Sheffield Forge Bakehouse
This city has always led the way in art, design and music, but now, with hip brunch joints and sharp post-nordic restaurants, its food scene is coming of age
Ambulo
The Millennium Gallery may seem an odd location for one of Sheffield’s hottest restaurants – public buildings rarely facilitate good food – but at Ambulo, gallery bosses have brought in the team from Sheffield’s coolest cocktail spot, Public, to turn its canteen into a bustling all-day diner. You can hang out over coffee at 9am or knock out negronis at 9pm, and, throughout, eat very good food. From filthy hits such as the Korean fried chicken crumpet to swanky dishes of roast hake with brown shrimp & XO noisette, the menu is fun, flexible and, at its top-end, downright fantastic. Dishes from £3. weareambulo.com CD, KF
Jöro
A chic nook in the Krynkl shipping container development, chef Luke French’s Jöro is – both, in its hip, ultra-seasonal, Nordic-japanese cooking and its ingredients – Sheffield’s most ambitious restaurant. You eat amid jars of fermenting produce, hip-hop pumping away as engaging staff fire a salvo of complimentary snacks at you (poached Scottish langoustine with spruce, a divine celeriac and brown butter broth), before wowing you with a succession of small plates of great creativity and depth. Plates from £5-£20. jororestaurant.co.uk SO, CD
Tamper at Sellers Wheel
Sheffield was the 19th-century metalwork capital of the world. Today, Sellers Wheel, a former silversmiths’, creates an equally precious commodity: tremendous all-day brunches. At the weekend, local creatives flock to this brick-lined whitewashed space to gorge on Antipodean-style sweetcorn fritters and – co-owner John Perry hails from New Zealand – that Kiwi classic, mince on ciabatta with poached eggs and hollandaise. Dishes from £7. tampercoffee.co.uk CD
Ashoka
This much-loved Indian restaurant (left) has been a fixture on the Sheffield scene since 1967. In recent years, its compact dining room has been given a neat, Dishoom-style, Raj-era makeover (all wooden booths, vintage signs, shelves of decorative Indian groceries), while its food cleaves to tradition in the best possible way. Scintillatingly spiced seekh kebabs emerge from a charcoal-fired tandoor, while dishes, from a Parsi lentil curry to the ‘Viceroy’s keema’, are kaleidoscopic in their freshly-ground, sensitively-spiced flavours. Leagues above the generic high street curry house. Mains from £10. ashoka1967.com CD
Eat amid jars of fermenting produce, as engaging staff fire a salvo of snacks at you
Kommune
A communal food hall (housing permanent street-food traders) is every UK city’s must-have, and Kommune – a vast, sleek transformation of Castle House – is a striking addition to that growing network. It’s home to branches of Sheffield indies such as Tamper (see left) and craft beer evangelists Hop Hideout. Food ranges from Pom Kitchen’s plant-powered dishes to ‘Korean soul food’ at Yori. There are two out-of-town outfits – Newcastle’s Fat Hippo slings next-level burgers and Marple’s Chaat Cart deals in South Indian food that will make you swoon. Dishes from £5. kommune.co.uk CD, KF, CE
Piña
Barely a year old, this taqueria is in Kelham Island, a grimy industrial zone adjacent to Sheffield city centre. Set in a raw brick warehouse – colourfully decorated with urban art – it’s worlds away from downtown Oaxaca, but, after visiting Mexico, owner Joe Cribley is determined to imbue his taco menu with an authentic flavour. Hand-pressed corn tortillas are topped with gutsily seasoned, slow-cooked meats (spiced, shredded barbecued lamb; achiote pastemarinated pork), which you can wash down with margaritas. Two tacos from £6. barpina.co.uk CD
Elm
At Elm, the focus is on organic and natural wine, which you can explore while enjoying platters of top-notch charcuterie, local cheeses and simple, well-executed, seasonal plates of, say, potato and wild garlic fritters with chilli jam or ricotta and asparagus ravioli. It is a place that, in every mouthful, is a testament to traditional technique and patient artisan skills. Plates from £5.50. elmsheffield.co.uk CD At times, you need to head a little out of the city centre to eat well, to, in this case, the so-called Antiques Quarter on Abbeydale Road. For a working bakery, Forge is surprisingly natty. Its first-floor dining room is a handsome, Scandi-modern space; open late on pizza nights and for supper clubs. Downstairs, sun-trap seating spills out onto the road. As well as stellar pastel de nata, Forge dispenses upmarket soups, savoury tarts, grilled cheese sandwiches and tip-top brunch plates. Dishes from £5. forgebakehouse.co.uk CD, CE, KF
The Porter Pizza Company
In Sharrow Vale, Porter is flying the flag for woodfired ovens and slow-proved dough, producing pizzas with puffy cornicione crusts and good leoparding (the delicious spots of char created by super-hot woodfired ovens). Try the Kale Rider – pine nuts, cheddar, onion marmalade, crispy kale – or the Amore, with olives, fennel seed salami and artichoke hearts. Pizza from £6.50. porterpizza.co.uk CE, CD, KF
JH Mann
Visiting a city is about hunting out its one-offs, which makes Sharrow Vale fishmonger, JH Mann, a must. At lunch (11am-3pm), choose your fish from the ice, add a side and owners Christian Szurko and Scott Mills will cook it for you there and then, using a small stove-top and fryer by the counter. The results – for instance, seared mackerel fillets, samphire and yellow lentil dhal – are delicious and good value. At the weekend, locals sit in the window and eat oysters and seafood platters, surrounded by the shop’s quirky bric-a-brac: ornamental fish, vintage crockery and antique cutlery. Dishes from around £10. @Thefishmanns11 CD
Tony Naylor is our northern correspondent and writes for Restaurant magazine and The Guardian. @naylor_tony For more top places to eat in the UK and beyond, visit: bbcgoodfood. com/feature/ travel