Being a huge Bring Me The Horizon fan, this venue has been on my bucket list since it opened back in 2018. Church Temple of Fun was a venture that lead vocalist Oli Sykes sunk his teeth into and has now become one of the biggest vegan and street food locations in Sheffield.
Having travelled a distance to this fantastic restaurant for a family celebration I was hoping the menu I viewed beforehand was as tasty as it sounded. Not experiencing a vegan diet I was curious to taste what was on offer. The servers were knowledgeable with the menu and happy to answer all questions our party had about it; mainly ingredients. They were very attentive, welcoming and certainly added to the entire experience.
Once the food was delivered to the table it didn’t disappoint. “We eat with our eyes” is a phrase commonly used and, boy, it was pleasing to the eye! We had a selection of plates including the Satay Chicken Salad Bowl, Lions Mane Mushroom Steak, Syko Burger, Hex Mex Burger, Chilli Cheese Loaded Fries and Chilli God Dog. The burgers and hot dogs were ironically extremely ‘meaty’ and really tasty. All of us were completely blown away with the flavours, taste, textures & colours…..it was simply amazing! We even tried their incredible cocktails menu with certain themed drinks as a nod to the owners metalcore band Bring Me The Horizon – I myself tried the Kool-Aid which was certainly one I could have had all afternoon!
This is a unique venue outside of its vegan food experience too, a dream for all gamers gaining its nickname as a bar-cade, with its very own gaming pods equipped with PlayStation 4 consoles that are free to use as well as comfy booths for you to completely relax and enjoy. The venue also offers its own tattoo parlour, photobooth, arcade machines, pool table, foosball table, plus its own merch for the venue itself and another Sykes project, his Drop Dead clothing collection. Although weather on the day of our visit didn’t allow a glance, there is also an outside balcony terrace that overlooks the River Don which is another wonderful addition to the charismatic venue.
For me, it was all about the little details that elevated the experience. From the presentation of the menu, the church podium where you’re first greeted and taken to your table, the gorgeously displayed flower arrangements and stain-glass windows that the natural light emphasises, the church chairs placed around each table and the obvious South-American religious iconography influence throughout with the artwork and statues displayed. Their ‘Sunday-Service’ of a traditional roast dinner but with a vegan twist is also a popular choice for guests, providing a satisfying alternative that will certainly get your tastebuds talking!
The venue also hosts a number of themed evenings, free movie showings, art nights as well as being a live music venue with a capacity of up to 220 people. All information is available through their social media channels under the handles @templeof.fun or through their website www.templeof.fun for any upcoming events.
I can’t recommend Church Temple of Fun Restaurant enough. The whole experience was a dream, great value for money, provides a variety of mouth-watering food that you wouldn’t be able to try anywhere else, and provides the opportunity to make a complete day-out visit with its various activities available. This should be everyone’s new place of worship.
Review by Charlotte Hooper
