Chester Cathedral refectory in Cheshire West and Chester

It's an oasis of peace and solitude amid the hustle and bustle of a busy touristy Chester. The food is served with a smile by volunteers who are giving their time to help earn extra money for the cathedral restoration. It is a nice place to eat and relax and make a contribution

Visited for afternoon tea. Really lovely experience, great food in a beautiful setting. The service was spot on. Recommend

We booked their cream tea for the whole family and received a friendly welcome. The serving staff and their chef were attentive without being intrusive offering extra drinks and doggy boxes if needed. It was a very good, fresh cream tea. I would also like to mention that due to illness we had to rearrange our tea from a date before Christmas and this was handled in a friendly and efficient manner. My thanks to all of the staff.

My friends and I came for afternoon tea. Food was lovely, generous portions. Service exceptional with keen attention to detail/eager to please. Stunning location in Chester. Would definitely recommend

A peaceful cathedral restaurant serves soups and snacks away from the crowded city streets. The volunteers add to the friendliness...can be busy

Have been before a few years back and I was lucky to be back in Chester so after visiting the Cathedral I I decided to stop in and have some lunch. So for today I went for the soup of the day which I had a choice of Tomato soup or Parsnip. I went for the tomato soup. I just sat down and my soup duly arrived and I was absolutely delighted with the service. The young chap serving went and got my cutlery which I could have easily got myself,he said it wasn't a problem. Anyway my soup was piping hot with a slice of homemade bread which was serve hot. The soup was also homemade, not out of a can. Absolutely delicious and the price was reasonable. It cost £7.95,but it was a big bowl not a flimsy bowl which you could eat in two spoonfuls. It's a great place to eat because you are sitting in a Cathedral with history steeped within the walls.

A beautiful setting. Very spacious and great for families. Very relaxing, away from the hustle and bustle. We had soup, which we enjoyed. A good range of dishes on the menu and decent value. Friendly service

Visited on a Sunday afternoon, a party of 6 for afternoon tea. Alex took excellent care of us & is to be highly commended for the hospitality we were shown. The sandwiches were very generously filled, there was a wide selection of Petitfours, the scone was delicious & the tea and coffee was replenished on request. The surroundings are beautiful & we felt like we’d had a proper treat. Would highly recommend. Thank you!

Been in here a few times now for food, yesterday 2 of us had the soup (tomato) and my sister had jacket potato cheese n beans, soup was very tasty as was the leek n potato last week, beautiful relaxed setting with the big Cathedral windows letting in the light, well worth a visit.

Excellent service. Came for an afternoon tea for my wife's 60th. The food was delicious and the staff (abby) very a attentive

What a beautiful tea room we spoke to a lovely member of staff who told us about the windows and the art on the wall he was so informative and interesting we love the Cathedral and have visited it every time we have visited Chester. Such a beautiful space and great prices too .

We booked a family cream tea , two vegan, one gluten free. We had booked in advance and the staff were lovely on the phone, and even better in person. They knew we were coming and the various people that served us were very attentive and clearly took pride and care in the service, food and overall presentation. We were very well looked after and the food was great in a lovely setting and would definitely visit again. Thank you.

I came to Chester cathedral and decided to eat in the cafe ! What outstanding service we received from Charlotte. I was with my elderly mother who has dementia and Charlotte was so patient with us. My mother took her time to decide what she wanted to eat but we was made to feel very much at ease. Charlotte was only a young girl but made a very good impression on us, plus we can definitely recommend the ‘Welsh rarebit’ it’s amazing.

The Refectory cafe is a lovely area to stop and have either a coffee and cake or lunch. We called in for lunch on a busy Thursday when many of the tables had been reserved. The service was prompt, and the chilli 🌶️ baked potato with salad garnish was really tasty, at £7.95 it was good value and tasty. The staff are helpful and pleasant and the cafe was spotless.👏

We visit Chester Cathedral yesterday for a snack at the refectory cafe Everything was lovely until we noticed staff was underpressure & not enough people to serve customes I think the must not have kitchen porter as the dirty dishes stayed there for a long time. .. Hopefully the improve :)

We were visiting the cathedral with friends, and went to the refectory for lunch. There was a good choice of hot and cold food, with a yummy selection of homemade-looking cakes. We enjoyed toasted sandwiches (brie and onion, Welsh rarebit) in generous portions, brought to us promptly. Then delicious cakes for dessert! The staff were kind and helpful, and the setting spacious, light and airy. What a find! We wholeheartedly recommend this café!

