The Devonshire Cat, Sheffield Central, Sheffield

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Will Larter left this review about The Devonshire Cat

After a closure of a few weeks, the Dev Cat has now reopened with a complete internal revamp - there is now a central bar with seating in three distinct areas, including one that can be curtained off for semi-private parties. Apparently this makes service much quicker - thereby addressing a constant gripe of some I know who have been coming here off and on for years - but at the cost of making it much slower for a real ale aficionado to decide what to drink (of which more below). Evidence in support of the changes comes in the reported £16k takings in the first week after reopening - though to be fair I have no idea what the place took before the refurb!

My problem with the new format, from a beer tourist's point of view, is that the three groups of four hand pumps are spread around the bar and are badly lit, or certainly were on a Tuesday night, making the beer descriptions and pump clips hard to read. There is a blackboard which lists not only the (up to) 12 real ales and ciders but also the (up to) 16 keg offerings. The blackboard is situated above the steps leading to the toilets, which must make it a nightmare for the staff to change the listings, but more importantly makes it difficult for customers to choose their preferred drinks, as it is not completely visible from the bar area, even for those with the eyesight of a 20-year-old. Moreover, the beer descriptions are only available below the pump clips at the dimly lit bar - the blackboard beer listings are cluttered with the (I think unnecessary) information that a three pint growler costs three times the price of a pint - on every beer! However, I presume they know they client base better than I do, and maybe they sell lots of growlers to students who are unable to multiply £3.20 by three. Or hope to.

Having said all this, I have to say that I had three beers here last night on my way home from work and enjoyed them all. The regulars seem to be Abbeydale Moonshine and Daily Bread, with another eight real ales and one cider on hand pump, mostly from northern breweries. I had Wold Top Coastal, Abbeydale Just Desserts and Great Heck Patrick. (See photos for beers available at the time of my visit.) A welcome return to Sheffield's real ale scene.

On 7^th December 2016 - rating: 7
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