Caerphilly bistro Gatehouse has officially opened its new upstairs lounge bar – bringing cocktails with a view to Castle Court Shopping Centre.
Having opened in the same spot which Glanmor’s Tea Room occupied for 25 years, the downstairs is a tea room by day and bistro by night seating 60.
Now, the upstairs space has been transformed.
Lee Edwards, general manager at Gatehouse, runs the business alongside his parents Paul and Carol, fiancé Rachel Orchard and business partners Nick and Lisa Harland.
Lee, who was born and brought up in Caerphilly, said: “We’re bringing something different to Caerphilly. People deserve nice places to go. There is a lot of development in the town, so we all need to keep pace.”
With an upstairs capacity of 48 people, Lee’s long-term vision is to see the space used as a “community hub” during the day, with space for small business meetings and afternoon tea events.
When Gatehouse took over the building after Glanmor’s owner Lynne Evans retired, the new venture kept on the 23 members of staff. It now employs 30.
Lee said: “The Glanmors staff we’d had have been fantastic. From the kitchen down to the front of house, they’ve been brilliant.”
Lee and Nick would like to thank all the staff for their commitment and hard work.
Caerphilly town mayor Mike Prew, who attended the soft launch of the lounge bar, said: “What the team have done here is fantastic, I wish them all the best.
“It’s long overdue in this wonderful town of ours. It’s overlooking a wonderful, iconic castle and it’s an establishment that’s going to grow and grow along with other establishments in the area – which I’m sure will be respected by the entire community.
“Good luck to all the staff and everybody involved.”
Visit gatehousecaerphilly.co.uk to see its menu and what’s on offer. You can also keep up-to-date on social media at Facebook.com/gatehousecaerphilly21 and gatehouselounge on Instagram.
Table service is available at the lounge bar. Walk-ins are also accepted but booking is recommended.
• For bistro bookings email info@gatehousecaerphilly.co.uk
For lounge bar bookings email sandra@gatehousecaerphilly.co.uk or call 029 2086 7755 for more information.