The Blue Moon Cafe, Sheffield, UK
Created | Updated Mar 4, 2002
Located next to the Sheffield Cathedral, the Blue Moon Cafe is one of Sheffield's expanding range of eateries. They have built up an impressive reputation amongst the people who live and work in Sheffield and are familiar with the Blue Moon's excellent food and relaxing and individual atmosphere. Now, thanks in no small part to stunning new premises refurbished by Burnell Briercliffe Architects, the cafe is also attracting people new to the city looking for somewhere to eat.
The Blue Moon Cafe is one of a select group of establishments in the UK that understand that the supposed rules that people apply to food and eating out really don't make much sense. So often it's assumed that good food is expensive and has to be waited for, fast food is fried and eaten in restaurants with all the charm of a bus station, and that a meal isn't a meal without meat. At the Blue Moon you will almost certainly have your food within minutes of walking through the door. The food is tasty, healthy and good value - the Blue Moon have a policy of employing students who always understand the value of a square meal! One thing you won't notice is the lack of meat. The Blue Moon's food is all either vegetarian or vegan and either way proves that meat is, frankly, unnecessary.
Because the cafe is run in a far more personal way than any fast food restaurant (the proprietors have a very hands-on approach to running it), the atmosphere on both sides of the servery is stress-free, which goes a long way to making it such a pleasant place to sit in. The eating area is in a beautifully light and airy double-height space topped with an elaborate ceiling and large rooflight which washes the cafe in sunlight during the day. Not as obvious is the emphasis on use of local resources in the cafe. The food is sourced as locally as possible, to support local businesses and decrease pollution from transport, the artwork displayed on the walls is by local artists and the architects and contractors involved in the refurbishment are local.
Until Autumn 2001 the Blue Moon Cafe was located in a delightful building on Sheffield's Norfolk Row, fully utilising their prime spot on a city centre pedestrianised street by spilling out onto the street during the summer. Their popularity was largely responsible for their move to their current premises on St James' Street, again right in the heart of the city close to cultural venues such as the City Hall. The building itself is an example of the Blue Moon's philosophy. Known as the Eadon Lockwood Riddle Auction House, the building was obtained by the Blue Moon in a rather dilapidated state and refurbished, something many chain establishments don't consider on account of the extra creative energy involved over erecting a pattern-built restaurant. The city is hugely better off for the Blue Moon's forward thinking - a hugely individual and attractive building with a fascinating history has been preserved, vastly improved and put to good use.
The Blue Moon Cafe is one of a select group of establishments in the UK that understand that the supposed rules that people apply to food and eating out really don't make much sense. So often it's assumed that good food is expensive and has to be waited for, fast food is fried and eaten in restaurants with all the charm of a bus station, and that a meal isn't a meal without meat. At the Blue Moon you will almost certainly have your food within minutes of walking through the door. The food is tasty, healthy and good value - the Blue Moon have a policy of employing students who always understand the value of a square meal! One thing you won't notice is the lack of meat. The Blue Moon's food is all either vegetarian or vegan and either way proves that meat is, frankly, unnecessary.
Because the cafe is run in a far more personal way than any fast food restaurant (the proprietors have a very hands-on approach to running it), the atmosphere on both sides of the servery is stress-free, which goes a long way to making it such a pleasant place to sit in. The eating area is in a beautifully light and airy double-height space topped with an elaborate ceiling and large rooflight which washes the cafe in sunlight during the day. Not as obvious is the emphasis on use of local resources in the cafe. The food is sourced as locally as possible, to support local businesses and decrease pollution from transport, the artwork displayed on the walls is by local artists and the architects and contractors involved in the refurbishment are local.
Until Autumn 2001 the Blue Moon Cafe was located in a delightful building on Sheffield's Norfolk Row, fully utilising their prime spot on a city centre pedestrianised street by spilling out onto the street during the summer. Their popularity was largely responsible for their move to their current premises on St James' Street, again right in the heart of the city close to cultural venues such as the City Hall. The building itself is an example of the Blue Moon's philosophy. Known as the Eadon Lockwood Riddle Auction House, the building was obtained by the Blue Moon in a rather dilapidated state and refurbished, something many chain establishments don't consider on account of the extra creative energy involved over erecting a pattern-built restaurant. The city is hugely better off for the Blue Moon's forward thinking - a hugely individual and attractive building with a fascinating history has been preserved, vastly improved and put to good use.
