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Disappointment of the week with Quinno
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Detail Pages
The Fat Cat, Kelham Island, Sheffield
Sheffield
S3 8SA
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 9 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about The Fat Cat
Nice traditional local pub, needs a slight lick of paint but its a good real ale house in industrial Sheffield. The bloke behind the bar was a bit dour.
Over 10 real ales, but maybe streched a little as the quality wasn't quite on.
On 17th December 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Fat Cat
The Fat Cat is only spitting distance from the Kelham Island Tav which was a bonus. We popped in on a Thurs afternoon and the pub was pretty quiet after their lunchtime, so had a good opportunity to look around. There were 10 ales on handpump on our visit. I went for the Kelham Island Easy Rider and Butcombe Brewery Adam Henson's Rare Breed.
On 29th April 2013
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Fat Cat
A revisit found little changed about the pub itself but there’s definitely been a subtle addition to the clientele of people who have started moving into the redeveloped areas nearby. Ale-wise, there were plenty on with a good XS sampled though the Bully was past its best. It’s a very good pub but I perhaps can’t quite garner the same unyielding enthusiasm as some others. Perhaps I will be burnt as a heretic.
August 2009
A characterful two-roomed old-school watering hole, which is a lot more spit and sawdust than the Kelham whilst offering a similar range of excellent quality ales, cider and perry at similarly competitive prices. The main serving area is a classic public bar affair, quite spartan with little tables and stools, narrow and a bit tight space-wise especially at the tiny bar (though there is also a side serving hatch). The slightly superior decoration of the lounge is nice and light but gives off a feeling of faded grandeur that didn't resonate with me, though the open fire was welcome. Both rooms have a scattering of old sepia-tinged photos of random faces (of who?) and old brewery mirrors. There's some interesting tiling on the floor by the front door. There’s a well-designed garden area with a good number of creepers, hanging baskets etc. Some nice-looking good-value pub meals were available. The Kelham Island Brewery is situated next door, so a number of their beers can be sampled here including the infamous Pale Rider. The bogs smelt of piss, which was a bit off-putting – give them a good scrub, please! Items of note are the floodlines outside, showing the high water mark in 1864 and 2007 and the collection of painted cats secreted throughout the pub. The clientèle here seemed more 'tickerish' than the KIT. I couldn't quite dig the place like I could the KIT but it's still a great visit nonetheless. The idea of a “KIT-Cat” crawl is eminently sensible…
On 30th August 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Fat Cat
Of all the fine pubs in and around the Kelham Island area, the Fat Cat has perhaps the most traditional feel to it, with its compact, two room layout. Built originally as a boarding house for steel workers, it was eventually converted to a pub called the Alma and continued to trade under this name until 1981, when it was relaunched as the home to the Kelham Island Brewery. On entering the pub, you take the door on the right for access to the main bar, which is very compact making it a bit of a squeeze to get served when busy. The room has wooden flooring and banquette seating, with a bit more space to the rear where the room opens out slightly. The windows at the front boast some nice etched glass and have been covered with old GBG stickers and other such endorsements, whilst numerous CAMRA awards cover the walls. The rear of the room has a fireplace and you can spot one of several painted cats that are dotted throughout the pub. The other half of the pub consists of a carpeted lounge with a good deal of banquette and low stool seating and plenty of old pictures on the walls. This side of the pub is served by a hatch to the bar in the adjacent corridor. There are loads more certificates on the walls here as well, this time mostly for the brewery. Following the corridor past the toilets, you reach a spacious rear garden with a covered area and nice water feature. The pub suffered during the floods that hit Sheffield in 2007 and a board outside shows the high water mark from this event and compares it to an even higher flood in 1864.
Three Kelham Island beers were available on my visit – Best (£2.00), Pale Rider and Big Black Blue Sound – and these were complimented by a good range of guests in the shape of Thornbridge Pica Pica, Smart Wild Thing, Castle Rock House Sparrow, Taylor Landlord, Gundog Golden Cocker, Five Towns Roo Barb and Dervintio Boars Head Premium Bitter plus two real ciders. I tried the Kelham Island Best and the Roo Barb, which as the name suggests is a rhubarb flavoured beer. Both were in good shape although the Roo Barb wasn’t the most pleasant pint I’ve had. Food is available, with typical pub grub such as pies for £4.50, detailed on a blackboard near the bar.
