kelham island pubs: the best bars in kelham island

Welcome to the Drink in the Sights Guide to the best pubs in Kelham Island. 

I really should start this by saying I was originally just going to write one guide to Sheffield pubs but really it made more sense to split the guide into the best bars in Sheffield city centre, and the best bars in Kelham Island as they really are unique areas in their own right. Kelham Island is about a fifteen minute walk from Sheffield station, and it's a walk that's well worth making as some of the pubs in the area are absolutely wonderful, and as with the rest of Sheffield the beers are generally reasonably priced. There's so much to love about the city, and in particular the music scene with the likes of Arctic Monkey's and my personal favourite band Pulp hailing from the city. For me though the bars, pubs, and the people inside them are what make Kelham Island great, so lets get on with this guide to the best bars in Kelham Island.

Kelham Island Pubs

The Fat Cat

Everyone loves The Fat Cat. It's just one of those proper great old pubs with real character and lots of real ales, including several brewed by Kelham Island Brewery literally 30 seconds away. In total you'll find 11 beers on tap behind the proper old wooden bar. I think Kelham Best was on for something like £2.80 a pint last time I was there which is seriously cheap these days. The cool mural of a fat cat sitting outside the pub on the outside is cool, as is the cat on the bookcase inside. Every proper pub feature is here from the carpeted floors, to the fireplace, and the comfy chairs. The staff are excellent, and they have to be given how busy this place gets. The Fat Cat is just the iconic proper boozer serving local ales, and does anyone really want anything more than that? Easily one of the best pubs in Kelham Island.

Kelham Island Tavern

The Kelham Island Tavern is another perfect old fashioned pub that lets the 13 beers on tap do the talking. There's a cool eclectic feel to the décor with an interesting selection of porcelain dogs by the bar mirror and other fun tat everywhere else. As you'd expect from one of the proper old Kelham Island pubs there's the usual pub trappings like the wooden bar and fireplace to keep you warm. It's always busy in The Kelham Island Tavern, and there's always a nice relaxed buzz about the place. If you go in the summer make sure you check out the excellent beer garden. This belongs on any list of the best bars in Kelham Island.

Shakespeare's 

Comfy leather seats, a wooden bar, wooden floorboards, a fireplace, and even stained glass windows Shakespeare's has everything you could possibly want from one of the best bars in kelham Island. The place is absolutely covered in beer memorabilia and posters, and the staff all know their beers, which is a good thing as there's an excellent selection of 9 on tap. Not only is Shakespeare's one of the top ale houses in Kelham Island it's also one of the best places to go for live music in the whole of Sheffield with gigs most weekends. This really is one not to be missed.

The Bar Stewards

Ah Bar Stewards the craft beer haven of Kelham Island. I honestly love this place, but then I love most micropubs. It's cosy, it's fun, there's bare brick walls, beer pins everywhere and proper beer geeks behind the bar to help you choose your nectar of choice. I think I counted 14 beers on tap and there's a whole load more in bottles that you can take home with you. There's just something a little bit special about a good micropub, and Bar Stewards is one of the best around. One of the truly excellent Kelham Island bars.

The Crow Inn

The Crow Inn is a truly exceptional pub with around about 16 beers on tap, which I think we can agree is enough to keep most beer drinkers very happy. They also seem to go out their way to find weird and wonderful beers here. Last time I went I had a wonderful rum stout that I've never seen anywhere before or since, which was recommended to us by the very nice barman. The wooden bar and floorboards are beautiful and the sofas are probably the comfiest place to sit in Kelham Island. The crows etched into the windows are also a nice touch. Certainly one of the best pubs in Kelham Island.

Salt

Salt is comfortably the newest looking pub on this list, but it still makes a great impression with its wide range of craft beers from Salt Brewery (among others) which isn't a million miles from Sheffield. The décor is modern and sleek, with a few bare brick walls thrown in for good measure. Around the bar is a more traditional pub atmosphere, while a bit further away you can sit down to enjoy your pint with some Bao (basically a steamed bun filled with stuff) and chips. Sure this all feels a lot more modern than most the Kelham Island bars, but every now and again it's nice to mix things up and join a different crowd.

The Millowners Arms

With 6 regularly changing beers on tap and a good selection of bottles and cans I was never going to leave The Millowners Arms off this list of the best bars in Kelham Island. Arguably this should be higher on the list, but I wanted to end the way I started with one of the proper old looking Kelham Island pubs. I say old looking as it actually opened quite recently. The interior has all the proper pub trappings though with bare brick walls and a nice fireplace. As always in Kelham Island the bar staff are top class, and the atmosphere is friendly. One of the best bars in Kelham Island.

Thanks for reading my guide to the best pubs in Kelham Island. I hope you enjoy your pub crawl when you go. Don't forget to check out my guide to the central Sheffield bars.