This is the very grand new Italian Gran Cafe that is aiming to bring "a bit of Mayfair to Wilmslow". The Cibo Gran Cafe has just opened on Grove Street in the Cheshire town, with lavish £1.5m interiors and an extensive brunch and lunch menu.
Bosses of the celebhaunt Italian restaurant group created the new cafe after snapping up the shops on the opposite side of the existing Cibo restaurant already in Wilmslow. They ripped through the three former shop units on Grove Street to create a huge high-ceiling restaurant space in its place.
The results are quite spectacular, with a large tree at the heart of the venue, and the Gran Cafe is now open seven days a week serving a range of breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes. On Sundays they will also be serving up afternoon teas too.
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The venue is only open during the daytime to 5pm, but in the evenings it will be available for private hire and events. The idea came as bosses are constantly asked for private hire at their other restaurants, the Cibo in Wilmslow and Hale and Sasso in Disley.
The cafe has already been packed with diners since launching at the weekend, and Cibo CEO Marco Valboni said he and his team have been overwhelmed by the response so far.
He has also thanked property mogul Peter Jones, of Jones Homes and Emerson Group, who agreed to sell one of the three shops on the street to Cibo to make their "grand vision" for the cafe be realised.
Cibo initially had just the Holland and Barrett and TUI stores for the development. But thy needed the third, a former EE shop next to the Grove Arcade, to smash out the second floors across the units to make it the open plan space it is today.
Marco explained: "We had a vision for the Gran Cafe here, and we're so pleased we've made it happen. But it wouldn't be as beautiful if it wasn't for Peter Jones.
"I took my vision to him, I told him I wanted to bring a bit of Mayfair to Wilmslow, but the only way we can do it is with more space and if you give me the third shop, and thankfully he said OK. He came in for the first time today and he says he's over the moon with how it has turned out."
The Gran Cafe features dining for up to 90 guests with navy blue and gold seating, and marble table tops. The menu is a tantalising mix of brunch items like Cibo Royale £12, cheesy omelette £9 and nduja scramble £9.
Lunch dishes include an array of sandwiches like smoked salmon and prawns £16 and beef fillet for £18. But their showstopping sandwich is an opulent lobster eclair - with lobster, avocado, grapefruit and orange piled inside a choux pastry "bun" - for £24.
There’s also a charcoal grill section with fillet steak for £32, half lobster at £26 and full lobster £52.
Deserts include Cibo Gelato ice cream sundaes for £8.50 and a stunning stuffed croissant, with your choice of chocolate mousse or fruit and cream for £7.
Afternoon teas will be served on Sundays only for £20, or with champagne for £28.
Operations director Tony Arrucio said: "The Gran Cafe is something completely different, and with only being open during the daytime it means we're not competing with ourselves being next door.
"We can then switch up this space for private events in the evening because we know demand is very very high from our customers for that.
"It means we can focus our restaurants on our regular customers, while being able to offer this when needed."
Now that Gran Cafe has opened in Wilmslow, attentions will turn to Manchester, where Cibo bosses have snapped up the former Rosso restaurant.
Work has begun to transform the vast building on Spring Gardens into a new Cibo Manchester for the new year.
