Opus directors to open new Birmingham city bar
Directors Ann Tonks, Irene Allen and David Colcombe opened the first Opus restaurant nine years ago and then added Café Opus last summer.
The new venue will be at One Snowhill, the first A3 lease in the building. The bar will be 1,700sq.ft in size with the capacity for 120 people and will employ eight new members of staff.
Tonks said: “For almost a decade now, we have helped Birmingham evolve into a city that is passionate about its food, hospitality and entertainment. There is a confidence that independent establishments can thrive and are celebrated in the city.
“We opened Café Opus last February in the iconic Ikon gallery, as we wanted to continue to grow the Opus family in an imaginative way and Bar Opus is further testament to this ethos.
Bustling location
The building where the Bar Opus will open is home to large businesses such as KPMG, Barclays and DWF, which could ensure a great deal of footfall. The business district will also shortly be home to the HS2 construction headquarters and is close to Snow Hill station.
“The area at this end of Colmore Row is a real destination for those looking for bars and restaurants and we’re excited to have secured a prime location so close to Snow Hill station,” explained Tonks.
The venue will also be well-situated for those using the tram, which will be operational in the summer of 2015.
“The tram will actually give diners on our terrace the feel that they are in a continental environment,” added Tonks. “The location is the perfect example of going places and the tram will only add weight to that feeling once complete.”
Bar Opus serves breakfast and lunch, but also aims to appeal to those seeking a place to eat and drink after work, as many workers will be situated in the vicinity.
Open kitchen
With the bar the Opus directors intend to take inspiration from bars and cafés in European cities such as Barcelona and Copenhagen. They have come up with an open kitchen concept where the chefs in the bar will work on a number of sharing plates, which come in different prices depending on the colour of the plate.
Customers will also be encouraged to talk to the chefs who are at work and request certain dishes they may have tried there before. The bar will have a large wine and cocktail list, as well as a selection of bottled and draught beers.
Tonks said: “We’ll be operating an open kitchen so that customers will be able to see what we’re preparing but also talk to the chefs about what they have enjoyed of late. It is a concept you see across the continent, but hardly anywhere on these shores.”
