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Kelham Island Tavern, Kelham Island, Sheffield
Sheffield
S3 8RW
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 9 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about Kelham Island Tavern
Called in twice this week to have a chat to Trevor and try 3 of their very well kept beers. He's back on the award trail having won Sheffield and then Yorkshire pub of the year. I'm not sure they want the hassle of winning the national award again though. :-))
09/05/2013
We've called in many times since my last review, in fact we've only ever missed visiting once in all our many visits to Sheffield. It's no longer national Pub Of The Year, in fact it's just recently lost the Sheffield Pub Of The Year crown to the nearby Shakespeares after holding the title for 9 consecutive years. Never mind, it's still a great pub and there's always a great selection of well kept ale and a friendly welcome. It's still a must visit pub.
03/07/2010
This pub has been voted the CAMRA Pub of the Year for the last two years, for the whole of the country, not just Sheffield, and deservedly so. Good selection of real ales, all well kept. A good place for a chat or even to sit in the corner and read the paper. Don't try and sit on the stool near the bar entrance though, that's the cats. The only negative is that this area is on the edge of the red light district so you might get approached by the occasional "working girl" later at night. "Over the river going out of town" to quote the Arctic Monkeys from "When the sun goes down". When we called in for a couple last Saturday, they had the usual array of handpumps inside and a further bar out in the beer garden. This was selling 6 more ales and 10 real ciders. It's a great pub.
On 31st October 2014
- rating: 10
[User has posted 3222 recommendations about 3133 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about Kelham Island Tavern
Just round the corner from The Fat Cat is another well known real ale pub, The Kelham Island Tavern, which became the first pub to win CAMRA’s National Pub of the Year award in two consecutive years.
It’s situated on the edge of the Kelham Island Conservation Area, an area dominated by steel and metal industries in the 1800’s. Many of these buildings are now being converted to either blocks of flats or offices, but, despite this, there’s still a certain bleakness and slight sense of isolation to the area, which, being slightly out of the City Centre, does mean that the less discerning drinkers or the circuit crowd are always notable by their absence.
Externally somewhat unremarkable, it’s a smallish traditional, comfortable single bar pub with padded seating, circular bar stools and walls and shelves decorated with various plates, jugs and vases that, particularly in the area on the left as you come in, evoke something of the feel of an elderly relative’s sitting room.
At the back of the pub is a pleasant conservatory with yellow painted walls and old drinks posters. A fine collection of CAMRA award certificates is proudly displayed in the corridor here. Round the outside of this conservatory is a small outside seating area
The pub is a keen supporter of local micros with 12 real ales always available, which will invariably include a mild, stout and a porter. On my recent visit, beers on included brews from Abbeydale, Bradfield, Wellington Inn – Hull, Dove Street – Ipswich and Chantry New York Pale from nearby Rotherham.
Staff here are knowledgeable and enthusiastic and beer condition is always top rate. The pub is a CAMRA Good Beer Guide regular.
Rather like The Fat Cat, despite the beer emphasis, there’s still a real feeling that this has remained a proper pub, as opposed to one of these atmosphereless “beer exhibition” type places that seem to be cropping up more frequently, particularly in London.
An excellent double header when combined with The Fat Cat, you should make the point of calling in when you get the opportunity.
On 13th May 2014
- rating: 9
[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 Kelham Island Tavern
Remarkable very traditional, local pub in industrial Sheffield, an L-shaped room beautifully preserved and cared for. Hard not to pre-judge due to its immense reputation it is worth every accolade and what you would want as your perfect local.
Beer choice is fine and the quality exceptional.
On 17th December 2013
- rating: 9
[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 Kelham Island Tavern
We raced to get here before 3pm on our midweek visit, as the hot food finishes. One of the other drinkers in the Welly told us that the pie, chips and peas at the Kelham were excellent, plus he was on the same mission also. Have to say we got a good honest welcome on our arrival and there was a good choice of ales. The pub had a good few drinkers and pie fanatics alike and the service was fast. The Acorn Barnsley Bitter and my pie put me in a good state of euphoria, top class. The ship's cat that occupied one of the bar stools is named Pussycat.
On 25th April 2013
- rating: 10
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Kelham Island Tavern
I have managed to sneak in a couple of visits since my first review and must say that KIT never fails to deliver less than a first-class pub experience. Even on my latest trip I thought I’d be smart-arse and give the strongest beer on the bar (Acorn Gorluvka) a pounding and it was on top form. Even my original minor gripe – the lack of decent lighting in bogs – has been sorted. Let’s hope everything stays just as it is for many years to come, especially as the surrounding industrial area is being slowly redeveloped.
Best pub in Britain, IMHO.
August 2009
Now, where do I start?
