Whether you’re celebrating an occasion or just wanting to spoil yourself, sometimes, you have to go all out with your dining experience.
The ‘Steel City’ has more than its fair share of exceptional fine dining restaurants. These places go above and beyond the flavours on the plate. From a seasonal and sustainability-focused ethos to immersive experiences that tantalise all your senses, whatever your tastes, you’ll find it in Sheffield. Here are some of our top picks for when you’re next feeling fancy.
Rafters Restaurant
This is one of the first names that comes to mind when you think of fine dining in Sheffield. Rafters is a 26-seat restaurant, nestled away in the oak-lined Nethergreen suburb, with a warm and welcoming interior and exquisite hospitality. Led by Head Chef Dan Conlon, the tasting menus here are crafted with seasonality and sustainability in mind, featuring only the highest quality ingredients that are locally sourced wherever possible.
The tasting menus are available in four, six and 10 course options. Here, you can tuck into everything from Jabugo ham with umami shiitake and beer vinegar to Cornish mackerel served with an expert combination of peach, jalapeño and buttermilk. And of course, you have to finish on the divine sticky toffee, smothered in caramel and served with brown butter ice cream – it’s incredible.
It all comes thoughtfully paired with an extensive wine list, as well as seasonal cocktails and beers, which are sourced from Sheffield’s own microbreweries. And with the four-course menu coming in at £50 (with an optional wine pairing for £55), this is accessible fine dining that does away with the pretentiousness.
Where? Rafters Restaurant, 220 Oakbrook Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S11 7ED.
When? 6:30pm to 11:30pm Wednesday to Friday, and 12:30pm to 1:45pm then 7pm to 11:30pm on Saturday.
Get it booked: raftersrestaurant.co.uk
JÖRO Restaurant
Credit: Gilly Photography
Found in the former paper mill at the 19th-century Oughtibridge Mill – and with seven chic rooms available to book – JÖRO is a truly distinctive dining experience in Sheffield. They do away with dress codes and pompous settings – instead serving a wonderful atmosphere and even better dishes across their informal, open-plan dining room and stunning terrace space.
You can drop in to enjoy freshly brewed coffee and a selection of daily pastries from 9am, treat yourself to tapas-inspired small plates for lunch, or kick back with something delicious from the BBQ Kitchen from midday on weekends, with sizzling delights being slung from their Big Green Egg barbecue. But it’s the tasting menus here that really step things up a notch. They come available in a selection of experiences, ranging from an hour and 45 minutes to three hours of heavenly dining.
The menus transform with the season, but you could be sampling the likes of aged Yorkshire beef croustade or chalk stream trout, with options for veggies that are definitely no afterthought. With an extensive drinks list boasting beautiful cocktails and crisp wines, along with a staggeringly good Sunday roast, you won’t need an excuse to come back here time and time again.
Where? JÖRO Oughtibridge Mill, Main Road, Wharncliffe Side, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S35 0LB.
When? 9am to 11:30pm on Wednesday to Saturday, and 9am to 12pm on Sunday.
Get it booked: jororestaurant.co.uk
The Old Vicarage
With more than three decades of culinary distinction under their belt, The Old Vicarage knows how to do fine dining with an extra large serving of Yorkshire charm. Owner and Executive Chef Tessa Bramley is at the helm, steering her experienced team in innovative, modern styles that are rooted in timeless cooking techniques – and there’s a focus here on keeping it sustainable, self-sufficient and with zero waste.
All of the produce is sourced from local farms or straight from the kitchen garden, with the bloom and blossom influencing what you see on the menu. They constantly change and evolve with the seasons, meaning there’s always something new to try across the three different experiences. The prestige menu represents The Old Vicarage’s signature creations and are served to be shared with the whole table, bringing everyone together in a flight of flavours, textures and aromas.
You can expect dishes such as specialty bread baked in-house with hand-churned butter, seared monkfish tail, and sweets that have been baked using fruit from the Vicarage Orchard. Each course is paired with a wine hand-picked by the sommelier, piquing your palate and elevating your dining experience. You can feel the craft, care and passion in every bite and sip.
