Best bars and restaurants Sheffield: 5 wonderfully unusual dining experiences you have to try

But if you’re looking for something a bit out of the ordinary, we’ve got you covered. We have pulled together a list of unusual dining experiences you can indulge in in the Steel City.

Karen’s Diner – awful service

This pop-up dining experience with ‘rude staff, awful service and singing waiters’ is going down a storm with diners in the city.

Karen’s Diner is described as an immersive, pop-up dining experience which is not to be missed, especially if you enjoy complaining.

It opened last year at a venue in Suffolk Road, city centre, after winning rave reviews in Australia, where the business has eateries in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

It takes its name from the American internet reference to Karens as a woman seen as entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is normal.

A number of diners who have sampled the restaurant’s culinary delights – and ‘awful service' – have posted details of their dining experience online. One reviewer wrote: “We loved it! Had a right laugh."

Kelu – ‘Sardinian Sky Lounge’

Kelu, a rooftop 'Sardinian Sky Lounge', opened last year in Sheffield’s Kelham Island and has proved a hit.

Kelu, which means sky in Sardinian dialect, is a luxurious Mediterranean ‘sunset bar’ serving cocktails and food for customers who can also enjoy views over the city.

The owners of family-run Sardinian restaurant Domo, which opened about four years ago and has since become one of the most popular eateries in Kelham Island, are behind the venue.

Kelu allows visitors to sit back and relax looking over the Sheffield skyline from the top of the Krynkl development – a cluster of shipping containers which also includes the award-winning and Michelin-recommended restaurant Joro.

Visitors also get to experience self-service fine wines from an Enomatic fine wine dispenser – a wine vending machine, believed to be one of the only ones operating in Sheffield.

The interior includes a retractable roof, plenty of greenery and a built-in barbecue.

What are the most unusual bars in Sheffield?

German Doner Kebab – pink kebabs

The UK’s first ever ‘pink kebab’ was launched at a specialist restaurant in Sheffield.

German Doner Kebab (GDK) in High Street has launched Coco & Kiki – the country’s first pink kebabs that the restaurant chain claims will take kebabs ‘to the next level’.

Served in fluffy pink coconut-infused waffle bread, the kebabs come in two different sizes (Coco and Kiki) and are combined with doner meats, fresh lettuce, tomato, onion and red cabbage.

Customers can get their hands on the new Coco kebab for £6.99 and Kiki kebab for £3.

Public – dine in a former public toilet

Public, which is based in a former men’s toilets, has been named the best in South Yorkshire.

Tucked away underneath the city’s Victorian-era Town Hall, Public has received numerous accolades since first opening a few years ago.

The Surrey Street venue has previously been named the ‘best place to drink’ in The Observer’s Food Monthly Awards, as well as winning the title of the UK’s Best Bar Food at the Class Awards.

It was also named the best bar in South Yorkshire at the 2022 National Pub & Bar Awards.

While Public boasts an impressive selection of beers and wines, it has become best-known for its cocktail menu.

One drink which forms part of Public’s unique offering is their twist on a White Russian, named ‘Biscuit Before Bedtime’ and featuring Biscoff and condensed milk; washed Appleton eight-year rum; crème de banane; crème de cacao blanc and chocolate bitters.

Mr Wilson's – 1920s-themed speakeasy bar

This 1920s-themed speakeasy, with a companion 'secret’ bar you can only access with a password, opened on West Street in Sheffield city centre in 2022 and has been a great success.

While anyone can walk in and enjoy the atmosphere of Mr Wilson’s, intriguingly, you need a password to gain access to the Capone’s Speakeasy part of the venue in the basement

David Henning, one of the masterminds behind the concept, said when it opened: “Mr Wilson's is actually two bars in one, set over the ground floor and basement.

"At the ground floor level is Mr Wilson's, which is a modern bar with a few special touches, like a working water wheel!

"There's two bars - one is a large island in the middle of the room and the second is much smaller, at the far end of the room. There's plenty of tables and comfortable seating, plush curtains and beautifully crafted steel features.”

He added: “In the basement it's a completely different world. We've created Capone's - a 1920s-style speakeasy in the style of the American Prohibition era. It's really special.

"When you make a booking for a table, Mr Wilson will send you a text message confirming it.

"On the day of your booking you will receive a second text message with a unique password you'll need to gain entry to Capone's. Don't worry, we won't turn you away if you can't remember it!”