Category: Pubs

The Hallamshire House at Commonside is hosting a Dark Beer Week from 4th to 10th November featuring a range of popular, special and rare Stouts and Porters on both cask and keg. The beers are from a mixture of Thornbridge and guest brewers , including a rare return of Thornbridge’s Cavern County. The discount for CAMRA members on weekdays before 6pm will continue to be offered during this event as normal (30p off a pint of cask ales and 40p off a pint of other selected craft beers).

For the benefit of those of you who are new to Sheffield, such as University Freshers, here is our mini guide to real ale venues in Sheffield City Centre, Kelham Island and Neepsend. The majority of pubs and bars listed are near a tram stop on the Blue or Yellow route, which combined run around every 6-10 minutes up until about midnight. All have a bus stop close by. All day travel passes are available that allow you to hop on and off if you fancy riding around trying some of these places out without too much walking! Due to limitations on space I’ve had to draw a line on where I include somewhere and also apologies if any of the pub listing/information has become out of date. Don’t forget our volunteers maintain a national database of pubs online that can be viewed at whatpub.com. Where possible a link to the Whatpub entry has been provided for more details and a map. For bus and tram information visit travelsouthyorkshire.com. Albion – London Road reasonably priced bar run by Stancill Brewery showcasing their ales, large outdoor drinking area. Get there: bus 20,43, 44,75, 76,86,97, 98 Bankers Draft (JD Wetherspoon) – Castle Square tram stop Typical Wetherspoon pub with very affordably priced real ales, standard food menu and down to earth clientele over two floors. Get there: all tram routes stop outside. Bar Stewards – Gibralter Street Small, friendly bar and bottle shop focused on craft beer. Yard at rear offers outdoor drinking. Get there: buses 57,81, 82,86 Bath Hotel – Victoria Street Classic two room art deco back street boozer run by Thornbridge Brewery featuring their beers and guests. Simple bar snacks available, dart board, occasional music nights. Get there: University tram stop or buses 6,10,10a,51,52,52a,95,95a,120,271 Beehive – West Street City Centre bar with well known beers, sports TV and affordable pub grub. Get there: West Street tram stop or buses 6,10,10a,51,52,52a,95,95a,120,271 Beer Engine – Cemetery Road Craft beer orientated pub with a great range on both cask and keg and knowledgeable staff. Also known for tapas menu. Get there: buses 20,43, 44,56,75, 76,86,97, 98,218 Benjamin Huntsman (JD Wetherspoon) Modern Wetherspoon bar on two floors, beer range, prices and food menu as you would expect from this chain. Get there: City Hall tram stop Bessemer – Leopold Street By day and night the Bessemer is two very different animals… in the daytime like many pubs in the Stonegate chain it serves value for money food to tables in various cosy corners and real ale is available – generally a mix of national and local brands. However Friday and Saturday night the pub is open until 2am with a DJ playing golden oldies, attracting a very mixed crowd! Get there: City Hall tram stop, buses to Leopold Street/Pinstone Street. Brown Bear – Norfolk Street Classic two room pub owned by Samuel Smiths Brewery exclusively serving their products. Obey the Smith’s old fashioned values of no swearing or electronic devices such as mobile phones and you will be rewarded with very affordable beer prices! Get there: Castle Square tram stop or Arundel Gate bus stops. Botanist – Leopold Square Cocktail bar & restaurant with a green fingered theme, right down to how the food is presented. Craft beer and real ale normally available, look for the taps on the back wall behind the bar set in barrel ends, the beers are advertised on hanging blackboards. Get there: City Hall tram stop or buses to West Street or Leopold Street. Bungalows & Bears -Division Street Large City Centre bar housed in a former fire station with real ale and craft beers available alongside the more mainstream offerings. By day you can chill out with a beer and burger whilst at night there are events including DJ and live music nights, games nights and more. Get there – City Hall tram stop or any bus on West Street Cavells – High Street Unpretentious cafe bar Get there – Castle Square tram stop Cavendish – West Street Long, thin student orientated chain bar. Fairly mainstream beer offering on cask and keg, sports TV, music, quiz night and karaoke night, pool tables,burger and wings type food menu. Get there – West Street