If you're looking for a place that swiftly transitions from day to night with ease, then look no further.
The brainchild of four Sheffield co-founders - Sam Swire, Tom Walker, Nicky Swire and Jenny Swire - Cats is a laidback cafe-bar on one of the city's best corners.
They have spent the past nine months gutting and renovating the space on Glossop Road, and the outcome is truly magic.
The interior is deliberately stripped back complete with unfinished plaster walls, reclaimed maple flooring, wine-red joinery and a concrete bar counter.
Image: The Sheff
Exposed brick, iroko shelving and exposed joists finish off the low-lit, sexy basement that acts as the perfect backdrop for date night.
The founders' family have connections to southern France, Barcelona and the Catalan region that shaped the concept from the start.
Images: The Sheff
The wine list is sourced exclusively from Arthur & Adrien, two sommeliers based in the South of France whose bottles don't currently reach the UK through any other route.
Cats imports every wine directly and each one has been rubber-stamped by Carcassonne’s Michelin chef, so whatever you order you know it's going to be good.
Images: The Sheff
Alongside the wine, Cats pours Moritz lager on draught, which is still brewed in Barcelona and serves espresso on a La Marzocco GB5 S using beans from Sheffield roaster Cuppers Choice.
Other than the fabulous drink selection, fresh croissants, baguettes and sourdough come in daily from a local artisan bakery, seven days a week.
Co-founder Sam said: "We've spent months stripping tiles and plaster, dealing with flooding and a lack of electricity, and it's finally starting to feel like the building can breathe again," said co-founder Sam Swire.
"It was the much-loved Nibbles Pizza but had sat empty for years. What we're putting in its place is closer to a café-bar you'd find in a square in Europe, just dropped onto Glossop Road instead."
A Sheffield neighbourhood has been crowned one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the UK by Time Out Magazine.
Every year we wait with bated breath to see which UK neighbourhoods make the cut of Time Out's annual list of the world's coolest neighbourhoods.
But, the UK is just so damn cool that they've made us a list of our own.
In their recent guide of '11 Coolest Neighbourhoods in the UK', they set out to decipher the very best places to live in the country that are flourishing with new openings, community spirit and simply oozing 'coolness'.
Images: The Sheff
And a Sheffield neighbourhood made it onto the list - obviously.
Crookes is infact the only Yorkshire neighbourhood to get a shoutout, and to be honest we're hardly surprised.
We love it for its fantastic foodie offering, bustling independent scene and great people - but let's see what Time Out had to say.
Daniel Wray, contributing writer for Time Out said: "Once considered purely a place for students, Crookes has undergone a shift in its development and demographic in recent years, quietly and subtly morphing into a wonderfully self-contained neighbourhood that is now a go-to food and drink hotspot.
"Much like Sheffield, this little suburb is not flashy or fussy – it’s an under-the-radar residential area – but it packs a lot of punch for its size."
Images: The Sheff
He then goes on to describe his perfect day out in Sheffield, highlighting spots like Crumb, Pom, Tanaya Wines and Crookes Social Club.
He finishes by suggesting: "Crookes is excellent year-round, but perhaps try a June visit during Sheffield Wine Week when Bole Hills is home to a buzzy outdoor wine festival."
Daniel, we really couldn't agree more.
You can read the full list of the UK's coolest neighbourhoods here.
Inside Proof – Sheffield’s new bookshop, bar and cafe all rolled into one
Clementine Hall
A beloved Sheffield bookshop is back but this time, there's booze.
You may remember back in January when Novel sadly had to close its doors due to circumstances beyond the team’s control.
Since opening in Crookes in 2024, co-owner Katie and the team had experienced ongoing intimidation and harassment, eventually leading to the decision to close the much-loved bookshop and bar indefinitely.
It was a heartbreaking turn of events for a business that had quickly become a much-loved part of the Crookes community.
Images: The Sheff
At the time, it felt like it might be the end of Novel but thankfully, it wasn't. Because Novel is back - but not quite as you might remember it.
Introducing Proof, your new bookshop/cafe/wine/beer bar.
It's basically everything we love in this world rolled into one, and we're big fans of it along with the rest of Crookes.
Of course the book selection is just as brilliant as it was at Novel, with shelves stacked with some of the hottest books around, all hand-picked by Kate, so you know you’re in safe hands when it comes to the reading recommendations.
Images: The Sheff
Great coffee is on hand courtesy of Cloud so you can settle in for a brew and a browse, but if that won't quite cut it they've also got a selection of natural wines and beer on offer. Genuinely, what more could you want?
Just grab a brew, pick up a book and settle in for a while. Is this one of the coolest new openings to hit Crookes? We reckon so.
They're open Fridays and Saturdays 12 - 10:30pm, so make sure you swing by and welcome Proof back to Crookes.
Clementine Hall -
5th August 2026 
