retiredmartin

I left “Half a dozen pubs…” in a bit of limbo, giving you a blog’s worth of South Yorkshire WITHOUT Sheffield, and then forgot about it, or thought it was too difficult my new home to less than a dozen.

But at some point I need to move on to West Yorkshire, and Gwent, and Fife, so here goes;

This six might not even include my favourite Sheffield pubs, which today might include the Blind Monkey, Old Shoe and Alder.

But this is an easy walk, 4 miles or so, avoids those hills you old codgers don’t like much, and all of them have provided GREAT beer in the last year.

And, to make it really easy, it starts at the station.

Sheffield Tap

If I’m honest, the Tap can sometimes be too busy to enjoy, but if you can find a seat, particularly in the old dining room next to the brewery, it’s a gem.

And although the word “choice” is anathema to me, the quality is as good as people say it is (I still dream about that Anarchy beer), and you do seem to see people genuinely enjoying themselves,

though no doubt the CAMRA AGM next month will put a stop to that.

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Kelham Island Tavern

Ten minutes down the hill from the station (admire Park Hill flats behind you) brings you to two of the most famous ale houses in England.

I thought about leaving this one out to be contrary, but that would be like leaving the Crown Posada out of a Newcastle Top 10, and I genuinely reckon the KIT is more pubby than I remember it when it serially won the National Pub of the Year but I found it a bit “beer bore”.

Perhaps it’s the positive influence of an influx of young folk, students and post-student, that helps the Tavern feel like a pub rather than a beer festival.

Proper seating, great staff, and some of the best beer I’ve ever drunk,

notably the ones from the house brewery Blue Bee.

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Fat Cat

Just round the corner the Fat Cat used to have a very famous house beer, Pale Rider tasting like nectar in my first summer of life in Sheffield as Covid restrictions eased.

That might have made a lesser pub slip in my affections, but the beer range seems as top notch as ever,

for folk who care about that sort of thing, and the corner seat in the left hand bar is the best place in Kelham, and perhaps the world, for eavesdropping and eating.

Good as they are, hopefully those pork pies will be supplemented by the pie and peas and veg soon.

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Wellington

Five minutes to the edge of Kelham, next to a tram stop that probably won’t be of any use to you unless you’re heading to Hillsborough/Meadowhall/St Mars of the Desert Tap,

sits a pub I have described here more than once as “The Best Pub In The World“.

But before I discovered the more boisterous left-hand room, I thought it was a bit too quiet. Cosy, packed with ephemera, etc etc, but a bit too quiet.

And then I turned left, pint and £1 cob in hand,

(it’s a cob) and life began.

Bench seating, debates about Jethro Tull, and consistently the best beer in Sheffield.

Which is saying something.

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Quite a walk to our 5th pub, so walk through the city centre and admire the town hall and revitalisation of The Moor, and head towards Bramall Lane and the multicultural eateries of London Road.

The Albion

Stancil’s last pub in town, and you might just think this is Sheffield’s last unsung wet led boozer.

I love it all; the bench seats, the breweriana, the bargain pints, the Gents;

And this one photo (below) perhaps more than any captures the joy of 4:30pm Wednesday drinking in Sheffield.

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And then back to the station, stopping just before you get there for a pint in the Rutland.

Rutland Arms

Mind, get there after 4:30pm and you won’t get a seat.

Along with the KIT and the Shakespeare and Heist, this is the place for that unwise 11% imported Imperial Stout that makes you go,

“How much !”,

and if they’ve successfully replaced that last chef then this is the best pub food in town.

Well, apart from the £1 cobs in the Welly.