Chocolate Bar by Bullion: I went to an all-day-cafe where their entire menu is made out of chocolate
The redeveloped Grade II* Listed Leah’s Yard, a former metalworkers emporium in Sheffield, is now home to new and established independent businesses, including a chocolate bar.
Sheffield-based chocolate company Bullion, launched its first Chocolate Bar as part of the reopening of Leah’s Yard, following an extensive regeneration project, in Summer 2024.
Our reporter Sophie Mei Lan went to try it out.
Chocolate Bar by Bullion is on the edge of Leah’s Yard cushioned next to Cambridge Street Collective Food Hall.
It’s a stylish modern bean-to-bar craft chocolate concept.
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Bullion is one of only a handful of UK companies to craft chocolate by importing small batches of cocoa beans to create their own artisan chocolate.
The menu is simple - hot and cold beverages, soft serve ice cream, and a selection of brownies, cookies and pastries.
The complex part of the menu is selecting what type of drinking chocolate you want and with what of any topping. From milk chocolate to 90 per cent dark chocolate - there’s a range of cocoa to choose from.
I bought my daughter a kid’s milk hot chocolate with some vanilla ice cream (single scoop £2.50), and I got a black americano (£3.30).
I couldn’t decide on drinking chocolate for myself, so instead I bought some Bullion chocolate as a treat to pair with my coffee.
This hand crafted chocolate is made just down the road in Kelham Island.
Bullion was started by Max Scotford's during his time at Sheffield College and Sheffield Hallam University almost a decade ago.
The name "Bullion" was inspired by the Mayan culture, where cocoa beans are considered a commodity more valuable than gold.
You only need a few pieces of Bullion’s gold-standard chocolate to satisfy any sweet tooth.
I also tried my daughter’s hot chocolate. It was delicious, albeit a small portion (Kid’s drinking chocolate costs £3). It’s that type of hot chocolate, however, that you only need several sips to feel satisfied.
Apparently the 70 per cent dark hot chocolate is a staff favourite for adults at this all-day chocolate bar.
You can also choose a range of liqueur to be added to your drinking chocolate if you want a boozy beverage. You can get the drinking chocolate hot or cold.
Rather than be a place of gimmicks, like I’ve seen at Christmas Markets recently with loaded hot chocolates galore, Chocolate Bar is more about tasting the chocolate on its own without the need for fancy additions.
Although if you do want something eye-catching for your social media feed I’ve seen on their instagram you can get a flamed marshmallow on top.
Chocolate Bar is bold and brave with its simplicity. They’re unafraid of showcasing their stand-alone quality products.
It felt like an accessible way to introduce craft chocolate novices like my daughter and I, to the art and diversity of artisan chocolate, produced locally.
I would love to have a tasting session here where you can try a range of different shots of hot chocolate to see what your pallette would enjoy most.
Leah’s Yard is an absolute must-visit.
Sheffield City Council previously described Leah’s Yard as “the final piece of the jigsaw” in the £480m Heart of the City regeneration Project. I can certainly see why.
Sitting inside the Chocolate Bar devouring craft chocolate just a stone’s far away from Pound’s Park and Cambridge Street Collective food hall, is an absolute treat for the sensations.
Spiritually, chocolate is often seen as a sign of transformation turning the bitter into the sweet, which this part of the city epitomises.
Leah’s Yard shines a light on a part of Sheffield which once unlocked the key to the area’s prosperity with its steelmaking industry during the Industrial Revolution.
Now that light is starting to shine once more with this new generation of independent makers and creators.
Councillor Ben Miskell, Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee, previously explained: “Leah’s Yard has, in the past, played a vital role in the city’s industrial past already and, following the brilliant transformation, it will once again be able to contribute to Sheffield’s future. The building has already attracted an incredible collection of businesses from right across various industries.”