This is probably the best cocktail bar in the north west you've never been to! Hidden away…read morealongside Wakiki on watergate street my first visit here was short lived as fashionable lateness had cost me last orders. Howevver we promptly returned the week after and immediately fell in love with the place. What an incredible experiance. First thing you notice is the size of the place. (Tiny) It genuinely feels like a hidden bar from the prohibition era with incredible decor and music that suits the Blues/Jazzy environment to perfection. Being here is like traveling back in time to the 20's when alcohol was illegal and small secret bars like these were littered across America. The theme is consistent with the menu hidden inside a book that's handed to you upon arrival. So mesmerized were we with the vibe and conversation the cocktail taste bud memories are hazy at best. (I'll leave you with a visual of the cocktails we had. One was lemon based the other strawberry based?) This is THE perfect place for those who like sophisticated conversation with your aptly aesthetic cocktails. It's not noisey, it's not busy, it's just right. Definitely worth a visit. I'll certainly be returning.

After being handed the drink menu in a Bible I was hooked. I wish this was the Best Kept Secret in…read moreChester but unfortunately it is a popular place to be so get there early; grab a table with some friends; sit back and enjoy the atmosphere. My one criticism would be that may be the music is too loud but that's that's it. They have an extensive cocktail menu however if there's something not on the menu just asked for it and you will receive. All in all, this is one of my favourite places to go in Chester

Wow. Just wow. Was…read morewandering around Chester with some friends one afternoon. I'm from California & live in Toronto, Canada - you can tell Californians because when we live other places we whine about not getting a good burrito. Yes, but I'm in Chester - I wasn't expecting anything or trying to emulate 'home' - we were just walking by & a bit hungry so we popped in thinking it'd be kitschy & cool. Wow. Srsly. The food is a mixture of cuban, spanish, mexican, brazilian, etc. I had a burrito. I would actually rate the burrito a bit better than most of what passes in Toronto. The service was awesome, even tho I hadnn't quite tuned my 'English' ears yet (was needing translation). However the margarita was world-freakin-class. I was expecting some sort of margarita mix/tequila mixture, but it honestly tasted like fresh lime and tequila - like an authentic margarita. It - was- awesome. I doubt I'll have many chances to visit Chester again, but if I do, I'm totally hunting down this place. For expats who might be in the area: check this out for your burrito fix! Wait, now I want to visit Chester again soon and get all around their menu. nom nom nom

Fiesta Havana is a bar with a lively atmosphere in the centre of Chester. It has a fantastic range…read moreof cocktails from mojitos to daiquiris, a great place to visit on night out. There are also non-alcoholic cocktails like Raspberry Ripple too, I plumped for an interestingly titled cocktail called 'Dave'. They all come in fancy glasses so you can do your best Del-Boy impression with the parasols and cherries! They are not cheap though at £5+ for some, so perhaps a place to visit for one round only. There is also a dance-floor in the centre of a good size, which I'm sure was packed later in the evening. Fiesta Havana also does food too, but although we enquired the wait time was too long, by virtue of its popularity. The dishes that came past us looked tasty and were predominantly tapas.

If you're from America, imagine if a Chili's and a Mediaeval Times had a baby... most of the old…read moretown is a tourist trap and seems like Disney had its way with it. The food here was very undercooked. The 4 times we were lucky enough to get service, we had 4 different servers who were aloof at best. (And, we tend to be hyper polite because we are Americans and know the stigma of being jerks). Ultimately ... Good venue but I'd grab a drink and that's about it if I could do it again.

Although I last visited a number of months ago, i recommend the restaurant due to its kind service,…read morecalm day time atmosphere, yummy food, and pretty outdoor seating that sits perfectly in the sun :)

My partner and I went to the Amber Lounge on a Sunday afternoon for lunch. The venue is a combined…read morecocktail bar and restaurant, serving different functions at different times of day: during the afternoon, the place has restauranty feel about it, with plenty of tables but space for those who just want a drink; during the evening I imagine it takes on a sophisticated air serving cocktails to Chester's glamourous drinkers. To start, we shared the baked camembert (£8). This was served whole, in its case, with a large stack of thick toasted crusty bread, two chutneys and a few dressed salad leaves. Slathered on the bread with chutney, this was delicious, very filling, and more than enough for two. For my main course, I had the chicken and button mushroom open lattice pie (£9.95). Mine wasn't served as described -- the filling was served on the plate with a puff pastry lid on top -- but nonetheless, the pie was very tasty with a generous filling of mushrooms and chicken. The pie was served with delicious mustard mash and sliced carrots. I would have preferred the pie to have been as described, as I'm not a fan of puff pastry, but by no means was I disappointed with this dish. My partner had the trio of local sausage (£8.50), which was served with mash and onion gravy. The sausages were obviously very good quality and there was a large helping of mash and gravy to accompany them. Next time I'm in Chester, I'll definitely consider another meal at the Amber Lounge. It comes greatly recommended.