tram stop or  buses 6,10,10a,51,52,52a,95,95a,120,271 Church House – St James Street Gothic looking pub next to the Cathedral, owned by Heineken Star Bars but independently operated, relaxed atmosphere during the daytime then livelier at night with the pub featuring live bands at the weekend, usually leaning towards the rock genre. Get there – Cathedral tram stop or any buses on High Street/Church Street Church Temple of Fun – Rutland Road Former industrial building expensively renovated with part of it converted into a bar (the other part is a clothes warehouse for the Drop Dead Clothing designer brand). The bar features craft beer, cocktails, vegan fast food, photo booth, classic coin-op arcade games, PS4 pods, pool table, music, riverside balcony, tattoo parlour and clothes store. Sounds hipster as hell, actually a really cool, relaxed place to chill with a beer. Get there – Infirmary Road tram stop or buses 7,8,86 Clubhouse – London Road Sports bar with a range of real ales and ciders, special offers, home made burgers and of course lots of TV screens showing the action! Get there – buses 20,43,44,75,76,97,98 Common Room – Devonshire Street American Pool Lounge, sports bar and diner owned by True North Brewery Get there –  West Street tram stop or any bus on West Street Cremorne – London Road One of Sheffield’s classic indie pubs, on a street corner on the main London Road by the bus stop and just a stones throw from Bramall Lane stadium. A choice of real ales are offered, pizzas are available to order at the bar and live music and DJ events regular take place at the back of the pub. It is also the bar HQ of O’Hara’s spiced rum. Get there – buses 20,43,44,75,76,97,98 Crow – Scotland Street One of the newest pubs on the real ale and craft beer scene with the addition of en suite hotel rooms upstairs, brought to you by the same people as the Rutland Arms. Bar snacks primarily include pork pies, scotch eggs and sausage rolls. Get there – bus 135 Crucible Corner – Tudor Square Bar & restaurant aimed at the the pre theatre crowd.  2 real ales normally available, one of which is usually locally sourced. Get there – any bus to Arundel Gate or High Street; Castle Square tram stop. Cutlery Works – Neepsend Lane Modern dining hall in an old factory over two floors featuring numerous independent street food kitchens and communal seating, you can order food at the counter or on their app. There are also two bars that serve real ale, the venue’s own bar downstairs that features mainly well known session beers and the Boozehound craft beer bar upstairs. Like with the food traders, drinks can be ordered at the bar in the traditional manner or on the app for delivery to table. Note the venue does not accept cash, just card payment. Get there – Infirmary Road tram stop or bus 7,8. Devonshire Cat – Wellington Street Abbeydale Brewery’s flagship City Centre bar offering a relaxed atmosphere to enjoy real ale and other craft beers along with freshly cooked food. Bar open until 2am most days. Get there – West Street tram stop; buses to West Street or Moorfoot Dog & Partridge – Trippet Lane Traditional multi roomed pub with a range of real ales and a simple fresh food menu featuring mainly platters, burgers, sandwiches and chip based happiness. Classically part of the ‘Irish Triangle’ of three Sheffield pubs that for many years have had Irish ex pat landlords and customers. Sporting events are regularly shown on TV, the pub hosts a quiz night and classic video games night. Also check out the old fashioned snug room, which thankfully remained unspoilt when the pub was refurbished. Get there – City Hall tram stop Dorothy Pax – Victoria Quays Great little canal side drinking venue located in a railway arch with a bar made from an old boat. Choice of real ales, regular live music events. Friendly and relaxed, when the weather is good you can enjoy sitting outside by the water observing boats moored in the canal basin and trams passing over the viaduct in the distance! Get there – Fitzalan Square tram stop across bridge, buses to the Wicker. Dove & Rainbow – Hartshead Square It certainly isn’t posh or smart and the limit of the bar food menu is a Pot Noodle, the Dove has been a home to the rock and alternative crowd for many years with a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Real Ale, Cider, Pool Table, music, pinball and murals feature here. Get there – Castle Square tram stop, buses to High Street/Arundel Gate/Angel Street Fagans – Broad Lane It may be described as a reyt proper pub. Traditional pub design, proper pub landlord, proper pub lunches and well kept Abbeydale