‘I tried the new burger restaurant at Valley Centertainment and I was amazed at the portions’

Unit has just opened its doors to its second burger restaurant in Sheffield, taking over the former Proove Pizza venue at Valley Centertainment leisure complex - and I had to find out what all the rave was about. 

Its popularity at the first location on Headford Road, in Broomhall, with reviews commending everything from the menu to the service, meant it came as no surprise when I heard the team were opening a second venue. While I had ordered via Uber Eats from them before, I had never eaten inside, and I am pleased to say that I was not disappointed.

When I went to the restaurant with my friend Chloe, the branch still hadn’t officially announced their opening, and it was a Wednesday afternoon, so it was quite quiet. Despite this, I saw many groups of people walk past the window and do a double take before stepping inside for food.

The chic, industrial interior design, with exposed pipework, shipping container doors, and wooden palettes as lights, creates a very unique setting. The light was glowing and warm, and hip hop hits blared through the speakers. If the lighting was a bit darker I would have had a boogie on the restaurant floor. 

Unit describes itself as a ‘casual urban diner’ which I agree with - it’s a perfect venue for meeting up with friends, family outings, and perhaps even first dates. All the staff were extremely friendly, professional, and patient as it took us a while to look at the menu. 

The menu doesn’t come with many surprises - it’s a classic American-style gourmet burger restaurant, so think burgers (chicken, beef and veggie/vegan options), loaded fries, chicken wings, mac n’ cheese, ice cream sundaes, and thick milkshakes.

Ultimately, when Sal - the co-manager - came to take our order, both mine and Chloe’s shared indecisiveness led us to ask for whatever the waiter recommended. Chloe asked for vegetarian options, while I said absolutely anything will suit me.

After a short wait, Sal came out with a huge tray of steaming food which smelled absolutely delicious. We had…

• Halloumi fries (which came with a spicy dip) - £6
• Mac n cheese - £6
• Fried cauliflower - £6
• High Steaks Burger - £13
• Just Beet It burger - £10.50
• Normal fries (included with burger)
• Sweet potato fries (upgraded for £1.50)
• And… chicken strips with fries, which actually isn’t on the menu

I should add, we had entered the restaurant absolutely starving. I can’t speak on behalf of Chloe and I can put food away, but sadly this meal beat me. 

I had the High Steaks Burger which was brisket beef, cheese and BBQ sauce. I’m unsure of the etiquette when eating a large messy burger - and opted for the knife and fork approach. It was certainly full of flavour - perhaps a little rich, but a good treat for a meat eater.

The mac n’ cheese was probably a highlight for me. It was delicious and creamy, with crispy onion on top adding a bit of crunchy texture. It wasn’t like mac n’ cheese I’ve had before - it had some sort of spice in it that I can’t quite put my finger on (nutmeg?).

The halloumi fries had been battered rather than fried which we thought had left them a bit uncooked and rubbery, but this was only days into opening the doors with a complete set of new staff so we didn’t mind. The dip that came with them was spicy and good with the chicken strips.

The fries and sweet potato fries were as you would expect. A necessity with any burger, but they didn’t blow me away. 

Although we were left unable to even finish our glasses of water, we still had to leave with a takeaway milkshake. I got the Reece’s Concrete Shake (£5.50) which was really thick, peanutty, and really everything I could hope from a milkshake.

It was definitely a blowout meal, and it is safe to say that I didn’t manage dinner that night. We made sure to take our leftovers with us which Sal kindly bagged up for us, and me and Chloe enjoyed that the following day.

I think Unit is exactly what Valley Centertainment needed - it has competition of course, but the service from the staff, the decor, the music, and the quality of the food blew it out the water. 

Factfile

• Address: Unit 4, Valley Centertainment, Sheffield, S9 2EP
• Telephone: 0114 328 3692
• Opening hours: Mon-Sun 11.30am to 10.30pm.
• Website: https://www.unitsheffield.com/

Scores

• Food: 9/10
• Value: 9/10
• Atmosphere: 10/10
• Service: 10/10