Porter Brook — Restaurant in Sheffield

Decent chain pub (Green King). Obviously not as rock-bottom priced as Spoons, but if you were to do a like-for-like comparison the difference is actually only about 20 or 30p, which is well worth it considering this place is much cleaner, better run and overall a much nicer place to grab a drink after work than most of the other chain pubs in Sheffield

One of the its best features are its outdoor areas: one at the front facing onto Ecclesall Rd and a garden at the rear. Although not officially designated/enforced by the pub itself, customers tend to use the front as a smoking area and the garden as a snug. The rear garden also has music and a TV, which makes it a brilliant spot to watch football or have a drink in the sun during summer.

It's by no means the largest pub garden on Ecclesall Rd, but it's not exactly small either. There's also a decent covered area which is nicely decorated with fairy lights and touch-activated heat lamps which make it very comfortable to sit in during the winter.

The rear garden is parallel to the 'actual' Porter Brook (a stream which runs down from the Peak District and into Sheffield). It's a nice little touch, but unfortunately can be easily missed if you're not looking for it (immediately on your left as you enter the rear garden).

Seems like most pubs on Eccy road have limited themselves to one particular drink (craft pubs/swanky cocktails/wine bars, etc.) but the Porter Brook is one of the few places where you can actually get everything in one place. Plus they have a wider selection of spirits than I’d wager 90% of pubs in Sheffield do (especially gins, they have A LOT of gins).

The inside is pretty capacious and there's loads of massive TVs dotted about the place, making it an ideal venue for watching big matches. For any non-locals, i'd recommend going when one of the local teams (Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United) are playing. This fills the pub up with people and always brings with it a really great atmosphere.

On the topic of crowds, this is another one of the PB's strong points. There's always plenty of staff available and they're pretty speedy when it comes to making drinks. This means that you never have to wait more than about a minute or two to get served even when the building is full to the brim.

The one downside is the food. It's not terrible and some items are better than others, but most is just fairly bog standard. Obviously no one is expecting a Michelin star meal when eating in a chain pub, but even by that low bar, there's lots of room for improvement. That being said, there are some pretty good burgers on the menu. If it's still available, go for the Katsu chicken burger - definitely the best item on the menu.

To be honest, I'd wager that the disparity between the low quality food with the high quality of everything else is a deliberate decision on the part of the management. Food customers take up more crucial table space than drinks customers, plus having staff run to and from tables delivering/collecting plates takes up valuable time that could be spent working through any queues at the bar. In other words, this is the type of place that's ideal for after-work drinks and watching premier league matches, but probably not the best for a romantic...

Appalling rude staff. A group of us arrived (well within the number limit), and used our Covid App for Track and Trace on arrival. We removed our masks when sitting down at the table. Two of us stood up for a few seconds just to switch seats with each other, whilst still at our table. We were nowhere near anyone else as there was hardly anyone in there. The manager came over and told us 'If you're getting up like that you need to have your masks on'. That's incorrect for a start, you only need to wear a mask when walking around pubs. Also a little hypocritical from a man who was wearing his mask incorrectly- it wasn't covering his nose. He should know to wear it covering his nose AND mouth. My friend arrived a little later, with her mask on. She promptly signed in via Track and Trace and then sat down with us. A member of staff then aggressively told her to 'Get back there and sign in via Track and Trace'. When she explained she had already done this they did not apologize. When you speak to customers you have to say 'Please' and 'thank you'. Basic human decency. If this place wants to survive the staff need to learn some manners. Also I would like not to be referred to as 'darling' by the manager when I asked where the toilets were. Its condescending and...

Madge and I making our first ever visit to this Greene King pub. Madge ordered a pint of Abbeydale Moonshine, a 4.3% Pale Ale. Claimed a CAMRA price discount on this lovely pint. A one room albeit doglegged room with outdoor seating front and rear. Not the best beer gardens. Music over the speakers a bit loud for me. Several TV's and empty tables booked for the footie play off final involving the only English team named after a Bank Holiday..Sheffield Wednesday!! ..Speaking as an old git, in my day you could not reserve a pub table, so we would be in 3 hours before kick off, drinking like fish. Now fans rock up at kick off, sit in the reserved table, and nurse one or two pints for the 2 - 3 hours it takes to complete a final. How odd pubs allow / encourage this? (Note..always check what time the reservation starts. Many times we have grabbed an empty table in a busy pub because it is 1 or 2 hours off...