Moonshine. Also features regular Irish music sessions. Fat Cat– Alma Street The grandaddy of Sheffield’s real ale pub scene – the first real ale free house to feature beers from outside the area and the first to offer a no smoking room! An old, traditional multi-room pub that hasn’t changed in many years, it is owned by Kelham Island Brewery (located next door) featuring their beers plus changing guests, has a great beer garden and a simple, affordable food menu that always includes a veggie/vegan and gluten free option. Get there – Shalesmoor tram stop, buses to Gibralter Street Forest / Toolmakers Brewery tap room – Rutland Road/Botsford Street The Forest is just that little bit up the hill away from the popular Kelham Island circuit allowing it to remain a simple locals pub with reasonable beer prices, yet is still welcoming and comfortable. The beer on the bar is from the Toolmakers Brewery located around the corner owned by the same couple as the pub, the brewery has a tap room that opens up on a part time basis for special events including live music and open mic sessions – check their social media for details. Get there – bus 7/8 to Neepsend Lane. Frog & Parrot – Division Street Landmark corner pub owned by Greene King featuring their beers plus local guests and their usual food menu. The pub is quite music orientated both with the decor and occasional live entertainment. Get there – West Street tram stop Gardeners’ Rest – Neepsend Lane One of Sheffield’s classic real ale pubs featuring around 6 ales including some from the nearby Sheffield Brewery Company and regularly changing guests. The pub has 3 rooms – the main lounge, snug (featuring bar billiards table) and conservatory, leading out to the quite wonderfully eccentric riverside beer yard. The pub is now community owned and gets involved with a lot of community initiatives. Get there – bus 7,8 stops outside or Infirmary Road tram stop is walkable.  Globe – Howard Street Student orientated basic chain pub with beer, food, juke box, pool table and sports on TV. Get there: Castle Square tram stop, buses to Arundel Gate, close to Sheffield rail station. Graduate – Surrey Street Student orientated chain pub with choice of ales, food, pool tables and TV screens. Get there: buses to Arundel Gate or Pinstone Street, tram to Castle Square. Grapes – Trippet Lane Classic multi roomed heritage pub that has been Irish owned and operated by the same family for many years. Get there – City Hall tram stop Great Gatsby – Division Street Pretty chilled City Centre hangout serving beer, cocktails and small plate food. Open until at least 2am every night. Green Room – Devonshire Street Basically furnished and decorated venue operating as a music orientated bar leaning towards indie/Mod soundtracks until late. Regular live events take place, sometimes in the new back room. Two real ales normally available, Doom Bar and a local guest. Get there – West Street tram stop Harlequin – Nursery Street Fairly big L-shape pub with extensive cider selection and bar food, it is also the tap for Exit 33 brewery. Usually has bands on a Saturday night and also has a mid week quiz night. Get there – buses 7,8,95,95a  Head of Steam – Norfolk Street Large venue with island bar in a building that was once a bank, part of a chain owned by Cameron’s brewery offering on craft beer, real ales, European beers, food and more. Get there – Castle Square tram stop, any bus to Arundel Gate Hillsborough Hotel– Langsett Road Pub and accommodation on the tram route out to Hillsborough. Choice of reasonably priced real ales available to enjoy in one of the two main rooms or conservatory, home cooked bar meals available at the weekend. Get there – Langsett Primrose View tram stop or buses 57,81,82 Howard – Howard Street Comfortable pub owned by Marstons Brewery by the rail station and Hallam University campus. Get there – buses to Sheffield Interchange, trains and trams at Sheffield Station. Lost Industry Tap – Sidney Street Craft beer bar run by local experimental brewers Lost Industry serving an extensive beer range featuring Lost Industry and guests served on a 21 line keg tap wall and bar snacks in a new build development on the site of the old Niche nightclub. Get there: buses to Moorfoot or Shoreham Street, nearest tram stop is Granville Road (Note – keg only bar, craft beers may or may not be real ale depending on range featured) Kelham Island Tavern – Rusell Street One of the area’s long established real ale pubs that has won many awards over the years including National CAMRA Pub of the Year twice.  