The 100-cover restaurant will open on 6 July serving a range of the region’s cheese and charcuterie over the summer before operating a full food offer and a residency from a Leeds-based pop-up brand from September.
It will also host a selection of pop-ups and guest chefs in the coming months.
The restaurant will have a sustainable focus working with independent food and drink suppliers and local producers including George & Joseph, North Star Coffee Roasters, Latitude Wines and Northern Monk in addition to Darlington’s Acorn Dairy, Lishman’s of Ilkley and Bluebird Bakery. It will run on renewable electricity from both its own solar panels and from the grid.
Kino takes inspiration from the newly renovated Grade II-listed Opera North venue, with the name a nod to the building’s former use, with ‘kino’ meaning ‘cinema’ in a number of languages.
“Opening Kino is the final piece in the puzzle following our transformative £18m redevelopment programme, Music Works,” says Richard Mantle, general director at Opera North.
“Kino will be the perfect spot to enjoy drinks and a bite to eat before a performance, or as a destination in its own right. With Kino, we continue to do what we do best – entertaining through memorable experiences – adding seriously delicious food and drink to our repertoire.”