Amber Lounge is probably one of my favourite bars in Chester. It's fairly small and well tucked…read moreaway - but inside the decor has a real 'Olde Worlde' feel about it, whilst at the same time managing to be fairly modern. The atmosphere is usually good, particularly on weekends when the place can get fairly busy. Drinks are quite expensive and they only serve double measures of spirits so a vodka-coke will set you back at least £5. But the quality is good and they have a great wine list plus some excellent cocktails. Saturday nights tend to be the busiest nights - with the peak being around 9pm - after 10pm I find people tend to start wandering off to nightclubs and it gets much quieter, so in many ways this could be the ideal time to visit.

Can't fault either the food or the service at this restaurant. I've visited for brunch and dinner…read moremultiple times and have always eaten amazing food and received a very high level of service. Great cocktail menu as well as some well thought out nonalcoholic drinks which I appreciate. The building has two entrances and the inside is beautifully themed. Some stairs and no lift (to be expected in the older buildings in Chester) but there's access to the downstairs floor via the entrance from St Werburgh Street.

I've been to multiple branches of The Botanist throughout my travels and sadly this branch is…read moreprobably the worst I've been too, it's located in a good location close to Chester Cathedral in the city centre. The location is fairly small, it sadly doesn't have a lift meaning if you can't handle stairs there is only one low table on the ground floor, as most of it is high bar-style seating, to make matters worse this table is more like an outdoor bench as the bench-style backless seating can't be moved, which would make it hard if someone requires back-support or perhaps is a wheelchair user meaning it makes it hard to get to the table. I sat downstairs, they had no problem reserving the table for me which was reserved well in advance to make sure I got a table with a large stand on the table however it was really unpleasant being on the lower floor, I felt forgotten about and while the staff were friendly, it was frustrating having to feel like I had to go to the main bar to order and then to pay, to make matters worse I wasn't given a final bill which meant I was originally overcharged when trying to pay at the bar, luckily I'd noticed the price seemed a little high as they didn't knock my 40% off, despite it is an ongoing promotion at all Botanist locations (I've never had this problem before), if you prebook - now I know mistakes can happen but the fact I wasn't given my final bill/receipt makes me wonder if I was overcharged for anything else. I ordered my regular Botanist order, the Chicken and Chorizo kebab, again unlike every other location the staff didn't offer to pour the garlic butter on for me, now I have no problem doing it myself but I'm confused why the staff didn't offer when they offer at every other location. The chorizo I found to be chewy and virtually inedible, the onions were also bland and tasted raw, while I would have also liked a little bit more chicken. Not including the discount, I certainly don't think the service in general or the food quality warranted anywhere near the price and I was only happy to pay it due to the discount (after it was applied of course), while the decor is okay it also isn't unique and innovative if you'd have told me this wasn't a Botanist restauraunt even though it had multiple signs and the same menu, I probably would have believed you. 2* - A slightly generous rating given the circumstances but as the chicken was good quality and it is a nice place for drinks, while it certainly isn't for food in general.

North Light is in the Coachworks Arcade on the way to the new Chester market and has entrances at…read moreboth sides as well as an outdoor patio area facing the market square. The high street entrance has comfortable sofas ready for cocktails and catching up with friends, live music sometimes available. The market side is the restaurant. They have a pretty good selection of sharing plates, small plates, main meals, and desserts as well as a special brunch and Sunday lunch menu. The cocktail menu is impressive and not your usual fare. Our server was great and very efficient. They add a 10% service charge to the bill automatically but they do ask if you're comfortable with that before you pay.