It is a basic pub with two rooms and a beer garden that is kept well presented, large beer range with all basic styles including mild, stout/porter and traditional bitter alongside popular pale hoppy offerings and more. A recent change of management has kept all the basic high standards and reasonable pricing but made subtle changes with a bar refit that allows a bit more leaning towards craft with the guest ales. Food available most lunchtimes. Get there: Shalesmoor tram stop, buses to Gibralter Street Kommune – Angel Street Food hall and gallery space in part of the old Co-op department store. It is a permenant home to a number of different street food traders making some great quality meals, snacks and coffee along with the “Drinks Department” which is the venue’s main bar where craft beer is available, it is also home to Hop Hideout, a specialist craft beer shop offering some interesting beers on can, bottle and keg to drink in or takeaway. All the food and drink outlets share the same communal tables. Get there: Castle Square tram stop, most City Centre buses. Lord Nelson – Arundel Street Typical friendly old fashioned local boozer owned by Greene King Brewery. Maida Vale – West Street Late night party bar normally leaning towards Indie/Mod/Retro music with some live music events. Two cask beers, normally a bitter and a blonde. Get there – City Hall tram stop or buses 6,51,52,52a,120 Millowners Arms – Kelham Island Museum Formerly a museum exhibit celebrating Sheffield’s pub and brewing history, this traditional pub room is now open full time as a public bar with real ale and other craft beers available. Get there – Shalesmoor tram stop, buses to Gibralter Street Museum – Orchard Street Compact but comfortable Greene King pub attached to Orchard Square shopping courtyard. Local guest beers available and food served. Get there: Cathedral tram stop or any buses on Leopold Street/Church Street. Neepsend Brewery – Ball Street The actual working brewery, they open the bar to the public one Saturday a month to coincide with Peddlers Market. *CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF RELOCATING* Get there – Shalesmoor tram stop or bus 7,8 New Barrack Tavern – Penistone Road Friendly multi room roadhouse pub owned by Castle Rock Brewery but operated independently by Kev and Steph. Popular with the more discerning fans of Sheffield Wednesday football club and Sheffield Tigers Speedway team whilst the weekend live music and comedy events also draw a crowd. Usually a good selection of real ales on the bar and an extensive cider and bottled beer selection also features. Get there: Bamforth Street tram stop or buses 7,8,86. Old House – Devonshire Street Small but perfectly formed bar run by True North Brewery with a selection of real ales and other craft beers on the bar plus cocktails and spirits, by day it is a relaxed place with table service for diners whilst at night it is livelier with a DJ on at the weekend when it stays open late. Get there: West Street tram stop or any buses on West Street. Old Queens Head – Pond Street A Thwaites pub attached to the Sheffield Interchange bus station, the original part of the pub is one of the oldest commercial buildings in the City and is now used as the dining area with the more modern parts of the pub offering a comfortable place to relax with a beer or bite to eat. On the bar the real ales are mostly from Thwaites, however there are two guest pumps, one of which is always usually something interesting from a local brewery. The food menu is your usual reasonably priced pub grub plus the addition of a simple Czech food menu reflecting where the landlord is from! Get there: any bus to Sheffield Interchange or tram/train to rail station over the road. Old Workshop – Hick Street Bar in, as the name suggests, an old former workshop! Features a range of craft beer, premium spirits and occasional music events, in a laid back atmosphere. Get there: bus 7,8 or Shalesmoor tram stop (note – keg only bar, craft beers featured may or may not be real ale depending on range) Parrot Club – Burton Road, Neepsend Themed cocktail bar with a choice of bar or table service, local craft beers also available. Get there: Shalesmoor tram stop or bus 7, 8 Peddlers Market – Burton Road, Neepsend Takes place the first weekend of most months in an old warehouse and surrounding courtyards, featuring a craft beer bar with a different guest brewery each month and cask ale from the local Neepsend Brewery, numerous street food traders, makers stalls, music and more. Get there: Shalesmoor tram stop or bus 7, 8 Railway – Bramall Lane Classic pub opposite the football ground with three small rooms – one containing the