Copper Pot — Restaurant in Sheffield

A bright and bustling little find in the heart of Sheffield, the Copper Pot offers a modest and well rounded menu of breakfast/brunch goodies with a well crafted coffee to boot.

We arrived today around midday to find a lively venue, upon entering we were immediately seated and the experience began. We had already spied the menu outside so we had an idea of what we were getting. Our order was a full English breakfast, a Brunch Bagel with bacon and avo, a flat white and a latte. The coffee came quickly and while not the strongest coffee flavour I've had, it was well rounded and had hints of Coco. Beautiful foam art was found on both drinks, I am a sucker for attention to detail. The breakfasts came shortly after and as you can see from the photos, they were generous in size. I had the full English, boasting 2 rashers of streaky bacon, a large sausage, scrambled egg, hash brown, BBQ baked beans, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and sourdough. Everything was packed with flavour, from the salty, crispy bacon to the sausage that literally burst in your mouth. The only thing I was unsure of were the BBQ beans as I'm not a massive fan of smokey bean mixes, however I can say that it wasn't overly smokey which made the flavours more subtle and allowed them to work with, not overpower other elements of the breakfast.

Service here was great, one guy pretty much ran the entire front of house, darting around every table, taking orders, greeting and maintenance checking on customers whilst another ran food service. He was engaging and friendly and most importantly, never left you hanging in limbo on service. A number of places we've visited lately could learn from this attitude to work.

Definitely a place we'll keep in mind next time we're...

I know this may sound over the top and harsh but I am critical about the basics when it comes to food!

My wife had the gluten free mushrooms in cream on toast, which she said were excellent, important being celiac. The celiac options were fantastic with the majority of the menu fit for GF folk. I ordered the full English, just over £12. The portion size looked good, but the quality wasn’t there. The beans were cold, the bacon was tough and cold, the sausages looked anaemic and were barely warm, and the scrambled eggs were lukewarm.

I raised it with staff, who swapped the plate straight away. Sadly, the replacement was still cold. The main front-of-house asked if it was okay, I said no, and he brought out two freshly cooked sausages. They were hot, but overall the breakfast, though it looked fine on the plate, was cold with exception of the hash browns and tomatoes.

I was a little concerned with what I saw in the kitchen:

Glass(pyrex) jug being used to whisk eggs a real hazard. If that smashes, the kitchen is effectively shut down, as there’s no guarantee glass shards haven’t contaminated food or surfaces. Food hygiene guidance is clear on this kindof physical contamination risks.

Food not held at safe temperatures, hot food such as dausages should be kept at 63 °C or above if being used for service. I may be wrongs but there was no visible hot holding or pass heat lamp to keep items warm. In the time I was there i didn't see any frequent hand-washing and separation of tasks either.

In fairness, the front-of-house manager insisted I wasn’t charged for my breakfast, which was good of him. The staff were friendly and helpful throughout. It’s just a shame the basics like temperature control let my food down. Coffee was...

Sheffield is a city bursting with incredible places to eat. There is a diverse cast of options with cuisines from around the globe. In such an environment, you might expect a classic English brunch kitchen to find it hard to stand out. As my rating might suggest, the Copper Pot blows that expectation out of the water.

For food, the Copper Pot hosts an excellent menu of brunch classics. Of course, it's not a gourmet experience but that was never the point. Hearty, warm food that lifts your spirits is what you'll find here. My personal recommendations are the full English breakfast and one of their fruity smoothies.

The Copper Pot's food is fantastic, but the service is somehow even better. The phrase "northern hospitality" doesn't even begin to describe the kind and personal service offered by staff at the Copper Pot. On one of my visits, the kitchen was unexpectedly delayed and meals were slow to arrive. The staff were very upfront about this when we came in, warning is of longer than usual wait times and we even had our bill discounted for the wait. The staff are consistently friendly and helpful with anything you might need.

Finally, the atmosphere in the Copper Pot is just lovely. There is always a jovial, homely feeling that creates a sense of comfort in the space. My only gripe would be that things can get cold if you're sat near the door on colder days, but then again that's just Sheffield for you.

Overall, I wholeheartedly recommend the Copper Pot as one of the nicest places to get breakfast or lunch in Sheffield. You'll be hard pressed to find better service anywhere in the city and the food will never disappoint....