Jabeerwocky - Sheffield's first 'Dive Bar'.

Last week, twobeergeeks were fortunate enough to be invited along to the opening of a new bar on London Road. Jabeerwocky has now replaced Bar Ambasada so what's it like?

We chatted to Chris, who was previously at The Bath, about his new place. Well not a lot has changed inside and outside so far but the drinks offerings are much improved. Jabeerwocky are keen to keep their links to the local Polish community but also to widen appeal to others too. On the bar, we were pleased to see a range of four carefully selected keg ales in a range of styles, stout, IPA and weisse. Danny had some Dutty whilst I dived straight into the Buxton Extra Stout, very apt on a chilly November night and suppable even at 7%+. 

Jabeerwocky also has a selection of bottled beers; crafty ones and Polish ones. Chris also stated that he was a fan of Poland's vodkas and so we felt obliged to sample - the hazelnut one is a cracker!

 We asked Chris & Abbi a few things-

The name?

The name sort of came to us - we were trying to think of something a bit different and fun. We were going to call it Jabberwocky Bar, based on the Lewis Carroll poem and film by Terry Gilliam. Then we thought as we planned to serve lots of different types of beer that 'Jabeerwocky' worked well.

Who are we?!

We are Chris and Abbi. Chris was the manager of the Bath Hotel before taking this on, having worked for 5 years for Thornbridge in their various pubs. Abbi previously worked at the Harlequin for several years a while back, and is part of Freak Street Cafe, a pop-up selling Himalayan dumplings - momos.

The bar...?

The ethos of the place comes from our time travelling, mainly in Europe. We've spent a lot of time in 'dive bars' in Eastern Berlin, Madrid, Ruin Bars in Budapest and wanted to bring a taste of this to Sheffield. Basically a relaxed atmosphere, with good quality, interesting drinks, food & music. There are a lot of craft places in Sheffield, but we hope to bring something that is a little different from the rest - especially drawing on the bar's Polish & European connections.

The couple we took the place from are Polish, and have been super helpful during the transition. The previous owners only wanted to sell to someone who would keep the location as a bar. There is a Polish community in the area, and most of them see this as their local so it`s really important to us to keep those links. Having been to Poland we knew that the lager and vodka is some of the best the Europe (in our opinion anyway) and the connections and contacts we were given by the previous owners meant we could have a range of Polish lagers in bottles, Tyskie on draught, and a selection of clear & flavoured Polish vodkas that would serve the Polish community, as well as bringing something different, and tasty!

Music?

We will be having music an events, and are lucky to have a decent space to put music on. Bar Ambasada had been putting on semi-regular events, and we are looking to increase that, from live bands to a range of DJ and electronic music events that will go a little later into the evening. In particular, world music, techno & drum and bass. We want to bring some interesting music that`s a little different down here and are in talks with a couple of promoters to bring some nights in.

Food?

Food will not be the main focus - we know there is too much competition around us for that. But we do want to offer homemade quality beer snacks. From hand-rolled dumplings, goulash, skewers of meat and veg to boozy brownies and Polish doughnuts. We are not here to be a restaurant, but a place were you can get some great snacks to go with your drinks.

OMG - The vegan ones are epic!

Desert Island Beers?

Our favourite beer this year we actually did have in Poland. 'Baribal' by Deer Bear brewery, is an imperial cinnamon waffle chilli maple stout! Sounds a lot of flavours in one, but each came to the fore while drinking it - it was especially good on draught, but at 11% not for everyday. Otherwise, Buxton Axe Edge is always a good shout, and easier to get here! (though we are looking to bring in some Polish and Eastern European craft beer to the bar in the near future).

We have a wide range of favourite breweries: Buxton, Brew York, Thornbridge, Ominpollo, to name a few. We will keep the beer lines rotating and are looking forward to bringing some great craft beer onto the bar. We do have a soft spot for dark beers though...

Drinking Spots?

Our favorite drinking spots include: the Bath Hotel (Chris has spent a fair bit of time there!), the Beer Engine, The Rutland and The Blake - but I could list many more!

We are just starting up, so the range of beer and food will be growing. We are hoping to see some cask installed in the next couple of months, probably 1 or 2 lines to begin with, and you will start seeing more events and even a quiz happening down here.

We found the bar to be quite cosy and there aren't many places locally where you can get good beer and play pool. Previously, Ambasada was a decent place to watch football but we're not sure if Jabeerwocky will retain this aspect.


The location makes Jabeerwocky a nice addition to London Road, which was a real ale desert not so long back. Give it a try and let us know what you think!