The Riverside, Kelham Island, Sheffield

This pub was the only one I visited on my day in Sheffield that could remotely be described as trendy. I would imagine it is a favourite with the residents of the modern blocks of flats that are replacing some of the old industrial wastelands in the area. It had some sort of a stage area that was being set up for music later that evening. Having said all that it is a nice enough place and there were some interesting beers on the seven handpumps including a cider, Great Newsome Corn Dolly, Liverpool Organic Honey Blond and three Sky's Edge beers. I went for the Riverside Pale which was in excellent nick. It was probably my least favourite of the pubs in this area but the standard is set so high that it doesn't mean it should be overlooked.

An unassuming Victorian building which plays host to a modern café bar interior. This was once owned by Wards' as the colourful leaded window motifs testify. One large room inside with a couple of semi-partitions and a mish-mash of modern/retro décor touches. Located by the river Don though not necessarily the prettiest of river-side views from the terrace. Seemingly aimed at the burgeoning student market nearby and the vibe is much younger here which acts as an counterpoint to the regular Valley of Beer ‘names’. At the bar there were a number of local ales plus some interesting premium keg. My White Rose Best Bitter was in fair condition. As a pub experience it didn’t do a huge amount for me but it’s worth popping in as part of an extended crawl or for something different; at least they’re trying to do something with the beer so fair play.

The Riverside official site - www.riversidesheffield.co.uk

The Riverside official site - www.riversidesheffield.co.uk

The Riverside Inn has more of a modern feel than a lot of the other pubs in the Kelham Island part of town and is aimed perhaps more at those who live in the student digs on the other side of the river. The pub has a broad L-shaped interior with dark wood flooring and half panelled walls which are painted a dark red above creating a warm ambiance. There’s a good mix of standard seating towards the front of the pub where a number of people were enjoying food, and big sofas and chairs at the rear, mainly clustered around the grand fireplace. I found it difficult to find a seat as there were quite a few tables reserved for diners on my early evening visit so I had to take my pint out to the pleasant riverside terrace, which has a number of benches and a sofa. A small room at the front of the pub with banquette seating and exposed brick walls was full of people watching football on the muted TV screen whilst a classic indie soundtrack played and added to the student vibe. There aren’t too many interesting features in the pub, but I did like the stained glass windows at the front of the room. The pub has a function room upstairs and I had a quick peek only to find it full of balloons, presumably in readiness for a private party that evening. I counted six ales on my visit – house brews Riverside Pale and Kraken Bitter plus Evil Genius, all from Brew Co, White Rose Best Bitter, Blue Bee Rugbee and Acorn Yorkshire Pride. My pint of evil Genius was lovely and shows that these guys know how to keep their beer, possibly meriting a GBG listing. Other options on the bar included Old Rosie Cloudy Scrumpy, Leffe, Belle Vue Kriek and Stowford Press Cider. As others have mentioned, the pub is well positioned to include on any crawl of the area’s best known pubs and it certainly doesn’t let itself down in such esteemed company. If the traditional ale house isn’t your thing, this is a great option for this part of town.