Red Deer, Sheffield

Gorgeous little old-school pub, tucked round the back only a stones throw from West Street. A nicely traditional dark wood interior, with a good selection of ales and ciders in tip-top condition (Cask Marque accredited). Definitely worth a visit (but the dodgy step is still there!).

The pub's location is close to West Street but the atmosphere is a world away from the notorious bars along that thoroughfare.This is a charming,open plan real ale venue retaining some original features.I liked the etched glass windows,and the pleasing exterior.There are 9 handpumps and I noted Old Rosie Cider,Moorhouses Pride of Pendle,TT Landlord,Roosters Yankee (on good form),Box Steam Funnel Blower and Adnams Broadside on my visit.The large collection of pump clips shows that there must be a decent rotation policy here. Worth including on a crawl of the area,the somewhat irregular steps on exit may give you trouble if you are well oiled !

This is a traditional back street pub in the heart of the University area, but pleasantly hidden away in a side street off the main West Street student drinking “run”. It’s a former Tetley’s pub and etched windows demonstrate that, before that, it was a Gilmour Windsor Ales pub. On my recent visit, somewhat discouragingly, a sandwich board outside was advertising a “Swap Shop” exhorting one to bring your unwanted womens clothes, shoes, accessories etc and swap them for something different. Tickets for this events were going for £ 10, or £ 6 if you brought a donation with bubbly and nibbles on arrival. There’s more room inside than the small frontage would suggest and a split level interior extends back quite a way, ending in a small patio outside at the back. The internal layout would suggest it was once multi roomed. It’s a comfortable, carpeted interior with little of specific note. It seems to have had a bit of a spruce up ( and change of ownership ?) since my previous visit in 2009 and, on my recent early lunchtime visit, the lack of custom and atmosphere created something of a hotel bar feel. Having said that, there are clearly times when the pub is busier. For instance, we see advertised Square Hole Comedy Nights on every second Monday and acoustic sessions every first Thursday. The pub is clearly now offering a much more adventurous beer range than when last visited by me in 2009 and there is now a growing pump clip collection on the walls by the bar. On my recent visit, beers on were Copper Dragon’s Golden Pippin, T T Landlord, Toolmakers Yankee Driver, Raw Jester IPA, Kelham Island Easy Rider, Moorhouses Pride of Pendle and North Star Endeavour ( ie – including several local micros that wouldn’t have been on the bar a few years ago ) . The pub is listed in the 2014 CAMRA Good Beer Guide and beer quality was fine on my visit. Worth a look in if in the area, which wasn’t the case previously

Traditional local pub with real fires, although the pub has been opened up to make a bigger space, but still very traditional feel. Its slightly 'worn' but nice. 5 real ales of very good quality

Eight ales and cider on offer on our visit. Straight away I went for Moorhouses Pride of Pendle, which is one of my fav brewerys. Have to say the barmaid was very welcoming and chatty on our visit. As Will mentions the prices were steep. Have to to say if you're out and about round Sheffield, this pub should be on your list, as it is a proper traditional pub.

The Red Deer is a tidy little back street pub in a handy location for many of the University buildings. You enter into an L-shaped carpeted bar area with dark wood panelling and white walls. There are a couple of fireplaces, suggesting previous partitioning and the room is fitted out with some functional banquette and low stool seating. The place feels a bit bare, with a couple of plain mirrors on the walls and a row of pump clips on one of the beams, which means that it all feels a bit characterless, although it’s also fair to say that it looked spotless on my visit as well, so they clearly take pride in their pub. At the rear of the room, beyond the servery, there is a raised seating area which was full with diners during my late-lunchtime visit. The menu looked like good value, with main meals of the standard pub grub variety around the £6-8 mark. Music seems to be a big part of the pub’s identity from the soundtrack playing quietly in the background to the various posters advertising live music performances in the pub’s function room, as well as the latest music magazines alongside the daily papers on the bar counter. There is also a movie lounge that shows a sci-fi movie each Sunday. The pub is GBG listed and there was a healthy number of hand pumps, albeit dispensing what might be deemed a fairly mainstream line-up – St Austell Tribute, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Bath Gem, Kelham Island Easy Rider, Adnams Broadside and Moorhouse Pride of Pendle. The Bath Gem was a decent drop and I was served by a cheery young barmaid who was enjoying some good banter with a couple of scousers who were propping up the bar. This might not be Sheffield’s most exciting pub and the bland decor means it won’t live long in the memory, but I thought it was a welcoming place and therefore a decent enough spot to retreat to for a quiet pint.