Last year the Sheffield food scene was dealt a hard blow when award-winning
tapas restaurant La Mama’s was forced to shutdown after 15 years on
Abbeydale Road.
Unfortunately times are hard in this cost of living crisis, but hospitality is a
sector that’s especially been impacted. As such, we’ll be shining a light on
independent food businesses around Sheffield in our Hidden Gems series,
and first up is IberiCo—in case you desperately need a tapas fix like we did.
IberiCo is a Spanish tapas, wine and coffee restaurant nestled in the
corner of Dyson Place courtyard in Sharrow Vale. IberiCo has been a staple of
Sharrow Vale since 2020, where it originally launched as a deli on Hickmott
Lane. In 2021, IberiCo became the tapas restaurant we know today, moving
into Dyson Place, and last year in July they moved again—but luckily not too
far, remaining in Dyson Place but now in the former Tonco building (another
cost of living casualty).
Their new spot is ideal, intimate without being too small, and its location in
the far corner of the courtyard is a great sun trap, perfect for dining outside in
the Summer.
IberiCo offers both hot and cold tapas, charcuterie and cheeses, breads and
snacks, pinxtos (small bites), brasa (barbecue) dishes and desserts. It also
has a great selection of wines, cocktails, sangria and coffee.
We decided to try to stave off the cold by sampling their hot tapas, pinxtos and
desserts, we ordered the:
Mini Slow-Cooked Pork in Lard Buns
Pulled Lamb and Almond Stew Pastry (DF)
Sobrasda (‘Spreadable Chorizo’) with Honey on Toast (DF)
Iberico Ham Croquettes
Wild Mushroom and Truffle Croquettes (V)
Garlic Prawn Croquettes
Patatas Bravas (GF)
Burnt Basque Cheesecake (GF)
Pa amb Xocolata Oli i Sal (Chocolate Ganache with Olive Oil, Salt
Flakes and Crispy Bread)
No exaggeration, everything was superb. The only criticism we had was that
the pulled lamb was under seasoned, but the almond stew pastry was so
crispy and flaky it made up for it.
The shining stars of the meal were the mini pork buns and sobrasada from the
pinxtos menu, which were small but mighty dishes. They were packed with so
much flavour and were equal to half a tapas, so definitely ideal if you’re
wanting a quick bite or nibble while drinking.
Everyone loved the croquettes and couldn’t agree on which were best, but
personally the garlic prawn croquettes stole my heart with their perfect
balance of prawn and potato.
Both desserts were absolutely amazing, the basque was soft and velvety with
an almost savoury taste, whereas the pa amb xocolata was a combination of
sweet and salty. The ganache was rich with a thick clotted cream texture you
could spread, and if you’re expecting a hint of salt—don’t, the flakes of salt run
throughout the ganache. Highly recommend either dessert if you have a sweet
tooth but aren’t keen on overly sweet desserts.
We were having a relatively sober night so didn’t dabble in the wine and
cocktail menu, but we did treat ourselves to a glass of Spanish Vermut, which
is fortified wine flavoured with spices, caramel and botanicals. Think mulled
wine but over ice, it was delicious.
Overall, we had an incredible night, Dan and the team were absolutely lovely
and attentive. We were so pleased to see the place full on a chilly Wednesday
night, hopefully they’ll continue being busy throughout the new year.
IberiCo is veggie, vegan, gluten-free friendly and is situated at 2 Dyson Place, just off Sharrow Vale Road, with the following opening hours:
5pm-10pm Wednesday-Thursday
10am-11pm Friday- Saturday
10am-6pm Sunday
For bookings visit: https://www.ibericosheffield.com or call the team on 0114 702 0120.
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