Hideaway: New Sheffield venue space is waiting to be found…

You may be forgiven for not yet having discovered the aptly named Hideaway, a new, multi-functioning and beautifully appointed space, brought to you by the lovely folks who gave us Sheffield institution The Bhaji Shop.

We were expertly hosted at Hideaway for a recent prelude to this year’s Festival of Debate, and subsequently managed to bend the ear of co-founder Anna to get the full lowdown on our new fave hangout.

Hello Anna, Mel and Matt, and congrats on your new Hideaway home! Could you tell us a bit about your backgrounds and how Hideaway came into being?

With The Bhaji Shop remaining close to our hearts, we were always on the lookout for another project that offered further creative output. Running an event space, bar and restaurant where we can host people in our own style has always been a dream of ours. Matt found the building when getting Anna's engagement ring made across the road and couldn't resist a massive disused factory with a 'To Lease' sign outside.

Always keen for a challenge, the idea behind the project was to use reclaimed and repurposed materials, both for financial necessity and environmental purposes. Many of the materials used were from the building itself in order for the renovation to remain in-keeping with the building's original character and retain an honest feel.

Our vision for Hideaway is always evolving, partly due to us being so excited by the opportunities the space offers us, but also because so many visitors to the building share their ideas for what the various spaces could be used for.

We are a creative hub with our studio spaces being rented by the likes of La Biblioteka, carpenters, makers, artists and a vintage clothes seller. Our upstairs wine bar is open from 4-9pm on Thursdays and Fridays for after work drinks, serving small plates and sharing boards from the open kitchen.

We were blown away by the space when you recently hosted our Festival of Debate event. Can you describe the general vibe you're going for, for the benefit of those yet to discover Hideaway?

We want to create a beautiful space where people feel welcome, relaxed and looked after.

It's so important to us that we are proud of the wine and food that we serve. After years of running The Bhaji Shop, as amazing as it has been - and continues to be - we don't want to be pigeon-holed into cooking one type of cuisine when we are fans of all the foods. Having the open kitchen allows us to showcase how we love to cook. It’s simple food, done well. We change the short menu of five to six dishes every week, and there's always fondue on offer.

We want to become an exciting addition to the city centre and are already enjoying becoming a popular neighbourhood bar for local residents and businesses. One of our main aims is for people to leave wanting to come back to a relaxing space where you can comfortably come on your own for a glass of wine or with friends.

You are also operating as a wedding venue. What other types of events are you hoping to cater for?

We are already booked up for weddings this year. We love seeing how people interact with the building and so far have had the pleasure of hosting a wine festival with Starmore Boss, Picklefest, art exhibitions, talks, film screenings, book launches, charity evenings, bespoke dinners, networking events and a number of private parties.

When we look back on the fact that we have only had the building for such a short amount of time and the state it was in when we took the keys, we can’t believe that we have not only got this far, but also how many people we’ve had through the doors to such a variety of events. That's thanks to the support we’ve been shown and the amazing team we have around us.

And what's your spring '23 calendar looking like? Any special events for us to whack in the diary?

We are delighted to be Homage to Fromage's new host venue on the last Wednesday of every month - in our opinion by far the best day of the month. Our main focus is our wine bar evenings and bringing some guest chefs on board.

Looking forward a bit further ahead, do you have a longer-term vision for Hideaway?

We would love for Hideaway to continue its journey to becoming a thriving creative space incorporating the arts, independent makers and good food. We love seeing how people interact with the building and how it continues to evolve from their collective ideas.

Finding a home in the Cultural Industries Quarter is perfectly in keeping with the types of events we wish to host and we are so happy to call this neighbourhood our new home.