SHEFFIELD.

Another tasteful Wetherspoon conversion from, or course, a bank. The ceilings are high giving a spacious feel to the place. There are bars on two floors, both are long, which means service can be a little hit and miss. Each bar has a no smoking area which is nice, especially as it can get like a sardine tin on a Saturday night on all floors. There are many pillars on the ground floor and a disabled toilet. As part of the Wetherspoon package the food is good and great value, even during a Saturday night, the kitchen staff manage to get the meals out within 10  minutes. They also have lots of guest ales, on at the time were: Clarke's Burglar Bill, Shepherd Neame Spitfire, Vale Hells Bells, and Oakham JHB. Seating is a mixture of booths, open tables and standing posts. There are some books dotted around, but less than in most of the chain. No beer garden. There is a tram stop right outside the pub that takes you directly back to the station. No accommodation here.

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[tram]				11-11	12-10.30	View

This pub is just off West St near the university and near the Devonshire Cat, Red Deer, etc. It now serves up to 5 ales, but is not a hotel as such. You enter down a corridor to the central bar which really faces the room at the rear - oh yes, note the etched glass window in the frontage of the pub. This back room is tiled and reminds one of a 1950 estate pub with its fire - not used at present and tiled floor. Seating here is traditional saloon bar but more upmarket after its refurbishment and if you get to go in during the afternoon session midweek can take you back in time. The bar with overhang serves the ales without sparkler and there is a choice of other ales/drinks including a selection of whiskies. There is another no smoking room near the toilets which is plusher with bench seating and dark wooden tables and chairs/stools. This room and the pub itself retains its original air and is well worth a look as it is not far from the more usual haunts of real ale drinkers. Food is served weekday lunchtimes only 12-4. Worth a stop on a crawl, especially as it replaces the Hallamshire, which has now gone all bottle-fied. No accommodation here and access for the disabled is not really possible.

In the more industrial part of town and literally just after the Shalesmoor tram stop (you must press the request button early) A pink pub from the  outside there is only one small door to get in at the side, the others are for show only. Two rooms inside - one non-smoking and children are not allowed in there according to the sign on the door. The other room where the bar is situated has bench seats all the way round the wall with round tables and covered childrens school chairs (or so it seems), stools as well. Brown carpet. Note stain glass windows and old pictures of Sheffield on walls. No smoking room  is larger with real fire and large mirror over it. The pub dog Hollie is usually found here, very  friendly as is the pub cat Magus (note cat scratching door post on entrance door). More bench seating and round tables, stained glass windows. Access to the bar - wooden, no overhang - is through the main door at side and straight ahead. There are plenty of handpumps serving 8 guest ales including Ales of Kent Smugglers Glory, Oldershaws Highdyke. Oversized glasses are also used. There is also a guest crisp and baps are served at lunchtimes, no evening meals. An excellent pub with a friendly landlord who talks to his guests. Access for the disabled is not really possible, toilets are down a narrow corridor and there are steps/obstructions. No music. No accommodation here but try the IBIS Hotel by Ponds Forge tram stop, £42.95 a room or Harley Hotel by the university tram stop. The Port Mahon brewery is now based here, expect some of their brews on the bar.

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[tram]				Mon 5.30-11, Tue-Thu 12-2, 5.30-11, Fri/Sat 12-11	12-3; 7-10.30	View

The landlords of this pub have been here for some time now. In their time the pub has gained a popular reputation as a real ale haven on the northern outskirts of Sheffield. The clientele is largely local, but many other visitors take advantage of the handy bus and rail connections. due to the location of the pub, it gets many visitors from Barnsley and Rotherham. The commercial serves a good range of beers from the Wentworth Brewery with at least three Wentworth beers, WPA, Oatmeal Stout and Needle’s Eye, on offer at all times. These are joined by four rotating guest ales including seasonal and new Wentworth beers. The Commercial sells two real ciders, Addlestones and a changing guest, plus the German pilsner Bitburger and the popular Hoegaarden for those prefer a lager style. The central bar serves three separate drinking areas, including the no smoking - 1000+ pump clip adorned - snug. There is also a recently refurbished upstairs function room which holds up to sixty people for parties, meetings and the twice weekly (Mon/Fri) folk club. The Wentworth Brewery football team, sponsored by the Commercial, meets in the pub, as does the Chapeltown Diving Club. The Commercial offers a range of food from 12- 2.30 and 6-9 (all day Friday/Saturday), no meals Sundays. The curries, chilli and specials are usually home cooked with lots of vegetarian options and a new gluten free option on request. A popular feature of Saturday nights at the Commercial is the serving of Hot Roast Pork sandwiches at 10pm for the bargain price of £1.60. A beer festival is also held here.

