Fagan's: The Sheffield bar rated among top 20 in Europe - and seven others in top 100

Fagan’s pub, on Broad Lane, in Sheffield city centre, takes 20th spot in The European Bar Guide’s top 100 pubs, with an impressive score of 9.1 out of 10. The food, the warm welcome and the community spirit all earn hearty praise from the list’s compilers, who have warned people to ‘use it or lose it’.

The next best score for a pub within Sheffield is 8.5 – a rating shared by seven watering holes within the city, and enough for a place among Europe’s top 100 bars. They are the Blake Hotel in Walkley; Shakespeare’s on Gibraltar Street, just outside the city centre; The Gardener’s Rest in Neepsend; The Red Deer on Pitt Street, Sheffield city centre; The Wellington on Henry Street in Shalesmoor; The Fat Cat in Kelham Island; and The Sheaf View in Heeley.

The European Bar Guide describes Fagan’s as its favourite from an ‘abnormally strong set of competition’ in Sheffield. The description states: “A family operation for decades, Tom & Barbara will always provide a warm welcome to anyone civil and respectful, while their sizeable portions of food (spy Tom hunched over the kitchen stove from across the bar) will set you up for the weekend, let alone the evening.

“This kind of place can’t be created from scratch and wouldn’t last even if it was, which makes it all the more special and vital the place receives your support and careful preservation. If you are fortunate enough to visit during their folk evenings (which take place in the parlour area) you will experience the sort of down-to-earth community event that has been drained and virtually expunged from British city centres. Use it or lose it.”

Fagan’s takes its name from former landlord Joe Fagan, who ran it for nearly 40 years. His successors, Tom and Barbara Boulding, who took over in 1985, announced earlier this year that they were seeking someone to replace them when they retire next year.

The Blake Hotel, which stands atop one of Sheffield’s steepest train, scored particularly highly in the guide for ‘value for money’ and ‘atmosphere’. The Wellington is described as a ‘beautiful traditional public house’, with reviewers adding ‘the ‘local’ rarely gets better than this’.

The Fat Cat is praised for keeping things simple, with ‘communal seating, slap-up pub grub for a democratic price, and ales kept in good condition’. The Sheaf View is described as an example of how to run a traditional English pub successfully, with reviewers enjoying what they call ‘the straightforward organic atmosphere of people together having a good time’.

Shakespeare’s is hailed as ‘another artful revival of a dead pub combining the traditional and modern with aplomb’, with reviewers adding ‘it’s no wonder the place attracts such loyal custom’. The Red Deer wins admiration for its ‘lively community feel’ and the beer, which reviewers say is ‘reliably well-chosen, well-kept and well-poured’. It is described as a ‘must-visit venue’ both for those living in Sheffield and visitors to the city. The Gardener’s Rest is owned and run by the community and is popular for its quirky decor, lively atmosphere and picturesque riverside garden.

The continent’s best place at which to drink, according to The European Bar Guide, is Szimpla Kert in Budapest, Hungary, with a score of 9.7 out of 10.