A family day out to Chester today and we had the most delicious food for lunch at the cafe 1092 in the refectory in Chester cathedral for myself and my family. The staff was so helpful and smiley at all times. Special mention to Charlotte and Zak ( hope I read the name badges correctly) it is a lovely change to be served by people happy in the job. Keep up the good work and the yummy food …..

We pre booked the afternoon tea to celebrate a birthday with the family. We arrived and the table was set up beautifully and Alex was on hand immediately. One of us is gluten free and the food selection was great! As well as the normal afternoon tea. Alex was so attentive and we couldn’t recommend coming her for anyone fancying a spot of afternoon tea in Chester.

Food is pretty average but served in a friendly manner . We had 3 different sandwich options within our group including one hot one , all came with a token salad garnish and coleslaw, and one had the quiche and baked potato. All ok, however the food was not the focus , it was about the beauty that surrounded us . Stunning room , spacious and full of history. Unique location for our snacks

Lovely setting really good value . Beautiful building. Great staff. Had bacon butty with flat white for 5.00. Great value

11.30 to 12 no hot food. No notices of this. Queued for soup, 15 -20 mins. Told no hot food until 12. Approx 6 mins away. Said I had been in queue for long time no offer to take my order and fill it when time came. Just do you want coffee or cakes. Basically move along. Poor customer service

Had afternoon tea here yesterday and it was extremely good value. The scones we were told are from a local bakery and they are certainly a highlight of the experience. Lovely service from all the cafe staff.

Good spot for lunch in Chester. Staff friendly and helpful, and accommodating of food intolerances. Music a bit incongruous - would be fantastic to hear music that reflects the amazing architecture!

Lovely peaceful place. Good coffee and cake. We were lucky had a lovely choir and 2 songs. Think it was a rehearsal for a performance

Excellent service from very welcoming pleasant staff members. Quick service. Good selection of foods available. Today we had a selection of Cakes with generous pots of Tea. Cafe kept spotless and in wonderful setting. We will be back. Much thanks to all.

We ordered rarebit and a sausage and caramelised onion hot sandwich. When it came the only thing on the plate that looked fresh was the salad. The hot food looked like it had been pre-prepared and warmed up. The coleslaw had that dull appearance of...

Visited today with my little one and the staff were so welcoming and helpful. Got served really quickly and really enjoyed our scone and drinks! The refectory is beautiful!

What a delightful experience! The cafe was peacefully busy when I visited. The service was excellent as was the good value food. I also visited the Christmas tree festival and enjoyed a self tour of the cathedral. I would definitely recommend a visit.

Great café with good range of food and good prices. Very helpful and knowledgeable staff, when asked about the food. Kept very clean and tidy.

If you're visiting Chester Cathedral, you should certainly consider popping in to the Refectory Cafe for a bite to eat in such an atmospheric, historic and beautiful (stained glass windows, vaulted ceiling etc.) setting. We only stopped for a drink and a snack but there...

Family enjoyed a cream tea, broccoli soup, and quiche Lorraine in the refectory. Great setting, the person behind the register may have been a bit confused

Lovely to enjoy a coffee and eccles cake actually within the church. Polite and good service and wide choices of delights.

The food is poor quality. Dry sandwiches and small portions. Think Pret A Manger prices with even smaller, dryer portions. If that was even possible.

During our recent visit to Chester Cathedral we came over all peckish like. We noticed that their was an onsite cafe, so we thought we would give it a bash, despite such facilities often being low on quality and high in price. Not so here....

