Tap & Tankard

It's never changed for years, same decor. Nice and cosy and friendly. It has been a rockers' pub since the days of the Wapentake Bar at least. It has a brilliant juke box and fab DJs who play proper original Heavy Metal, i.e. Judas Priest, Led Zepplin etc...

A lot of outer-towners seem to gravitate to it as well, like groups of Germans, Swedes and that.

When there's gigs on at the City Hall, just 200 yards away, you get the audience people dropping in, especially if there's a rock artist on.

Karoke and all, what more do you want?

Came up from Nottingham for the weekend and found this fantastic pub. Great atmosphere, best bar staff I have ever come across.

Plenty going on and ace loud music. Traditional pub. Definitely a pub for the ageing rockers who still have it. Not a teeny boppers pub!

The Sportsman gets another run out as The Tap & Tankard.

Sheffield's Kelham Island Brewery has given a new lease of life to an old favourite. The Sportsman Inn rock bar closed its doors earlier this year and the rockers moved a few hundred yards to the Yorkshireman rock bar on Burgess Street. The pub was standing empty until Kelham Island took the gamble, stepped in and after a frantic refurbishment it will be reopening on Friday 12th December as "The Tap & Tankard".

Ed Wickett, owner of Kelham Island Brewery commented:
"We know this part of town has been earmarked for redevelopment since 2005 but the pub was empty and in a good spot so we decided to give it a go. We might only be here for a few years but it was too good an opportunity to miss"

"We are going provide a great line up of cask ales, from different local breweries, in a relaxed atmosphere. The location fits in nicely with some of the city's other great cask ale pubs so we hope people will pop in and give us a try".

The Tap & Tankard is situated on Cambridge Street next to the John Lewis department store and will be open every day between 11AM and midnight. The "rock bar" look has been replaced with a bright new interior boasting a Sheffield theme. The tables and chairs have all been replaced with new items and there are no plans for a jukebox or televisions. The cask ales will rotate on a regular basis, there will be a premium lager and a selection of speciality bottled beers and ciders.

Ed Wickett continued:
"We have no plans to provide meals just yet but it will be something for us to look at next year. Of course the famous Kelham Island Pork Pies will be available and we may be introducing a larger size especially for sharing"