Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Chester
Hardens guides have spent 33 years compiling reviews of the best Chester restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 18 restaurants in Chester and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Chester restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Chester Restaurants
1. The Inn At Huxley
British, Modern restaurant in Huxley
Huxley Lane - CH3
A Family VisionThe Inn at Huxley is situated in the quaint village of Huxley, near Chester, West Cheshire and was lovingly bui...
2. Artezzan Restaurant & Bar
Mediterranean restaurant in Chester
33 Pepper Street - CH1
ARTEZZAN TAKES AN HONEST APPROACH TO MEDITERRANEAN INSPIRED FOOD SERVED IN A MODERN, FRESH, FEEL-GOOD WAY. OFFERING A UNIQUE DINING AND DRINKING EXPERIENCE CELEBRATING AN AUTHENTIC MEDITERRANEAN TASTE....
3. Upstairs at the Grill
British, Modern restaurant in Chester
70 Watergate St - CH1
2022 Review: USDA steaks and other meaty treats – alongside a Manhattan-esque vibe – have won local renown for this swish steakhouse in the city centre. Closed for much of the pandemic, in October 2021 the venue finally announced its return via Instagram and its website: “You may have noticed some building work taking place over the last couple of months…we are beyond excited and thrilled to finally announce that we will be back in the New Year… We have some exciting plans to transform our iconic home in the Olde Custom House Building… Our team of chefs and bartenders are already hard at work behind the scenes developing an exciting new food and drink menu… don’t worry, your old favourites will still feature!”.
4. Arkle, The Chester Grosvenor
British, Modern restaurant in Chester
56-58 Eastgate Street - CH1
Chef Elliot Hill has big shoes to fill at this well-known dining room, which is one of the North West’s most consistent culinary icons, having held a Michelin star under Simon Radley from 1998-2021 (at a time when such recognition was thin on the ground in this and neighbouring counties). Lacking natural light, this stately chamber sits deep within this unusually grand provincial hotel, which is owned by the Duke of Westminster, and is right next to the city’s emblematic Eastgate Clock on its medieval walls. While acknowledging that it’s “pricey”, all reports are very positive on the start he’s made with a “scrumptious five-course tasting menu”; staff who “make you feel valued and well looked after”; and the “elegant, comfortable and quiet (but not too quiet!)” interior. “An incredible, if expensive, experience” that’s “well set to regain his predecessor’s accolades”.
5. La Brasserie, Chester Grosvenor
British, Modern restaurant in Chester
Eastgate - CH1
In the shadow of the Eastgate Clock, this glam pavement-side brasserie (the second restaurant in a fine old hotel in the city centre) makes a luxurious spot to break from retail therapy in this shopping-mad city. There’s a “varied menu”, and although results have been “up and down” over time, locals say that “of late it’s much improved”. Top Menu Tip – “always oysters” (served with a selection of Champagnes).
6. The Chef's Table
British, Modern restaurant in Chester
7-15 Pepper Street Row - CH1
2021 Review: “Small but perfectly formed” – this “tiny place with an open-plan kitchen” tucked away off Northgate Street serves “wonderful food” with “great depth of flavour” and “you’re really well looked after” too.
7. Moules A Go Go
International restaurant in Chester
6-12 Cuppin Street - CH1
2021 Review: “A long-term favourite which has been going for decades” – in recent times now decamped to La Tasca's old digs from its original home in The Rows – it boasts “plush and trendy” décor; “the moules marinières are wonderful and there are nights dedicated to surf and turf or lobster”.
8. Architect
British, Modern restaurant in Chester
54 Nicholas Street - CH1
This Georgian pub near the city’s picturesque racecourse, from the Brunning & Price stable, is popular for its “wonderful location and comforting decor”. Reports on the food are more muted, although “if you like fish ’n’ chips you’ll love it – they offer more combinations of batter/fish/sides than most places”. It was built by prominent Chester architect Thomas Harrison as his own home – hence the unusual name.
9. Porta
Spanish restaurant in Chester
140 Northgate Street - CH1
“You feel like you’re in Madrid or Barcelona in these really authentic tapas bars” from Joe & Ben Wright – “the vegetable dishes are especially strong”. The three branches – in Chester, Altrincham and Salford– have proved so popular that the brothers closed down their original Chester bistro, Joseph Benjamin, three years ago to turn it into a larger Porta.
