A new addition to Kelham Island, Craft and Dough offers just two products – craft beer and pizza – hence the name.
We arrived at 7.30pm on a Thursday evening and the venue was near to full. Taking advantage of the late evening sun, we grabbed the last remaining bench on the outside terrace overlooking the river.
The décor, inside and out, showcases the venues industrial heritage with a few contemporary touches. It certainly looks the part and the whole place has a happy, chilled vibe.
But we’re not off to the best start. After ten minutes, no one has approached our table so we head inside to find a menu. Out comes the waitress, who forgets to bring the mobile till, so runs back indoors apologetically. We all have those days. We won’t judge.
We order some olives as an appetiser then an ox tongue pizza and courgette fries to share. The pizzas are designed for one person, but after seeing the tempting treats on the dessert menu, we decide to share just the one so to leave a little room for something sweet.
We’re informed that the venue licence only allows outdoor dining until 8pm so we’ve got 20 minutes left on the terrace before we have to find a table indoors. It’s a shame to have to move, but in all fairness, the inside is worth praise too. The mix of modern meets industrial – exposed woodwork contrasted with brightly painted chairs and shiny white tiles – sets the restaurant apart from other city centre venues. But it’s the shelves stacked high with craft beers that steals our stare – no one will leave here thirsty!
It’s been 30 minutes of watching the mouth-watering pizzas leave the kitchen and our olives are still nowhere to be seen. I give a polite nudge to another waitress who quickly responds. They’re good – although there’s not many to go at and we’re now ravenous. Just a breath after, out comes our pizza and side. Phew. The pizzas are generous – perfectly cooked and well-seasoned. Delicious.
The side of courgette fries are insanely good too. However I’d suggest you don’t order just the one to share as despite being served on a giant rustic pizza bat – the fries take up the tiniest amount of room in the centre. We definitely needed two of those.
For dessert, we’re tempted by a childhood favourite – the 99 flake ice cream. On the specials board it states caramel ice cream is up for grabs but when I order they’re all out so I opt for banana. It’s good but there’s no flake on top as promised. We chomp down our cones and we’re done.
The bill arrives – £30 all in which we’re happy with. Although with a pizza and a side each this would be substantially more. We recommend a visit early evening to enjoy the outdoor terrace experience and be sure to leave the car at home so you can sample a craft beer or two!
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