Blackfriars House to become home to new rooftop restaurant, Climat

Work has begun to transform the rooftop of Bruntwood Works’ Blackfriars House where it will soon become home to new restaurant, Climat. The wine-led restaurant and bar is the second venue from the team behind Chester’s popular wine and food hotspot, Covino, which recently earned itself a place in the Michelin guide.

This new culinary addition to Manchester’s skyline, located in the Parsonage Gardens Conservation Zone, is due to open its doors in Autumn 2022. 

Bruntwood Works will be welcoming this up and coming brand to the city as part of its ethos to blend work and lifestyle - an approach which has been an important driving force as part of the city centre’s revival in post-pandemic Manchester.

Chester’s Covino started out as a small 300 square foot restaurant and bar in 2016. Outgrowing its first location after two years, the restaurant moved to a bigger premises around the corner where it transformed into a fully-fledged restaurant. After navigating the challenges of the pandemic lockdowns, the business is now thriving and looking for its next adventure.

Climat will offer customers a seasonally-inspired, daily changing food menu, put simply “food you want to eat”. Climat will also offer an expertly curated collection of approximately 250 different wines, with a focus on the Burgundy region, becoming Manchester’s go-to for the world’s best Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and all that sits between. All this will be enjoyed amongst 360 degree panoramic views of the city centre.

Covino Head Chef, Luke Richardson, will move to the role of Executive Chef operating across both sites.

Blackfriars has welcomed a number of businesses through its growth and redevelopment and the building is now fully let with Climat completing the transformation. The refurbishment has created a unique and collaborative hub for businesses that are looking for workspaces of all sizes. Inspired by the building’s 1920s heritage, it includes a stylish lounge area complete with a fireplace for less formal meetings and 12 dedicated coworking desks - which are available on a pay-as-you-go service. The ground floor now houses a hidden podcast studio which doubles as a 1920s-style reading room, a 70-seat auditorium and an independent coffee shop operated by Bean. 

Blackfriars underwent a multi-million-pound refurbishment which launched in March 2020. The transformation, which was part of the Bruntwood Works’ £200m Pioneer programme, has welcomed a host of new technology, creative and digital businesses to the city’s most sought-after workspaces.

Charlotte Wild, Head of Retail & 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. 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 Aautumn.

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