New Sheffield Foodhall: An honest review

Home to some of the best places to eat in Yorkshire, my city already has a lot of choices for places to eat. Last week the Husband and I managed to sneak out child-free and visit the Newest Sheffield Foodhall for lunch. Cambridge Street Collective is the new kid on the block in Sheffield.

It’s so nice to be able to get out for food without the kids sometimes. It’s such a rarity but so needed after the summer holidays at least! Mum and Dad were ready for a break!

Where is this new Sheffield foodhall?

11 Backfields, Sheffield City Centre, Sheffield S1 4HP. It’s really easy to reach in the city centre. Around the corner is Pounds Park which you can spot in front of the amazing Kingfisher Mural and the iconic Pete McKee Murial Mural! the Peace Gardens are within a 5-minute walk. For those like me who know Sheffield by pub – It’s around the back of The Benajmin Huntsman!

What kind of food can you get?

There’s so much choice in this Sheffield foodhall. Set over 3 floors too so loads of vendors. You will find something to suit everyone. Malaysian, Thai, Pizza, Burgers, Chinese, Mexican, West African, Greek, Palestinian, Pakistani, Eritrean and Ethiopian, Japanese, South Indian, Vietnamese… There’s even a vendor who is dedicated to eggs! You can wash it down with a drink – alcoholic, hot or even a bubble tea. Loads of choice.

How much does it cost?

Every vendor has different prices. Some a extremely expensive as far as I am concerned (£30 for a Pizza!) but some are very reasonable. There are lots of lunchtime offers too with lower prices ready to collect quickly whilst you’re on your lunch break. The Palestinian and Greek vendors were really busy with lunch customers when we visited. It’s great to have a Sheffield foodhall right in the city centre, there are quite a few in Sheffield now but Cambridge Street Collective is so well located.

Do you need to book a table?

No need to book, just turn up and find somewhere. There are loads of tables over the top 2 floors. Definitely not a lack of seating but I think a lack of comfortable seating. The design is very industrial and it really looks cool, but lots of metal seats mean I’m not going to stay very long. Perhaps that’s a design choice on purpose to encourage a quick turnover. I’m not sure, but that’s how I felt. Not everyone must feel the same way, some were set up with Laptops for the day so maybe it’s my age!

How do you order?

You can order via the app – inside there are QR codes on the tables to scan and order from. Or you can go to the vendors and order directly. I did notice that they were all card only – not a problem for me as I rarely carry cash but I did see a disappointed couple who couldn’t order. If you do order by the app, there is a £1 extra charge. The benefit of using the app is that you get an email and text to tell you your food is ready to collect. If you order from the vendor directly they usually give you a buzzer to alert you to your order being ready to collect.

What else is there to do in this Sheffield foodhall?

As well as just popping in for lunch and dinner there are a range of events. They do run a cookery school and wine-tasting masterclass that looks good. They hold kids’ events, crafting master classes, A DJ is often there at weekends and loads more things. If that doesn’t give you something to do – there are also AR darts which are the big things right now around here! It would be a great place for a Christmas party I think, or a get-together with friends, everyone could find something to eat.

What did we eat?

Lunchtime on a Tuesday is a difficult time for me to decide what I want to eat – however not impossible! It did take me a while as this Sheffield foodhall is so big, the choice is overwhelming, even for pescatarian me!

I did decide in the end to get a salt and pepper vegetarian platter from Little Penang. Absolutely yum – Massive, plenty big enough for 2 of us for lunch but I demolished it all by myself. The only criticism I had was that I could have done with a sauce to dip with it. Regardless, it was yummy and my tummy is rumbling now thinking about it! The platter was £13.99 so not a cheap meal at all but cheaper than some other places. Plus, it could have fed 2 of us really.

Jay decided to try Unit Burgers – definitely the priciest out of both our meals but he really enjoyed it. The burger was huge, and it came with a side of loaded fries. There were a lot of fries too – I did try one and they were good! He also had a pistachio shake. Unit prides itself on having the thickest shakes, and this was definitely that! So thick it took him ages to drink, almost like drinking ice cream but it was delicious. A great place to go for a treat.

Will we go back to this Sheffield foodhall?

Yes, we’d definitely go back. I imagine if we do it probably would be with friends rather than as a family though. Our kids are not at an age where they will eat an adult meal so the price for a Sheffield foodhall email for the 5 of us would be well over £100 which is just far too much in my opinion. It’s good, but a little too expensive for us if we were to go together. If we were meeting friends and just paying for 2 meals would definitely be more affordable.

Overall thoughts

I really liked it. Sheffield is in the middle of a major revamp and this Sheffield foodhall is a great addition to the city centre. The first impression is great, the bubble tea shop is right by the front door – I love bubble tea so that was good to see! The design is really cool and industrial and doesn’t feel cramped despite the amount of vendors in this space.

Each vendor has decorated their booth which looks great and adds to the whole feeling. As a big Anthony Bourdain fan, it’s nice to see some of his quotes on the wall too. The food was food, the seating was uncomfortable but it all feels very cool and a great place to go with friends. I’ll be back I’m sure.

Let me know if you’ve been and what you thought. Would you recommend any vendor in particular?

Becky x