New 360-degree rooftop restaurant planned for Manchester, from Michelin-tipped Chester favourite

The team behind one of Chester’s best-loved restaurants has revealed plans to open a rooftop restaurant here in Manchester.

Work has already begun to transform the rooftop of Blackfriars House into Climat, a wine-led restaurant and bar space with panoramic views of the city skyline.

It will be the second opening for the creators of Covino in Chester, which recently earned itself a place in the Michelin guide.

Climat falls within the Parsonage Gardens Conservation Zone, taking up a rooftop space in Bruntwood Works’ Blackfriars House.

The building has already undergone a multi-million-pound refurbishment and now has co-working space, a lounge with a fireplace, a podcast studio/1920s-style reading room, a 70-seat auditorium and an independent coffee shop.

The company is adding the new restaurant as part of its mission to blend work and lifestyle.

Covino first started life in a 300 sq ft restaurant and bar in 2016 but quickly outgrew it and moved around the corner into a fully-fledged restaurant.

With Climat, it will serve a seasonal, daily-changing menu that they say will simply be ‘food you want to eat’, alongside an enormous menu of 250 different wines focused on the Burgundy region.

Charlotte Wild, head of retail and leisure at Bruntwood Works, said: “As we are seeing a big return to the city centre post-covid, it felt it was the right time to launch this extraordinary new dining and drinking space in Manchester. 

“Climat will bring a unique experience to this exciting part of the city. With an eclectic wine range and seasonally inspired food in a beautiful new destination dining spot, it’s set to be an inspiring addition to Manchester.

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“We’re delighted to be welcoming Chris and his team to our Blackfriars community – they have an amazing vision and will complement this beautiful building perfectly. For us, hospitality is completely central to the workplace of the future and so to have such a high-quality offering at Blackfriars makes perfect sense.”

Christopher Laidler, owner of Covino and Climat restaurants, added: “It’s great to get our foot in the door in Manchester. It represents a big step up for us. The site has so much to offer and we’re going to add something special to a great city. The space will be unique to others with its panoramic views and we can’t wait to share our progress during the build leading up to opening in autumn.

“Ultimately we want our guests to have a great dining experience and come and share our passion for really good food and drink.”

Featured image: Supplied