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Upstairs by Tom Shepherd — A Michelin-Starred Tasting Menu Worth the Wait

Tom Shepherd's 

debut restaurant began with a stroke of luck: in 2019, his father relocated the family jewellery shop to a new Lichfield site with an empty workshop above it. COVID delayed the build, but takeaway boxes during lockdown built a loyal following before doors even opened in 2021. A Michelin star followed just four months later — making Upstairs Staffordshire's first and only Michelin-starred restaurant to this day.

🍽️ Food & Drinks

Food here is exactly what you'd hope for from a Michelin kitchen — technically accomplished, well-balanced, and confidently plated. The amuse-bouche was good, though slightly heavy-handed on the salt — a note that recurs a couple of times through the meal and is really the only consistent criticism of the cooking. Presentation throughout is sharp and the flavours generally land where they should.

Upstairs by Tom Shepherd
Nice amuse-bouche and beautifully presented
The bread was good, as you'd expect, though the butter that came with it was a touch average — a small thing, but worth a better partner given the quality of everything else on the table.

Upstairs by Tom Shepherd
Nice bread but I hope they can put something a bit more special on it

The scallop, from Orkney as ever, was cooked beautifully — tender, nicely seared, with good depth of flavour. It's a genuinely excellent scallop dish. The honest comparison: the version at Wilderness still edges it as the best I've had, but that's a high bar, and this one isn't far behind. Alongside it, the quail was cooked just right — pink in the centre, exactly as it should be. The accompanying liver was excellent too, though again the sauce leaned a touch heavy on the salt.

Upstairs by Tom Shepherd
Good quality scallop

Upstairs by Tom Shepherd
My favourite dish of the night, love this quail
Then there's the 'sausage roll' — and it's brilliant. Genuinely ten times better than Greggs, and a clear step up even on the well-regarded version at Gloucester Services, which is no small feat. The venison was solid but unremarkable — competently cooked, well-seasoned, just didn't reach the heights of the rest of the meal. Good, not wow.

Upstairs by Tom Shepherd
Quail sausage roll tasted so good as well, flaky crust

Upstairs by Tom Shepherd
Venison is a bit average compare to the quail
The signature dessert, "No Ordinary Schoolboy," is the dish that scored a perfect four 10s on Great British Menu — and it's good, if perhaps more about spectacle than pure flavour. The chocolate-banana shell leans a touch thick, and the overall experience favours style slightly over taste. The real winners on the plate are the banana cake and banana ice cream alongside it — both genuinely excellent and arguably the better half of the dessert.

Upstairs by Tom Shepherd
I love the banana cake more than the actual 'banana'

👋 Service

Friendly, professional, and the pacing throughout the meal was spot on — no rushing, no lulls. Staff clearly know the menu inside out and explained each dish clearly and with real enthusiasm. The open kitchen is a lovely touch too — watching the chefs work with that level of precision and focus never gets old.

✨ Decor & Ambience

The one genuine downside: for a Michelin-starred restaurant, the tables and overall space feel on the tight side. It's an intimate room by nature — the original 24-cover space has since been extended to 40 — and while the open kitchen and striking staircase give it real character, it can feel a touch cramped when full.

💰 Value

Reasonable for the calibre of cooking on offer. Just be prepared to plan ahead — bookings open months in advance, and tables go fast. Keep an eye on their social media for release dates and cancellation slots.

🏁 Verdict- A genuinely excellent Michelin-starred restaurant with a brilliant local story behind it — slightly cramped seating aside, this is well worth the wait for a table.

⭐ Ratings

  • Food: 4.5/5 – Consistently excellent with real highlights (that sausage roll!), only let down slightly by a heavy hand with salt in places.
  • Service: 4.5/5 – Warm, professional, knowledgeable, and perfectly paced — genuinely faultless.
  • Decor: 3.75/5 – Characterful and well-designed, but tables and overall space feel tight for a Michelin venue.
  • Value: 4/5 – Reasonable pricing for the quality, though the months-long booking wait is its own kind of cost.
  • Overall: 4.25/5 – A true Lichfield success story and one of the Midlands' best — book ahead and don't miss it.

💰 Estimated cost per person: £200 

📍 Upstairs by Tom Shepherd 

Address: 25 Bore Street, Lichfield, WS13 6NA 

Website: upstairs.restaurant


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Location: Lichfield, UK

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