• Climat - New wine-led restaurant to open on rooftop of Manchester’s Blackfriars House

Climat - New wine-led restaurant to open on rooftop of Manchester’s Blackfriars House

17 June 2022 by Deanna Thomas

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

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 grew 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, or put simply, ‘food you want to eat’. Climat will also offer a 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. 

It will be a great addition to the city’s burgeoning wine bar scene which already boasts the likes of Beeswing at KampusFlawd on Islington Marina, SalutAd Hoc and Le Social on Pollard Yard.

Christopher Laidler, owner of Covino and Climat restaurants, said: “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.”

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


Climat completes the transformation of Blackfriars which underwent a multi-million-pound refurbishment which launched in March 2020. It has welcomed a number of businesses and workspaces through its growth and redevelopment, and the building is now fully let. The refurbishment has created a unique and collaborative hub for new technology, creative and digital businesses of all sizes. The ground floor now even 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. 

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.”

This new culinary addition to Manchester’s skyline, located in the Parsonage Gardens Conservation Zone, with 360-degree panoramic views of the city centre, is due to open its doors in autumn 2022.

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