Top 3 pubs in Sheffield

Haha.. just no...

 

Long term Leeds resident and former long term Sheffield resident here, and that's way, way off the mark.

 

Leeds certainly has a better range of bars but we're doing badly for traditional pubs in comparison to Sheffield. Let's see:

 

Whitelocks 5*

The Adelphi 4*

The Grove 5*

The Angel 5*

The Templar 4*

The Garden Gate 4*

The Chemic 5*

The Red Lion 4*

The Eagle Tavern (even then not even that great) 3*

The Fenton - student pub 4*

The Pack Horse - student pub 4*

...The Cross Keys...possibly 4*

 

Nearly all the rest on offer are generic 3* pubs, or worse.

 

I already named 12 5* quality traditional pubs in Sheffield above.

Don't really want to <removed> on your bonfire, but in your previous post where you refer to all 12 5* pubs in Sheffield then quite a few of them are not really in the centre (taking the Blake and White Lion just as examples). If you move a simialr distance out of Leeds you will find far more decent traditional pubs than those you listed above. Plus you seem to have missed a surprising amount of traditional pubs in the centre of Leeds that are quality - like Mr Foleys for example. But of course how good each will be is very much in the eye of the beholder.

Personally I don't go into a city centre for a 'traditional pub' as I can get them out in the sticks - I'd rather go to somewhere a bit different. Let's say the Turks Head rather than Whitelocks in Leeds by way of com parision (two rather different halves of the same bar for those who don't know). But again that's just me.

As also a long term resident of both cities (and now happily stationed between the two so I can take my choice of where to go) I have to agree that Leeds completely trounces Sheffield on virtually every front you care to mention. But then it would, as it has actually had investment over the last ten years or so, which Sheffield hasn't. Hopefully things will improve when this new 'Heart of the City' project is finishing. There are certainly early signs that it will.

The trouble with moving the goalposts is that great clunking sound it makes that attracts everyone's attention

If you prefer not going to traditional pubs in the city centre then that's your call but it has nothing to do with what is being discussed.

Likewise, the choice isn't simply between traditional country pubs and bars as you've framed, there are many in betweens. The luncheon bar Whitelocks you would never find in the sticks, likewise the various Victorian era city pubs dotted about. They all have their own atmosphere and it isn't a binary choice.

Sheffield is considerably better for pubs and real ale while Leeds is better for bars, cocktails and craft beer, but at a push you could do one in the other. Uncontroversial opinion I'd have thought.

Yeah, we`re certainly not short of spots for a nice pint in and around our city; if only weekends were a little longer! At the moment, the top three are pretty easy to choose but after then there`s plenty of choice, easily 20 decent boozers with tidy beer.

The best would be my local-the Red Grouse at Stockbridge.

2nd best-the Nail Makers arms at Norton. The oldest purpose built pub in Sheffield.

3rd best-The Albert top of Cambridge St, Long gone but not forgotten.

Difficult one this...

Depends what you go to a pub for? Food? Drink? Ambience? Convenience? Sport? Conversation?

I mainly go for really good beer. And I have a strong preference for cask over keg. I also have a strong preference for small independent brewery or micro-brew type beers, rather than the mass-produced rubbish that appears on the bar of almost every pub in the country now, such as Black Sheep and London Pride and Taylor's Landlord and Sharp's Doom Bar and all that malarkey.

I also like strong beer. I won't waste my time drinking weak stuff because I only usually have 2 pints maximum - and I don't want one of those to be below 5%. In fact, I'd much rather be drinking 6% and upwards, there's so much more taste and flavour in the stronger beers imo.

All this rather limits ones choice in Sheffield. Although I must say that Sheffield is miles ahead of most other places in this regard. Try working down south, in Oxfordshire or Berks or Bucks, which is where I find myself quite regularly, it makes me realise just how good Sheffield is for real ale.

So, my choices would be as follows:

Sheaf View: because there's almost always a good strong IPA to be had in there.

Kelham Island Tavern: For similar reasons - in fact they do have some unusual stuff in there. A few weeks ago they had a passion fruit flavoured IPA at 8.2% - absolutely amazing!

Beer Engine: But I find it really hit and miss. Great selection of keg beers and bottles, but can't rely on them to have a strong beer on cask on a regular basis. And they'll do stupid things like the other week, having 3 coffee flavoured beers on at the same time but no strong IPA on cask. When they get it right, it's great, but I just think they need a bit more focus on offering a range of strengths and styles and pump rotation of the same. For example, me and a few mates like our strong cask beer. We won't go in the Beer Engine today because we know there won't be one on offer - they take it off when it's a match day and replace it with Neepsend Blonde instead. (Which is a decent beer, but light in strength).

Of others, of which there are many, I think the Shakespeare does probably have the most eclectic beer range in the city - and that's something I really like about it - but I just can't stand the scruffy, depressing feel of the place.