Sheffield pubs: 5 hilarious reviews of the Steel City’s watering holes on Tripadvisor 

Sheffield’s pubs are renowned for their unique charm and vibrant atmosphere - undoubtedly placing them among some of the best in the country. 

Many date back centuries and offer a great sense of tradition, and dozens have won awards for their ales, their food, and their customer service.

But what do punters think of them?

Here are just some hilarious Tripadvisor reviews of pubs across the Steel City. 

The Bankers Draft - Market Place, Sheffield City Centre

The Bankers Draft is one of JD Wetherspoons 10 pubs in Sheffield. With this watering hole placed in the city centre, it is clearly a popular venue for locals and visitors alike, and brings in a diverse range of customers - some considered perhaps overzealous.

A Tripadvisor user who visited the establishment said: “On my visit to the gents toilet I was propositioned by one of the regulars wanting to sell me top end ladies lipsticks, complete with the Boots The Chemist security codes still on them. He told me if I didn't like these colours he'd go and get me some more.”

The Frog and Parrot - Division Street, Sheffield City Centre

The Frog and Parrot is a Greene King establishment located on the vibrant Division Street. For those who have visited this pub, they will know it has a unique interior that contrasts a traditional-style taphouse with trendy artwork. Apparently this isn’t to everyone’s taste.

One Tripadvisor user said: “The toilets are weird. As a male, I do not feel comfortable going about my private business in a cubicle with pictures of women's eyes all over the ceiling. It's creepy and perverted.”

Big Tree - Chesterfield Road, Woodseats

The Big Tree in Woodseats, also run by Greene King, shows live sports, a broad food and drinks menu, and a large beer garden. The staff are frequently praised by customers for their attentive and speedy service, but one person had another thing to say about the kettle…

Despite the menu showing a range of coffees - from cappuccinos to americanos, this Tripadvisor user said: “We called in this morning for a coffee, they only had ordinary coffee, no choice of any others, the girl apologised for how long the kettle was taking to boil, it was a long time… The coffee was bitter.”

Rutland Arms - Brown Street, Sheffield City Centre

The Rutland Arms is a dog-friendly pub, renowned for its quirkiness and pub–grub with a twist. It is a pub proud of its heritage as a public bar, and it has a jukebox with a large range of artists. However, it does have a list of ‘banned’ artists, including Pulp, the Arctic Monkeys and Oasis. 

Despite this list of banned artists being displayed above the jukebox, it appears some customers still don’t get the memo.  

One customer said: “Don’t use the jukebox, they will charge you and skip your songs anyway. They have a list of banned music which will be skipped, but they will still take your money for them.”

The Howard - Howard Street, Sheffield City Centre

The Howard has a striking Tudor exterior and is situated close to Sheffield Train Station, making it a popular pit stop for those travelling by rail. It serves a range of drinks and a large varied menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

One person on Tripadvisor, who visited with a friend, said they were ‘severely horrified’ by the colour of a cocktail they ordered - which the pub later disputed.

The customer said: “Purple rain is not made with coke. We had a lovely pint. However, when it came to the cocktails, we were extremely disappointed. When we received our purple rain cocktail, we were severely horrified by the brown colour. When confronting the barman on said colour, I was assured it was made with lemonade, when in fact I knew it was made with Coca Cola.”

In response, the pub stated that the CCTV had been looked at and assured that the cocktail had been made with lemonade. It added: “Sorry that the cocktail didn’t meet your colour expectations.”