Hallcross, Doncaster

Official site of Hallcross - www.hallcrossdoncaster.co.uk

Official site of Hallcross - www.hallcrossdoncaster.co.uk

The Hallcross is located on a busy traffic junction and doesn't exactly look too inspiring from the outside. It has the look and feel of a late night bar/nightclub. However, the external appearance is deceptive. Inside, there is a much more traditional feel. There is one large room, with a slightly raised area to the left-hand side. The bar itself is against the left wall towards the rear and is at quite an uncomfortable height. You have to peer up at the bar staff from down below! Around the room are a number of TV screens. One was showing the horse racing at nearby Doncaster racecourse. I don't recall what another was showing, whilst others were off. The old Stocks beers are back, albeit now brewed by Welbeck Abbey. Their Best Bitter, St Leger Gold & Old Horizontal were all on, along with 3 guest beers - Brewster's Hophead, Rudgate York Chocolate Stout & Jolly Boys Supa-Citra. I did enquire about real cider. Whilst they had try to stock Weston's Old Rosie & Lilley's Mango Cider, neither had proved to be big hits. So, there is no longer any real cider. As with Old Boots, I didn't manage to get to the garden. Whilst I did explore the corridor to the toilets, I missed the function room too! But, after a poor initial impression, I quite warmed to this place and will most likely return some day.

Recently refurbished it's a large single room in basic Victorian style, there is a raised area to each side with cast iron balustrades, as well as dark wood, bare boards and leather covered bench seating. Furnished with traditional wooden furniture and cast iron base tables, the large clear windows, big screens and foreground music are less traditional. The rather tall counter is to one side with six pulls on this occasion three from Stocks Brewery, one from Abbeydale, Tetleys cask and a cider, usual national kegs also available. The Stocks Best Bitter was competently kept but unexciting, definitely a BBB, while the Old Horizontal was more interesting. There's a (claustrophobic) function room at the back and supposedly a garden which I didn't explore.