Grays Yard

New for 2019, owners and brothers, Steve and Dave of the Chopbloc, Chelmsford’s original steak restaurant specialising in wet aged steak, wanted a new exciting look to complement its new wide-ranging menu, offering three different dining experiences in one building. There are 170 seats in the restaurant, making it one of the larger places to eat in the city.

Renamed as Grays Yard – the new name stems from the restaurant’s address which is Grays Brewery Yard, Springfield Road – and working with Design LSM, the 3 floors of the were transformed with a new drinks bar and vibrant interior garden cafe on the ground floor with a patisserie kitchen extending into the main entrance arena. In the evening, this Kitchen and Cafe transforms into the Grays Yard Bar.

The new walkways into the different dining areas and toilets have been reconfigured to better connect them to the core of the building with due consideration to more fluid customer and staff flow, as well as creating a more intimate dining experience.

Paying homage to the industrial heritage of the building – an 18th century, former brewer’s building – the new second floor drinks bar clad in large concrete panels and edged in brass serves the two upper floors which offers a more formal restaurant where diners enjoy table service and can choose from two menus in a setting of exposed steel and timber beams, sumptuous leather banquettes with brass and glass fittings spot lighting the brass edged tables.

Designers: Design LSM