10. 1539
British, Traditional restaurant in Chester
The Racecourse - CH1
2021 Review: “With stunning views over Chester Racecourse” (“book early to be sure of a window table”), this well-established venue marries “fine wines and food” and, so long as you “don’t go on race days”, there are “usually quiet areas for those important business meetings”.
11. The Forge
British, Modern restaurant in Chester
Hotel Indigo, Grosvenor Park Road - CH1
Feedback is more limited than we would like, but is enthusiastic over this grey-hued boutique hotel dining room, run from afar by game expert Mike Robinson. Chef Dan Regan oversees the preparation of a menu that majors in 40-60 day, dry-aged beef steaks from a selection of sirloin or ribeye cuts.
12. Sticky Walnut
British, Modern restaurant in Chester
11 Charles St - CH2
“We had heard the hype and were very pleasantly surprised that it lived up to it!” – Gary Usher’s original venture in his nowadays-famous Elite Bistros group occupies the gentrified suburb of Hoole outside the city centre. “A small menu of reliably tasty food is provided by engaging and knowledgeable staff”, “It’s only small, so it could get a bit awkward if it was quiet, but it always seems to be bustling. I really like it here!”
13. The Grosvenor Arms
British, Modern restaurant in Aldford
Chester Rd - CH3
This unusually grand and “busy gastropub” near the gates of the Duke of Westminster’s Cheshire estate is “probably the best Brunning & Price”. “We’ve eaten here many times over the years, and while the food has had its ups and downs, recently it’s been of top quality” – “it’s best to avoid weekends though, as it can get very busy: the price of success!” Top Tip – lovely garden in summer.
14. Cornichon
British, Modern restaurant in Tarvin
71 High Street - CH3
2021 Review: Just a short drive outside Chester, a smartly appointed “bar and bistro in an old family grocers shop retaining much of the original features and fittings of the Georgian building” (The Gunnery). “A straightforward menu is well realised” and weekend brunch is a feature.
15. Pant-yr-Ochain
British, Modern restaurant in Gresford
Old Wrexham Road - LL12
Sixteenth-century inn ‘the Pant’ (as owners Brunning & Price fondly call it) occupies a substantial, “very comfortable” Victorian property a short drive outside Wrexham; and its conversion has created “a great pub: warm and bustling in the winter, loads of outside space in the summer” and offering a “reliably good beer selection” too. Given its high standards, the odd reporter this year did quibble with the food, but overall this “very busy” destination remains a “favourite year after year”.
16. X by Harry Guy
British, Modern restaurant in Chester
Wildes Chester, 10 Bridge Street - CH1
2023 Review: Chef Harry Guy (ex-Savoy Grill and Mallory Court Hotel) will open his debut restaurant in Wildes Group’s new Chester boutique hotel in 2023 (originally scheduled for mid 2022), by ‘The Cross’ at the ancient heart of this picturesque town. The venue itself sounds quite a ‘do’: with 18 bedrooms, rooftop pool, amphitheatre sauna and terrace with views overlooking the city. An “invitingly dark” dining room is promised, and setting its sights on becoming “one of the finest restaurants in the country”.
17. Pars Kahve
restaurant in Chester
5 - 7 Watergate Street South - CH1
2023 Review: Situated on the ancient, picturesque top tier of ‘The Rows’ on Watergate Street, this August 2021 yearling from Adem & Holly Yilmaz (their first venture) is proving an excellent addition to the city. The Turkish cooking is “simple but there’s a great choice of really good dishes” and the welcome is “warm and friendly”.
18. The White Horse
British, Modern restaurant in Churton
Chester Road - CH3
“Bistro meets pub to create a really enjoyable experience” at Gary Usher’s year-old gastropub, which opened in early 2023. It’s off to a smooth start (“we ate on the fourth day of opening, and expected some minor teething troubles, but there were none!”) and seems to succeed in his original aim, which was ‘to serve great drinks, delicious unpretentious food by a team that love what they do’ (even despite a minor furore in the national press over the pricing of a £20 burger).
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