Chester best restaurants: where to eat, drink and stay

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A festive visit to Chester
Best restaurants in Chester
Best bars in Chester
Best brunch and coffee shops in Chester
Best food shopping in Chester
Where to stay in Chester

A festive visit to Chester

With its Roman walls, Tudor-style buildings and ancient, ornate ‘rows’ (split-level precincts home to boutique shops), Chester always looks great. In December, the city bejewelled with lights, it feels as close to a Victorian Christmas scene as you can get without time travel, whether you’re savouring a pint in the Brewery Tap, a former Jacobean feasting hall, or exploring Chester cathedral’s dazzling Christmas tree festival (from November 24).

Over 80% of the 70+ stalls at Chester Christmas Market (November 15-December 22) are run by Cheshire and North Wales traders. With a hot spiced rum in hand, you will find plenty of unique gifts. Nearby, the Makers Market is a regular meet-up for northern artisans (Sat-Sun in December).

Chester boasts a multitude of big names in fashion and retail, both in the city centre and out of town at Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet. Refuel while shopping with good coffee and Hulson’s mince pies at Chalk. In the evening, head out to eat at Chef’s Table or hip wine and small plates star, Covino. Pizzeria, Stile Napoletano, and next-level tapas restaurant, Porta, are equally essential.

Best restaurants in Chester

Upstairs at The Grill

Inspired by New York steakhouses, Upstairs at The Grill serves great steaks alongside wine and cocktails. The knowledgeable staff will explain the different cuts on the menu, and you even get to choose your own steak knife. The vibe has a moody American members' club feel, with a bar upstairs, heated terrace with a fire, and a retractable roof for dining in summer. upstairsatthegrill.co.uk

Twenty Eight

Serving British tapas with a focus on seasonal vegetables, produce at Twenty Eight comes from its very own farm at Field 28. The regularly changing menu is designed around the farm harvest, with tapas and Sunday lunch menus available. Our highlights were an earthy beetroot tartare and lemon custard tart. restaurant28.com

The Chef’s Table – for seasonal British dishes

Don’t be fooled by this tiny spot’s simple décor; The Chef’s Table creates elegant dishes from carefully sourced ingredients. The heritage tomato soup is almost too pretty to eat, while honey and lavender peaches are the perfect foil for tender salt-aged duck breast and duck leg faggot. chefstablechester.co.uk

Pierogi – for Polish food

Within weeks of opening, Chester’s first Polish café had established itself as a firm favourite with locals. Pierogi only does two things: hearty soups and a pick ‘n’ mix of plump, freshly made dumplings that often sell out. Save room for dessert – sweet curd cheese and vanilla dumplings. @pierogichester

Try our Polish pierogi recipe here.

Porta – for tapas

On Fridays and Saturdays you’ll need to arrive early to bag a spot at Porta, a snug tapas bar tucked beneath the ancient city walls. Order juicy pork belly with zingy mojo verde and romesco sauce-smothered broccoli, along with a glass of dry, nutty La Gitana Manzanilla sherry. There are branches in Altrincham and Salford too. portatapas.co.uk

1539 Restaurant & Bar

1539 Restaurant & Bar (named after the year racing first began in Chester) provides an unbeatable view of the world’s oldest racecourse. On race days, the glass-fronted restaurant offers a spectacular vantage point of the final furlong. restaurant1539.co.uk

Stile Napoletano

Although he worked as a chef in London before opening Stile Napoletano in 2018, Giacomo Guido hails from the island of Ischia in the Bay of Naples, well known for its sourdough pizzas. Here pizzas include Neapolitan sausage, wild broccoli, mozzarella, smoked mozzarella, fresh chillies and extra-virgin olive oil.