Love this cafe in the cathedral. Delicious Welsh rarebit, freshly made and served with salad and home made coleslaw. Nice atmosphere and very friendly staff. Would highly recommend

Lovely afternoon tea, great value for money in wonderful surroundings in the heart of Chester. Very friendly and accommodating staff. You need to put details of the afternoon tea on your website so that others can find you when searching online - we found you...

It is in a really nice setting but the food is really poor. Everything, literally everything except sandwiches, seems to come with jacket potato and beans, if you dont want the jacketvpotati and beans that's ok but you still pay for what you dont want....

Been visiting Chester Cathedral cafe for many years, always been a positive experience. However today, it was a negative experience. Today's visit, sadly our last. Ordered two pots of Tea, both were lukewarm, obviously not using boiling water. Tea needs boiling water. Quiche Jacket potato...

We enjoyed a tasty lunch in what used to be the refectory of the former Benedictine Abbey. There is a good selection of sandwiches and light lunches, and a soup of the day. All are very reasonably priced. We had the Welsh rarebit with salad...

Stopped here after viewing the Christmas tree festival in the cathedral main. The cafe itself is inside what may have been a side chapel of the Cathedral. It's a large room and you'd have be very unlucky not to be able to get a table....

We were in Chester for a few days it was a really bad weather we were visting the cathedral to see the christmas tree exhibition we visted the refrectory for hot chocolate and a mince pie. really nice place on a cold day.

We had a great visit to the refectory with a party of adults. The drinks were expensive for what they were. However, the lunch menu had some well priced options that were very enjoyable. A good place to catch a filling lunch if you are...

We arranged to meet family in refectory and had looked up that the catering was now in Cathedral hands so we lived in hope. Previously it had been 'terrible' but things have changed radically.....thank goodness. Delicious soup and fresh soft bread, plenty of butter, good...

Obviously it’s been awhile since I have been able to visit here. On my arrival, I noticed a sign which included the offer of having a tea and sausage for £5. When I got to the till, I was asked for £6.80, which got corrected...

Entered this wonderful space just as they had opened in the morning. Friendly staff. I only waanted a coffee and croissant which were perfect.

Not a friendly area. I know things are difficult at the moment but that is no excuse for making a place look boring. An unhappy place to sit eat and drink. The menu or the food on offer was very poor. Shame that the whole...

Frequently visit the refectory and always enjoy the food which is great for adults. Took the grandson 10 today and we were there by 12.45 the only thing on the menu that appealed to him was a sausage roll and there were none, the rest...

fantastic place to have a snack in terms of the environment. Somewhat disappointing for a Cathedral Cafe have such a limited range of vegan and vegetarian options. Given the urgency to deal with climate change this is an opportunity to get people more interested in...

We booked for afternoon tea and the table had been especially laid for us. When I said I was vegetarian, the chef came out to see what I would like. The tea was delicious and the staff really friendly and helpful. The setting is fabulous

Lovely light and colour throughout; friendly staff; plenty of tables; could have had more choice of cakes was our only small complaint.

Been here a few times as we live in the area, lovely helpful staff and nice food and drinks, chilled atmosphere with big glass windows as decor,we had the jacket potato with chilli which was good,fabulous place to eat.

Having been in the Cathedral for a walk around we just wanted a sit down and a quick bite to eat and drink. The choice was very good and the price was also very good, much better than some restaurants in Chester. My only grumble...

We called here for lunch last Friday before going round the cathedral. We thought the place was excellent, but we were surprised to find it almost empty - and this on a busy weekday when all the cafes on the streets were packed. The Cathedral...

Wonderful Christmas lunch today. Everything was hot, tasty and beautifully presented. We were made to feel very welcome and also felt very COVID safe. Well done to all involved it was such a treat and we both enjoyed it.

Great place for a snack,coffee or cake! Fabulous surroundings too, nice friendly staff and relaxing atmosphere.

Best prawn salad in the whole of Chester by far! Came here with work and very very impressed, so tasty and the staff are so lovely and friendly! Highly recommend xxx

Had a cappuccino and a cake whilst we visited the Cathedral: the food and cappuccino was very good. service was quick and very friendly. Nice cafe.

