A restaurant with some of the most stunning panoramic views on offer anywhere in Wales is finally set to return a year and a half after it closed suddenly. The Grape and Olive, located on the top floor of Wales's tallest residential building, the Meridian Tower in Swansea, is set to welcome back customers in May.
Phil Lake, whose company Meridian Quay Ltd owns what was once a go-to destination for food in the city, explained how Brains, which had run the restaurant for 12 years, recently surrendered its lease, meaning that steps can now be taken to revive the business.
Located on the 29th floor of the 300ft tower, before it closed, the restaurant had been at the tip of people's tongues when asked for a recommendation on where to go for a special night out. It was the place where many marked landmark birthdays, enjoyed works get togethers or had a romantic meal with a loved one. For the latest Swansea news, sign up to our newsletter here.
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Mr Lake explained: "Brains surrendered the lease last Friday, and the restaurant is now available to anyone who is interested in taking over. It's been empty for a year, which is crazy, because there is no view like it anywhere - probably in the UK. People love it and Swansea needs it.
"We've got to get it all tidied up and cleaned up, and as soon as that's done we'll start trading there ourselves, with bars, or light snacks, until a chain or some big restaurant takes it over.
"Brains brought in Marston's to advise them and sold their pubs and are concentrating on beer and brewing beer. It had a 25 year lease and had been there for 12 years, and I agreed a surrender with them, which was very amicable. The chief executive and managing director were excellent to deal with.
"I own it, and in the past I have had local schools come down and look after them with their food and drink paid for, and I'd like to do a bit more of that in future. It's a great place for local kids to go to and they can discuss the history of Swansea by sitting there and pointing out different areas from the viewpoint.
"There is nothing like it. It's stunning, it's a bit special and we need it, it needs to be used. We want to launch it properly for the summer, so the timing is pretty good as we've got March, April to get it right and hopefully the start of May we can advertise for people to come back even if it's for coffee and drinks and snacks.
"Jobs will definitely be created, and hopefully, we've got the function lounge which could be used for weddings. The cost there for a wedding would be half of some country clubs, so it would be affordable. It's also perfect for meetings."
If you would like to express an interest in taking over the restaurant, you can do so by calling 01792 561117. Join our WhatsApp news community here for the latest breaking news.