Where? The Old Vicarage, Ridgeway Moor, Ridgeway Village, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S12 3XW.
When? Open from 6pm on Wednesday to Saturday.
Get it booked: tessabramley.co.uk/restaurant
Six and a half
At Six and a half, they reimagine ancient cooking techniques with a modern twist, meaning all your senses will be awakened here. This isn’t just fine dining – it’s fire dining. Six and a half is a creative culinary concept that strips things back to basics and gets it cooking over an open wood fire.
But it’s not just a case of throwing something over the heat. They take high-quality, seasonal ingredients and carefully pair them with different types of wood to complement the flavours, before dishing them up as small and sharing plates. The chefs tame the flames to craft a vibrant menu of delicious fare. There’s everything from woodfired flatbread to charred hispi cabbage, seared onglet steak to grilled garlic butter tiger prawns.
It’s a menu that is sure to please, with weekly special two or three-course menus helping to shake things up every time you visit. They also design and prepare their own cocktails, alongside a curated selection of beers, wines and non-alcoholic beverages. With incredible aromas as soon as you step in and fantastic service, you’re sure to get a warm welcome here in more ways than one.
Where? Six and a half, Dyson Place, off Sharrow Vale Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S11 8XX.
When? 12pm to 3pm then 6pm to 11pm on Wednesday to Saturday.
Get it booked: sixandahalf.co.uk
NO NAME SHEFFIELD
The bold name choice for this little bistro in Crookes shows that they’re so confident in their culinary excellence, it speaks for itself. The dark exterior gives way to a bright, modern dining space where the food is given the space to shine. The menu here is modest but it’s proof that great things come in small, perfectly-formed packages.
The dishes continually change, based on seasonal and locally sourced market ingredients, but the sample menu showcases plenty of mouth-watering highlights. From breaded lamb shoulder with crème fraîche and herb salad to market fish with aioli potatoes and greens, and croissant pudding with blue cheese, honey glazed parsnips and pecan pesto, the menu is a love letter to creative cooking.
For the brave and the hungry, there’s a blind tasting menu on the first Saturday of every month. You’ll get six courses for £70, and each dish is a surprise. But one thing’s for sure – it’s going to taste sensational. This is also a BYOB alcohol bistro, so pack your favourite bottle and you’ll only pay a £3 corkage charge per person.
Where? NO NAME SHEFFIELD, 253 Crookes, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S10 1TF.
When? 6pm to 11pm on Wednesday to Saturday. Doors open at 12:30pm on the first Saturday of every month for the blind taster menu.
Get it booked: nonamesheffield.com
Fischer’s Baslow Hall
Credit: Tim Green Photography
The team at the Fischer’s Baslow Hall restaurant brings you food and wine harmony so good, it’ll make you want to sing about it from the rooftops. Service here is divine and you can enjoy it from the polished setting of their dining room or, if you’re lucky with the weather, from the summer terrace, with live music playing on select Sundays.
The menu boasts inventive British fare made with sustainably produced ingredients, including those foraged from the Peak District and sourced directly from their own kitchen gardens. They balance refined cooking with seasonal dishes and masterful techniques to deliver something remarkable. There’s light bites like garden pesto linguini on the lunch menu, with BBQ cured duck breast and venison loin with dauphinoise inviting you in for a leisurely evening meal.
The tasting menu is a 10-course affair taking you from garden beetroot tartlet through to a delectable baked egg custard tart. Want something a bit more exclusive? Go for the Kitchen Bench tasting menu – crafted daily by Head Chef John Shuttleworth and served in a front-row seat to the kitchen. Whichever menu you choose, be sure to pair it with a good glass of vino.
Where? Fischer’s Baslow Hall, Calver Road, Baslow, Bakewell, DE45 1RR.
When? 9am to 11pm daily.
Get it booked: fischers-baslowhall.co.uk/the-restaurant