An open plan pub this is one of the best pubs in Sheffield. It is right in the heart of student-land, so can get busy at ties - though how they afford the food prices I don't know. That aside, the pub serves up to 12 ales at a time alongside its own self titled bitter from Khelham Island. There is a lot of glass in here and you can even see the cellar. The ales range from local to very far afield and so you are always likely to get a good choice in here. Of course, if you prefer continental beers you will not be disappointed as they have up to 11 of these on draught and up to 100 bottles to choose from. The bar faces you to the left as you enter and is a 'J' shape as it curves round towards the food servery. With its overhang it can seem a little dense to penetrate, but the staff were perky and keen to help - offering samples if you want. They don't do sparklers here so you get a full pint which is nice. Prices are about 20p cheaper than down south, so there more to be had from your ale. Food is served until early evening and is traditional pub fayre with prices around the £6 mark - which is a bit steep for a burger and chips, but they say they make them themselves. Seating is at light varnished tables with chairs and some benches, all on a dark carpet in places. The front of the pub is glass and so a lot of light gets in and makes it airy, but also means there's no place to hide. Check out the gents toilets for the tiles, well worth a look. Access for the disabled is possible. Well worth a visit as part of a crawl or if you are in town for the snooker. A short walk takes you to the West St tram stop, but the station is a little further. No accommodation here.

A two-roomed pub with a small single bar in the room to the left of the entrance. You can also be served from the hatch in the corridor. The bar looks like one of those used by McMullen at beer festivals, all wood, self-contained with a low roof (you feel like you want to pick it up). 8 hand pumps (3 beers from the Kelham Island brewery, 2 from Lichfield, a Bateman and Taylors Landlord. A real cider (plus fruit wines) is also served direct from the barrel on the bar. Food is served here 12-2.30, 6-7.30 (not Sat or Sun evening),  plenty to choose from and a good vegetarian selection. Prices are cheap £2.50 for most dishes and the portions are a good size too. The bar room has a bench seat all the way round the wall with round tables and stools. At one end is a real tiled fireplace. On the walls are awards and pictures of pubs and breweries (Kimberly) high up. A corridor separates the bar from the other room which is larger. It also has a real fire and square tables and chairs. There is a beer garden out back of picnic tables and the brewery is next door with a river passing outside. Disabled access is not good, as access is narrow, though no steps (hillock in bar floor, very deceptive). Toilets are clean, note the pictures of other Sheffield pub toilets on the wall. They also have a no smoking section that children are allowed in. With no music its the perfect place for conversation. No accommodation here. Dogs welcome. Nearest tram stop is Shalesmoor. Website: Fat Cat

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[Tram]				12-3; 5.30-11pm (Fri/Sat 12-11)	12-3; 7-10.30	View

A Whitbread brew pub in the town centre, popular with students and close to fast food outlets.  A Large split level room with steps splits up the bar, though there are a profusion of hand pumps on each. Normally serves three guest ales, but hopes to increase this to four now that they have refurbished recently. They are also a brew pub which makes a beer that has a strength of around 11% ABV - they even give you a certificate if you drink some of it. The beers are made from malt extract and kept in casks. Friendly staff serve you food at lunchtimes only. They also serve a traditional cider. No beer garden here, though the furniture is of dark wood and so are the floors. Large shop windows on the opposite side of the picture. Just down the road from the Hallamshire Hotel and the tram which runs through the centre of Sheffield. Not good for the disabled on one level, toilets on another.
(Tram)