The beer (11 on the go when I visited, including 3 darks) was wonderfully varied and in all in great form. Also very impressively priced – all beer was between £2-2.40p/p. There was also some impressive keg products, plus a cider and perry available along with a warm, personable welcome was received from the barman. Its other main strength is succeeding in feeling like a traditional pub whilst not feeling old fashioned or grubby as it's often a very fine line. The pub spans two rooms (the front room is more of a public bar) and is clean, tidy and well-decorated. It seemed to be a quiet pub inside, with the atmosphere generated by the punters alone – though no swearing please. Also I must mention the pub garden – which really is quite wonderful with all the flora and fauna, especially so when you remember your location in this former steel industrial area. There's quiet piped music out the back, which is made a lot more palatable by the quality; an eclectic mix of classical, jazz, the Cure and the Smiths. There's also some basic food on offer – cheese or ham filled rolls, good value. There's daily papers too.
Minus points? Almost none – perhaps the toilets could be better lit. And a dartboard would be a nice addition (for me, anyway). But overall, these are very minor quibbles indeed. I intended to stay for a couple of halves but ended up perched in here for considerably more. Whilst it's a big statement on the basis of one (long!) visit to say that this is my favourite of over 1,000+ pubs I've visited, it is certainly in the top 5. A must visit, whoever you are!
On 15th September 2012
- rating: 10
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Kelham Island Tavern
The Kelham Island Tavern may not have been the pioneering pub in the city’s real ale scene, opening in its current guise as recently as 2002, but it seems to have become the flagship pub for the area and an essential port of call for fans of good beer and warm, welcoming traditional pubs. You enter to an L shaped room with a mix of wooden floorboards and a tiled bar area. There is a good amount of banquette seating around the room and the walls are decorated with a number of traditional pictures. At the rear of the room, an incredible number of certificates line the walls including CAMRA Sheffield Pub of the Year winners from 2004-2011 and the now famous back-to-back CAMRA National Pub of the Year awards from 2008 and 2009. A door at the back leads to a rather bright room painted in yellow with a good deal of bench and standard chair seating, art prints on the walls and plenty of flowers to brighten the place up even more. From here you can access a pleasant paved garden, much of which is covered by awnings. On my visit there was a second bar in the garden serving up another six beers and loads of cider in addition to those available inside, although I neglected to make a note of them.
The choice at the bar was plenty enough for me to be getting stuck into. Four permanent beers, Acorn Barnsley Bitter, Abbeydale Deception, Bradfield Farmers Blonde and Pictish Gold (Thwaites Nutty Black is normally a regular as well, but wasn’t on during my stay) were supplemented by guests in the shape of Milton Marcus Aurelius, Salamander Slapdash, Yorkshire Dales Colt Park Wood, Brew Co Evil Genius and IPA X, Derby King of the Castle, Flipside Denomination and Ashover Damson Porter. As you would expect from such a well regarded pub, the beer quality was very good and the bar staff were friendly and knowledgeable about the beers.
The pub was absolutely packed on my Saturday evening visit which created a great atmosphere. I thought I might be a bit disappointed, such was the weight of expectation on this place, but I really liked the feel of this place and think that it merits the accolades that it has clearly worked hard for. Visitors to Sheffield would do well to build any pub crawl around this place and the nearby Fat Cat.
On 20th 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 Kelham Island Tavern
Cannot miss out this pub on a crawl of the valley of beer, and another that deserves it's place in the 2011 Good Beer Guide. Have always loved the garden area here, and whatever the weather go through the conservatory area to wander round it. They have music nights and quiz nights here, and it is another pub with superb food choice. The variety of ales on offer is hard to beat, and we chose a strong (6.5%) excellent Chockwork Orange from Brentwood, and Ramsbury Pig of a Shot. Great beer.
The above was my visit in October 2010, and we were back on Thursday, at the end of a crawl of 5 pubs sharing a total of 20 different beers. Our last ones for the day were Glentworth Cuckoo Rock and North Yorkshire Honey Bunny, and both were fine.
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 Kelham Island Tavern
How on earth do CAMRA pick their national pub of the year? Lord only knows but this place won it in 2009 and 2010. It is a good pub but, for me though, it doesn't stand out from other really good pubs I have been in but someone has to win I suppose. We found the locals to be friendly. Barnsley Bitter was fine as was my chip butty. It's a good place to visit and being so close to the Fat Cat you can have a permanent beer festival between the two pubs.
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 Kelham Island Tavern
Another fantastic pub in an old industrial area of Sheffield with a great range of ales and continental beers. A really nice modern extension into the old back yard is surrounded by sub tropical plants that are lit up at night. This really is an oasis between brick walls of old industry and car parks and really worth a visit on the Valley of Beers pub crawl. Another pub that has a good range of people visiting it, both young and old.
On 21st August 2010
- rating: 10
[User has posted 287 recommendations about 284 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Kelham Island Tavern
The ale range is outstanding and well kept with assured advise from behind the bar.It feels churlish to mention that the interior is less than traditional and that the rear lounge is just a functional seating area with rustic style furniture.This is not meant to be a complaint,nowhere is perfect yet the KIT gets close.The other reviewers have highlighted the real attraction,this is a must visit on any ale tour of the area .
On 10th June 2010
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]