Category: Pubs

A couple of issues ago, we brought you the pubs of the Cultural Industries Quarter, and this month we have the comprehensive round-up of all the pubs in another of the city centre’s 11 quarters. As you have probably gathered from the name, the Cathedral Quarter is centred around the Cathedral Church of St Peter and St Paul, often simply known as Sheffield Cathedral. Previously just a parish church, it was elevated to cathedral status in 1914 and is one of only five Grade I listed buildings in the city. The real ale venues around this area are a microcosm of the pubs around Sheffield, with traditional locals sitting side-by-side with large chain pubs, restaurants and café bars. There is plenty of choice for discerning and casual drinkers alike, with beers to suit all tastes and budgets.

Church House

St James Street Well-known among Sheffield’s live music fans as a premier rock venue, this Star-owned pub is currently run by Andrew Delemere. The pub has recently undergone a complete refurbishment, including a new recording studio upstairs, and is set to re-open at the end of August. In recent times, there has been a definite move towards real ale with up to four now available at any time, a rotating local beer (often from Kelham Island Brewery) joining the three regulars from national brands.

Craft & Dough

Campo Lane As the name suggests, this restaurant specialises in pizza and craft beer and is popular with drinkers as well as diners. There are three changing real ales available alongside an extensive range of craft cans and bottles. As an added bonus, there is a very pleasant seating area in Paradise Square in which to enjoy them.

Three Tuns

Silver Street Head This peculiarly-shaped pub is full of character, with its myriad wooden and brass features and mixture of seating areas. Loved by real ale fans and nearby office workers alike, the Three Tuns offers up to six cask ales, often including a local brewery such as Blue Bee. The meals are also popular here – think traditional pub fare such as sandwiches, burgers and fish and chips. Of course, there is also a fantastic pub quiz every Thursday from 7pm.

Three Cranes Hotel

Queen Street This traditional pub with guest rooms has recently seen a change of management and unfortunately we have not been able to check in since the handover. Presumably the layout of the pub has not changed; the central horseshoe bar is the main feature, with a number of surrounding seating areas. On our last visit to the pub there were four working hand pumps.

Dove & Rainbow

Hartshead Square Like the Church House above, this pub is known for its affection for rock and alternative music and has either live music or a DJ set most evenings. However, this is a cosier, one-room affair and has a wider selection of real ales, with as many as six available. Kelham Island Easy Rider and Wychwood Hobgoblin are the regulars. There are also two Weston’s real ciders on offer, plus a generous 10% discount for CAMRA members on all real ales.

Bankers Draft

Market Place This large Wetherspoon pub is housed in a converted bank building and offers the chain’s popular combination of cheap beer and reasonably-priced food. On the real ale front, the three standard Wetherspoon regulars are joined by up to seven guest casks, although it is often fewer than this apart from during festival times. Look out for the Steel City Festival beer mats with this pub’s name on them!

Cavell’s Café Bar

High Street If you’re looking for a relaxed venue that takes great pride in both its food and drink offerings, Cavell’s offers both to a good standard. Two changing real ales are usually available at this family-run café bar, alongside a range of draught lagers and an extensive food menu which caters to all tastes.

The micropub revolution continues to change the face of beer drinking across the country, and Sheffield is no exception. Since the city’s first micropub – the Beer House on Ecclesall Road – opened in December 2014, a number of new venues have now joined the scene. In the last month alone there have been two micropubs opened in the Steel City, both of which serve real ale. Brewer & Hop (40 Wostenholm Road, S7 1LJ) is a classic micropub with a one-room layout dominated by the bar. Owned by husband and wife team, Lauren and Dom Seigies, the pub is located within the Dalbury & Palmer hotel complex. On our first visit there were three real ales on the bar: Sheffield Brewery’s Seven Hills and Five Rivers, as well as Sentinel SG. There was also a selection of traditional bottled ales, plus a lager and keg cider. According to the owners, there are plans to introduce a craft keg line in future. During the recent warm weather there has also been a number of outdoor tables to allow drinkers to enjoy their pints outdoors.

Just a 10-minute walk away, the Garden Room (287 Ecclesall Road, S11 8NX) is a café cum wine bar cum micropub located in the former Captain’s Cup coffee shop, opposite the Portland House. This is another husband and wife operation, with new owners Gary and Julie undertaking their first independent venture having previously been in charge at the Cock & Magpie in Chesterfield. On our visit, Thornbridge Jaipur and Castle Rock Harvest Pale were available on handpump, alongside a selection of keg beers. Meanwhile, just as we were going to print we received news that the keys had been handed over for the Chapeltown Tap House, a new micropub located in a railway arch opposite Chapeltown station. We look forward to visiting soon! Dominic Nelson

The Bull’s Head on Fulwood Road is now under new management, after landlady Heather Gamwells moved from the Springvale on Commonside earlier this year. A number of new events have been introduced, with band nights and DJ nights taking place every Friday and Saturday respectively. Also starting on 4 September from 12-3pm is a series of friendship lunches which will feature a set two course meal for £6 with a live singer. These will be held every two weeks. Heather’s famous Sunday lunches are back too and are bigger and better than ever, while there are also fish and chip Fridays and a new-look menu set to be introduced in September alongside the current pizza offerings. On the bar you will find Abbeydale Moonshine, Bradfield Farmers Blonde, Timothy Taylor Landlord and Sharp’s Doom Bar, plus a guest ale. The pub is open from 11am every day and closes at 11pm Sunday to Thursday, midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

The pretty little village of Bradwell lies on the edge of the Hope Valley, a short detour off the road to Hope and Castleton. The community holds a carnival every year, with this year’s taking place on 4 August. To coincide with this we have put together this short guide to the pubs of Bradwell. Despite its small size, Bradwell is home to a number of good pubs serving quality real ale. Intrepid Brewing is also based in the neighbouring hamlet of Brough so there is certainly a fine beer heritage in the area. Bradwell is well-known for its ice cream company too, so if the weather’s as warm as it’s been recently why not try a scoop or two with your pint? The village is well served by buses from Sheffield, with the 271 and 272 calling several times a day into the late evening, even on Sundays. Hope railway station is also a walkable distance away and is served by regular direct services from the city.

