11 September 2025
Ash Birch
Photo Credit: Marc Barker
Tucked inside the striking Blenheim Reach building, just slightly set back from the bustle of Ecclesall Road, BistroBar is a welcoming new addition to Sheffield’s food scene – brought to life by Cherise Hatfield, a business owner whose lifelong passion for cooking has finally found its home.
The venue opened in November and boasts a sleek self-serve wine machine – the first of its kind in the city – alongside a New York-style pizza oven working behind the scenes, both reflecting Cherise’s attention to detail and love for great food and drink.
“I’ve always loved cooking,” Cherise says, sat in the beautifully styled space that she designed herself. “Every time I went to a restaurant I’d be thinking: I could do this… or I’d want to try that. It was always teasing me in the back of my mind.”
Her journey into hospitality began early. “When I left school, my dad asked me what I wanted to do, what I really enjoyed. I didn’t know. He said, ‘Well, you love cooking.’”
Following her dad’s advice, Cherise went into catering when she was 19 and was due to go to Rick Stein’s restaurant in Padstow to gain more experience. “I got invited to go down – but I’d had a bad experience in a kitchen, and it just broke my heart.”
That experience, and the toxic kitchen culture she encountered, pushed her in a different direction. She built a number of successful businesses – including a salon, nail studio and two nurseries, with the salon and nail studio housed in the same building as BistroBar – but food never really left her. After years of travelling and experimenting at home, the dream returned stronger than ever.
The result is BistroBar: a warm, stylish and intimate bar and restaurant that works just as well for coffee and a chat as it does for cocktails, sharing plates or their signature pizza. “We say it’s small but mighty. It’s got something for everyone,” she says. “People come in for great coffee, or they’ll sit at the bar with cocktails and small plates. We’ve held private events too – it’s the perfect size for that. I just wanted to make something with a great vibe.”
The cosy restaurant is now fully decorated, a perfect spot to warm up over the autumn and winter months.
Central to the menu is NY-style pizza – something surprisingly rare in the city. “Everyone does Neapolitan, but I wanted something different. I went to Miami Slice, in Miami, and I thought, this is it. We worked on our recipe for weeks, proofing the dough for 48 hours. Everything’s made in-house, and we also use the dough to make pittas and focaccia too.”
Elsewhere on the menu you’ll find everything from Mediterranean salads to small plates packed with flavour and hearty sharing boards, all set at very reasonable prices. “Some people don’t just want pizza – they want meat dishes, they want salads, they want sharing plates. We’re really customer-led. If someone asks for something – like pasta dishes – we’ll add it to the specials.” They’ve recently started a bottomless brunch, featuring pizza and the option to upgrade to cocktails. “It’s been really popular,” she adds. “We want it to be fun.”
Cherise is clear that it’s not just about the food. It’s about the people too. “I’m really proud of my staff. They love this place. They come up with ideas, they really care. It’s not just a job – they live and breathe it.
I always want a family culture in any business I run. We help each other out – no one’s above doing the pot wash. That’s the vibe I wanted to create – fun, respectful and kind.”
That warmth is felt throughout the space, from the soft interior tones to the relaxed layout that invites you to settle in, no matter what time of day it is. “We’re open from 10am Tuesday to Saturday,” she says. “Between 12 and 4 we get lunch visitors, then in the evening it’s more cocktails, full meals, date nights – it’s a perfect spot for all occasions.”
Running a restaurant in such a competitive area isn’t without challenges, but she sees the other venues on Ecclesall Road as an opportunity more than a threat. “It’s a tough industry and we’ve not got loads of passing trade, so we’ve got to work hard to get people in. We’re big on social media and we try to keep it fresh. I think what helps is that we’re doing something different.”
Looking ahead, there are plans to grow the events side of the business, with private bookings already proving popular. “We’re thinking maybe once a week we’ll host private parties, especially Sundays or Mondays. And next summer I’d love to have a barbecue setup outside – big charcoal grills, made to order. That would be a dream.”
The passion that fuels BistroBar is undeniable. For Cherise, this isn’t just a business – it’s the realisation of something deeply personal. “It’s always been in me, from being 19. It’s just taken a different route to get here,” she says. “Now I just want people to come in, feel welcome, eat well and leave happy. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
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