Sheffield Food A-Z

We're starting off strong with one of my absolute favourite places in the whole of Sheffield: All Carrot no Stick. This is a mini all-vegan supermarket. It's great if you want to try some real good vegan cheese, need low-waste/plastic-free cosmetics, or crave milk-free chocolate that is actually creamy. Don't forget to grab a basket because you'll always buy more than you plan to when browsing through this little shop. They also have a few fresh cakes on display that are hard to resist. --- Not your thing? Try another 'A': Ammi's Kitchen - run by women from various cultural backgrounds, Ammi's Kitchen offers flavourful community lunches and take-away every other Friday. All vegan!

It was a hard pick for the 'B' but there is no denying that I'm a regular at Birdhouse. Birdhouse is a perfect cozy spot for breakfast, lunch or a coffee with cake. It's a nice place to meet up with a friend, a date, or your family (my parents also love this place!). The food is genuinely very tasty and the hot drinks are as good as they get. Especially the extensive tea selection is better than you'd find anywhere else. If you want to bring a little bit of Birdhouse into your own house, I highly recommend buying their tea blends. 'Princess Peach' is my favourite. --- Not your thing? Try another 'B': The Boston Arms - Sheffield is full of micro pubs of which you'll find multiple along Chesterfield Road. The Boston Arms is the place to be for craft beers, events, cocktails, a tiny courtyard and pizza.

This is one I haven't been to myself (yet) but have heard great things about. At the Chakra Lounge, you can try flavourful Indian breakfast and lunch dishes. The staple dish to try are the Roti Wraps, which can be described as Indian soft taco's filled with veggies. It's good to know that all dishes are vegetarian or vegan. The Chakra Lounge also sells a few spice mixes and a coffee blend to replicate their dishes at home. --- Not your thing? Try another 'C': Church Temple of Fun - this one is truly funky: a fully vegan bar and restaurant in a refurbished church building. The star of the menu? Definitely the satay loaded waffle fries.

After trying many bakeries in Sheffield I will say, with confidence, that Depot Bakery has the best bread! I could eat their foccacia every day. Aside from bread, Depot can also supply you with a hot drink. There is not much seating inside, but it's worth heading into the garden with picknick tables to sit and savour the best baked goods. Alternatively, go for a stroll around Hillsborough Park. The other location of Depot Bakery is housed in Kelham Island (92 Burton Road). Both locations are open every day from 9 till 4. Enough time to pop by and try some delicious bread or pastries. --- Not your thing? Try another 'D': Domo - a more high-end Italian restaurant that is known for its quality pizzas and pastas.

In winter, Encliffe Park Café is the perfect place to grab something warm when heading into the park. In summer, you'll find refreshing drinks and ice cream here. This café is especially nice because of its prime location. I like it as a place to meet up before or after a walk. I always go for take-away, as there is very limited seating inside. The drinks do the job and the baked goods are always tempting (I recommend the vegan sausage roll).

As is typical for Kelham Island, Factory Floor has nailed the industrial look combined with alternative vibes. Factory Floor is a perfect bar to hang out friends while enjoying a cocktail or draft beer. If you want food, you can order pizza from nearby B'reyt Dough. They'll bring the pizza right to you, so no need to go outside. --- Not your thing? Try another 'F': Fusion Organic Café - a lunch café offering natural, home-made soups, quiches, sandwiches and more.

Gaard Coffee Hide was such a pleasant find! The open, light interior makes you instantly relax. It's even better when the sun shines on the glass exterior. This is a café that knows how to serve good matcha. You can have a selection of milks in your latte, but all food is vegan. Actually, the food is surprisingly good and not too expensive. Gaard 2 Coffee Hide is ideal for a casual catch up with a friend. It's generally quiet with comfy seats. The other location in Kelham Island (20-22 Burton Road) is apparently a bit more spacious.

If you love Ethiopian food, head over to the second floor of the Cambridge Street Collective foodhall. Here, lovely staff will make you the best East-African dishes. I particularly recommend the 2-person sharing platter, which is definitely enough food for 3. But no problem if you can't finish it, because you can ask for a tub to take the rest home. The dishes have the right amount of spiciness and plenty of flavour, so this is really one to try out! --- Not your thing? Try another 'H': Hungry Buddha - vegan and vegetarian Nepalese food inside the bustling Moor Market.

