Updated on 28th November 2024
Written on Shopping Updated on 28th November 2024

Want to experience hot chocolate the way it should be? Step into Sheffield’s very first chocolate bar…

Founder Max Scotford first scrawled down his idea for a venue serving up all things chocolatey when he was 16. Fast forward 15 years, and his vision has been realised with the opening of Chocolate Bar in Sheffield.

Chocolate chip and double chocolate chip cookies on the counter at The Chocolate Bar at Leah's Yard, Sheffield

© Copyright Yorkshire-List 2024

This all-day cafe bar offers an imaginative array of cocoa-infused bakes and beverages, but it’s the hot chocolate that’s got everyone talking. Naturally, we had to check it out.

Max is no stranger to the world of chocolate. His journey began over a decade ago at his kitchen table, using an Indian spice grinder to perfect the rare art of bean-to-bar chocolate making.

He soon mastered the craft and launched his premium chocolate brand, Bullion, in 2016. Now, having built a reputation as one of the few UK producers to make bars this way, Max is ready for his next big mission.

A man and woman sat at a table in The Chocolate Bar at Leah's Yard, Sheffield

© Copyright Yorkshire-List 2024

“The concept behind Chocolate Bar is to make craft chocolate accessible to everyone,” he told us. “We want people to experience the best chocolate there is, made the proper way.”

Crafted from scratch at its Sheffield factory, Bullion uses a select few high-quality, natural ingredients in its bars. Zero nasties or additives here!

The focus is on letting the distinct flavours of single-origin cocoa beans sourced from handpicked farms shine through. And it’s this ‘proper’ Bullion sweet stuff that’s poured into almost every item on the Chocolate Bar menu.

A sign introducing Leahs Yard in front of the newly renovated buildings

© Copyright Yorkshire-List 2024

Located in Leah’s Yard, a new social hub for indie businesses in Sheffield’s city centre, the cafe bar stirs up a smile from the off. Its cartoon mascot ‘Geoff’ (named after Max’s grandad who used to deliver milk), is etched skipping across the window.

Inside, its uplifting yet simple decor features white walls, a wooden bar and tables peppered with colourful seating and artwork. There’s also a heart on the wall bearing the names of the ‘Chocolate Bar Backers’ who helped crowdfund the venture with donations from as far as America.

Open day and evening, you can call into Sheffield’s Chocolate Bar for everything from speciality coffee and breakfast bakes to sweet treats and chilled cocktails.

A freshly made hot chocolate on the table with chocolate bars, candles and coffee at The Chocolate Bar at Leah's Yard, Sheffield

© Copyright Yorkshire-List 2024

The most popular item on the menu? Its ‘build your own’ craft drinking chocolate. Over 1,200 mugs were devoured in its opening week alone. And, having experienced it ourselves, we can confirm that the hype is indeed real.

The concept works by inviting you to tailor your tipple. Choose your preferred cocoa percentage, from 28% white to 90% dark. Pick the temperature (hot or iced). Then add milk, with dairy, coconut or oat.

You can enhance it with natural flavourings like mint, sea salt, orange, gingerbread or chilli. Alternatively, adults can add a splash of booze, including coffee liqueur, amaretto, rum or whiskey. Finally, top off your creation with marshmallows, whipped cream or both!

A woman breaking at cookie in half at The Chocolate Bar at Leah's Yard, Sheffield

© Copyright Yorkshire-List 2024

Love at first sip, the texture is smooth and light, like velvet, all the way down. The taste? Rich and creamy without being sickly. A far cry from the powdery substance on supermarket shelves, it feels like drinking pure liquid chocolate. And that’s because, essentially, you are!

“What sets our drinking chocolate apart is that we make it by blitzing a Bullion bar into ground chocolate,” Max revealed. “By heating it with the steamed milk, the chocolate then melts and distributes evenly through the mug.”

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the choices, order Max’s favourite – a “not too intense” 70% dark with dairy milk and marshmallows. Hot chocolate not your bag? Get your sweet kicks another way. Chocolate Bar’s signature bakes, including the fudgiest brownies, and its pain au chocolate are laced with Bullion.

Sandwiches at The Chocolate Bar at Leah's Yard, Sheffield

© Copyright Yorkshire-List 2024

Drink-wise, most of its signature cocktails feature its speciality Bullirum chocolate liquor. Try it in an espresso martini or the Cocoa Fruit Colada, which switches pineapple for cacao pulp.

Keen to offer something for all, the drinks menu includes chocolate-free cocktails and a carefully curated wine and beer list designed to pair perfectly with Bullion’s bars.

Those with dietary requirements need not miss out either. Drinking chocolate options at 70% dark and above are vegan, plus vegan plant pastries and gluten-free cookies are also available.

A shelf full of chocolate bars at the Chocolate Bar in Leah's Yard, Sheffield

Gift-seekers will delight in the Chocolate Bar’s goodie-packed shelves. Choose from Bullion’s best-selling bars, sweet-scented candles (the orange one is our fav), or what’s fast becoming an iconic vessel in Sheffield – a Chocolate Bar mug.

A visit here also provides the perfect opportunity to discover more of the newly opened Leah’s Yard. This former collection of small industrial units (where Max’s great grandma once worked as a silver finisher) has been transformed into a characterful retail destination.

Explore its warren-like cobbled passages and courtyard, home to some of Sheffield’s finest independents. Pick up a new read from La Biblioteka, a house plant from Gravel Pit, or a bottle of locally made Khoo’s Hot Sauce or Hendo’s Relish from Mester’s Market farm shop.

A hot chocolate and a woman holding a cookie at The Chocolate Bar at Leah's Yard, Sheffield

© Copyright Yorkshire-List 2024

Legendary city artist Pete McKee has also set up a brand new gallery space in one of the red brick units. And that’s just a snapshot of its offering. Prepare to happily lose hours here with so many Yorkshire treasures to uncover.

The Chocolate Bar, Leah’s Yard, 20-22 Cambridge Street, Sheffield, S1 4HJ. Open from 8am to 6pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, 8am to 10pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8am to 11pm on Fridays, 10am to 11pm on Saturdays, and 10am to 6pm on Sundays.

Rachel Hirst Senior Writer
An experienced writer with a background in journalism, Rachel has worked extensively in lifestyle, travel and hospitality. She’s based in Sheffield, but loves to explore the wider region, doing everything from camping and hiking to shopping, pottery and attending music festivals. More from Rachel Hirst