bar, one a pool table and TV and one a lounge with classic video game tables – plus a beer garden out back. A choice of real ales and other craft beers feature on the bar, mostly from local breweries. Get there: bus 18,252 (further options nearby on London Road). Nearest tram stop Granville Road. Red Deer – Pitt Street Classic ex Tetleys pub popular with University staff that feels like a country pub in the heart of the City. Range of real ales and fresh food served, regular events including quiz nights and music, small beer patio at rear. Get there: West Street tram stop, various buses. Red Lion – Charles Street Traditional multi room pub with snug and conservatory, pool table and lunchtime food. Get there: buses to Arundel Gate, Castle Square or Sheffield Station tram stop Riverside– Mowbray Street Bar owned by True North Brewery offering their beers plus guests and food is available. As the name implies, there is also an extensive outdoor drinking area overlooking the river Don. Get there: bus 7,8,83,83a,95,95a. Nearest tram stops: Shalesmoor or Fitzalan Square. Roebuck – Arundel Gate A fairly traditional pub located in the heart of the City Centre with real ale and food. Get there: any bus to Arundel Gate. Nearest tram stops: Castle Square or City Hall. Royal Standard– St Mary’s Road simple local with reasonably priced real ales, bar snacks and pool table that loves its rock and roll – regular live music events feature. Get there: bus 1,11,11a,24,25 or Granville Road tram stop. Rutland Arms – Brown Street Classic traditional street corner boozer that has been around the Sheffield real ale scene for years, however look beyond the heritage building and the interior that is a bit scruffy around the edges there is a little bit of a modern punk attitude – the pub offers a great range of real ales, some quite interesting craft beers on the keg lines, bistro standard fresh food cooking (as well as chip butties) from the kitchen and an extensive selection of top shelf spirits. They also have a beer garden. Keep an eye on their social media for special events planned including tap takeovers and themed parties. Get there – buses to Brown Street or Arundel Gate, nearest tram stop Sheffield Station. Saw Grinders Union – Shalesmoor Smart but relaxed bar & dining room. 2 cask ales available on handpump plus a range of craft beers from their keg wall. Get there: Shalesmoor tram stop Shakespeares – Gibralter Street One of those old places that has been around for years and dates back to the days of being a coaching inn with stables at the back for the horse and carriage, it only really became noteworthy from a beer point of view in recent years since becoming independently owned and operated. The interior is a basic ale house style with several rooms on the ground floor plus a live music room and games room upstairs. The bar offers an extensive range of craft beers on cask and keg served by knowledgeable staff, they also boast quite an extensive top shelf spirit choice. Get there: bus 57,81,82. Nearest tram stops Cathedral or Shalesmoor. Sheffield Brewery Company – Burton Road The brewery is located in the former Blanco Polish factory, which supplied the British troops in World War Two. Beer has been brewed here since 2006, on kit arranged on the traditional tower principle. For quite a few years the output was mainly traditional session beers, however the range has become more varied and modern in recent times. The bar in the brewery was rescued from a student halls of residence that has since been demolished and fits in style with the Victorian building. It opens to the public most Fridays and Saturdays Get there: bus 7,8. Nearest tram stop Shalesmoor.  Sheffield Tap – Sheaf Street The Tap is located on platform 1b of Sheffield Station in a building that was previously a derelict storage area – although long before that it was the old first class refreshment rooms, buffet and station masters accommodation. It has all been restored and opened as a craft beer bar with its own brewery – Tapped Brew Co. Get there: tram or train to Sheffield Station, any bus to Sheffield Interchange. Ship Inn– Shalesmoor Classic pub with a choice of beers that won an award for its recent refurbishment. Get there: Shalesmoor tram stop is across the road. Showroom Cafe Bar – Paternoster Row Part of the independent cinema complex, this is a large single room with some art deco features. Get there: Sheffield Station (train and tram) & Sheffield bus Interchange is just around the corner. Stew & Oyster – Green Lane New build pub/restaurant with real ales, named after the focus of the simple food menu! Get there: