Sheffield restaurateur Steve Zsirai to celebrate grappa with new venture in the city

On Glossop Road in the former Sinclairs building, the two-storey Grappa will ‘set the standard for quality Italian bar/dining in the Sheffield area’.

As the name suggests, the restaurant will focus on grappa with Zsirai saying he is aiming for his new restaurant to become ‘the UK’s official capital’ of the grape-pomace-based brandy. 

“We’ll have more varieties and more opportunities to celebrate my home nation’s official liqueur than anywhere else in the UK,” he says. 

Serving dishes from across Italy, Grappa will have a ‘rustic’ downstairs bar area that will be complemented by a more luxurious 80-seater restaurant upstairs with a mirrored staircase connecting the two areas.

Zsirai is well-known in Sheffield having run restaurants in the city since the late 1990s. His ventures have included the Tequila Bar, Viva Tequila and Chesterfield-based Italian Giorgio’s. 

Zsirai added: “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 30-plus years in the trade it’s the importance of providing customers with that ‘holiday feeling’ and a sense of escapism. I always treat my staff like my extended family – and I believe that same feeling should be passed onto our customers.”