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Ashoka's interiors including black and white tiled flooring, dark wooden furnishings and antique mirrors

Best restaurants in Sheffield

Ashleigh Arnott
, Tony Naylor

Published: October 12, 2026 at 5:25 PM

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Try elephant’s foot buns, feather-light puri, cocktails made from just-picked nuts, bottles of local beer, Scandi-meets-Japanese cuisine, and handmade donuts in the Steel City

Looking for Sheffield restaurants? Check out our ideas for eating and drinking in the Steel City, from West Bar to Endcliffe Park and beyond…

For more exciting restaurants and weekend ideas for food lovers, check out our best UK city breaks and the UK's best artisan bakeries. Now discover the best restaurants in Nottingham, best restaurants in Newcastle, best restaurants in Belfast and best restaurants in Leeds.

"Sheffield is a low-key city that puts people before appearances, so it’s no shock that my favourite food spots are all independents, usually with one or two completely flavour-obsessed people steering the ship.

Explore the neighbourhoods (especially Sharrow Vale, Crookes and Kelham) to find cheffy small plates and exquisite pastries; for bars-with-nibbles, street food and hand-pulled noodles you’re best in the city centre. There are vegan dumplings, Italian sandwiches, Gujurati brunch buns, gravy-drenched pies and some truly excellent Kurdish kebabs to be found everywhere in between: they’re not always obvious but they’re certainly never a secret, so seek (or at least ask around) and ye shall find." Ashleigh Arnott, Sheffield-based freelance food and drink writer.

Best places to eat and drink in Sheffield

Bakers Yard Bakery

Tooth-sticking dark chocolate brownies that glisten with salted honey caramel; flaky vegetable galettes topped with actual wedges of soft cheese; herby, hearty salad plates that are all toasted nuts and creamy dips (and come with hefty slices of sourdough to scoop with); it’s no exaggeration to say that Bakers Yard are masters of all the flour-related trades. Tucked into a quiet corner of Kelham Island, their open-plan kitchen and cafe is generally busy but somehow never feels hectic and is as perfect for a catch-up brunch date as it is solo coffee and cake. Ideally a squishy, buttery little honey cake, if they haven’t sold out. bakersyardbakery.com Reviewed by Ashleigh Arnott

Bakers Yard sandwich filled with veg and salad

Trattoria Maria

Imagine a Sicilian nonna wrote out her dream menu then let her trendy grandson turn it into a buzzy, boozy, Friday night haven. You'll get Benvenuti a Maria, where chefs in full Service Works outfits busy themselves in an open kitchen and the very affordable negronis amp up the fun from the moment you sit down. The team behind Sheffield’s much-admired neighbourhood gem Bench opened this high-end but fun-loving dinner spot in April 2026 and their expertise has put a slick spin on Italian classics: pappardelle with duck leg ragu, courgette and parmesan; bruschetta with roast pepper, stracciatella and anchovy; pretty puddings that might even tempt you away from the cocoa-dredged tiramisu. mariarestaurants.co.uk Reviewed by Ashleigh Arnott

Maria's fritelle with a wedge of lemon

Pellizco

Even if you think your Mexican food phase came and went pre-pandemic, Pellizco’s food will get you back in guac. Their antojitos section in particular is full of treasures, particularly smoked lamb ribs with tepache and tamarind glaze, toasted walnuts and chive mayonnaise. Smart cookies go on Tuesdays, though, when tacos are 3 for 2 (don’t ignore the sweet potato and black beans with creamy almond salsa) and — even better — the superb margaritas are two for £12. Mine’s a Mango and Tajin. pellizco.co.uk Reviewed by Ashleigh Arnott

Pellizco tuna tostada

Best Boy Bagels

The only disappointing thing about these bagels is that there's a hole in the middle. The bread’s always freshly baked in-house for that perfect balance of chewy/soft. The fillings are bordering on too plentiful. The specials are actually special (hello, crispy oyster mushroom katsu) but I never get them because it’s so hard to look past the Rachel, with her juicy smoked turkey and filthy layers of melted Swiss cheese and nduja mayo. At peak times you’ll have to wait a bit, but that’s OK because the chefs are always having such a blast that you feel energised even if you’re extremely hungover. Which, let’s be honest, is the main reason you need a massive bagel. instagram.com/bestboybagels Reviewed by Ashleigh Arnott

