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The Grapes, Sheffield
Sheffield
S1 4EL
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about The Grapes
A real old-school Irish pub this, with a few very traditional rooms around the cash only main bar. I sat in the Kennedy/Arctic Monkeys room and made use of the jukebox. Moonshine and Barnsley Bitter the only ales on but condition was fine and I really did like the pub, it just gave me a nice warm feeling.
On 14th May 2022
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1058 recommendations about 1023 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Grapes
I have to say I had a great visit here on a late Saturday afternoon. This slightly eclectic pub with its wonderful period interior has been very well described by PSM below and when I arrived it was humming with life in every area except for the back room on the right.
The reason was that there were several musicians with various instruments in situ in the small left hand front room and they took it in turns to traverse the corridor to play in the front right hand room. Those wishing to listen and appreciate the music formed an audience in the front room, those wishing to listen to the music but still hold a conversation with friends were crammed into the corridor and those not interested in the music at all were all in the small outside area at the back as it was still a decent enough weather day at this point.
After listening to a couple of folk songs played and sung with feeling in the front room I decided to retire and take my half into the completely empty back room for some silent contemplation along with JFK and the Arctic Monkeys.
For my visit it was also the turn of the Tetleys Bitter to be off so I finally succumbed and tried my first half of the weekend of the Stancill Barnsley Bitter which was exceptionally average to say the least.
But for some pubs it’s not just about the beer, and I would be more than happy to visit here again, even if it was just with a glass of lemonade.
On 21st July 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2111 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Grapes
My first visit for three years or more, though I used to like this pub and called in once every to or three months. On my visit today I was reminded why I had stopped: the beer quality is just not up to scratch. There are three hand pumps squeezed onto the stretch of bar in the drinking corridor, with a couple more for display purposes only on the bar in the snug. Tetleys Bitter was off, which left Abbeydale Moonshine and Stancill Barnsley Bitter. On reflection, my habitual avoidance of Moonshine left me with a very poor half of Barnsley. It was very frothy coming out of the pump, but when it came to drinking it was flat and on the turn; not undrinkable but not at all pleasant either. I didn't complain because I'm not a fan of Moonshine, so I just bore with it. The Kennedy memorial room was seemingly unchanged and it was nice to be back here - just a shame about the beer.
On 18th June 2019
- rating: 4
[User has posted 3746 recommendations about 3483 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Grapes
This is a lovely old multiple-room pub in the city centre with a vague Irish theme to it. I’ve walked past this place many times, admiring the fine ‘Grapes’ etched glass windows, but only now got around to actually calling in. You enter through a mosaic tile floor porch with doors on either side. Through the left door, you find a compact room with a nice fireplace and some limited seating options. A board above the fire details the pub’s former licensees and has walls painted in a satisfying pastel blue shade. The bar is centrally located and boasts a great traditional counter and some nice stained glass screens including some in the wall above the bar, which had rather off-puttingly been decorated with tinsel shamrocks and imitation Irish road signs. The door to the right takes you into a drinking corridor, from which a couple more rooms radiate. The corridor is lined with some really impressive glazed tiles in a variety of colours and offers a few stools to perch on, but is mainly used for vertical drinking, as evidenced by a group of old boys congregated here on my late afternoon visit. Of the two side rooms, the front room has some mixed seating options, another fireplace and lots of framed bits on display around the walls which I didn’t really take a good look through. The rear room has a mix of banquettes around three of its walls supported by chairs and low stools. A large fireplace with a modern tile surround, wood frame and integral mirror dominates the remaining wall and would presumably be used in the winter, making this an appealing place to settle down. One half of the room seems to have been devoted to documenting the life of JFK, including countless newspaper clippings, election campaign posters, photos and the like, whilst the remaining walls space has been given over to Sheffield’s contributions to the world of music, or more specifically, to the Arctic Monkeys, whose photos, record sleeves, articles etc... take up a large percentage of this half of the room. There is even a gold disc for their debut album on display. The room has, rather appropriately, a juke box which wasn’t in use on this visit, and there is a small rear garden out the back.
Three handpulls faced me on the bar, one of which was out of action. The two options were Tetley’s Cask and Stancill Barnsley Bitter, so I opted for a pint of the latter and thought it was a good pint, served up by a friendly old-school barmaid and enjoyed at leisure whilst exploring the pub in more detail.
I really liked this place which I felt was the sort of pub that rewards repeat visits by virtue of the various rooms which all deserve exploration and all seem appealing spots to enjoy a few pints in. The small ale range may put some off, but my pint was tasty and well kept and the service was swift and friendly, so I’ve made a note to not keep passing this pub by, but to instead call in every no and then and see what else I can uncover in here.
On 2nd January 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Grapes
A cracking little, multi roomed Irish pub. A real one, not a fake O'Neills style one. In fact almost everyone in here was Irish except us. There's a small snug through a door to the left as you enter, but we didn't venture into that room. Through the main door there's a drinking corridor and two more rooms. The front one was packed and when a guy with a guitar arrived we realised why. The other room has a big screen in it. A friendly welcome and loads of craic going on. Two cask ales available, Tetley Bitter and Abbeydale Deception. The Abbeydale was in good nick. We both really liked this pub and will definitely call back.
On 5th March 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3224 recommendations about 3135 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Grapes
A very charming Irish pub with a warm welcome from the quick witted landlady.There are many original features inside with the main serving area in a corridor with three rooms off this.The JFK memorial room was full of interest and also had a flatscreen and juke box,while the outside verandah had some very attractive and well kept pot plants.
Just two real ales available on our visit Tetley's Cask and a decent Stancill's Barnsley Bitter,it's a shame that there is a limited ale range here because that might be an impediment to an extended visit which the pub deserves given it's genuine atmosphere and interesting interior.
On 18th July 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Grapes
Mrs A and myself really liked this pub. Mrs A especially liked the JFK room and we were also impressed with the Victorian glazed wall tiles, which adorned both the central corridor and left hand side room up to dado height. The pub is traditional in décor as you'd expect. The landlady and barmaid were friendly and jovial. The barmaid told me, that the wall tiles were boxed in with wood panelling, when they first took over.
Two ales to choose from Tim Taylor and Barnsley Bitter. We went for the Barnsley, which was fine and in good nick. A good choice of 80's music on the jukebox in the back lounge.
On 17th July 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about The Grapes
Another of these multi room pubs that Sheffield seems to specialise in.Dont like this style of pub but it was busy so others do.About 6 handpumps with a good range of beers.Warm friendly locals pub. Would re-visit.
On 13th September 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Grapes
The landlady used to run the Dog & Partridge along the road, and a lot of the customers have followed her here, as have the Kennedy memorabilia. The pool table has been moved out of the back room to make way for the newspaper front pages of the JFK and RFK assassinations. The room is very smart, as is the front room. The drinking corridor beside the bar has interesting tiling on the walls. Beers included Tetleys Bitter and two Abbeydale beers. The room upstairs was the venue for the Arctic Monkeys' very first gig.
On 1st April 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3746 recommendations about 3483 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Grapes
The Grapes used to be a Tetley tied house.
Once inside here there were a couple of rooms and i went in a room to the right and this was comfortable enough there were two real ales on the bar i had a drink of John Smiths cask and this was a decent drink.
On 14th January 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]