An out of the way pub this, but there is a bus to Chapletown that stops at the end of the road. Another way of putting it is that it's between The New Barrack Tavern and the Cast and Cutler, but check the map link below before setting out. From the outside the Gardeners Rest looks pretty innocuous, fitting in with the nature of the area - run down industrial. The area of Neepsend has seen many changes over the last 150 years - from a rural area of gardens and woods, devastated by the Sheffield Flood in 1864, to an area of heavy industry and housing through the 20th Century.  However, once inside you are faced with a modern and  light/airy pub that in a real drinkers den. This is the lounge bar and is smoke free. There are two bars, though the one on the left is so small, going with a group of friends packs it out. The larger and therefore more relaxed bar is the main bar on the right of the entrance. In here you will find a mixture of seating from tables and chairs to a booth. You can also find the bar billiards table here. On the walls is the local art space where varied exhibitions are.

The bar is quite long, leading towards the door to the patio (see picture). On the bar you will always find the range of Timmy Taylor's beers, plus two other guest ales from a featured brewery. For those of you into foreign lager they  do two draught Belgian beers. The addition of a conservatory has added more seating space and added light to the pub. There are light wooden tables and chairs here - but it can get cold in winter. Next to the conservatory is a proper outside beer garden with long benches and tables, all in sight of the river Don. The Gardeners also has regular events such as music on Thursdays and a quiz on Sundays. No accommodation here or food, but try The New Barrack Tavern for both. Access for the disabled is possible.

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[Tram]				Mon-Thu 3-11; 12-11 Fri/Sat	12-10.30	View

The exterior of this pub is truly wonderful, covered as is it with tiles and flower baskets. Very much a young males pub, it has a sports theme and shows the scores as they happen and during major sporting events is decked out with the shirts of the teams involved. This can lead to some outrageous behaviour. While I was there two lads came in and took their clothes off - willies were wagging. Back to the pub, it has a high ceiling and three distinct drinking areas. The first is situated to the left as you enter and is the more civilized area with little sports memorabilia. There is a fireplace here but it's not used as such. The walls are decked out (as are the rest of the pub) with bits and bobs that seem to be in every pub of this type these days (old bags of flour, horns off old cars, etc). The main room with the bar is open planned with lots of floor space for the Saturday night crush. The long bar serves up to 4 real ales and Titantic Triple Screw, Oldershaws Blonde and Bateman's Twin Towers plus one other were on at the time of visit. All were served OK, though the bar staff were not the best. The smaller room is where the big screen is as is the pool table. Flooring throughout is wooden and the tables and chairs and some benches are all dark stained wood and square. A small area by the phone at the side of the bar is a 'quiet' spot if you need one. Food is available, but not after 6.30 Sat. It's the same menu as the Inn Business range and is unimaginative. Vegetarian choices are severely limited. Prices vary from £2.45 for sandwiches to £5.20 for a main meal. A fake wooden ceiling! Access for the disabled is possible, but toilets are narrow.  No accommodation here.
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A Tap and Spile which like all the rest in the chain has gone downhill of late. Now taking their beers from the larger brewers it has little beer of choice to sample. On this occasion it was Fullers London Pride and Taylors Landlord (Stones was also  available). An all pine pub including floor, furniture and fittings including some walls. Lots of games machines for local students as the university is close. There is also Sky TV for sport and a  pool table. Very much an open planned pub to maximise bodies and not comfort. A ramp for the disabled allows access to most areas of the pub except the slightly raised drinking area in the bow of the pub (see picture above). A disabled toilet is also provided. Children are allowed at suitable times, usually where food is being served 12-7pm. Expect sparklers on pumps and lots of young people. Thursday is quiz night. Accommodation is available in the hotel attached (see right of picture above). Outside seating is on patio with picnic benches.