Another bakery? Yes, Sheffield is the perfect place for bread lovers. This is not just any cute neighbourhood bakery, it is an ambitious one! Because the UK is heavily dependent on the import of grains, I Said Bread focuses on using cereals that are grown on home soil. With that, they also want to avoid the use of pesticides. Therefore, most of the grains used for baking at I Said Bread are certified organic. There are also some tasty pastries (with vegan options) to satisfy the sweet tooth. Locals can order loaves through two of Sheffield's organic vegetable bag schemes: Sheffield Organic Growers and Moss Valley Market Garden.

Joni has three locations throughout Sheffield: at the Botanical Gardens, at the Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet and at the Kelham Island Museum. These locations are also what makes Joni worth visiting. Though there is a good variety of dishes on the (lunch) menu, the food at Joni isn't exceptional. It's mainly a laid back place to sit after seeing a museum. I would recommend the smoothies, though!

If you're looking for a really good lunch or pastry, Kollective may be your place. Aside from a nice ambience, this café slash lunchroom serves high-quality food and drinks. The menu is varied but suitable for all dietary requirements. It can be busy at during weekends, so you may have to wait a little to find a seat when you go at a prime time. During that time, be sure to check out Site Gallery and its gift shop. Aside from the city centre location, Kollective can be found in Nether Edge (2-4 Nether Edge Road).

If you're looking for a fun activity (and don't need to drive anywhere afterwards), the tasting & tour at Locksley Distillery is a must. Although I'm not a huge fan of gin, you can really taste the quality of Locksley's Sheffield-distilled artisan gins. The flavour combinations are fantastic and all natural. Doing the gin tasting was honestly one of the most fun things I've done since moving to Sheffield. To visit the distillery, you do need to book a tour or another activity, as they're not normally open to visitors. I'd suggesting having a look at their website, as they sometimes host open days. --- Not your thing? Try another 'L': Lovely Rita's Bakehouse - just around the corner from Locksley Distillery you find an all-vegan bakery. I've only heard positive reviews!

To those who enjoy Indian food, my main advice woudl be to head to the Cutlery Works foodhall. Inside, you'll find MA-ba. Not only are the staff very friendly, they also clearly know how to cook! I love getting the meal deal for 2 and trying multiple currys. Especially the Tarka Dhal is always a winner. The atmosphere at the Cutlery Works is a nice bonus. Especially on a weekday when it's a bit quieter, it's a good place to sit and enjoy your Indian feast.

The 'N' was another letter where it was hard to choose! But I think Nam Song wins because of it's unique, colourful decor and proper Vietnamese dishes. If you don't fancy sitting on the floor, make sure to explicity ask for a table with chairs, because half of the experience here is that you eat on cushions instead of chairs. It may also not be the best place for those who cannot handle spiciness. Either way, the food is amazing! They don't shy away from a generous amount of garlic, which is a good thing in my eyes. The flavourful food at Nam Song is the reason this restaurant is one of my go-to's for celebrations or date nights. --- Not your thing? Try another 'N': Nether Edge Pizza Company - thin crust pizza's with plenty of toppings, especially good on Tuesday and Wednesday when you get every 3rd pizza for free. The vegan artichoke is my standard order.

A place for both craft beers and cocktails (or shots?!), that's The Old Workshop. There is a wide range of drinks on offer, including a good selection of alcohol-free beers. In terms of food, The Old Workshop serves delicious vegan dumplings and other small dishes from Dumpling City. There are two other places that are very similar to The Old Workshop, which serve similar vegan food and drinks: The Beer Engine (17 Cementery Road) and The Tramshed (51 Chesterfield Road). The latter is actually fully vegan except for a few stouts! In short, the Old Workshop and its equivalents are modern pubs with seriously tasty small sharing dishes. A great place to take your friends.

The best pizza in Sheffield? You'll find it at the Porter Pizza Company. The owners started out small but have built a thriving little Neapolitan pizza restaurant in a popular Sheffield neighbourhood. The vibes are casual, but the taste is serious. What's more, Porter Pizza cares about sustainability. The premise runs on 100% renewable electricity and produces near-zero food waste. The restaurant also supports local charities and community projects, which I think is awesome. And if you don't like pizza, then let the gelato (ice cream) convince you instead. There are always a few sorbets on offer, too, for those who don't eat dairy. --- Not your thing? Try another 'P': Puck & Pollen - a tiny vegan coffee place serving hot or cold drinks (do try the iced hazelnut chocolate milk) as well as baked goods, including a properly oily focaccia.

This bagel bar is fairly popular, so you can expect having to wait a little if you go around lunch time. But I've been told that the wait is worth it! There is always a vegan/vegetarian bagel option, which tends to get stellar reviews. You can also opt to build your own bagel. Add to this affordable prices and a location in the middle of the city centre and you've got the perfect recipe for a quick lunch stop on a shopping day.