One star for the historic location, and one for the actual cafeI have been here before, the cafe has gone downhill. I had poor coffee and a stale cake. The only good point was that it wasn’t crowded. I’m not surprised in view of the poor food and service, and the difficulty finding the way to the cafe past the new cathedral entrance and shopI won’t be back.

When I was asked to meet a friend in the cafe at the cathedral I was a bit surprised however, the service was brilliant, the staff very friendly, there was lots of choice and the building and its ambience was really lovely. So much so I will return and recommend it to others.

Lindisimo lugar donde disfrutar un cafe o almorzar. Tomamos una riquiaima sopa en el mismo lugar que siglos antes lo hacian los ,onjes benedictinos. Emocionante. Hermoso lugar!!!!

It is a wonderful location but the coffee was awful, both filter and white coffee from the machine (all that was available. Cakes were okay but at £9.25 for two coffees and cake it is very expensive for what you get. Will visit the Cathedral again but not the cafe.

We have been to this cafe on previous occasions. When we went this time the cafe appeared very poorly organised, poorly labelled. When I attempted to ask the member of staff questions. They seemed unable and reluctant to answer my questions. The food menu was poor,as was the stock of cakes. Various crockery items for cups of tea and milk and plates were not available. We had prawn sandwiches which were pleasant enough.Poor service and a poor experience. It has been a lot better.

3 guys in white coats, guess chefs, one eating from food on server, at least 3 staff in black asking if they can help people. This is supposed to make sense and to sell food ???? Whoever organizes this they are not qualified. The staff know this is wrong but the system is......YOU queue up and help yourself but 'CAN'T' order until you are at the till.....ONE PERSON. Yes, everyone frustrated because all the people hanging about at the start can do nothing until you have been to the till to order.....this is NOT how to work the ordering. Of course there were 11 people waiting for food and nothing going nowhere. When you do order, at the till, the person on the till has to go off and order your food. The last time we faces queues and such a silly inefficient system was in Russia. Why is this system allowed to happen. Staff said it was because 'it was busy' but only 11 people waiting but waiting ages. One guy said 'why worry when you can't change anything'....but YOU CAN. Change the system. Order at the start and pay at the end when you get given a number. This is how M&S work and Debenhams but obviously not good enough for Chester Cathedral Refectory......why bother !!! Beautiful setting but your system is flawed. If you are a large group GIVE UP. Can do a lot better. Pity bad organization.

Fuimos aquí después de un recorrido por la Catedral, sin querer demasiado, ya que comimos fuera más tarde ese día, mi esposa tenía la sopa que en sí misma dijo que era muy agradable, pero que no podía comer los crotones con los que vino ni la rebanada de pan suministrada. ni debido a que tenían semillas adentro, no se dio otra opción. Elegí un bollo con mantequilla (¡sé una salida fácil!), Pero ¿cómo puedes hacer un desastre de escamas? Era totalmente seco y difícil de cortar, no lo hice; No te lo comas todo porque si te pones una pizca en la boca, se alojó en todas las grietas y huecos y eliminó totalmente la humedad de tu boca, ¡básicamente horrible! . Nos quejamos y donde nos dijeron "hablaré con el chef", sí, ¡eso va a suceder! obviamente fueron comprados por el estado probablemente hace una semana, tampoco baratos. 1) 95 por una taza de té ! . tbag agua qué más id no hay leche incluso. No volveré

Apareció para un vino caliente y pastel de carne picada (3.95) para una generosa ayuda. Me calentó en un día frío. Habitación impresionante pero tiene la sensación de una cantina escolar con las filas y filas de mesas. Bien si pasa y quieres un sándwich o un pastel.

terminata la visita alla Cattedrale non deve mancare la sosta in questa stupenda caffetteria. Sono dei criminali esponendo dolci che non si può fare a meno di prendere e rovinarsi definitivamente la dieta e la linea ... ma sono buonissimi ed anche con prezzi moto onesti

Wow! Certainly not what I was expecting when I stepped through the door. Stunning. One of the best looking cafes I have ever been to and very fair prices.

