The 30 Best Bistro in Chester

“Visited on a quiet Wednesday evening and was thoroughly impressed by the service. I was served by an energetic and just generally wonderful gentleman named Alex. He has an innate talent for informal - but not unfriendly - welcomes and ensures that every individual be speaks to its made to feel like the most important person in the room. Attentive, but not overbearing. A chap of such outstanding quality reflects a gold standard that every premises should aspire to. The fare, of course, was magnificent, but the true star of the show was not what was on the plate. But rather, the people responsible for it. 10/10 top-to-bottom. No notes.”

“I visited SW with 2 girlfriends this week. They have a new Chef - Luke and a new menu. The best restaurant meal I have had in Chester it was delicious. Great menu - I started with steak tartare followed by the monkfish in lobster sauce. All beautifully prepared and presented the flavours were perfection. The staff were wonderful. Attentive without being intrusive. We had a fantastic evening. Would highly recommend.”

“Lovely little restaurant with friendly staff, great service and good food. We went for dinner as part of a little pre Christmas trip to Chester. The small plates were delightful. We had the focaccia, meatball and fried lasagna. Every item was lovely… and I’ve definitely been inspired to deep fry my lasagna in future! We had the onglet, bhaji burger and broccoli tagliatelle for mains. The onglet was delightful, but I didn’t regret my choice (the tagliatelle). The mango ketchup that came with the bhaji burger was too sweet for us, but I’m sure it would have suit those who have a sweeter palate. If we had extra stomach space, I would have loved to try the lasagna (because the fried version was so nice!) Nothing wrong with the dessert per se, but they were the weakest course… which was a little odd. The chocolate crème brûlée was fine but nothing to write home about … while the sticky toffee pudding was not the right texture for me. The coffees were delightful though!! Overall, this was a good find! I’d love to go back during the day and try their brunch - the Malaysian in me is intrigued by the chai tow kway & paratha (the description is that for chai tow kway so not sure where the paratha comes in, but I wanna try it!!)”

“We went for my husband's birthday and had the set lunch menu. The food was incredible, the featherblade beef wow! Lunch menu was great value for money and we really enjoyed the whole experience.”

“Would highly recommend going for a meal here. The staff were really helpful. The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was was lovely. We will definitely be going again next year.”

“I recently tried this Italian restaurant and it was amazing! The food was super fresh and full of flavor, The atmosphere was cozy and the staff were really friendly and helpful. I loved the whole experience and I definitely recommend this place if you’re craving delicious Italian food The waiter (Julius) was super polite, attentive, and really knew the menu well. He made great recommendations and checked on us just the right amount without being intrusive. His attitude added a lot to the overall experience and made the visit even better”

“The Indian omelette is worth visiting this restaurant for. The interior is a vibe with a blend of Indian and chic colours, pictures and plants. The service is always extremely helpful and you're always greeted with a smile! Would recommend the green coriander chutney with the Indian omelette too, possibly one of my fave things to get here. The sweet breakfasts are also yummy with the ability to change my order easily (lactose allergy but I wanted to try a range of flavours) and the pancakes look great. I've had a range of things off the menu and would certainly take visitors with me when returning.”

“Great café! Everything was delicious, the atmosphere was lovely, and the staff were friendly. A nice place to enjoy a relaxing breakfast or lunch.”

“We went for brunch on a quiet Monday morning. The Naughty Badger is hidden away up a staircase which leads to a small room, seating probably about 20 or so customers. We decided on The Naughty Badger as it's rated highly on local reviews, I'm going to be adding to this trend here. We were seated quickly and our coffees came even quicker, two lattes in latte glasses (not the biggest fan of them as they're more awkward to hold than cups) were brought to us at perfect drinking temperature, whoever was behind the coffee machine knew what they were doing. A rich, slightly nutty tasting coffee with a small foam top. For food, as always, I went with Eggs Benedict. At Badger, Eggs Benedict is two poached eggs atop a slice of sourdough, bacon and a paprika (I think) seasoning. The eggs were perfectly poached and rather large, with golden runny yolks. The hollandaise wasn't overwhelming, with a lemony/citrus tang to it. Three rashers of salty bacon, cooked with a crispy rind and a soft centre. My only criticism was that of the sourdough, it was thickly cut which made eating it a pain, literally. Thankfully it was only thicker on one end. Sourdough is rapidly falling off my favourite bread list with Eggs Benedict as the crust is often really hard when toasted which kind of fumbles the experience and doesn't go with how smooth the food should be. At Badger though, the bread itself was soft and lightly toasted, perfectly tearing apart as you cut into it. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at The Naughty Badger. the music wasn't for me, gave me uni vibes circa 2012 (which put it to 4 for atmosphere). But my partner loved it and vibed along. I'd definitely be looking to return should I be in Chester again. This place is well worth your time and money.”

“My friends and I ate here last night. The food was delicious, the atmosphere spot on and our waitress a gem! Felt the price was fair, obvs we would always like it cheaper but you definitely get what you pay for here.”

