JÖRO has been awarded a Michelin star, bringing the prestigious award back to Sheffield for the first time since 1998.
Managing Director Stacey Sherwood-French and head chef Luke French have made significant sacrifices to achieve the prestigious award, placing JÖRO among the ten Michelin-starred restaurants in Yorkshire.
However, the journey has not come without personal cost.
“You can ask any of our family and friends how many weddings, birthdays and other special occasions we’ve missed over the years,” Stacey said. “It wasn’t just in pursuit of the star, it was the nature of the hospitality life”.
The award was announced at the 2026 Michelin Guide Ceremony in Dublin on February 9th. Michelin inspectors praised JÖRO’s cooking as “pure and occasionally playful”, with quality ingredients “treated with respect and understanding”. They also commended the “excellent service”, describing it as “a real team effort”.
Stacey described the moment their name was called as ‘surreal’.
“We were anxious to start with,” she said. “When they called our name, we just couldn’t believe it.”
“We’ve been talked about for many years in terms of these accolades. To finally achieve it, it means everything,” she said. “Bringing a Michelin star back to Sheffield is pretty monumental for the city’s food scene.”
The recognition places Sheffield firmly back on the fine-dining map. “If you look at the map of starred restaurants from London to Scotland, there was a gap in the middle. We’ve kind of filled that gap now,” Stacey added.
Teamwork has been central to the restaurant’s success. “The team we’ve had over the last year are the ones who helped us achieve this accolade,” she said. “Now that we’ve attained it, it’s about making sure the standard is there all of the time.”
JÖRO specialises in creative, Nordic-Japanese-inspired tasting menus, featuring an open kitchen and, as of 2025, is featured in The Times Top 100 Best Places to Stay.
With the star now secured, the focus shifts to consistency, ensuring Sheffield’s return to Michelin recognition is here to stay. If you ever fancy visiting the only Michelin Star restaurant in Sheffield, book a table on JÖRO’s website here .
Featured photo by Tim Green.