Można przyjść i zjeść coś małego w przepięknych wnętrzach. Bardzo miła obsługa, przyjemna atmosfera. A po wszystkim zwiedzanie katedry.

We called in early afternoon and ordered tea with toasted teacakes. The (youngish) servers weren't the slickest or most hospitable but the prices were reasonable, everything was well-presented and came fairly quickly. It's worth visiting for morning coffee/afternoon tea to soak in the wonderful surroundings.

Acabamos de llegar para la merienda a la hora del almuerzo: una taza de té y una sopa caliente.

We were a group of 7 university reunion friends and, after visiting the lovely cathedral, decided to meet up in the refectory for a coffee and cake.

Decidí llamar a la Catedral durante lo que realmente fue un viaje de compras, recordando hace unos años que el refectorio era un buen lugar para un almuerzo sencillo. Bueno, hay buenos puntos y no tan buenos puntos. El entorno y el ambiente es genial. Pero el negocio de incluso identificar y mucho menos ordenar y obtener cualquier cosa para comer era ridículamente loco. El café era de una máquina de botón de servir y era simplemente execrable, irreconocible como el café. Me habría quejado si no hubiera sido por el esfuerzo prolongado y laborioso que se ha llevado a cabo para averiguar qué se ofrecía realmente y pedir algo de comer. La comida llegó bien dentro de un tiempo de espera tolerable y en realidad era muy buena. Entonces, si visita esto, tenga en cuenta: - la comida caliente que se muestra no es necesariamente la misma que está en el menú y no está etiquetada, tiene un precio o no está disponible (no tengo idea de por qué está allí). Tienes que pedir comida caliente en la caja después de tomar bebidas. Interrogar al personal de cerca para identificar lo que hay que tener. Evita el café, absolutamente. Cuando salimos, notamos un "tablero de ofertas", que no era visible para los clientes que ingresaban al café. Cor Blimey. Salvo las críticas, merece ser mejor, pero solo puedo calificarlo como promedio y eso es ser generoso. Podría y debe hacerlo mejor.

We treated ourselves to afternoon tea for hubby’s birthday. The welcome from the volunteers as you enter the cathedral was lovely and indeed all staff were superb.

After admiring the wonderful sites of the Cathedral, we deserved a light refreshment, and decided to paticipate in a currant scone and coffee.Not disappointed.

Good to sit where the monks used to eat, but self-service is a bit confusing, and the food is nice but not fantastic.

The cafe is off the cathedral cloister in what was the 16th century monk's dining room. It is laid out a bit in the style of a monk's dining room and is certainly a pleasant place to sit. The coffee was, however, very disappointing. You have to serve yourself from a coffee machine and the coffee you get isn't very pleasant. Somehow this cathedral cafe doesn't, at least for me, come up to the high standards set by the beautiful cathedral and the fine cathedral shop.

Une cafétaria dans une cathédrale, avec plafond vouté et vitraux, on peut se croire chez Harry Potter ...C'est à faire !

After visiting the Cathedral we stopped for a quick bite at the refectory Café. I had a meat pasty which was OK but you got the feeling that it would have been OK for a vegetarian. There was meat in it but you had to hunt for it.

This is a really good place to meet and eat. There is lots of room and a very good choice of food. Set beside the beautiful 'Water of Life' statue in the Cloisters, folk come to enjoy good food and good company. Don't miss it!

Visited with Grandson during a the Deep exhibition. On entering there seemed to be very little food available, could not see a menu by the servery, Grandson chose a sausage roll and chocolate cake which he thoroughly enjoyed. Other than hot food there seemed to be nothing I could eat. I ordered a mug of coffee and got a cup, I then had to ask if they did sandwiches. They did and the one I chose was very nice and was freshly made for me, it was delivered to the table. After choosing a table we realised there were menus on the tables and there was a children's menu. My main complaint is it was not apparent what food was available when entering the Cafe. The staff were pleasant and the tables clean.

