James and Maria Close open Atlas, an ambitious new restaurant at Rockliffe

County Durham's fine-dining scene has an exciting new chapter. Atlas, the restaurant created by James and Maria Close at the five-star Rockliffe resort just south of Darlington, opened in September 2026, and it is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious fine-dining projects in the UK.

The Closes are well known to North East food lovers. James opened The Raby Hunt in Summerhouse in 2009, and it won its first Michelin star in 2012 and a second in 2016. By January 2019 it was the only restaurant in North East England with two stars. The Raby Hunt closed at the end of January 2024, when James became culinary director at Rockliffe.

Atlas sits in a purpose-built, stone-clad pavilion next to the main hotel, overlooking the golf course. There are 36 covers plus a six-seat chef's table, a Champagne bar and a large open kitchen with no pass, built around three bespoke Molteni cooking suites, with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the grounds.

The menu is a journey inspired by the couple's travels, with each dish named for its origin. Guests begin in the bar with snacks drawing on the Basque region, Japan, Mexico and Peru, before courses such as mussels from La Rochelle, lobster from St Malo, quail in vin jaune from the Jura and wagyu from the Miyazaki Highlands. Maria's croissant, a favourite from The Raby Hunt, has made the move, and a chocolate cart with about a dozen of her creations brings the meal to a close.

Wine is a big part of the story. Head of wine Manuel Ghezzi, previously head sommelier at The Connaught, oversees a cellar of roughly 6,000 bottles, with around 25 whites and 25 reds offered by the glass. A non-alcoholic pairing has been developed with grower Ken Holland using produce grown on the estate.

The kitchen team includes executive chef Adam Molloy and restaurant director Jack Adams, both from The Raby Hunt, alongside new head chef Shaun Hurrell. Harden's reported prices from £190 per person for lunch to £300 per person for dinner at the chef's table.

Atlas is one of several venues the Closes have created at Rockliffe, alongside the Italian-American restaurant Rialto and the Ro cocktail bar, making the resort a serious destination for anyone who loves to eat well.

Details and bookings for Atlas are available on the Rockliffe website.