Reuben-style bagel in two halves

The Rising Sun

Adding chef Joe Grayson to the team in spring 2026 nudged The Rising Sun’s food menu up from better-than-decent to book-it-for-date-night. Even within Sheffield’s stellar pub scene it’s a cracking place to have a pint of ale — it’s run by South Sheffield’s employee-owned brewery, Abbeydale — but allow yourself to also be drawn in by the Cornish fish of the day (recently cod with a cider and smoked butter beurre blanc, brown shrimp, black olive caramel and English tomatoes) or the chocolate and ‘Black Mass’ beer cake with brown sugar sauce and clotted cream. Or both. risingsunsheffield.co.uk Reviewed by Ashleigh Arnott

Orange Bird

Modish Hillsborough restaurant, much-liked for its friendly vibe and the creative vim of chef Matt Duggan-Jones. Sharing dishes draw on Matt’s South African heritage and cleverly utilise global flavours in creations such as his caramelised aubergine with masala butter, cherry molasses, curry leaves and coconut labneh, or a braai-barbecued pork rib chop, seasoned with an hibiscus-tweaked braai spice mixture and served with plum, green tomato and black cardamom jam. theorangebird.co.uk

Vegetarian dish served in striped hand painted bowl

Bench

Owners, chef Tom Aronica and drinks expert Jack Wakelin, are a dynamic duo. Their Nether Edge HQ, Bench, is the kind of cool and casual neighbourhood restaurant where on-point cocktails and interesting natural wines are served with unusually good, creative small plates. Think ember-roasted beetroot, blood orange and chimichurri, or cured trout, salted kohlrabi, roe and grapefruit. benchsheffield.co.uk

Bench's interiors, including an exposed grey wall, orange stools and dinner candles wedged into empty wine bottles

Pearl at Park Hill

Located amid the famous brutalist 1960s estate that rises behind Sheffield station, Pearl is the Bench team’s new wave ‘local’ for this recently regenerated neighbourhood. Primarily a bar (good beer, cocktails, natty wine and large sun terrace, too), Pearl’s plates menu is a colourful carte of, for example, spanakopita, merguez-stuffed onions or grilled artichokes with saffron aïoli. Neighbouring sister venue, Bench La Cave, is a daytime bakery, led by Dan Ward, and, at night, a wine bar serving Parisian-style grazing plates. pearlatparkhill.co.uk

Soft pastel colours at The Pearl's bar

Napoli Centro

This cute, compact 16-seater pays homage to Naples in myriad colourful artefacts (from football scarves to vintage drinks ads) and memorable Neapolitan-style pizzas. Delicious to the last bite of their billowing cornicione rims, Napoli Centro’s 48-hour proved bases are topped with vibrant combinations such as fior di latte, capers, olive and anchovies or fennel sausage, friarelli, chilli flakes and smoked provola cheese. napolicentro.co.uk

Neapolitan white base pizza on wooden table

Depot Bakery

A neighbour of Peddler Market (where you will find Depot on coffee-and-cake duty), this industrial unit bakery-café is much loved for its sourdoughs and sweet bakes: from cinnamon brioche knots to an epic salted caramel brownie. Its diverting brunch dishes include, for example, brioche french toast with bacon, maple syrup and fried eggs, or eggs florentine. Depot has a second café venue in Hillsborough Park. thedepotbakery.co.uk

Honeycombe-dipped vegan chocolate cake at Depot Bakery Sheffield

Peddler Market

The once industrial area of Kelham Island and Neepsend is, these days, equally busy with bars, food venues, apartments and office space. Peddler Market is a monthly indoor-outdoor warehouse street food party with DJs, live music, artist-maker stalls and discerning booze options. peddler.market

Falafel wrap street food sold at Peddler Market

Ashoka

Established in 1967, this distinctive Indian restaurant is, today, a spry, modern space. One that serves an innovative puri dish, seasoned with Sheffield’s beloved condiment, Henderson’s Relish, but which keeps it traditional where it matters. For example, using a charcoal-fired tandoor to cook its grilled meats. Expect dhals of soul-stirring depth and mains, from Persian-style lentils to a ‘railway’ curry of lamb and potatoes, which make deft, layered use of whole and freshly ground spices. ashoka1967.com

Ashoka's interiors including black and white tiled flooring, dark wooden furnishings and antique mirrors

