The Restaurant Guide 2023: Six Sheffield restaurants make AA inspectors' list of best in the UK

The Restaurant Guide 2023 is the 29th edition of the culinary bible and features more than 1,400 restaurants which have been awarded AA Rosettes by the organisation’s professional inspectors. In Sheffield, those making the gastronomic grade this year are:

JÖRO Restaurant

This hugely popular restaurant in the Krynkl shipping container unit, on Shalesmoor, in Kelham Island, has won a legion of fans with its Scandinavian and Japanese fusion food, and is hotly tipped for a Michelin star. Chef Luke French recently wowed viewers on the BBC’s Great British Menu, and the restaurant, which he runs with his wife Stacey, has been named as one of the top 100 places to eat in the UK and among the best in Europe.

Juke and Loe

This restaurant, run by brothers Joseph and Luke Grayson, has won rave reviews since opening five years ago on Sheffield’s popular Ecclesall Road and has been featured in the Michelin Guide. It sadly closed in May after failing to agree a new deal with its landlord but is set to return soon at a new location, which is yet to be confirmed but is believed to be at the former home of The Milestone restaurant on Ball Street in Kelham Island.

Rafters Restaurant

This much-loved restaurant on Oakbrook Road in Nethergreen was recently awarded a third AA Rosette, joining an exclusive club of ‘outstanding’ places to eat which deserve ‘national recognition’. Manager Ben Ward and head chef Dan Conlon pride themselves on providing traditional and contemporary dishes using locally sourced produce.

Nonnas

Maurizio Mori’s Italian restaurant has been a mainstay on Sheffield’s Ecclesall Road since 1996 and counts Rocky star Sylvester Stallone among its fans. It has won numerous awards over the years and has proved a big hit with diners on Google Reviews.

The Stag Restaurant at the Devonshire Arms

A new addition to the AA Guide, inspectors praised the ‘great hospitality and efficient service’ at this restaurant on Lightwood Lane in Middle Handley. “Food is locally sourced and a monthly fish night is a feature,” they said. “Hard to believe it’s only about nine miles from the centre of Sheffield.” Middle Handley is technically just outside Sheffield in Derbyshire but the restaurant has a Sheffield postcode and lists its address as Sheffield.

The Wortley Arms

The Wortley Arms, on Halifax Road, in Wortley, has earned a reputation as one of the best spots for Sunday dinner in and around Sheffield, famed for cooking the classics as they should be cooked. Inspectors praised it as ‘an appealing spot for a pint of local ale and some modern gastro-pub cooking’. They added: “Timeless staples (beer-battered fish and chips with home-made tartare sauce, or gammon steak with griddled pineapple) rub shoulders with more up-to-date ideas.” Again, technically just outside Sheffield, in Barnsley, but it too has a Sheffield postcode and lists its address as Sheffield.

These are the only six restaurants in South Yorkshire to make this year’s guide, out of more than 1,400 nationally with AA Rosettes. London has the most restaurants featured, with 172, followed by North Yorkshire, with 68. The Restaurant Guide 2023 is available for £17.99 RRP in bookshops and online.