Esperaba disfrutar de una merienda y un té relajantes aquí mientras visitaba la catedral. La comida era muy básica y tardó en llegar después de ordenar. Tanto es así que pedimos té fresco ya que para cuando llegó nuestro té estaba frío.

lieu peu conventionnel pour déjeuner ou faire une pause, le réfectoire de la cathédrale de Chester est une adresse agréable.

Came for coffee about 11am whilst visiting cathedral. Ordered a scone to have with my coffee. Cut into it and it was dry and hard. Took it back and asked if it was fresh. Response was "probably not". I was allowed to choose something else but what is a place like this doing selling stale scones?!!

Für eine kurzen Aufenthalt in eindrücklicher Kulisse ein unbedingtes Muss. War faszieniert von den tollen architektonischen Eindrücken.

Great food within this wonderful cathedral good service good food clean and tidy and practice in the background for a performance in the cathedral in the evening. Lucky people seeing and hearing this brilliant

We had only sandwiches and pasties from here, but they were excellent (my chicken sandwich was delicious - lots of chicken, and very good brown bread). Lovely setting in the old refectory, and very helpful staff (they quickly put our food into boxes to take away as we were in a rush). I didn't have any, but the cakes looked so good.

Beautiful location to meet a friend whom I had lost touch with for a while. The acoustics of this lovely room however are not too conducive to any private/ personal conversations when only a few customers in quietly sipping coffee and your friend is partially deaf.

Had a very pleasant & reasonably priced lunch here. Staff very pleasant. Lovely room but feel more effort could be made with the tables

En esta ocasión estuvimos en Chester como parte de un recorrido por la ciudad. La catedral fue la parte final de nuestra visita, así que fuimos al refectorio para un almuerzo de merienda. Estaba muy ocupado y el personal, que es muy amable. Parecía abrumado por el número de personas. Hay una opción razonable de alimentos fríos y calientes. Elegimos la tarta tostada con mermelada y filtro de cafés. Es orden en la caja de la comida y luego se lleva a la mesa cuando está listo. Llegó rápidamente y estaba caliente y de buen tamaño. Hay un montón de mesas y se mantuvieron despejadas y limpiadas regularmente. Probablemente no sea la opción más barata en Chester, pero la atmósfera del refectorio hace que valga la pena pagar un poco más.

We were surprised at how expensive it was and the food was not nice. The Staff were friendly though and the place was kept clean

El refectorio atiende a 150 cubiertas. El servicio y la comida excelente, las opciones eran buenas y todos disfrutamos mucho de nuestra estancia aquí.

Very mediocre food at huge prices which is a shame as the Refectory is situated in a lovely part of the cathedral

it is a very lovely place to relax and have some food and a rest, it is on the expensive side but the profit supports the building

We enjoyed a lovely homemade scone with jam and a pot of tea. Lovely surroundings in the fantastic cathedral.

Had a lovely lunch at the Refectory Cafe in Chester Cathedral today the Panini’s were fab followed by a scone. Mmmm nice quiet relaxing place

Been here a few times now, always good, the young ladies serving are really pleasant, great cake n tea in a lovely setting,a must when in Chester.

Very impressive, clean and reasonably priced cafe situated within the cathedral. Beautiful homemade cakes and good coffee to boot. What more could one want?

A great place to have lunch or just a cup of tea and cake. The cafe is located within the cathedral buildings, so lovely surroundings - high ceiling and massive stained glass window. I arrived mid morning and hungry. There was a large choice of sandwiches on the menu and, although I arrived earlier than they are usually served, the staff made a sandwich for me. Generously filled and very tasty. I highly recommend it and then take in a look around the cathedral. A perfect way to spend a couple of hours

We had a very enjoyable lunch here. The jacket potatoes were perfect, and the chocolate sponge was simply scrumptious. The prices are very reasonable, and the setting is beautiful.

Breakfast, Dinners or Tea in the afternoon ..... lovely location and nice coffee and scones. Don't miss the either end contrasting stained glass windows ..... look up as its quiet spectacular!