In Bakewell, The Charleston Aims To Redefine Dining From Morning Coffee To Late-Night Jazz
The Charleston Reveals Menus
Bakewell’s new £2.6 million venue, The Charleston, has unveiled its menus featuring creative brunches, refined dining, cocktails and live music, creating a vibrant all-day destination expected to open this summer.
Bakewell’s highly anticipated new bar and restaurant, The Charleston, has revealed its menus for the first time ahead of opening later this summer, offering a glimpse into a food and drink experience unlike anything currently available in the Peak District.
Set within the former Royal Bank of Scotland building in the heart of Bakewell, the £2.6 million venue from Longbow Venues will combine speciality coffee, inventive brunch dishes, all-day dining, cocktails and live music under one roof, creating a destination designed to evolve from morning through to late evening.
Inspired by the energy and style of London, New York and Manchester dining scenes, The Charleston’s menus blend contemporary flavours with classic hospitality, bringing a fresh new offering to one of Derbyshire’s most visited market towns.
Brunch is expected to become a major draw, with dishes including The Royal Muffin, featuring cured scallops, poached eggs and hollandaise tartare, alongside The Benedict Twist, made with tea-smoked duck pastrami and chimichurri. Other highlights include the Florentine Gatsby, a golden waffle topped with spiced avocado and spinach mousse, crispy egg and micro herbs, and a Waffle Sandwich filled with buttermilk chicken, maple bacon, coffee and bacon jam.
The venue will also serve speciality coffees developed in partnership with Sheffield roasters Roastology, alongside matcha lattes, turmeric lattes, chai, freshly baked pastries and afternoon tea.
As day turns to evening, the atmosphere will shift, with live jazz, soul and swing performances helping transform the space into a vibrant bar and restaurant.
The evening menu showcases a mixture of refined brasserie-style dishes and modern classics, including Derbyshire beef fillet with red onion and blue cheese chutney, crayfish and lobster ravioli, slow-cooked rabbit wrapped in pancetta, best end of lamb loin with pomegranate chimichurri, and pan-fried cod with walnut and chicory velouté.
Alongside the main menu, guests will be able to graze on smaller plates and bar snacks including venison carpaccio, scallop and chorizo skewers, wild mushroom and truffle pâté, duck bonbons and Brazilian cheese bread.
Desserts continue the theatrical feel, with homemade Bakewell tart, pistachio and mango cheesecake, flourless chocolate brownie, and a signature Charleston Gourmand platter featuring a selection of miniature desserts served with either espresso, sparkling wine or dessert wine.
The drinks offering has been designed to play an equally important role in the experience. Guests can expect everything from espresso martinis and spicy margaritas to Aperol, Hugo and Rhubarb Spritzes, alongside carefully selected wines, premium spirits and after-dinner cocktails.
A strong emphasis has also been placed on local sourcing, with suppliers including Winster Foods, R G Morris & Son, Middleton’s Dairies, Roastology, Bluebell Dairy and Bakewell-based Hattersley Wines all featuring on the menu.
Rob Hattersley, founder of Longbow Venues, said:
“The Charleston has always been about creating something different for Bakewell.
“We wanted to build a venue that changes throughout the day. Somewhere you can meet for coffee in the morning, enjoy brunch with friends, stop in for cocktails after work, celebrate over dinner, or simply enjoy live music with a drink in hand.
“There are some fantastic places to eat and drink across the Peak District, but we felt there was room for something with a bit more energy, a bit more theatre and a real all-day personality.
“The response we’ve had already has been incredible and we can’t wait to finally welcome people through the doors.”
General Manager Josh Butler added:
“What excites me most is the variety.
“You can come in for a quick coffee and pastry, settle in for brunch, enjoy a long lunch, meet friends for cocktails or spend an evening enjoying great food and live music. The atmosphere will naturally evolve throughout the day.
“We’ve created menus that feel exciting, accessible and a little unexpected. There are dishes people will instantly recognise, alongside plenty of things that guests won’t have seen elsewhere in the area.”
The Charleston is expected to create around 60 jobs and will become the sixth venue within the Longbow Venues collection.
Opening details and booking information will be announced shortly.
For updates, follow @thecharlestonbakewell on Instagram and Facebook or visit the-charleston.com.