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[Tram]				12-11pm	12-10.30	View

A recent addition to Sheffield's Northern drinking area, this predominantly green pub looks pretty plain from the outside, but the marble entrance says the inside will not be. Inside it has a modern feel rather like the Harley which is on the same tram line but closer to town. The pub is only open from Thursday (4.30pm) to Sunday although the hotel part is open all week, but no beer is available then. There are two distinctive rooms with the bar on the right as you enter. Seating is all pine (some with string cord) and light wood with a mixture of round and square tables of all sizes. In the second room (no smoking) there is a simple round table with church inspired chairs here, plus a dresser. There is also a screen splitting the room so that at the far end by the beer garden, where there is a large bay window padded bench, you can watch the sport on TV. A real fire here provides heat in the winter and you can read the news reports of the pub which are in frames on the otherwise plain walls. The bar has six handpumps, on at the time were Outlaw Tap, Glentworth Whispers and Lightyear, Woodfordes No4 and Durham Prior Ale. All were well kept and served with or without sparkler. Out back there is a beer garden which requires the negotiation of steps to the patio level. It  overlooks the dry ski slop on the opposite hillside. Access to the bar is good for the disabled with double entrance doors, though beer garden and toilets will pose a problem. Food is served here when open and looks good with plenty of selection for vegetarians or otherwise. Prices are higher than some of the larger chains selling 'cheap' food, but the quality is good here. There is accommodation here, £30 a single and from £49.95 a double. Accommodation is available all week. Well worth a visit if you are also stopping off at the Cask and Cutler. Now with its own brewery in the basement. Pop along and try a pint from the new Crown Brewery. Occasional beer festivals.

From the outside you would think it large inside, but instead you find a small drinking area on the level from the alley where the front entrance is (see photo to right). Here there is disabled access and a disabled toilet. The bar area is small and could be difficult to negotiate with a wheelchair. The decor is all stained light wood including the floor, square tables and chairs and the bar itself. The long bar serves up to three guest ales, not all difficult to  find ones if you catch my drift? Situated in the front of the pub is a raised drinking are with a sofa  and a couple of places to lean against. At the back of the pub on a lower level is the bakery. That's right, there is a bakery/pastry shop that sells sandwiches and baguettes and cakes to the shoppers in the open mall to the rear (see photo left). The pub also opens early for coffee (9am) and food is served at most times until 9pm. The menu is standard for the Hogshead outlets, but is wholesome, if a little samey everywhere you go. The pub is situated off the main thoroughfare, but is close to the City Hall/Cathedral tram stops. In the summer you can sit out back and watch the shoppers go about their business.

This is a 'new' pub in town not far from the Fat Cat - in fact just round the corner in the same industrial district. Can get busy at lunchtimes with workers frequenting to get there fix to get through the afternoon. The Kelham Island Tavern serves up to ten real ales on handpump from a smart new dark wood bar slightly to the left on entrance. All the fixtures and fitting are new here and at present it looks and feels like it. There is a small seating area to the left of entrance in the front window. Tables are small round ones with stools/chairs/bench. There is also a fireplace here, but we were not sure it was a real fire a this was a warm spring day and it was not  major draw for the eyes. The beers were all served well with or without sparkler in oversized glasses so you got a real pint/half. The range was a mixture of local brews (Abbeydale, Kelham Island and Crown) with a few from further afield. To the right of the bar there is another window seating area much like the first, but we headed for the rear by the toilets where we saw a button backed leather sofa with a long table in front if it. This was a comfortable place to sit and talk. There is no food served here yet, though it might be added in the future. The pub also serves a range of continental beers and a traditional cider. Nearest tram stop is Shalesmoor. Disabled access is possible, though there is a narrow entrance and a small step.

A yellow/brown tiled exterior (looks drab and run down, but don't be put off), leads to a pleasant modern interior with three distinct drinking areas and no music, just good conversation. The first is the public bar with TV and is quite small for a public bar but is traditional - pub mirrors adorn the walls in all rooms. The New Barrack actually feels like a hotel with the bar where the reception should be. The bar itself is a large affair with heavy dark wood overhang and small serving hatch area. The second area is an open space with tables, benches  and stools around the edges of the room. The high ceiling makes the room feel airy, though it can get smoky here. There is a real fire  here to warm you in winter, though the selection of up to five real ales on will do the same. There were beers from Abbydale, Glentworth, Barnsley and others. All were well kept and the sparkler was removed without comments when asked for. The third room (a no smoking room) resembles a country kitchen in terms of furniture and colour (see picture), but is comfortable and it is especially useful to have the kitchen tables to eat off when you go for the food. Food is good and wholesome and is all homemade. Prices range from £4.25 - £7. There is a choice for the vegetarian (and not just lasagne), and children are catered for. There is no food here Saturday and Sunday evenings, but the Sunday lunch is a big filler, with of course the obligatory Yorkshire pudding. Out back is a small walled gravelled beer garden - the walls are the surrounding buildings and so not a lot of sun reaches here. Alas there are steps into the pub and so it is not good for the disabled. Having been runner-up in the CAMRA pub of the year competition, it may well yet win it with its friendly atmosphere and good choice of ales. Your nearest tram stop is on Bamforth Street which entails a little walk down the hill. Accommodation here.

