Barnsley, 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”.

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!

“Initially housed in a converted shipping container, but shortly (in 2024) to move to a leafier suburb” – Luke & Stacey Sherwood have won fame since they opened in 2016 in the city’s ‘Krinkyl’ development and in September 2024 their success has enabled them to up sticks to the Oughtibridge Paper Mill development on the edge of the Peak District, now complete with two bars, an all-day dining terrace, an outdoor kitchen, bedrooms, and a deli shop on site. Reports hitherto auger well for the move: “What can you say? this restaurant is better than most Michelin-starred restaurants you will visit”. “Exquisite combinations from locally foraged and international sources are wonderful to look at and eat” and the “always interesting and well-researched drinks pairings” are a form of “magical alchemy”. (Another visitor in March 2024 was The Times’s Giles Coren, who humble-bragged about now being the first reviewer to visit, but left Sheffield delirious with the thrill of such good food for so little money and very excited about coming back to try the new place). We’ve maintained the current ratings during the move. Three final thoughts: -1- Will the absence of the recherché shipping container and higher overheads of the new set-up dispel some of the mystique that’s so far distinguished the place? -2- One reporter notes that “the chef has been to Japan and some dishes can be a bit unbalanced with umami flavours dominating”… hopefully a passing phase. And -3- if you don’t want to travel to the new location then Konjö (see also) will be moving into the Krynkl shipping container they’ve left behind.

This “long-established and well-loved Sheffield classic, in a perhaps surprisingly suburban location” (of Nether Green) serves “imaginative three- and four-course menus and tasting menus” – with “great food” and “superb service”, it “always feels like a special experience”. A “small venue (26 seats) with over-table lights, creating a more intimate space in the evening”, it is approached up “steep stairs, which may be an issue for some”. Co-owner chef Tom Lawson left after 10 years in summer 2024, so it is now wholly owned by co-founder sommelier Alistair Myers, with Dan Conlon as head chef. Top Tip – the midweek tasting menu is £65 per person (much cheaper than at the weekend when there’s only a £110 per person option, or the ‘Kitchen Bench’ at £135 per person).

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.

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.