10 Great Restaurants in Chester

Upstairs at The Grill is one of the best places for vibes of a classic New York steakhouse you’ll find on British soil. They cleverly marry classic and industrial decor in a welcoming restaurant housed in one of Chester’s iconic buildings.

Upstairs At The Grill prides itself on serving up perfectly cooked steaks. And the choice is impressive, ranging from the classic rump and sirloin to decadent chateaubriand and top-drawer USDA Delmonico. Alongside these come mouthwatering sides including grilled hispi cabbage, thrice-cooked beef fat chips or the slightly more unusual haggis fritters.

Chef’s Table is an informal dining spot down an unassuming side street. Despite its modest setting, there's a constant stream of patrons wanting to visit this unpretentious restaurant. Its popularity is a good indicator of just how skilful the chef is here.

You can never go wrong with ingredients this fresh. Produce is sourced from a local grower, so menus change regularly to reflect the fruit and vegetables available. You’ll even have some ‘field notes’ to help you understand what’s in season as you make your menu selection. Dishes are beautifully plated and fairly priced, making this restaurant a real find.

The Forge has quickly made its way up the ‘best of’ charts in Chester’s historic city centre. Located just a stone’s throw from Grosvenor Park and the River Dee, the setting is lovely and it only gets better when you step inside.

The focus of The Forge is cooking locally-sourced – and often foraged – ingredients simply but perfectly. Venison is a big deal on their menus and comes from estates that are managed by the owner. Steaks are cooked over hot charcoal. Expertly prepared fish is also UK-sourced, with oysters from the Menai Straits and line-caught brill from Cornwall.

Unsurprisingly given its name, Moules A Go Go specialises in serving up mussels. This is quite an unusual choice, with us Brits being notoriously picky about our seafood. But it’s certainly paying off in this Chester-based restaurant. The owners run a mussel farm in North Wales, which means their product is of the highest quality, super sweet and juicy.

On the extensive menu, you can choose from a variety of mussel broths, including classic white wine and garlic, or kimchi, which is served with gochujang and Korean cabbage. For non-seafood lovers, there’s a sizable selection of meat, veggie and vegan options, plus sharing boards that will have your mouth watering in no time.

Hypha (written as 'h y p h a') serves up an entirely vegan menu, which is a bold move but one that’s proven to be hugely successful. With an in-house fermentation lab and a ‘creative food workspace’, this is a restaurant that scores high on the innovation scale. Impressively, aiming for a zero-waste kitchen has earned this spot a coveted Michelin Green Star for sustainability.

Serving up a 1.5-hour lunchtime set menu and a 3-hour feast for dinner, Hypha mixes it up with continual changes made as the availability of foods fluctuates. This makes for an exciting meal, where you can expect to try dishes like chawanmushi with leek, watercress and dashi, or pâté en croute with tempeh, burnt apple purée and celery.

Arkle is found in The Chester Grosvenor hotel, which is found in one of Chester’s most beloved buildings – a Grade II timber-fronted beauty dating back to the 1860s. Ideal for fine dining fit for the most special of occasions, the tasting menus are exquisite.

Decor-wise, comfort and classic style go hand in hand. Curvy velvet booths invite you in, and a huge chandelier-clad skylight makes for a light and bright space. Expect to see dishes like Scottish mackerel with fermented raspberry and dill pollen granita, or acorn-fed pork with kohlrabi, smoked ricotta and black garlic.

Sticky Walnut is a little out of the city centre in the desirable suburb of Hoole. Not that you could tell from the outside, which is simple and modest, but you’re in for top-class food if you choose to dine at this charming neighbourhood bistro.

The restaurant is all about simplicity. Using the best ingredients is high on the agenda, but creating food that is recognisable, comforting and absolutely delicious is the name of the game. You can look forward to dishes like zingy sea bream ceviche to start and roast duck breast with Madeira and prune sausage for mains. Plus, handy wine pairings are available for every dish on the menu.

Covino is the place for foodies with a taste for fine wines. Offering over 140 wines by the glass or the bottle, you’ll be hard-pushed to find a better selection in the city. Many of them are natural or low-intervention, following the trend towards wines with less ‘messing’.

But, more than simply wine, this Michelin-mentioned restaurant also offers an enticing range of seasonal small plates that change regularly. Delicious options include dishes such as beef tartare with soy egg yolk, and sardines with tarragon and cucumber. This progressive place is tiny but very popular, so booking ahead is advised.

Porta is Chester’s finest tapas and wine bar. Originally the brainchild of 2 brothers, their love affair with Spain’s Iberia led the owners to create an authentic restaurant full of their favourite Spanish foods in the heart of Chester. Porta manages to stand out on restaurant-heavy Northgate with its forest green facade and attractive interior.

You can expect a solid selection of Spanish wines as well as the opportunity to sample tasty sherries and vermouths. The tapas menu is well-balanced. It offers staples such as tortilla and padrón peppers alongside more adventurous treats like roasted pumpkin with Manchego & Valencian almond pesto, and braised peppers with yellowfin tuna and pine nuts. Perfect for Saturday afternoon drinks and nibbles.

When you arrive at Da Noi, you know you’re going to experience a real taste of Italy. Michelin also saw the passion in Da Noi, awarding them a Distinction and making them one of only a handful of Italian restaurants featured in their guide.

As you dine here, you can expect the comfort of traditional Italian home cooking but with an eye to contemporary cooking techniques and trends. This makes Da Noi an exciting proposition on Chester’s food scene. Sample beautifully presented dishes like black gnocchi with green pea veloute and mini calamari, or venison fillet with celeriac puree and figs.