Riverside Café Bar
The Riverside has always been something of a conundrum on the Sheffield bar scene.
For years, it’s consistently delivered good beer, good food and fantastic live music – all within an enviable setting next to the River Don, a stones throw from the Kelham Island Quarter. It’s this location which has often been a double edged sword, both a blessing and a curse.
Once you’re in there, it’s fab, but for some the jaunt has often been a stretch too far. Under new(ish) ownership, the aim is to make it something of a destination venue offering the likes of performance art and comedy alongside the established music acts.
At any rate, the river terrace facing café bears a lush, contemporary interior and has loads of live music events to keep y’all entertained.
On the first Thursday of every month if you head down to the Riverside you will enter into the sound of deep soul, or if you fancy a jig to a live Irish music session, guitars and pipes can be heard fortnightly on a Tuesday.
Maybe you are an artist or musician and fancy showcasing your talent? Fortnightly on a Thursday is open mic night.
Or maybe you want to try your luck at winning some cash and prizes. Every Sunday is poker night and quiz night is Mondays. Or if you just want to join in with friendly games such as chess and back gammon then join the folks at Riverside every third Thursday.
Whatever you are into, food, music, games or all three, Riverside’s sure to have something to make you smile about.
The Food
It just so happens that when I pop round to sample some foods they’ve got a week-long beer fest happening on this particular occasion in conjunction with neighbour The Harlequin. So we sample their wares in the form of pints of No Mo (a special Movember beer from The Brew Company) and Dusk Till Dawn from The Anglo Dutch Company as we peruse the menu - which ranges from soup and sandwiches to burgers and mains.
I opt for the Balmoral chicken, stuffed with black pudding, wrapped in streaky bacon, and covered in whiskey sauce. It arrives with herbed new potatoes and veg of the day and is a real triumph. The elements compliment each other perfectly and the depth of flavour contrasts wonderfully with the richness of the sauce.
My colleague chooses the Peak Park stale and Guinness pie (with the option of chips or potatoes) which again comes with seasonal veg (sugar snap peas and cauliflower, to be precise). It looks impressive, with a massive buttery puff pastry top, whilst the Guinness infusion lifts the tender beef to the next level.
All ingredients are locally sourced.
The Verdict
On a sunny day, you can imagine there are few better places to be than on the Riverside’s terrace. At this time of year, make an indoor evening of it by combining the food with some of the live entertainment on offer, or simply spend a leisurely afternoon on a Sunday there with friends. Lovely place, lovely people… it’s only a matter of time before the masses start realising it.
Additional Information:
- Opening times
- 12-11pm Sunday-Thursday, 12-12pm Friday-Saturday
- Cuisine
- British
Contact information
- Address
- 1 Mowbray Street
Sheffield - Postcode
- S3 8EN
- Telephone
- 0114 281 3621
