Over the Yardarm, a spacious cocktail bar with European-style vibes, is now open and thriving in the centre of Abbeydale Road’s ever-increasing stretch of independent businesses.
The new venue, Over The Yardarm, situated in the former home of Starlight Kitchens, has been making good use of its 32-seater sun terrace, sliding open its wide glass-fronted doors and welcoming the punters in their droves during last month’s heatwave.
The bar takes its name from the traditional nautical saying ‘sun is over the yardarm’, which indicates it’s time for the first drink of the day, but co-owner Alfie was quick to point out that the bar isn’t nautical-themed.
He said: “The name, Over the Yard Arm, to me just means it’s time for a drink; it’s time for the first drink of the day, the start the weekend and time to come down to the bar and meet your friends. The initial idea was to create a great place for friends to meet. I’ve always loved Abbeydale Road and always drank down here. It’s something we want to be part of, and we want to find our own niche within it. There are already great independents in the area, and we hope to add to that and find our own spot.”
Alfie, who opened the venue with his dad, Andrew, and has experience from working in a variety of popular hospitality venues in Sheffield, added: “I’ve always really loved drinking in places like Seville and Barcelona with that sort of on-street, off-street, indoor, outdoor vibe that you get with those places. Where everyone just spreads out into the street and drinks out there. It’s a really sociable, very European style of drinking and eating.”
The space is split over two floors, offering a handy vantage point on Abbeydale Road from their private function room upstairs. Drinks-wise, there is a focus on a combination of classic cocktails and their own signature drinks, with menus quirkily served inside a selection record sleeves.
Sticking with the topic of music, the soundtrack will be heavily 70s-influenced, with chilled vibes in the day and plenty of funk and soul to get things going in the evenings. Opening from Mon – Fri 4pm – 11pm and Sat – Sun 12pm – 11pm, a perfect place for after work drinks or a bigger night out on the weekend.
They currently offer eight craft beer lines, which inevitably, being just a barrel roll away, includes local favourite Abbeydale Brewery, alongside a range of popular breweries and modern wines. Food-wise, there’s a focus on ‘food to eat while you drink’, with sharing platters and tapas-style bar snacks all prepared from their in-house kitchen.
“Quality service is one of the things that’s most important to me,” says Alfie. “We’re very people orientated here. We want to make people feel welcome and create a great space where anyone can come hang out and meet their friends.”
You can experience it yourself by paying Alfie and the team a visit at 335-337 Abbeydale Road this month.