I've been in Chester for a few days visiting family, last Saturday we went on a little bar hop and…read morefinished at Kuckoo and what a fabulous time we had. There was 20 in our group with an age range of 27-53, we started a Telford's which was mellow but a good starting point, then went to Bar Lounge which was a little costy and uptight for a few people and then came here and it was a perfect end to the night. The cocktails are fantastic, I was here a few years ago and had one that was lit on fire, you're not just paying for a drink, you're also paying for a show! Even though it's a cocktail bar you can order just a normal drink, gin and tonic, captain and coke and they have a variety of beers. I enjoy one cocktail in the beginning of an evening, 1 sweet sugary drink is good for me and then I like something basic the remainder of the night. The music in here is fantastic, although there really isn't a designated dance floor we all danced the night away. It's one of those places with dancing music, and there's enough room to walk through a crowd of people dancing. Being from California, the one thing about the end of a good night is that the bar staff are rude, they're so angry at 1/2am when they're telling you to get out and leaving Cuckoo last Saturday was one of the highlights of my trip. The entire bar staff sat on the front of the bar all in align with one another singing, waving bye, it was like they really enjoyed serving you all night and wished you a farewell goodbye, I just thought that was nice. Everyone knows you have to leave but it's nice to be sent off on a good note. I highly recommend this place and will definitely be back next time I'm in town!

With only good reviews so far on here...I think the staff here have got a bit big for their boots…read more I arrived quite late in the night having had a couple of beers before arriving. Whilst just stood talking to my friend... a (drunk)bouncer came over and stood intimidatingly in front of us and told me to sit down because I was too drunk(?!) I wasn't drunk at all! He then went back to the bar and continued drinking his beer. But then came back again and insisted that I sit down. He didn't talk to me the second time but just talked to my friends who all thought it was hilarious because I was the most sober there! This laughable experience is dwarfed however by the fact that a friend of mine was assaulted by the bar staff for simply questioning the amount of change he received. The Bar tender came around the other side of the bar to explain and when my friend realised that he had had the correct change apologised and put out his hand out to shake his hand. The hand was received, crushed, he pulled him into a headlock and then and deliberately poked him in the eye with his thumb while holding onto his head. We left shortly after. We know his name and I am encouraging my friend to report the assault to the police. Finally, The sitting on the bar thing to mark the end of the night I can see how this is potentially a nicer send off than most. Its a rather odd! and they were banging things and making a racket to me its seemed rather passive aggressive and would rather they just turned the lights on and the music off! I wont be going back again.

We visited on a Monday so we were the only people in. The bar is trendy and quite spacious and also…read morehas a beer garden out on the back. The bar tenders were really friendly and wouldn't hesitate to go back.

I was attracted by the items on their menu, otherwise I probably would've kept walking. The…read moreinterior was lovely, but there really wasn't a lot of staff around (1 waitress, 1 bartender, and the cook). I just found a place to sit and started looking at the menu. Everyone else seemed to get waited on, but me, so I went up to the bar to order. The waitress seemed to be stressed out with the growing number of customers coming in and couldn't seem to keep up. The bartender seemed very disinterested in everything going on. I decided on the House Salad to start with and then the Slow-Roast Free Range Pork Baguette. My starter ended up coming out with my sandwich instead and it took a very long time for the food to come out in the first place. The salad only had one sun-blushed tomato, and the dressing didn't taste like a lemon dressing at all, in fact I would say that it was a pesto dressing. I did like the sliced bits of green onion in it though. The Pork baguette did not come with apple chutney, stuffing, or piccalilli like the menu said, however the pork itself was some of the best roasted pork I have had...it was juicy and flavourful...not dried out and bland. The chips could've been in the fryer a little longer, but I was in a rush otherwise the sandwich would've been sent back. If it wasn't for the amazing pork...I would've given this place a one-star because it was the only saving grace of the entire experience.

What a great place for lunch or dinner! Our first visit, on a very hot day, provided us with a…read morelovely light lunch in a very cool spot. I liked how they easily adjusted the menu servings to my tastes, and how they made us feel at home. I wish I could remember our server's name; she was super! Because of how good everything was, we came back on a Friday evening to have the steak. She immediately remembered us, and knew exactly what we wanted. Everything was so delicious; my mouth is watering just writing this! Thanks for super food and super staff!

The Slug and Lettuce in Chester, doesn't have that much going for it. It provides the same…read morestandardised pub grub and drinks offers as the rest of the chain, and the food isn't really up to much. Although they change parts of their menu each season, the vegetarian options are limited to around 3 choices. One of these was the most basic of pasta dishes, with tomato sauce and cheese on it - the sort of thing you could make at home for less than 80p, but that they were charging ten times that for. When we visited the food took an age to arrive and then we had to wait nearly 40 minutes to get our pudding, which it seems they had forgotten to order. The space itself is bland and uninspired, it's a soulless chain affair, the like of which is all too common.