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[Not Sat/Sun] [Tram]				12-11	12-10.30	View

Set behind West Street with its student bars, this is the place where discerning drinkers go from the offices around. A raised lounge at the rear is a comfortable setting for conversation and a tryst. While the more brightly lit main bar is ore traditional with space to stand and talk or sit if you wish. The ales on here tend to come form the main brewers, but there is a guest policy too. Food is served 12-7pm Mon-Friday, you might want to check at weekends. Also note the opening hours on Sunday. No accommodation here. A beer garden is available for the summer.

Another old pub in Sheffield only five minutes from the railway station that serves good real ales. Up to five are served at any one time. All ales are well kept and are a mixture of nationals and local ales. The pub also has a function room available for parties and meeting. They do a good buffet too. For the summer there is a beer garden with overgrown trellis. Ales were served with sparkler and a large head was still given without it. This might be an isolated case, so don't panic. Food is served here and is traditional but wholesome. Serving times are: 12-7.30pm Monday to Friday. Don't forget the Sunday lunch - a selection of roasts - from 12-3pm. It's not accessible by the disabled as there are steps. The accommodation here is comfortable and it is only minutes form the Crucible theatre.

Inside is a bit garish - others have called it "heavy metal styling". The walls are purple with a zebra and leopard skin pattern furnishings. There re also some murals at the far end of the games area. The Tut is a young persons pub and we mean that. Don't go in there if you have seen too many puddings. The real ales were Fullers and Boddingtons. No food at all. No good for the disabled really. Toilets need seeing to.

A former CAMRA Pub of the Month, this ale house serves up to three rotating guest ales. Not quite on the city centre circuit (see pubs above), but well worth the effort to find. Food is served 12-2 everyday and 6-8pm in the no smoking dining area, but not on Sunday's. Other attractions are free snooker on Monday's, quiz night Thursday with a free buffet. One non-attraction, depending on your bent, is the big screen TV. Getting there is possible via the busses - route 52 and 95.

Other Pubs to Try:

Carlton, 563 Attercliffe Road, Sheffield. 0114 244 3287. 5 real ales. Open Mon-Sat 11-11, Sun 7-10.30pm. Bus 52, 69, 130

The Cobden view, Cobden View Rd, Crooks, Sheffield, S10. 0114 266 1273. Deuchars IPA, Blck Sheep Bitter, Abbeydale Moonshine plus guest. No Food. Beer garden. Open Mon-Fri 4-11, Sat 12-11, Sun 12-10.30.

Fleur de Lys, Totley Hall Lane, Sheffield, S17 4AA. 0114 236 0707. Range of ales. Food: 12-2, 5-8 Mon-Sat & 12-3 Sun.

Royal Standard, 156 St Mary's Rd, Sheffield. Beers: Black Sheep, Ruddles, Greene King IPA. Food: 12-3pm. Open: 12-11pm (10.30 Sun). No Smoking Room, pool tables. 0114 2722883

The Ship Inn, 312 Shalesmoor, Sheffield, S3 8UL. 0114 281 2204. Beers: Kimberley Ales. Food: 12-2pm Monday to Friday.

The Swim Inn, 217-231 Glossop Road/West Street. Sheffield. (0114) 252 7640. Sheffield's latest Wetherspoon pub.

The Walkley Cottage Inn, 46 Bole Hill Rd, Sheffield, S6 5DD. 0114 234 4968. Landlord, Blck Sheep, Abbott Ale plus a guest. Food: served evenings.