Proove is a relatively new addition to Sheffield's growing number of excellent independent pizza providers.
Alongside Craft and Dough, in both Kelham Island and Ecclesall Road, Sharrow Vale Road's new Porter Pizza takeaway, and the ever-popular Picture House Social and Nether Edge Pizza Company, it offers a refined, quality over quantity approach to "grabbing a pizza" outside of the city centre.
In the centre of Broomhill, it could be a little out of the way for those who don't live locally. However, it's well worth making the trip; as well as a carefully crafted and reasonably priced dining experience, the pretty suburb also boasts a great, decades-old record shop, as well as a couple of decent post-meal pub options (read more in our guide to the area). And on the way up, you can always pop in to Weston Park Museum or admire the university's library and Arts Tower.
The restaurant is by no means big, but the decor – all light wood, interesting lighting and basil plants – makes it feel way more comfortable and established than you may expect. The centrepiece of the space is a large mosaic-covered pizza oven. Although it's an impressive sight, the structure is as much about substance as it is about style. Proove's owners were inspired by a trip to Napoli, returning to Sheffield to recreate the distinctive wood-fired pizza they enjoyed out there. Bases are thin and crispy but not brittle which is, we're informed, all down to the patient dough-proving process that uses top quality "00" grade Caputo flour and takes at least 20 hours.
As far as toppings go the menu is relatively restrained, embracing classics such as a simple margherita and a well-topped quattro stagioni, as well as more adventurous mozzarella, prosciutto and rocket combinations. There are also the occasional seasonal specials, and Proove's take on garlic bread is particularly popular. For the dough-averse, there's also a menu of fresh, Italian-inspired salads.
Proove's careful, modern approach to traditional cooking is picking up a following, so it's probably advisable to book a table. Failing that, you can catch them at festivals and other events in their mobile pizza van.
- Words by
- Lucy Holt
- Images by
- Gemma Thorpe