Shalesmoor tram stop or buses 57,81,82,86 Three Cranes – Queen Street Two room pub of a very traditional style, unchanged in years. One of the rooms has a pool table, the other regularly hosts entertainment, usually karaoke or a disco. Atmosphere fun, friendly and very much down to earth. Real ale reintroduced relatively recently, usually a choice of two. Get there: Castle Square tram stop or buses 81, 82,83, 83a,88 Three Tuns – Silver Street Head Fairly unique wedge shaped pub building, traditional and comfortable interior with friendly bar service and a choice of classic ales and basic bar food. Get there: Cathedral tram stop Triple Point Brewery + Bar – Shoreham Street Brewery and bar in converted carpet showroom. Enjoy a range of cask and keg beers brewed on site plus the occasional guest beer. Many of the beers tend to be classic English or European styles with a subtle twist. The bar is also home to the Twisted Burger Company. Get there: buses 1,11,11a,24,25. Nearest tram stop is Granville Road. University Arms – Brook Hill Formerly the University staff club, this slightly gothic looking building is now a pub open to all offering a timeless environment to enjoy beer and food inside and a proper beer garden outside.It also has a number of function rooms upstairs well used by University societies. Get there: University of Sheffield tram stop or buses 51,52,52a Washington – Fitzwilliam Street Traditional pub building with imposing doorway and two rooms – one a comfy lounge, the other more basic seating/tables with DJ box, dance floor and stage. The pub is very music orientated with DJ and live music nights and a decent soundtrack the rest of the time. The pub also has a great outdoor drinking area. Up to 6 real ales are available – 3 national brands plus Abbeydale Moonshine on the regular pumps then two guest pumps, one of which normally has something from Black Iris brewery. Open until 2 or 3am most nights. Get there: West Street tram stop, buses to Moorfoot or West Street. Waterworks (JD Wetherspoon) Originally converted from offices into a bar as a Lloyds No1 venue, this has since become a Wetherspoons pub with the usual reasonably priced ales and chain pub food menu that you come to expect. Get there: City Hall tram stop Wellington – Henry Street Old fashioned two room pub next to Shalesmoor tram stop operated by Neepsend Brewery featuring craft beer on cask and keg from their range plus guests. The kind of pub where you sit and enjoy quiet conversation or read the paper. Beer garden also available. Get there: Shalesmoor tram stop. Wick at Both Ends – West Street Bar that opens until late most nights and probably best known for lemon drizzle shots and DJs, however a couple of real ales are normally available. Get there: West Street tram stop Yates – Cambridge Street A chain that probably needs no introduction. By day it operates as a pub with reasonably priced beer, basic pub food menu and sports news on the TV whilst at night it becomes a party venue with a DJ playing mainly latest pop hits (and I now feel really old writing those words). Get there: City Hall tram stop or any bus to West Street or Pinstone Street/Leopold Street Yellow Arch – Burton Road Events compex with courtyard, club room and cafe bar. When there are no events the bar is open to all. There aren’t any obvious beer pumps, check blackboard or ask staff for availability. Get there: bus 7,8 or Shalesmoor tram stop. Yorkshireman – Burgess Street A small, long established pub behind the John Lewis store that is rock through and through. Rumour has it the coffin in the doorway is for those that upset the bouncer. Open until 4:30am at the weekend with a rock DJ. Doing a Public Transport crawl? The Blue route tram and the 7 & 8 bus are your key services. All serve Granville Road tram stop and the buses stop outside the New Barrack Tavern, whilst the Bamforth Street tram stop is just a few minutes walk away – so you can do a figure of 8 route, one way by tram and the other by bus.

At the end of July the Kelham Island Tavern had a full cellar refit which included a complete replacements of all the beer line and hand pumps. As well as the addition of more keg lines which means they now have four rotating keg taps featuring the top end of UK brewing, including at least one sour and a couple of IPAs. But not to worry there is still 13 hand pumps showcasing a  great range of cask beers of all styles, from both top local breweries including Blue Bee and great beers from around the country. On cask a mild, stout and porter all still feature alongside strong beers, IPAs, pales ales, bitters and speciality beers.