Leah’s Yard

Grade II-listed Leah’s Yard is now an attractive hub of modern independent endeavour, with food and drink a feature at Barks Wine Shop and beer shop slash micropub Hop Hideout. leahsyard.com

Cambridge Street Collective

After impressing at Neepsend’s Cutlery Works, food hall creator, Blend, launched this three-storey, 1,200-seat, city centre extravaganza. 20 kitchens offer a smorgasbord of food options, from Ethiopia and Eritrean dishes (House of Habesha) to Greek pitta wraps (Gyros Express). Further entertainment runs from DJs and an augmented reality darts zone, to kids’ crafting sessions and cooking classes at the Blend Culinary Foundation. cambridgestreetcollective.com

Elm

By day this handsome space (raw plaster walls, stylish 20th-century furniture) serves great coffee, elevated grilled cheese sandwiches and tinned fish with sourdough toast and citrus-herb butters. At night (Wed-Sat), talented chef, Nathan Wall, offers a four- or seven-course menu of fascinating dishes. These have ranged from kombu-cured trout with roasted sesame, citrus ponzu, broccoli purée and radish, to a cheese scone with Sheffield honey and Baron Bigod cheese. elmsheffield.co.uk

Kombu-cured trout with roasted sesame, citrus ponzu, broccoli purée and radish, served at Elm restaurant

Foodie experiences

JÖRO

Luke French is that rare chef who, in tasting menu dishes of scallop with kampot pepper, aged beef fat, spruce and finger lime, or trout with kinome leaf and a sea buckthorn and yuzu kosho beurre blanc, can elicit excited double takes at his innovative deployment of flavours. Previously in the city centre, Jöro now has a semi-rural home at Oughtibridge Mill. This new site includes guest apartments, a bar (serving snacks) and an outdoor BBQ kitchen. jororestaurant.co.uk

JORO's interiors, featuring an exposed white brick wall, soft wooden tables and black metal chairs

Sheffield Beer Week

Sheffield is one of Britain’s great beer cities, home to many charismatic pubs (three personal faves being Shakespeare’s, Rutland Arms and The Fat Cat) and acclaimed breweries ranging from evergreen cask beer ace Abbeydale to Saint Mars of the Desert, adventurers at beer’s creative outer reaches. Annually, in March, this abundance of great ale is celebrated in a week of tours, talks, tastings and food events. sheffieldbeerweek.co.uk

Craft beer shop Hop Hideout within Leah's Yard

Public

A former public toilet by the town hall, this small, subterranean space is now one of Britain’s best cocktail bars. Laid-back and coolly retromodern in its design, Public offers a very Sheffield take on cocktail culture. No bling, no gimmicks, no VIPs. Crisply executed drinks wow on quality and creative brainwaves such as drawing mango notes from raw butternut squash infusions, or adding savoury depth by washing bourbon with prosciutto fat. publicpublic.co.uk

A range of cocktails presented at the bar at Public

Foodie neighbourhood

Sharrow Vale

On and around Sharrow Vale Road, this inner suburb offers a concentrated cluster of indie shopping, green space (Endcliffe Park) and great food, from hip bakery, café and grocer Tonco, to legendary chip shop Two Steps, which dates to the 19th century.

Foodies can fill their totes at Porter Brook Deli, discerning wine, spirit and beer store Starmore Boss, or coffee roaster and speciality tea retailer Pollards, on Ecclesall Road. Look out for Sharrow Vale Market too.

Refuel as you go with a flat white (Corner Store or Porter Coffee), exceptional doughnuts at bakery-café Eve Kitchen or pints in the charming The Beer House or fellow micropub, Loxley Brewery’s No 3 Sharrow.

At fishmonger JH Mann you can buy fresh fish and eat lunch (Tue-Sat, 11am-3pm). Choose your seafood and have it cooked and served with sides of, for example, salt cod mash, lobster sauce, dhal or seasonal vegetables.

Looking for brunch? Local fave, Made by Jonty, has you covered. Later, head to Porter Pizza (for stellar Neapolitan-style pizza) or Six and a Half, a hot 2025 opening where live-fire cooking creates dishes such as harissa venison with mint yogurt and crispy spiced onions.

Bread and pastries at Tonco Bakery

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Authors

Ashleigh Arnott

Tony Naylor

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