Grazie: First look inside one of Sheffield's top-rated restaurants as it reopens at new home after huge refurb

Now Grazie has reopened at its new home just a few doors down from its former location – still on Leopold Street in Sheffield city centre, where it first opened to rave reviews in 2019, but with more room and a stunning new look following a major refurbishment. For founder Vito Vernia, it has been a labour of love fitting out the new premises as he continues his wildly successful mission to bring an authentic slice of Italian cuisine and culture to his adopted city.

The restaurant reopened at the end of last week, having closed for just over a month, and the results of the refurb, which began in July, are breathtaking. Vito told how no expense was spared, with the beautiful handmade tiles among the decorations sourced from his home town in Italy, while other touches like the distinctive new sign are made by more local creatives whose work may be familiar from restaurants elsewhere in the city.

Grazie’s menu has also had a bit of a makeover, though fans will be glad to know the old favourites remain. Vito said the most popular dishes so far were the seafood plates and the mouthwatering slow-cooked ragu, made using beef cheeks cooked for 12 hours until they are meltingly tender. As with all Grazie’s dishes, the pasta is handmade, and the sauce is even created using the family’s own homemade wine.

Grazie is Sheffield’s third highest rated restaurant on Tripadvisor, with a perfect 5.0 rating, and one of the city’s best-scoring on Google Reviews, where it has an average of 4.8 stars from 328 reviews. It now has 44 covers, compared with 28 before, and is more accessible as the toilets are on the ground floor rather than downstairs, which Vito said was a big deal as he is passionate about making it available for everyone to experience.

"It’s turned out just as I wanted, and the reaction from customers so far has been ‘wow’. It’s very traditional and authentic to what you would find in Italy, but different to most Italian restaurants in the UK,” said Vito.