Samuel Fox

Stretfield Road Completely renovated a few years ago, this light and airy inn formerly known as the New Bath Hotel is now named for one of Bradwell’s most successful sons, a 19^th-century industrialist who invented a new type of umbrella frame. The attached restaurant features good home cooked food to 2-star AA rosette standard and has an extensive wine list. On the bar you will find three handpumps; two featuring guest ales from local breweries and another offering a traditional cider.

Olde Bowling Green Inn

Smalldale Currently one of our District Pub of the Season nominees, this historic inn dating back to 1577 is full of character with its maze-like interior, low wooden beams, brass ornaments and real fires. The pub is very popular with ramblers and welcomes dogs, and there is also a large beer garden which is perfect for summer. You will find up to four real ales on offer here – the regular, Tetley’s Bitter, plus a selection of guest ales. There is a pub quiz with free food and a cash prize on Tuesday evening.

White Hart

Towngate Exposed low beams and stone walls lend a rustic feel to this quiet relaxed village local, dating from 1676 and just uphill from the village green. A popular community pub offering a very diverse range of entertainments, complemented by a choice of three locally brewed real ales and excellent food. Like the other pubs in the village, it is popular with walkers and their dogs alike. The pub holds a pub quiz on Wednesday evenings, when all cask ales are priced at a very reasonable £3.00 per pint.

Shoulder of Mutton

Church Street Like many of the pubs in the area, the Shoulder of Mutton is food-led nowadays but is still very welcoming to drinkers. There are three handpumps; Tetley’s Bitter and Sharp’s Doom Bar are the regulars, plus a changing guest ale. A spacious interior includes two large open plan areas either side of the bar, one area a comfortable lounge, and the other a tap room including a dartboard and pool table. The food on offer is traditional pub fare, with a roast dinner on Sundays, all at reasonable prices. On Sunday evening there is a pub quiz with free supper and bingo.

AASheffield’s Cultural Industries Quarter is one of 11 designated city centre quarters designtaed by Sheffield City Council, each with its own distinctive characteristics. A roughly triangular area just to the southwest of the city centre bounded by Eyre Street, Howard Street, Suffolk Road and St Mary’s Road, its name was chosen in 1981 as part of a council initiative to attract new businesses to the run-down former factories that typified these streets. Nowadays the area has a new lease of life, with over 300 companies based there, plus a host of shops, cafés, flats and of course, pubs. There are currently seven venues within the Cultural Industries Quarter offering real ale, some more well-known than others. From beer-lovers’ meccas to cheap student favourites, the diverse pubs in the area offer something for everyone.

Showroom

15 Paternoster Row, S1 2BX This bar attached to the Showroom Cinema offers a much better pre-film drinking exprience than many cinemas, with a good range of locally-produced drinks available. There are up to two real ales on offer at any time, the regular Buxton Axe Edge plus a guest. The bar is also open to the non-film-watching public.

Howard

57 Howard St, S1 2LW This Marston’s-owned pub with its distinctive mock-Tudor frontage underwent extensive refurbishment a couple of years ago, giving the pub a more modern look and feel inside and out. There are four handpumps on the bar offering a range of real ales from the Marston’s list which are usually pretty well-kept but a little safe. Recently got a whole new food menu featuring the usual pub meals such as burgers and small plates.

Globe

54 Howard St, S1 2LX Very popular with students from Sheffield Hallam University next door, the Globe definitely isn’t known as a real ale pub but does nevertheless offer three cask beers, which often include something local from either Bradfield or Thornbridge. Sports lovers will find a big screen showing all the big matches, plus there’s a food range full of standard pub fare.

Red Lion

109 Charles St, S1 2ND A 19th century inn, once a ‘Palace of Varieties’ (with evidence on the walls) that retains some rare historical features. It now draws a varied crowd, including the more discerning students and staff from the nearby university.

Rutland Arms

86 Brown St, S1 2BS A pub that needs little introduction to Sheffield’s beer fanatics, the Rutland is known for its excellent range of cask and keg beers, delicious food, distinctive exterior and vibrant atmosphere. Following a recent bar upgrade, there are now seven handpumps installed; Blue Bee Reet Pale is the only regular, and guest ales usually include an interesting mix of smaller breweries from the local region and further afield. The keg lines offer an eclectic mix of big-name craft brewers and some rarer beers, with tap takeovers and themed evenings a regular occurence. It can sometimes feel a little cramped inside (some might say cosy!) but fortunately there’s a lovely beer garden out the back, weather permitting of course.

Lord Nelson

166 Arundel St, S1 4RE A long-time favourite of Sheffield United fans on their way to Bramall Lane, if it’s a quiet pint you’re after then it’s probably wise to check the Blades’ fixture list beforehand. Featuring a simple layout with three seating areas surrounding a central bar, this small corner pub offers up to four real ales.

Sentinel Brewhouse

178 Shoreham St, S1 4SQ This carpet showroom turned brewhouse opened in June 2016 and has been offering a range of cask ale and craft keg beers ever since. On our last visit, there were six handpumps in use, half featuring the brewery’s own beers and half guests from mainly Yorkshire breweries. There has to be something said for drinking fresh beer in the same building it was brewed in, and the clean and comfortable surroundings offer some shelter from the busy road outside. As well as the ale, there’s also a decent food offering and regular themed nights with food and beer pairings.