“This place is consistently spectacular. Amazingly authentic Turkish food, family run by the most beautiful friendly people and an incredibly fun and vibrant atmosphere. We come from Manchester every year for our wedding anniversary and this place never disappoints. We had the mixed meat platter for 2 and wowzers, come hungry because the portions are huge but so so delicious. We finished the evening talking with the owner into the early hours. She is a lovely lady and we will be back next year”

“Our book club meets here regularly and we absolutely love it! The vibe is always cozy and welcoming—perfect for good chats and great food. Big shoutout to Olivia—she’s amazing! Super friendly, always on top of everything, and just makes the whole experience even better. Highly recommend for any group hangout or chill dinner spot. We feel lucky to have found it! They also cater to our gluten free members fabulously, you can’t taste the difference!”

“Excellent experience to dine here these two nights I stayed in Chester. The first night, I ordered steak, medium rare, the meat was really well prepared. The taste, the seasoning was super tasty. Tonight, my husband and I ordered lamb chops, it was AMAZING!!!! The sauce was so tasty. It’s definitely worth coming again.”

“I Visted the Levant kitchen and bar on Monday night while in the area because of previous reviews. These reviews do not lie! The beef burger was incredible with great service and polite servers! I would highly recommend the Levant kitchen and bar.”

“Absolutely 5 star. Place is gorgeous. Food is amazing. Probably the best meal in the best surroundings I've had. Would absolutely recommend it.”

“Nice cafe in a good location. Some seating outside if the weather is good. Food and drinks are good quality and affordable. Nice selection of breakfast options and cakes.”

“Enjoy our meal. Staff were fabulous, Very helpful and patient with my rubbish knowledge of wine. Beautiful steak. And super pudding with suprise sparkler. Really reasonable cost.”

“Beautiful stay again at Thornton Hall hotel. Old school service where customers are valued, the staff are so friendly. Rooms are spotless and so comfortable. Great deals at the moment where you can use the spa as well. The spa is a special place so relaxing. Just love this hotel I have been many times and just feel it gets better with each visit.”

“Had a lovely time this evening at Chime celebrating our daughter’s 30th birthday. The food was delicious. The staff were extremely friendly and they had so much time for our granddaughters. Will definitely be returning. Thank you all so much xx”

“I came here today for my birthday meal with all the family and the service was brilliant! the food was amazing and staff were so great and attentive. We were a big group and the service was quick and overall we had a great experience”

“Food was lovely - i had the chicken pesto pizza and my partner had the steak. Both were delicious and would recommend !! Jo served us and she was very friendly and quick! Cocktails were lovely too”

“Dave and Ffion gave an amazing welcome. Adam in the kitchen delivered this masterpiece! I couldn’t fault anything. Lovely visit.”

“Really enjoyed our Christmas lunch at The Royal Oak today. Staff couldn't have been more pleasant and attentive to our needs plus special fusses for our son and daughter in law to bes dogs and turkey treats from the kitchen for them too. We humans were treated to the most delicious food, we all savoured our starters, mains and desserts. Nothing was too much trouble. Our compliments to the chef and all the staff who worked really hard today so we could enjoy a fabulous, relaxing Christmas day.”

“We had a fantastic experience at Opera Restaurant Bar & Grill! It was our first time visiting, and everything from the atmosphere to the food was absolutely perfect. A special thank you to Mark ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ , who served us—his customer service was excellent! He was warm, helpful, and made us feel very welcome. We’ll definitely be coming back. Highly recommended”

“The hotel was very nice, reception were friendly and informative. The bar area was a nice space, cocktails were really good as were the fresh coffees, the staff were friendly whilst professional at all times. Breakfast was very good too, constantly topped up with fresh food, decent variety of food on offer. The whole team throughout the hotel work extremely efficiently. You can often judge a place by their reaction when things go wrong and there was a very difficult intoxicated man in the bar area on Friday evening. The staff worked swiftly, professionally & effectively in removing him without disruption to other guests.”

“Came here early on a Friday night for a meal for 2. The Christmas menu had just came into effect and was superb, we both had the portabello mushroom to start, the slow braised beef with winter veg for mains and I also managed to fit in the warm chocolate brownie with ice cream for dessert. The service was impeccable and Callum who I think is either the supervisor or manager had an immediate knowledge of kitchen stock when we asked for oysters (we ended up getting 10 of the remaining 12!) The other male server was very friendly, attentive but not to the point of annoyance and made sure we had everything we needed and even anticipated that we might want extra plates and cutlery when sharing the dessert. The only improvements I can think of would be to ensure cutlery arrives before or concurrently with the food. I waited for a couple of minutes salivating in front of my brownie before the spoons arrived. However this didn’t detract from the whole experience. Also, a mobile card machine would be more convenient.”

“The restaurant is on the 5th floor of the building over looking Chester race course. Amazing service and food. Very friendly and professional staff. Good price and superb location”

“I am so glad we tried the swan, food is fantastic, all of us impressed with quality of food here, our new local restaurant. Can't wait to come back again, thank you very much for such amazing food and service”

“Went there to have hair cut, i am so satisfied with Jade’s work. She’s so friendly she knows what she’s doing ❤️. Service is really good. And prices are absolutely fair.”

“Loved the food. Good menu and excellent hosts”