Hot chocolate lovers dream!
4
4
Date of visit: September 2025
I am a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: accessing toilets and moving around.
I use or have experience of: disabled toilet, wheelchair
Overall Rating
Good
This was a wonderful café set just outside of the Leah’s Yard courtyard so the difficult flooring that you find in Leah’s Yard wasn’t an issue here. As a hot chocolate lover this was a dream for me! The staff were really friendly and helpful. The customisation options for their hot chocolates was huge and they had lots of great food options too. There were plenty of tables with some chairs that could be moved around and some fixed bench seating. The space was easy to navigate, well lit and had a good sound balance. I went when it was quite quiet so I definitely enjoyed the more peaceful vibe.
Disabled Access In and Around
Good
From the street, there was a short ramp with grab rails on either side and then the main entrance was straight ahead. The ramp wasn’t too steep and the stone tiling was very well laid and smooth. The main entrance had a set of large, heavy double doors. One of the doors was propped open when I arrived as the weather was warm. In colder weather, the door might be difficult to open due to how heavy it is. The staff had shut the door by the time I was leaving and they came and opened the door for me as I left. There was an absorbent mat just inside the doorway and the rest of the flooring was smooth, wooden panelling. Most of the seating is indoor but there are some outdoor options too. The tables were wooden tables with metal feet in each corner. This meant that I was able to get my legs and wheelchair right under the table as there wasn’t a large foot in the centre of the table to restrict how far under the table I could get. Most of the seats were plastic chairs that didn’t have arms. Along the back wall there was also a cushioned bench seat with a number of tables along it. I noticed that there were some plug sockets available, especially by the window at the end of the bench seats. The counter was standing height and there were glass displays with food inside which started low down but also went to standing height. This meant I had to stretch up to see in the displays from my seated position. The staff were great at assisting me with anything though. There was a large menu on the wall behind the counter with all the drink options but there were also menus on the tables for people to look at if they wanted more time to decide. I didn’t see any signs that the menu could be provided in any alternative formats such as large-print or Braille.
Accessible facilities: Single-level venue, Step-free entrance, Seating at regular intervals, Step-free access to most areas
Parking & Transport
Average
I travelled to this place by walk or wheel
The closest tram stop is City Hall which is around 300 metres from Leah’s Yard. From this stop, you can access trams on the blue and yellow services. The yellow services travel between Middlewood and Meadowhall. The blue services travel between Malin Bridge and Halfway. There are a number of bus stops on Rockingham Street which is roughly 250 metres from Leah’s Yard. From these stops the following bus services are available: 6, 30, 30a, 51, 52, 52a, 95, 95s, 120, 120k, 181, 257a, 257b, SC1, and X30. There are some public, paid car parks nearby but there is no designated parking. The Rockingham Street car park is a small, open-air car park that is run by the council. It’s around 220 metres from Leah’s Yard but details about the number of spaces, height restrictions, and whether it has accessible parking spaces is not clear. Another option is the NCP Sheffield Wellington Street which is 250 metres away. This is a paid, multi-storey car park which has a height restriction of 2.11 metres. It has a total of 449 spaces, including four accessible parking spaces. There are lifts in this car park but there are signs saying that it is unsuitable for those in wheelchairs. So the accessible parking spaces are on the lowest floor and the step-free route for pedestrians is via a steep ramp.
Accessible facilities: Public or on street parking
Accessible Toilets
Excellent
There was an accessible toilet available through a fire door at the back of the café. The fire door had to be pushed as you went from the café towards the toilet and then the toilet door was to the left. The door opened outwards and had a standard door handle to open and close the door. On the inside, it had a horizontal grab rail to assist with closing the door on the inside and the lock was a large handle that twisted into a vertical position. To the left of the door was a large mirror that could be seen from most heights. The toilet was on the left-hand side of the room and had space for a left-side transfer. There was a sanitary bin on the far side of this transfer space but there was still plenty of space between this and the toilet. A height-adjustable grab rail was placed on the same side as the transfer space and a fixed, vertical grab rail was mounted to the wall behind the toilet. On the opposite side of the toilet, a horizontal grab rail was placed below the toilet paper dispenser. The flush was a lever style flush with a rounded end that could be operated with a fist or elbow, and it was mounted on the cistern. It was placed on the opposite side to the transfer area so you had to reach across the toilet to use it. In front of the toilet was a small sink with a single tap on the left side. The tap was manually operated and had a long lever handle with a larger end, which seemed like it would be able to be operated with a fist or elbow. The tap twisted to control both the temperature and flow of the water. Above the sink was a manual soap dispenser and above that was a small mirror. This mirror was too high to be seen from a seated position. On either side of the sink was a vertical grab rail. To the right of the sink was an automatic hand dryer. On the right side of the toilet was a baby-changing table that was mounted to the wall and beneath it was a large bin for disposing of any nappies and waste. The red cord hung freely to the floor. Overall, the toilet was clean and well-maintained.
Facilities: Accessible toilet
Staff
Excellent
The staff were really friendly and helpful. I ordered at the counter and they helped me to make sure I could reach the card reader and see everything in the displays. They also brought over my items to my table. Although the menu wasn’t available in any alternative formats from what I could see, the staff were so great that I believe if I had needed it they would have taken the time to talk me through their menu and displays.
