Sheffield is well known for its large number of pubs (Public Houses); from dark and Victorian to sleek and modern; and from traditional real-ale haven to noisy standing-room-only bar, you can easily find a pub in Sheffield to suit your taste in beer, music and company. However, most city-centre pubs are more oriented towards fast drinking students and clubbers; on West Street in particular (linking the university with the city centre) you will find many pubs and bars which during the week become busy with students and younger customers. Finding quieter pubs in which to sample something other than the usual chain-pub lager requires delving a little deeper beneath the surface.
A website which gives you in depth information about bars and clubs in Sheffield, in addition to events is
For the unimaginative, you'll find the usual Wetherspoons and All Bar One chain pubs, throughout the city centre serving cheap lager, hand-pulled ales and reasonably priced food in a smoke (and atmosphere) free environment.
Hybrid bar-pubs manage to maintain something of a pub atmosphere, and sell real ale at reasonable prices, while still pulling in the crowds. They are used as much by people who want a good range of beer at good prices, as by "yoofs" after a good night out. They are probably doing a good job of persuading at least some lager drinkers to switch to traditional ales.
The Washington on Fitzwilliam St nr Devonshire Green...great muso pub...used to be owned by Nick Banks from the band "Pulp"...Relaxed atmosphere...varied dj nights..open till 1AM every night except Sunday till midnight...large beer garden and smoking area at the back of the pub
The Frog & Parrot on Division Street offers the strongest legal ale in the UK, a dark syrupy mixture that is worth trying at least once.
The Devonshire Cat on Wellington Street, just south of Devonshire Green, offers the city's largest range of beers and ciders, including dozens of imported European beers. Also has 2 guest ciders on tap at all times. The city centre sister pub to the remoter Fat Cat on Kelham Island.
Porter Cottage Sharrowvale Roa. Indie jukebox, normal ales but amazing atmosphere. Landlady Mandy will know your life history by the time u leave. Get in early to get a decent table.
Sheffield Tap at Sheffield Train station offers a selection of beers that equal and possibly surpass that offered by the Devonshire Cat. Surroundings are thankfully lacking in the usually ubiquitous flat screen television. The only background music are the trains arriving and departing the station. The entrance is equally unpretentious so may be hard to find - its at the north end of the station near the pedestrian crossing to the bus station.
Sheffield's real gems are the handful of surviving traditional pubs and free houses, which generally have more room to sit down, quieter (or no) music, and real hand pumped ales.
The Brown Bear on Norfolk Street (close to the Sheffield Theatres and Winter Garden) offers what must be the cheapest beer in the city and an incredible mix of both theatre goers and local people.
The Red Deer on Pitt Street (just off Mappin Street), is another civilised dive with good range of beers, warming fireplaces, a small garden and friendly cats.
Fagans on Broad Lane is a cosy chintz-free Irish pub with regular live music.
The Grapes (Flynns) on Trippet Lane may offer impromptu Irish or Folk music in the back room.
The Bath Hotel on Victoria Street (just off West Street) is tiny, free of piped music and friendly.
The Sportsman on Denby Street is popular with local customers and will probably have some rock music on the jukebox.
There are more warm and welcoming traditional pubs in Sheffield's suburbs. North-west of the city centre, in Crookes and Walkley (popular with students as places to live) are:
The Hallamshire House on Commonside is reputedly the only pub in Sheffield still housing a full-sized snooker table.
The Walkley Cottage on Bole Hill Road is friendly with good range of beer and good food.
Noah's Ark on Crookes has a good atmosphere and mix of students and locals.
The Freedom House has two halves: a lively "pool table-and-lager" side, and a quieter "grandmothers's living room" side.
The Nottingham House or "The Notty" as it is better known has recently re-opened after an extensive refurbishment. Catering for locals,visitors and students alike, it really is a pub worth a visit. Home-made pies are a speciality and real ales are aplenty. Occasional live music on Thursday nights with acts from near and far. Pool table is very good value at 50p.
The Cobden View Situated on cobden view rd near crookes, this small and charming independent pub serves great local ales until approx. 1AM most nights, and is always bursting with atmosphere and friendly locals.
Real ale fans from great distances come to "do" the real ale trail of Sheffield's Upper Don Valley, a route stretching from near the city centre almost to Hillsborough. The trail calls at:
The Kelham Island Tavern has won best Pub in Britain from Camra
The Fat Cat, hidden away on Alma Street, also a great stop for Sunday lunch.
The Wellington (used to be known as Cask and Cutler) on Henry Street.
The Gardeners Rest on Neepsend Lane (recently re-opened following the great flood of 2007).
Hillsborough HotelA welcoming pub with a brewery underneath and hotel rooms above.
The New Barrack Tavern, A pub owned by Castle Rock and full of Character.
The Harlequin, The latest addition to The Ale Trail, more open plan and possibly less off putting to people who aren't used to real ale pubs than the others might seem.
The trail roughly parallels the tram route from the city centre to Hillsborough, so getting there and back is easy. All these pubs have a huge range of British draught real ales (some brewed by the pub) and most have a selection of bottle-conditioned beers from continental Europe (especially Belgium).
The Sheaf View on Gleadless Road is a real ale hotspot. Famous for serving the south side of Sheffield with the local breweries and other guest ales with knowledgeable bar staff. Has a reputation for friendly Sheffield folk to relax there after hiking and climbing in the peaks. So called because of possible view of the Sheaf River although now obstructed by newer buildings.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Sheffield
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Sheffield - updated May 2024
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Sheffield Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