This is an excellent ale house and it is worth bearing in mind that the Sheffield beer scene owes a great deal to the pioneering approach of this pub. A must do for all ale fans and as others have mentioned, it makes for one of the country’s best double headers when visited in conjunction with the nearby Kelham Island Tavern.
On 15th April 2012
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about The Fat Cat
Another great pub not to miss on a valley of beer pub crawl. Deserves its place in 2011 Good Beer Guide, and has had numerous CAMRA awards over the years. Two good rooms to the left and right of the entrance, and a lovely beer garden for the warmer weather. Good range of beers always available, some from the nearby Kelham Island brewery plus a good range of guests. Enjoyed Kelham Island Life on Mars and Six Bells Castle Bravo this visit. Went down well with their very tasty steak and ale pie, served in a lovely crusty pastry without being in a pot. Delicious!
The above review was October 2010, and we were back on Thursday and found another 4 ales we couldn't leave without trying. Welbeck Abbey Portland Black, Shardlow Old Stable, Bank Top Ann Bonny, and Clarks Liquid Gold.
On 13th August 2011
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Andy Ven left this review about The Fat Cat
A short walk around the corner from the Kelham Island Tavern. A good place that I'm struggling to describe the interior because we sat out the back in the beer garden - traditional local pub bar.
On handpull there was Sheffield Doc/Fest Pale Ale, Tamarin Mild, Salamander Dark Crystal, Kelham Island Quadrophenia, Kelham Pale Rider, Kelham Best, Shepherd Neame Master Brew, Ridgeside Desert Aire, BHB Cyborg, TT Landlord and 2 ciders - Cherry Perry and Burnard's Oakey Dokey. Definitely worth a visit.
On 11th June 2011
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 244 recommendations about 240 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
I L left this review about The Fat Cat
We have been coming here for a number of years and it just gets better. We have been lucky to visit when it has had it's various anniversary beer feasts. The latest one (it's 29th anniversary) had 32 real ales on when we arrived.
A few went off while we were there but more than enough to chose from. Really good friendly atmosphere with a good mixture of people mostly drinking the good beers. This is not the one to be missed on a pub visit to Sheffield. Look for the various cat stencils out the back around the corridor by the toilets.
On 21st August 2010
- rating: 10
[User has posted 287 recommendations about 284 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Fat Cat
Was in here again on Saturday. It's a brilliant pub in a city with a lot of good ones. Ever changing guest ales plus of course several from Kelham Island, all well kept. It's two small rooms with the larger one being to the left as you enter. This was the first time I've been here when it's been baking sunshine and so it's also the first time we've sat in the beer garden. It's much larger than you'd think and pretty impressively decorated with creepers, hanging baskets and other oddments. I can't imagine visiting Sheffield and not calling in here, it's a top pub.
On 1st July 2010
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3223 recommendations about 3134 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Fat Cat
This is one of the best pubs I've ever been to ,so I can only concur with the reviews below.Admirably the Victorian interior layout has been maintained ,there are interesting fonts to the basins in the gents and a well designed garden area if you need a tab.The upstairs room will be used to screen England WC matches and there will be a World Cup beer festival.Drinking nirvana.
On 10th June 2010
- rating: 10
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Thuck Phat left this review about The Fat Cat
An excellent boozer, very accurately described by Mr Boots so I won't repeat other than to echo that the Fat Cat does feel traditionally industrial victorian but cosy and comfortable with it. Nine real ales were on with, perhaps surprisingly, only 3 from the Kelham Island Brewery. Also represented were Saltaire, Sadlers, Tom Woods, Toad Brewery, Bath Ales and TT. Avoiding these, the focus was the extremely high quality Pale Rider and Easy Rider both of which were excellent. A range of continental beers are also available as well as an interesting selection of Dutch flavoured gins. A short menu is offered which we didn't try but the food did look good and the bar snacks including pork pies and salami sausages were also good. Really a must visit in Sheffield and if it's quality ale that you're after then you won't be disappointed.
On 10th June 2010
- rating: 10
[User has posted 679 recommendations about 678 pubs]