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Beer of the Week (w/e 15th June 2025) with Tris39
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Bankers Draft (JD Wetherspoon), Sheffield
Sheffield
S1 2GH
Pub Type
J D WetherspoonReviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Strongers . left this review about The Bankers Draft (JD Wetherspoon)
The Bankers Draft is a large Wetherspoons over two floors, unsurprisingly, in a converted bank. There are high tables under the front windows and there’s a mix of standard and high tables up the carpeted right to the rear. The balcony of the large mezzanine overlooks the entrance and front seating. The serving counter runs from mid-way along the left-hand wall to the rear and a flight of stairs to the right leads up to the aforementioned mezzanine where open plan standard seating is faced by a counter up the left, which is above the one downstairs. There are 14 hand pumps across the two bars, the usual three were available alongside Canada’s Central City Brewer’s Red Racer, Massachusetts, Salem Brew Co’s Session IPA, Titanic’s Saphire Spoon, Exmoor’s Phoenix, Brewster’s Saing By and Tennessee’s Yazoo Brewing’s All Dog Alert Oatmeal Stout. I went for the Red Racer which was OK, but not sure I’d order it again. This pub is as good as it’s going to get in a city centre Spoons.
On 16th November 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 6133 recommendations about 6099 pubs]
Pub SignMan left this review about The Bankers Draft (JD Wetherspoon)
As the name suggests, this is a large bank converted Wetherspoons pub with a prime location on Castle Square. You enter into a very large front seating space with high tables and stools around the perimeter, tables and chairs through the middle and plenty of standing room to the front. The space is carpeted and has a double height ceiling, as a mezzanine further back overlooks this part of the pub. The servery is midway down the left-hand wall and has a typical dark wood counter and uninteresting bar back. Plenty more high tables and stools fill the space opposite before giving way to tables and chairs and some comfier options in the rear part of the pub. Low wood panelling with neutral shaded uppers can be found throughout, along with old portraits and black and white photos of the bank on the walls, slot machines in every available nook and a fair few TV screens showing muted Wimbledon coverage. Stairs lead up to the aforementioned mezzanine where loads of extra seating can be found with some decent views across Castle Square to the front and the courtyard at the rear of the pub. This is essentially a small patio seating area which acts as a de facto beer garden and allows you to approach the pub from both sides.
The three regular ales were all present and correct, but there were also five guests, from which I chose a pint of Thornbridge Jaipur at a very reasonable £3.05. My mid-week, post lunchtime visit found the staff flagging a bit and not exactly at their friendliest whilst the customers seemed a bit nuts - this is clearly one of those 'Spoons that attracts a few 'characters'.
I visited this pub many years ago on my first visit to the city and remember it as a smart, well laid out pub with a good atmosphere, but I found a very different place this time, with a less comfortable feel and an edgy atmosphere. The beer is probably the main draw here and even that pales compared to some of the great ale houses that can be found within a relatively short distance. It's not a bad 'Spoons as such, but in a city with so many great pubs, it doesn't do enough to merit repeat visits.
Date of visit - 9th July 2024
On 31st October 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3361 recommendations about 3361 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
BRUMMIE STEVE left this review about The Bankers Draft (JD Wetherspoon)
A really depressing Wetherspoons full of typical spoons clientele, went in on a Friday afternoon for some food as my hotel was just a five minute walk from here. Two level's found a table upstairs, you no what your gonna get with the food in Wetherspoons, you cant knock it that's why I went there but after my meal and a drink I left, how'ever later that evening I did go back in for a quick G&T on my way back to my hotel and found it even more depressing.
On 20th February 2024
- rating: 3
[User has posted 19 recommendations about 19 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Bankers Draft (JD Wetherspoon)
An average sort of city centre Spoons in a great building but feeling a bit cluttered inside, at least on the downstairs level. I know that guest ales can be disappointingly bland and boring but there is the other extreme: having only a vanilla stout, a chocolate stout and a raspberry wheat beer is pretty extreme (even if I like them all!). Perhaps there were more upstairs. They seemed to be in good condition though and the place is a good choice if you are in that part of the centre.
On 16th August 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3680 recommendations about 3615 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Bankers Draft (JD Wetherspoon)
First revisit to this very large bank-conversion 'spoons for ten years, but little appears to have changed in the multiple seating areas spread across two floors. Eight handpumps in the main bar, plus six more upstairs, when I visited last time but I neglected to note whether this was still the case. reasonable choice of real ales, but I just had a quick Milestone Fletcher's Ale (£1.25, half) while waiting for the tram.
On 13th May 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 8733 recommendations about 8733 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Al Bundy left this review about The Bankers Draft (JD Wetherspoon)
A large Wethers and though on 2 floors a fairly generic Wethers, although to be fair I only went in the downstairs bit. A decent selection of ales were on with the Titanic Plum Porter being a nice drink. I didn't mind it and its handy for the tram.
On 11th March 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3487 recommendations about 3390 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Bankers Draft (JD Wetherspoon)
On Saturday the 15th of November I went to the Banker's Draft in Sheffield.
It was packed in the downstairs part with mainly shoppers so I went upstairs where it was also very busy. It's just about everything you would expect from a city centre Spoons, more expensive than the two I visited earlier in the day but that is hardly surprising given the central location. I ordered a mixed grill which included a beer (Mordue Americana from the recent festival at £2.35). Both beer and food were well up to scratch.
It's a fairly typical city centre Spoons possibly better than others and is most definitely a very big pub with lots of tables to choose from.
I found evidence elsewhere that it may have been a Lloyds No. 1 at some point but it is definitely a standard Wetherspoons.
On 17th November 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Bankers Draft (JD Wetherspoon)
It's certainly large in a prominent position by the tram lines,the ground floor seems more typically 'spoons (including the punters),while the first floor appears all together more classy.You will need to inspect both bars to get a full picture of whats available on the real ale front.Downstairs there are two banks of 4 handpumps with a cider,Abbott and Ruddles Bitter as regulars and up to 5 guests ales,while upstairs there are 6 handpumps with Abbott,Ruddles a different cider and up to three guests.I noted the following guests on my visit namely Acorn Gorlovka and Sun Storm,Milestone Samba Best,Cairngorm Wildcat,Kelham Island Sweet Home Alabama,Butcombe Yeti,two from the American ale series (John Kimmick Enraptured and Independence Ale) among others.My Gorlovka was in good nick,my food arrived warm and quickly and although it's a formulaic chain pub,I thought the ale range was sufficiently interesting to warrant another visit when next in the City.
On 18th July 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2971 recommendations about 2971 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Bankers Draft (JD Wetherspoon)
Quite a few Spoons characters congregated near the front entrance and close to the bar on our visit, which added some background entertainment. Beer wise I went for the Butcombe Brewery Yeti, which was £2 a pint, as it was the Spoons Monday Club. The upstairs section of the pub was more refined and had another bar with an extra selection of ales.
On 16th July 2014
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3684 recommendations about 3684 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about The Bankers Draft (JD Wetherspoon)
Typical Wetherspoon bar, a bit dingy inside and very busy. Breakfast a bit chaotic as they said they had run out of sausages, black pudding and eggs so we were invited to order extras of what they had, then got the missing items too. Ran out of bread and used bagettes for toast. Food good though as was the beer range. Too busy to keep tables cleared though.
On 21st April 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]