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The Sheffield culture guide written by in-the-know locals

Tom Roper

Our Favourite Places would be nothing without our contributors — a massive thanks to all of them!

Tell us about you…
I moved to Sheffield from Norfolk to study. Like most people, I fell in love with the city and didn’t want to leave; now I work at the University of Sheffield.

I enjoy making music, doing pub quizzes, playing cricket and watching documentaries.

What does Sheffield mean to you?
To me, Sheffield means having the opportunity to be creative. It has a great DIY culture where people who want to make things or start new projects can.

What’s your favourite Sheffield place?
There are so many! I’m lucky enough to live next to Two Steps fish and chip shop on Sharrow Vale Road which makes it a real challenge to not eat their delicious, well priced, generously portioned food every single day. In a similar, but slightly healthier vein, I love Blue Moon Cafe next to the Cathedral – it serves great vegetarian food at a low price and you get loads on your plate!

Bear Tree Records is my favourite new shop in Sheffield, Joe gets some great stuff in so it’s always worth a visit. Likewise, the Showroom always has something interesting to watch and is a great place to go for a cosy evening. My favourite places to go for a drink are the Sheffield Tap next to the train station, the Sheaf View in Heeley, and Picture House Social on Abbeydale Road.

What would you do to improve the city?
I’d ban the needless demolition of buildings and encourage renovation of all the beautiful empty spaces.

Latest contributions

Bob Dylan

Fri. 27 November 2026

Sheffield Arena

Widely acknowledged as one of the most important figures of the modern day and one of the greatest and most influential songwriters of all time, Bob Dylan has reshaped popular music by elevating lyric writing to a profound literary art form.

Tim Burton’s Universe by Mystery Ensemble

Fri. 30 October 2026

Victoria Hall

What better way to celebrate Halloween than an evening of the weird, wonderful and slightly macabre sounds of Tim Burton’s longtime collaborator Danny Elfman. With music from The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice and more.

Orchestra Baobab

Mon. 12 October 2026

The Octagon

An institution of African music, led by Nick Gold of Buena Vista Social Club. More than 50 years on from their formation, the group’s mix of Afro-Cuban rhythms, Wolof griot traditions, mbalax, Congolese rumba and jazz, sounds as fresh as ever.

Tchotchke

Sun. 4 October 2026

Sidney & Matilda

Drawing on the sass and attitude of 60s girl groups, the theatrics of outsider pop acts like Sparks and Harry Nilsson and the canonical pop hooks of the Beach Boys, this New York trio present their own candy-coated take on rock’n’roll.