At the Exposed Awards back in May, Neepsend’s Alder Bar was the very worthy winner of the prestigious Best Bar award. Following hot on the heels of scooping Best New Bar award in 2023, we sat down with Alder co-owner, Joe Spriggs, to find out how they have consistently provided one of the best spaces in the city and just what makes it the best bar in Sheffield.
Since its inception, Alder has always done things a bit differently. Even today, we arrive at the same time as a delivery of quiz prizes, which includes 48kg of pizza flour, 12kg of pizza sauce and 15kg of onions!
“I think I might have f****d up, here!” says Joe, “I’m not sure how people are going to take it home.”
Us neither, Joe! Aside from epic quiz prizes though, what else sets Alder apart? For Joe, these are the keys to their success:
A friendly hello
If you’ve already visited Alder, you’ll know it as a friendly and inclusive space. Bar staff are hired on their personality and not necessarily experience, and it’s important that they fit in with the bar’s ethos. Joe and the team all have a willingness to get to know their customers, have a laugh with them, and welcome people back time and time again.
There’s a ‘no dickheads’ policy, and anyone flagrantly disregards this principle by bringing their bigotry to the premises, will be swiftly ejected; Alder is for everyone.
The main event
They now open seven days a week, having just begun opening on Mondays to host a weekly ‘Autism Friendly Social’. Events are a big part of what draws people in during the week, and regular nights like their weekly quiz, film clubs and jazz jam are frequently booked out. As Joe and co-owner Danny have the freedom to experiment with whatever they want in the space, they are constantly exploring new and innovative events and recently welcomed an ‘Open Decks’ night into the fold.
Keeping it in the Community
As Joe is a director of the Percy Street CIC, who help kids with autism gain skills, confidence and employment, they are proud to be able to employ some of its service users to work in the bar itself. They also frequently collaborate with other local businesses and events like Get Together, Sheffield Wine Week and Kelham Pride, which Joe was on the organising committee of, as well being involved with Discover Me, a Sheffield-based talent agency offering singer-songwriters and duos a month-long residency in Alder.
Get ’em in
Let’s not forget Alder is a bar and so what of the drinks? Well, Alder prides itself on a well-priced, constantly rotating drinks selection. While they try to offer easy-going tipples to suit all tastes, alongside that, if you’re feeling more adventurous they also offer drinks that people won’t have seen in the city before, having recently set up their own import business, bringing in ciders from Spain and America and fruit wines from Denmark. Cheers!
Alder can be found on Percy Street, in Neepsend and you can follow them for event updates on socials here: @alder_bar_sheff