The newest addition to Dronfield’s bar scene opens on 18th September. Underdog is a free house on Dronfield Bottom, next door to the Dronfield Arms, Beer Stop and White Swan and just a few minutes walk from the station. It is the premises previously occupied by Smiffy’s, which has undergone a refurbishment by local tradesmen giving it a modern look with exposed brick and steelwork. Continuing with the local theme, all the staff are from the Dronfield area and local suppliers are being used where possible. On the beer front, Underdog will feature a range of 5 cask and 21 keg taps with Triplepoint Brewery in Sheffield supplying the house beer. The bar also boasts an extensive gin list, with the house pours provided by Derbyshire Distillery, plus of course other fine wines and spirits! Meat and Cheese sharing boards will be available Thursday to Sunday to provide nice nibbles to accompany your drinks. Special events are planned including beer, wine, port, gin, rum and whisky tastings with small plates paired with the drink, there are also likely to be tap takeovers and trips to visit the breweries involved! Like with many craft beer venues, a nice line in merchandise is also planned for their fans…!  

Ecclesall Road’s Portland House has a new look! Portland House was opened in February 2015 by Welbeck Abbey Brewery. In December 2017 it was taken over by industry novice Lance Worthington. A Photographer and Designer, Lance learned the trade in a New York bar and has applied his design flare and customer service skills to transform the bar to what it is now. With a completely new look and feel and an exciting new stock and cellar, Portland House now has one of the most exciting ranges in the area. Recently verified by Untapped, Portland House has 6 constantly rotating cask ales and 9 kegs from local and national brewers. The bar also has over 40 gins, 10 rums, 10 whiskeys and a gorgeous wine list carefully selected in collaboration with StarmoreBoss wine merchants. The Drinks menu now has well over 100 drinks all poured to perfection by its welcoming staff. If you’ve not been down recently, go down and sample what’s on offer, enjoy the chilled vibe and relax in the company of our many regulars. The bar has outside seating where you can enjoy the oddity of Ecclesall Road and room inside for over 50 guests. Portland House wants to be Sheffield’s favourite micro bar and regularly host parties for guests that all are welcome to enjoy. Plus, if you’re in from 4pm to 7pm Monday – Thursday, the Early Bird session has 20% off everything. PH is located between the Nursery Tavern and Uncle Sam’s. See you down there.

Working in a classroom can be enough to turn even the most dedicated of teachers to drink, but a former languages tutor has tapped into his love of the continent and craft beer to breathe a new lease of life into a former Rotherham-based DIY shop after tapping into help from alternative lending provider Finance For Enterprise.

After spending time working as a teacher, Simon Evans called time on life in the classroom, in favour of following a lifelong dream of running his own micropub.  Simon first developed an interest in fine wines and independent breweries when he secured a job in an exclusive wine shop to pay his way as a student.

Encouraged by the success of Rotherham’s first micropub, the Wath Tap, when a former DIY shop, at the Stag Roundabout became available, the aspiring entrepreneur realised he had found the perfect premises for his new venture. Within just a few weeks, the empty shop had been transformed. Modelled on a French style bistro, featuring an eclectic range of furniture and six different hand pulled beers for customers to sample, the Dragon’s Tap fired into business. Such has been the popularity of the pub that it was crowned as Rotherham CAMRA’s Autumn Pub of the Season and has even secured a place in the Good Beer Guide.

Simon has been keen not to rest on his laurels either. Since opening the Dragon’s Tap he continued to invest in the premises, transforming the upstairs of the building into a live music venue, which is used regularly for private functions and he has continued to invest in expanding the range of drinks on offer to include an eye-watering selection of more than 60 gins, as well as a changing range of six real ales, four craft beers and ciders.

“Setting up the business was a leap of faith. It felt like I was on a bungee rope! But I knew that if the micropub was going to be viable, a cash injection was vital, enabling me to transform the empty shop into my dream pub. Many banks are reluctant to lend to new businesses with no proven trading history, and so I decided to contact Finance For Enterprise.  “Working with an investment manager, they have been incredibly supportive and without their help, I suspect I’d still be wondering ‘what if’.  Finance For Enterprise provides a range of tailored loans, aimed at helping SMEs throughout the Sheffield City Region and North East Lincolnshire. The company acts as a fund manager for the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund and Start Up Loans UK and provides business loans up to £250,000.