive, Black Iris, and North Riding, among many others. They always have an unusual flavoured stout on offer, a best bitter, and a range of pales.

Unusually for a micropub there is a fully utilised basement room, with a centrally located staircase leading down to a games room where you can enjoy pool and darts. They also run a Wednesday night pub quiz, for which booking is recommended.

Atmosphere and community is just as important as the real ale offering in this Hillsborough micropub, and this award is well deserved. Join us on Tuesday 13 January at 8:30pm to celebrate this award and enjoy a few drinks!

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Thanks to everyone who has nominated or voted in our Pub of the Month competition since we refreshed the rules and relaunched for August. Since then we have awarded a PotM every month – we’re now finished for the year as there is no award given in December. This lets us (and the pubs!) focus on the busy Christmas period.

Nominations are open for February 2026’s award and voting will open around Christmas – check the website or your inbox closer to the time as the voting will close at our branch meeting on 6 January.