I first went to the Francis Newton way back when it first opened, having replaced the horrendous Aunt Sally which formerly occupied these premises.
On my recent visit, some 6 years later, I found that this 'spoons hadn't really changed from how I remembered it.
The space itself is very large, with plenty of tables inside as well as some outside for use when it's not bucketing down with rain. The centre of the pub is dominated by a large bar, with the kitchen space adjacent.
Like most other Wetherspoons bars, the Francis Newton has a good range of craft and real ales available both on tap and in bottles / cans. On this occasion, though, to rekindle some student nostalgia I ordered a Summer Fruit Kopparberg - then promptly remembered why I stopped drinking it.
The staff were very friendly and cheerful, prices were as reasonable as ever, and the bar area was clean. There was even the added highlight of being able to overhear two very Yorkshire ladies discussing the trouble with living in one of the numerous valleys that litter the Sheffield topology in such a way that only the Yorkshire vernacular can manage.
A friend of mine described the Francis Newton as "the best 'spoons in Sheff" and I'm inclined to agree. Definitely worth a visit, if slightly out of the city centre and into student-ville. read more