Giacomo says: “I use a blend of flours selected by myself, and my dough rises for 48 hours to offer a light and digestible pizza. I think what makes my pizza special is the authenticity, the passion and the knowledge of what I do.” stilenapoletanopizzeria.co.uk

Best bars in Chester

Covino – for wine and small plates

You won’t find sauvignon blanc on the menu at this wine bar but owner Chris Laidler is only too happy to guide novices through his intriguing array of organic, biodynamic and minimal intervention wines. Pair a crisp pétillant naturel with a plate of creamy Brillat-Savarin brie from Normandy. Originally purely a wine bar, it has evolved into a small restaurant serving seasonal small plates too. covino.co.uk

The Cellar – for a pub specialising in beer

An unpretentious pub, this promises 20 taps, 40 gins, a handful of real ciders and its own session brew – the zesty, hoppy Saison du Pint. Craft beer connoisseurs can order thirds and soak it all up with a handmade pork pie and pickles. thecellarchester.co.uk

Vin Santo

Located in historic 13th-century cellars, Vin Santo is a wine merchant and bar with an impressive selection of bottles from all over the world. There's an extensive wine list, but also gins, beers and champagnes to explore. Small snacks and cheese plates (with cheese sourced from The Cheese Shop) are available to accompany your drink. The fluid menu is constantly changing, so there's plenty to discover. vinsantochester.co.uk

Best coffee shops and brunch spots in Chester

The Jaunty Goat – for specialist coffee

Choose between the fruity house blend or guest single-origin brew, a flat white or a V6O pour-over at this coffee shop, which takes its beans seriously, with four shops across Chester. Turn coffee into brunch with a bowl of gently spiced kedgeree or silken slow-poached eggs on sourdough (discover our guide to baking your own sourdough here). jauntygoat.co.uk

Flower Cup – for brunch

This plant-garlanded café is hidden away in one of Chester’s famous Rows (covered walkways on top of the street-level shops). You might come for the fiery tofu hash or pillowy blueberry pancakes, but you’ll probably leave with a cactus or funky pot from sister shop, The Violet Palm. flowercup.co.uk

Kookaburra

An Australian micro-bakery in the heart of Chester, this bright and cheery bakery is well worth stopping off at while exploring the city. Fresh baked goods include 'kimcheese' croissants, 'cheesymite' croissants and a goat's cheese and red onion swirl. Follow the savoury treats with Australian snacks, including Tim Tams and Milo. @kookaburra_bakehouse

Best food shopping in Chester

Chester Market

With an artisanal bakery, sandwich bar and craft beer shop, Chester Market is rapidly turning into a foodie haven. There's a selection of street food traders to choose from – tuck into pizza, tacos, ice cream or authentic Bangladeshi cuisine, before browsing the produce traders. newchester.market

The Cheese Shop

If you’re in need of a picnic, or a delicious gift, look no further than The Cheese Shop, where farmer’s daughter Carole Faulkner stocks the fruit of 180 small producers. Team Mr Bourne’s 1845 (a punchy, tangy mature Cheshire) with artisan biscuits and Mrs Bridges’ caramelised onion chutney. chestercheeseshop.co.uk

Best places to stay in Chester

Hotel Indigo, Chester

• Doubles from £86, check availability at ihg.com, booking.com or expedia.co.uk

This gleaming 75-bedroom hotel makes a sensible city centre base. Not only are its bedrooms peppered with racecourse memorabilia (Chester’s racecourse is the oldest still in use in England) and kitted out with stylish bathrooms (complete with rainfall showers) but dining is a real draw. With Masterchef winner Simon Wood at the helm of the hotel’s restaurant, WOOD (one of three branches, the original is in Manchester with another, slightly more informal, outpost in Cheltenham), the menu focuses on dishes that celebrate local produce, be that Cheshire short rib with truffle, or lamb with Bosworth Ash goat’s cheese and lavender honey.

If you fancy something more casual there’s also a separate, small plates, lounge menu (yakitori meats with crispy onion, breaded halloumi or falafel with mint yogurt), plus a choice of ‘surprise’ seasonal tasting menus (5, 7 or 10 courses).

Doubles from £86, check availability at ihg.com, booking.com or expedia.co.uk

Words by Claire Webb, Mark Taylor and Ellie Edwards