Sheffield highlighted as the 'UK’s most exciting food city' by The Observer

The Steel City featured in the latest ‘food favourites for 2023’ in The Observer Food Monthly - an annual list in which food critics highlight the most exciting movers and shakers in the hospitality scene.

In an article titled ‘30 things we love in the world of food right now’ Sheffield’s bar and restaurant scene wins praise alongside other major UK cities including Leeds, Manchester and London.

A whole section is dedicated to Sheffield’s hospitality sector under the heading ‘The UK’s most exciting food city?’.

It says: “Readers may have noticed how often Sheffield cropped up in last year’s OFM Awards. This strong showing came as no surprise: there has been a steady increase in places to eat out in the city, despite the pandemic. Bench, The Orange Bird and Tonco took regional runners-up spots in the Best Restaurant category and all opened after 2020.

“To that trio of excellence you can add V or V, a vegetarian and vegan restaurant offering inventive small plates such as barbecued radish with seaweed bagna cauda, and cumin broccoli with pickled plum sauce. Just up the road, Native is a sister restaurant to traditional fishmonger JH Mann, opened by chef Christian Szurko in 2021.

“Both are in Kelham Island, a former industrial neighbourhood filled with bars, cafes and restaurants. Acclaimed bistro Juke & Loe has moved to new premises here and the owners of popular Sardinian restaurant Domo have opened a rooftop cocktail bar, Kelu, in the same building as the acclaimed Jöro – home to chef Luke French’s experimental tasting menus.”

Tonco, in Sharrow Vale; The Orange Bird, in Hillsborough; and Bench, in Nether Edge, were all recognised in the Observer Food Monthly Awards 2022. They were the three runners-up in the ‘north’ region for the title of ‘Best Restaurant’, as voted for by readers of the popular monthly newspaper supplement.