The Place
The Common Room on Division Street has always been one of Sheffield’s favourite sports bars. There are three separate sections here: a games room with pool and ping pong tables, a cordoned section at the end of the bar which takes the shape of an American sports diner, and a small veranda-type area in front of the bar – perfect for those who come in groups and can shift in and out of their booths to get the next round with ease. It’s clear these areas are designed for the Common Room’s different types of customers, but one thing that remains constant throughout the venue is the amount of television screens to gawp at. We shuffled in on an early Sunday afternoon, but still had the option to watch golf, Formula 1, Premier League football or Scottish football on one of the many, many TVs (52, to be exact).
The Food
Something quite unique about the Common Room is that it caters for vegans and vegetarians as well as meat eaters. There isn’t a place in Sheffield, especially a sports bar, which specialises in this type of comfort food, with this many options. Take the dirty fires menu – there are nine choices to pick from, three of which are vegan ad three more have vegan options available. We opted for the not-cho fries, a bowl of nachos filled to the brim with guacamole, salsa, cheese and jalapenos, and katsu fires, a personal favourite of fires, katsu curry sauce, shredded spring onions and chopped cucumbers. The portions were big and full of flavour, we could well have settled on these two dishes if we were stopping for a snack and a pint. However, we soldiered on and got stuck right into our mains.
My partner had the halloumi-roomi burger, which consisted of a huge piece of fried halloumi and grilled mushroom, served on soft sweet potato roll. I oped for the wannabe donner – a vegan donner kebab made with seitan, lettuce, tomato, chilli and garlic sauce in a fluffy flatbread. I ended up with half of this on my face as the warm and hospitable waitress Rebecca and Elyssa asked if I wanted to top up my Guinness. It’s probably the third or fourth time I’d been to the Common Room, but this dish was by far the best. And for just seven quid, you get more than worth your money. We made room, somehow, for a quick Oreo milkshake to share before we headed off.
The Verdict
Sheffield’s known around the country for its vegan and veggie scene, but with the Common Room already one of the best in the city for sports, the venue has managed to fuse the two together perfectly, making it a go-to place for comfort food and to watch the footy regardless of your dietary requirements.
121-129 Devonshire St, Sheffield S3 7SB
phone: 0114 280 8221 // common-room.co.uk
