Penistone, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

2023 Review: “A popular local staple for many years”, this posh and hugely successful pub has been run by the Truelove family since 1968 and – much extended over the years – is known for its “consistently good food and service, with a great atmosphere”. Supporters reckon it is currently “back on form and, though expensive, a great meal is guaranteed (potted shrimps and shellfish superb!)”. A contrary view is that “the dining room decor is in a time warp, with no hint of frivolity to brighten the dullness”, while the “surprisingly long menu could do with being edited”, and the dishes arrive in “generous portions, but lack finesse”.

“I have always thought that Joro was brilliant… but since the move they have gone up a level!” – “Sheffield’s favourite has moved from inner to outer city to an enormous converted mill building with accommodation, a dedicated bar and a dining room with very generous spacing around the stylish tables and open plan kitchen” that “finally does them justice”. Fans say that Luke & Stacey Sherwood’s bold venue is “quite simply a Michelin star restaurant with no stars yet!” whose “Tasting Menu Twö at £125 offers a plethora of wonderful flavours”. (There’s also a cheaper Tasting Menu Öne, for £55 per person, with limited timings and Tasting Menu Ö.5 for £75 per person available mid week and at lunchtimes). “If you want to experience the best food from an incredible team” all reports say that this place “can’t be recommended more”. Top Tip – “the soft drinks pairing is amongst the best in the country…” – “a rare thing – many such non-alcoholic matches are lazy but at Jorö… well they are masters who craft their dishes and soft drinks so that when taken together MAGIC happens”.

2022 Review: No feedback as yet on this brave September 2020 opening – a tiny, 8-seat chef's table restaurant (all seats are at the counter) with an ever-changing and affordable tasting menu (7 courses for £30 on opening) from chef Luke Reynolds. Reports please!

“Up some stairs so a bit unassuming from the outside” – this fixture of Nether Green is a well-known Sheffield destination and once inside is “smartly-decorated with effective ambient lighting”. There was a changing of the guard in 2024, and it’s now wholly owned by co-founder and sommelier Alistair Myers with Dan Conlon as head chef. One local notes that “it’s recovered from the loss of one of the original partners and is back to its superb best” with a “very professional approach to food and service without being pretentious”. There’s a range of menus (of four, six and ten courses) – “the food is beautifully presented” and “of the highest order”.

2024 Review: “An airy space with unusual dishes and great cooking” – this comfortable independent opposite the civic hall scored highly in this year’s annual diners’ poll. The focus is on small plates, some of them very original: who’s for ‘honey, soy and gochujang roast carrots, toasted sesame, with tahini satay’?

2023 Review: Fooderati insider Thom Hetherington was amongst those sending out an SOS on behalf of this well-regarded neighbourhood restaurant in his hometown, which was gutted by fire in September 2022. By the end of the month it had crowdfunded the money to re-open and restore its mix of funky small plates (typically you would order 7-8 in a meal), plus gins, cocktails and a thoughtful small selection of wines.

2022 Review: A collaboration between Sheffield cook Richard Smith, his restaurateur wife Victoria and the award-winning craft brewers Thornbridge; “creative fish dishes” feature alongside meats – all well-singed on the fancy Bertha indoor charcoal oven – and the “great location” (skirting the Peak District) makes it particularly “good for outdoor eating”.

Run by the present regime since 2016, this proper community pub has had a couple of renovations since, and currently offers two dedicated dining areas: the ground-floor ‘Green Room’, with its garden theme, and the more upmarket ‘The View’ upstairs. Chef Darren Milner turns out “great” seasonal countryside classics, from hearty breakfasts to Sunday roasts and proper pies – and while, if you opt for fancier fare, it can be “expensive”, it’s “worth it and very good for a special occasion”.

2023 Review: This “excellent seafood restaurant” was opened in 2021 by “top Sheffield fishmonger J H Mann” – an institution that opened a century earlier in Hillsborough. “Being run by a fishmonger means they have varieties way more exciting that the usual offerings, including lobster, oysters and scallops” – which means it’s “a wonderful place for fish lovers”. The retail part of the business is now based in Sharrow Vale, with a second shop in Bakewell.

2024 Review: Flo Hiller and Joe Shrewsbury’s “great, informal” small-plates restaurant, in what is a happening dining ‘hood, has wowed the likes of Marina O’Loughlin since opening in 2019; you “can see the influence of Moro”, the famously creative Clerkenwell icon, on its “exciting menu”, and bonus points for its soft drink pairings, “many homemade”. In 2023, they opened a bakery/café/essentials shop, 100m away on Sharrow Vale Road, with plans to create a laid- back extension to the main restaurant.

2023 Review: “Nice, if somewhat out-of-the-way, neighbourhood-style spot serving small plates and good wine”, outside Sheffield – a bar / kitchen and shop that started life with sell-out pop-up dinners. Its cuisine was given a strong plug by The FT in early 2022.