A NEW 70-seater restaurant with cocktail bar and private dining room is to open up later this month in Chester city centre.

The Forge will be opening its doors at the Hotel Indigo site on Grosvenor Park Road on Wednesday, May 19 – and will be able to serve customers inside in line with the expected easing of Covid restrictions that week.

Some of the dishes diners can expect to see at The Forge, which is to open in Chester later this month.

Some of the dishes diners can expect to see at The Forge, which is to open in Chester later this month.

Chef and restaurateur Mike Robinson is behind the new restaurant, which will be his fourth in the UK and the third inside a Hotel Indigo building.

It takes the place of the former Wood Chester restaurant, which was run by MasterChef 2015 winner Simon Wood.

Some of the dishes diners can expect to see at The Forge, which is to open in Chester later this month.

Some of the dishes diners can expect to see at The Forge, which is to open in Chester later this month.

Mike's other restaurants include The Harwood Arms in Fulham, (the only pub in London with a Michelin star) the Woodsman in Stratford upon Avon, (the Good Food Guide 2020 best new restaurant in the UK) and the Elder in Bath, which has achieved great critical acclaim since it opened in 2020.

The focus of the new restaurant will be British food, using only British ingredients, with an emphasis on wild produce and sustainability. The open kitchen cooks over wood and charcoal, using wild and locally reared meat, that is all aged on the premises.

Some of the dishes diners can expect to see at The Forge, which is to open in Chester later this month.

Some of the dishes diners can expect to see at The Forge, which is to open in Chester later this month.

Oak, ash and beech from local forests will provide the fuel, imparting flavour into the beef, lamb, game and venison on the menu.

British fish will be used, as Mike and his team believe that all restaurateurs have an obligation to support local fishermen and women. The beef, lamb and pork will be sourced from farmers in the immediate area and will be aged to a minimum of 45 days in the dry ageing cabinets.

Some of the dishes diners can expect to see at The Forge, which is to open in Chester later this month.

Some of the dishes diners can expect to see at The Forge, which is to open in Chester later this month.

Head chef Curtis Tonge, a Chester local and young talent, is heading up the kitchen team.

He said: “Sustainability is so important to me in everything that I do. Here at The Forge, cooking, preparing and eating beautifully and consciously sourced free range and wild meat is as sustainable as it gets. It fits into my ethos entirely and I can’t wait to show the public what it is we do here that makes us so special.”

Roux Scholarship 2020 finalist Curtis has been working in kitchens since he was a young boy and has spent his career working with some of the greatest chefs in the UK, with a particular passion for sticking to his Northern roots.

Some of the dishes diners can expect to see at The Forge, which is to open in Chester later this month.

Some of the dishes diners can expect to see at The Forge, which is to open in Chester later this month.

Curtis has worked alongside Liam McCay at Chef's Table as well as Simon Radley at The Grosvenor Hotel.

As well as this, Curtis has trained under Lisa Allen Goodwin of Northcote, and had the opportunity to cook at Obsession working alongside 17 of this country’s greatest chefs with a collective 22 stars between them.

Some of the dishes diners can expect to see at The Forge, which is to open in Chester later this month.

Some of the dishes diners can expect to see at The Forge, which is to open in Chester later this month.

The average price of dining at The Forge will be about £45 for three courses, and there will be a lunch menu offer.

The cocktail bar will serve signature drinks designed for the bar by Mike Robinson’s head mixologist Olly Hornby-Smith alongside delicious bar snacks.

Mike added: “I truly believe that hospitality will bounce back, and that quality, great service and value for money will be as important post Covid as before.

“Being in such a beautiful city, like our other restaurants in Stratford on Avon and Bath, there is no doubt The Forge in Chester will have great appeal for those choosing to holiday in the UK this year, and eventually for overseas tourists, as well as our most important guests, the local business community and residents.”

The new restaurant will open for dinner seven days a week, and lunch from Wednesdays to Sundays.

For more information, visit www.theforgechester.com or follow @the_forge_restaurant_chester on Instagram.

The Forge will open at the Hotel Indigo site in Chester.

The Forge will open at the Hotel Indigo site in Chester.