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The Harlequin, Kelham Island, Sheffield
Sheffield
S3 8GG
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Harlequin
Corner pub with eye-catching graphics on the signage and name boards. Once inside, you find a traditional (if quite plain) L-shaped bar and another seating area down a few steps at the back. There is a total of 13 handpumps on four different parts of the polygonal counter, although only four of these were in use on my Sunday evening visit. I found three cask ales from Jolly Boys - Jolly Yorkshire Bitter, Supa-Citra (£4.20) and Jolly Colliers Porter - plus RedWillow's Head Less.
On 1st November 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Harlequin
This didn't make my original list of pubs to visit while in town but I ended up in here one late evening and quite glad I did . It was deceptivly roomy inside and fairly well attended giving it a good pubby buzz. There was plenty of beer choice and my pint of Red Willow Headless was in great shape. Enjoyable.
On 14th September 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1872 recommendations about 1845 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Harlequin
The former Manchester gained its current name around 2008, at which time the S. H. Ward's brewery windows were removed.
As described below, this was a very decent stopover on our crawl and I enjoyed my Animal Brewing's Hop Kitty - most enjoyable, especially so given the £1.65 a half price.
Would certainly return.
On 16th July 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Harlequin
At this point of the recent Pubs Galore crawl of Sheffield I found myself taking a detour with the group apple juice slurper to visit this regular winner of the local CAMRA branch Cider pub of the year award.
A decent looking corner Victorian pub and I liked the way it was still surrounded by brick buildings of the Sheffield industrial era. Once inside somehow I completely missed the Exit 33 beers, presumably because I was distracted by the pumps on the main bar section carrying the guest ales which included Oakham Citra, XT Brewing Hop Kitty and Moor Brewery Nor Hop alongside Hawkshead Brewery Lakeland Gold, Tapped Brew Company Station Porter and Dark Revolution Luminous, and the Nor Hop was in fine form. I cannot comment on the cider but according to the chalk board dedicated to alcoholic apple and pear beverages there must have been a choice of over 16 of them.
I wasn’t as drawn to the interior decor of this carpeted single room pub as others seem to have been but it is certainly spacious and perhaps the fact that there wasn’t many in didn’t help the overall ambience during our visit.
On 16th July 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Harlequin
It was fairly quiet in here at the time of my most recent visit, around knocking off time on a Friday. Numerous hand pumps featured three Exit 33 beers and five guests (plus a guest keg from Sheffield's newest brewery, St Mars of the Desert - see photo); there were also, as always, plentiful cider offerings. There was nothing wrong with my beer, a pale one from Great Heck, but I found the background music intrusive, varying as it did between annoying and very annoying. Other than that, this is a comfortable enough pub that I have somehow never really warmed to. Others may find it more to their taste.
On 16th April 2019
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3740 recommendations about 3477 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Harlequin
Called in many times since my review below. Nothing much has changed except that it's now the brewery tap for Exit 33. Several of their beers on the bar plus a couple of guests. I had a Dark Star Hophead Mosaic and an Exit 33 Winter Pale whilst chatting to Pete the Exit 33 brewer.
05/07/2010
Relative newcomer to the "Valley of Beer" ale trail. 10 handpumps with a fine array of beer and styles including a mild, a porter and a stout last Saturday. A couple on from Northern as well to please the lighter ale lovers. The two pint I had Goffs White Knight and Brew Company Winter Tan were excellent. The pub is on two levels with comfortable seat all around. There is bric-a-brac on almost every available space with everything from Wallace wearing the wrong trousers to seated Indian Chiefs. I think this place is a great addition to the beer crawl as it's 5 minutes from Kelham Island on the way back to town. 5 minutes is long enough to wait for a beer if you're on a crawl.
Called in again last weekend and as it was sunny sat out in the beer garden which was very pleasant. Had a pint of Golden Angel from The new Toad brewery in Doncaster. Pretty good it was too.
On 3rd March 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3224 recommendations about 3135 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Harlequin
Following another change of ownership, the Harlequin is now a showcase for the beers of Exit 33 Brewery, based just the other side of the city centre in the Park Hill area, and not nearly as close to the M1 as its name implies. Their Blonde and New England Best are always available on two hand pumps at the short side of the bar facing the entrance, while innumerable other pumps dispense a mixture of a rotating selection from Exit 33 plus guests, and four more on the far end (opposite the cider board) dispense ciders. In my experience the beers are always in good condition, my only grouse being the preponderance of new world hops. Having said that, the New England Best is very quaffable and my default selection if I'm not in the mood for a stout. My main reasons for not attending this pub more often would be the likelihood of having my senses assailed by either the smell of roast meat or the sound of folk music. Oh, and the fact that I would have to pass both the Kelham Island Tavern and the Fat Cat to get here. If none of those quibbles apply, it would have to be a must-visit if in the area.
On 23rd May 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3740 recommendations about 3477 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Harlequin
This is another great old boozer just across the way from the Kelham Island pubs. It's one large room with a carpet so somewhat different to the other pubs in the area but at least there is room to swing a cat, a fat one at that.
I noticed there was a dart board in here as well, the only one I had managed to spot on the day. Amongst the many handpumps there were four Sky's Edge beers so I went for their Rum Cask Stout (£2.80) which was in first class condition.
I was happier having a pint here than the busy and more famous places up the road.
On 17th November 2014
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
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John Bonser left this review about The Harlequin
This is a traditional one bar open plan pub on Nursery Street, situated the other side of the River Don from the other “Valley of Beer” pubs and opposite a number of newish residential apartment blocks.
It’s a comfortable split level interior with carpets, spindle back chairs, padded seats and a rather dark, slightly gloomy, old fashioned 1970’s air.
This is another enterprising real ale pub which also offers an extensive foreign bottled beer range, all listed and described in what is probably one of the chunkiest leather bound drinks menus that I can ever recall seeing.
On the real ale front, and a development since my previous visit in 2009, the pub is now the brewery tap for the imaginatively named The Brew Company, who brew in a nearby former factory. My recent visit saw 6 of their ales available ( Blonde, Best Bitter, Kiwi Pale Ale, Crazy Horse IPA, Ale Monster and Simco ) being available, supplemented by beers from Milton, Great Heck and Heritage Ales ( Victorian Porter ) Both the Brew Company Beers sampled ( Kiwi Pale Ale and Crazy Horse IPA were fine tasty pints )
My Sunday afternoon visit found the pub virtually deserted, in marked contrast to both The Fat Cat and The Kelham Island Tavern, but I enjoyed the visit and I’d look to return, despite the obvious competition close at hand
On 13th May 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about The Harlequin
Large open plan ale house near Kelham Island.
The interior follows the bar around and there is a dropped'pool' area in the bottom corner with a piano, which could all be done better, but overall its a nice place. The traditional jazz pipped music works
Beer was very good.
On 17th December 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]