I went to the UK's only tiramisù cafe- and it's in Yorkshire: 'It's like a gelateria but with tiramisu'

Mattia Paradiso set up his tiramisu-dedicated cafe, Paradiso Artisan Tiramisù, last year on Sharrow Vale Road in Sheffield.

Tiramisù literally means “pick me up,” which is what Mattia is hoping to offer in his snug tiramisù bakery and cafe.

Mattia Paradiso, who owns Paradiso Authentic Italian, started his crowd-pleasing empire in lockdown when he lost his job in hospitality and work dried up as an actor.

He said: “What better way to cheer people up in lockdown than delivering them tiramisù?

“I put a Facebook post on to see if anyone wanted tiramisù locally and it snowballed from there.”

Mattia had learned the art of making tiramisù from his Nonna Lina during his childhood in Puglia, Italy.

He has since added his own “modern twist” to his Nonna’s recipe.

He said: “I make mini-misus, Biscoff flavour, black forest, everything. It’s alcohol free and uses the best coffee.

“They’re freezable too. I make inclusive tiramisù with a range of vegan and even coffee-free options too.”

Following the pandemic, Mattia moved from Manchester to Sheffield, where he hired a unit at Krynkl in Kelham Island to bake tiramisù, which he would then bake to order, as well as having stalls at markets across the North of England.

He said: “We started making fresh tiramisù because, honestly, the supermarket stuff just wasn’t cutting it.

“One bite and you can tell it’s been sitting on a shelf for weeks, packed with preservatives and a weird, synthetic texture.

“And don’t even get us started on the sponge — soaked in overpowering alcohol.

“That’s not good tiramisù, and it’s definitely not how we do it in Puglia. There, we keep it simple and fresh. No gimmicks. Just the good stuff.

“Paradiso’s tiramisù is as fresh and authentic as it gets. We use only the finest ingredients, sourced directly from Italy, and craft every layer with care, not just to taste incredible, but to look beautiful too.

“Every spoonful is a little taste of heaven, made to a standard Nonna Lina would be proud of. It’s a celebration of true homemade goodness — light, creamy, and full of joy.”

There is a small tiramisu shop that sells the decadent dessert by pre-order via a window hatch in London, but Mattia was determined to open an entire cafe and shop dedicated to the layered ensemble.

He offers a warm welcome inside his cafe, enticing passersby with his window displays showcasing tiramisù cakes made to order for special occasions.

Inside is a small counter and kitchenette where Mattia and staff busily make fresh coffee and mini tiramisù for customers who are dining in or grabbing a piece to go.

I’d say a slice, but you’re served up a huge slab of tiramisu with toppings of your choice.

My husband is a huge tiramisù fan and devoured his original tiramisù because he likes the “pure stuff” with no toppings needed. I had a pot of vegan tiramisu and a black coffee.

While I’m not normally a tiramisu fan I realised this was when it came to shop-bought tiramisu, which tastes like creamy, soggy slush.

You could taste each layer of this decadent dessert, and it was perfectly finished with a strong black coffee too.

Mattia sells a range of tiramisù celebration cakes, three-tiered wedding cakes, and he even made a tiramisù house over the festive period.

I also tried his latest drink, which is a ‘tiramisù latte.’ This wasn’t like the chains full of creams and syrups. I had a pure hand-crafted latte with a huge slab of tiramisù on top.

It was - as they say in Puglia - “buonissimo”.