Fagans, Sheffield

The entrance of Fagans passes premium seating in a front right snug that is served by the end of the serving counter that runs up the right-hand wall. Banquettes are found across the front to the left and beer shelves, high stools and more seating run up to the rear. I noted four hand pumps that were drawing Kelham Island’s Puns of Anarchy and Pale Rider alongside Thornbridge’s Lord Marples and TT Landlord. Premium keg was also available alongside Guinness and Neck Oil. I went for a pint of Marples which was decent, but the best thing about this pub was the welcome from the barman who involved me in conversation with others at the bar before I’d even reached it. By the way, you can’t eat a roast dinner within a couple of hours of waking up, be that 6am, noon or 4pm.

A small Irish pub, with a larger front room where the counter is to the right, there’s a small snug to the rear where Dublin songs were being sung on my Saturday afternoon visit and a tiny snug at the front right of the building. The counter has four pulls, with two beers from Kelham Island, a Thornbridge Wild Swan and a very poor Draught Bass, about as dead as that beer’s history. A T-bar of five supplies the lager and cider. This is a genuine Irish pub with Irish snacks, a range of Irish whiskies, a couple of big Guinness dual tap boxes and Irish customers. It has a hot box of pies and sausage rolls in a corner. Nice pub shame about the cask, probably best to stick to Guinness.