Cozy corners to sit, a beer garden, live music and art shows, that's Riverside Kelham. They serve craft beers, spirits and cocktails, so something for everyone. In case you fancy a bite of food, there is a classic pub menu with lots of vegan options. The home-made northern pies are only a tenner on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. And, all ingredients are sourced locally as much as possible. Riverside Kelham is suitable for families during the day and friendly catch-ups or pre-parties during the evening.

South Street Kitchen is ideal if you need to catch a train soon. You can pop in for a quick take-away (definitely check out the pastries on display) or sit in for a breakfast, brunch or lunch. The food at South Street is not only tasty, it's also completely meat-free. For practically every vegetarian dish except things with halloumi, a vegan option is also possible. And if you're not too hungry, you can ask for a smaller portion to reduce food waste. If you ask for one piece of toast instead of two, they'll decrease the price of the dish by 10%. South Street uses produce grown opposite the café and donates to charities. So, it's about more than just food! On Friday evenings, you can join for dinner. The menu is often themed around a specific cuisine. You might recognise Middle Eastern inspired dishes on the brunch menu, too. --- Not your thing? Try another 'S': The Showroom - on the other side of the train station from South Street, you find an independent cinema and its café. The food isn't amazing, but I find the café a nice place to hang out or work remotely.

There are many good restaurants that start with a 'T', but Tamper is one I keep coming back to. The menu is concise, with only 1 or 2 vegan options, but the food is such high quality I don't mind ordering the same thing every time I go (it's the mushroom toast, by the way). Tamper Coffee is a New Zealand-inspired eatery and café that's often full to the brim. You will need to book a table when you have a tight schedule. Walk-ins are definitely possible, but you might have to wait long enough to finish your first coffee before you can get a table. In summer, there's a cute courtyard where you can sit outside, but the interior design inside is worth enjoying, too. --- Not your thing? Try another 'T': Treehouse Board Game Café - here, you can hire a table to play board games from an extensive collection. Food is basic, but all you need whilst concentrating on your winning strategy.

Quick, cheap and as fresh as it gets are how I would describe Urban Pitta. Take your pitta into nearby Graves Park or try to claim one of the few seats inside to savour an amazing pitta. You select the ingredients for your pitta (or salad) yourself, so you can try something slightly different every time. Believe me when I say that the pitta's are a proper meal and you'll be full after just one of them. Because of its success in Woodseats, Urban Pitta is soon opening a second location at Hunter's Bar roundabout (85 Junction Road).

Beer enthusiasts will appreciate the more than 20 taps of changing beers at Vocation & Co. Vocation & Co. has a few more locations, including its own brewery in Hebden Bridge. You can even order their beer online (check out their fancy barrel aged beer if you want something special). Of course, beer is best paired with a hearty meal, so there are American-style burgers and fries available at Vocation & Co. for anyone who's hungry. --- Not your thing? Try another 'V': Viraaj - an authentic Indian restaurant serving reliably high-quality dishes. The staff are very enthousiastic about their food, but tend to serve quickly, so you won't be inside for long.

Whether you want an English breakfast, a filling lunch, a Sunday roast or a drink, Waggon & Horses is nice neighbourhood pub that offers it all. It's nestled in between Millhouses Park and Ecclesal Woods. The interior is a classic dark pub style with a fireplace, and the menu reflects it. I really enjoyed the vegan sausages I had here and the staff are friendly. It's a place where I would take family for a meal. In summer, there is also a coffee corner to the side of the pub. Mondays are for pub quizzes and Thursdays feature a burger menu. A very similar pub a bit closer to the city centre is the Broadfield. --- Not your thing? Try another 'W': Wawin Chinese - a fully vegan Chinese take-away restaurant. Worth a try if the reviews are to be believed.

I didn't want to chicken out of finding something with an 'X', but admittedly, there weren't any options besides Xiongqi Hotpot. Whilst the menu is very meat-heavy, you can select the ingredients for your hotpot yourself, so a vegan option should be possible!

There's no shortage of vegan-friendly pubs in Sheffield, because The York is another one. It's a classic English pub with all the regular grub on the menu. The York is a nice mix of the traditional and modern, with a wide selection of beers. They're open every day of the week. When it comes down to it, The York is nothing special, but that's precisely the appeal of a proper pub.

Zeds is great for those who want to buy their vegetables organic, locally sourced and without plastic wrapping. But besides vegetables, there are also some sustainable alternatives for household products, as well as vegan meat substitutes. If you're a regular at Zeds, you can use their refill scheme to reuse empty bottles. If only all grocery shops were like this!