Handbridge in Cheshire West and Chester

Some tapas are really good, like nachos with bacon . Lentils...l won't try again. But as l always says, visit the place and get your own opinion.

Nice pub, but disappointing it doesn't have any real ales on tap (John Smiths doesn't count)

The staff and landlord were welcoming, and very interactive with their customers. We were only there for a long weekend and went in there for breakfast...and a couple of beers later on...and the manager always came up to us and greeted us. there was lots of choice for breakfast which was very nice. It is also dog friendly so win win for us 😀

If you want a cosy atmosphere where dogs are more than welcome and the food is brilliant then this is the place for you. We were greeted by the energetic and wonderful Malu. She offered a seat by the open fire, which was naturally gratefully accepted. Anderson was equally attentive. He advised us "if your not feeling the heat of the fire, please put more on" first time in our travels we have heard this, so welcoming. Brilliant establishment, fantastic food. We can't wait to go back. Oh I forgot the live acoustic guitar too ❤️👍

Love this place Staff and management really Nice and friendly

A nice place to have an after work drink

Good beer , a large garden beer it was sunny day and lovely

Amazing breakfast would highly recommend. Eggs Benedict for me and large fry up for my husband. Lovely coffee and tea. Will be going back soon.

Called in on Monday night for quick pint to be greeted by a barely monosyllabic barman. “Have you got any real ales”? “no” “what flavour crisps do you have”? No response, he points to the shelf behind him. We return out empty’s on leaving, no comment from laughing boy. Shan’t be returning there in a hurry.

Great beer garden when the weather is good. Friendly staff. Dog friendly. Great burritos .Will be coming here again

We didn't eat on this occasion. Service is great - very friendly. A good selection of beers too.

Brazilian tapas is authentic and very tasty 😀

Was very quiet when we went in due to the appalling weather but the Brazilian man running the bar was very helpful and friendly. Beer was good and my wife and daughter both enjoyed their cocktails. Definitely worth a visit.

Quiet pub when I visited, loved the option to choose your own toppings in a burger and a great price to boot

What a great find. The Handbridge has recently been taken over by a very charning operator who originates from Southern Brazil. Of course with that comes great food and atmosphere that gives a sense of really being alive. All of the staff were welcoming and chatty and fun to talk to. Very reasonably priced food prepared from scratch which was authentic and delicious. We had a selection of Patatas Bravas, Gambas ( Marinated King Prawns), Cinxhinos ( Chicken Tearprop Parcels) and Fish Stew everyrhing was excellent. I dont think it will be too long before booking in advance will be required. Unfussy, friendly with a great atmosphere and even better food. Thank you for being here see you very soon

Stopped in for a pint and although the lady serving was lovely and the beer garden was nice , one staff member was face timing on his phone so loudly that we moved

I was very disappointed with the service, I was at the bar about to be served when the lad behind the bar just walked off, I then had to ask someone else to serve me. Also a group of lads walked in that only looked about 15 or 16 went to the bar for alcoholic drinks and not one of them got asked for id, but there again they appeared to know the barman. Maybe this is normal here. I asked for a slimline tonic and was going to be served this in the bottle until eventually I was asked if I wanted a glass. Sorry to say I will not be returning which is a shame as we live locally.

Terrible experience. Food order was wrong, food brought out cold, terrible food service (food plonked down, had to go find our own cutlery in a drawer and no apology for the order being wrong). We’ve patronised the pub for years and thought it has been great since the new manager took over so this was really disappointing. Don’t do food if you can’t do it well, and hopefully they will hire some better staff.

Friendly place for families and dogs

A hidden gem! Delicious food, unique menu and lovely welcome staff!! Baby and dog friendly

Had a make your own burritos! Amazing! Staff great place lovely

What makes this a great watering hole is the new landlord, we were passing trade on a weekend away and were welcomed like long lost friends.

First time visiting for me for a works leaving doo. Staff were very helpfully and great with last minute requests. Lovely atmosphere, nice food, great selection of drinks and nice staff. I will be returning ☺️

Came in for a quick drink, and the atmosphere is warming and so friendly, landlady accepts dogs and can see has a huge passion for them, offering dog food too, such a lovely dog friendly pub, can't wait to come back.

Wonderful food, friendly staff and welcoming atmosphere. Great environment for my two children, room to play in the lovely and spacious beer garden. Dog friendly establishment too! Food was delicious and came out quickly. On our table we had pate, steaks, burgers - no complaints and all happy customers! Love coming here!

This pub was our local for the last few years, the previous landlord was very welcoming, attentive and took her time to get to know everyone who walked through the door. Since the change of hands earlier this year we’re very reluctant to go in here, the staff are rude and make it clear they’re not a family friendly pub. The only reason it’s 2 stars and not 1 is that the food is finally decent here, but unfortunately not good enough for us to return due to the poor staff

Just had some amazing food - Thai green curry and fish and chips. Absolutely gorgeous…. Well impressed! New landlord with great chef skills.

Lovely Sunday Dinner staff great as always nothing too much trouble 😀

Great garden, good food, very welcoming! Just needs longer opening hours!

Great local pub in Handbridge that serves food. Families and dogs welcome and has a nice beer garden.

Nice pub to grab a pint,lots of tables , friendly staff, reasonable priced drinks

Lovely local pub. Even better staff and the beer garden is a delight. Would highly recommend.

Staff are very friendly and the place itself is nicely decorated with a great beer garden. However, went for Sunday lunch and there was no horseradish or mustard to go with beef - unacceptable given that there is a Co-op across the road. Yorkshire pudding & roast potatoes burnt to a crisp. Dinners drowned in gravy and peas. Bar had run out of basic house spirits. Want to support local, but very disappointed by a lot of basic problems that could be avoided.

Good food, friendly staff, would use again.

Great Sunday Dinner next to an open fire with attentive staff. Also dogs welcome, lovely Sunday afternoon.

Booked in for Sunday Dinner at 130, Google opening times stated 12 so we went a little early but found it was closed. So we went to a neighbouring bar for a drink before returning at 145 .. we were greated by a very rude bar tender, she was almost so rude we thought she was joking saying "sorry we've given your dinners away" in a very ignorant tone. Granted we were late, and "giving our dinners away" is totally reasonable.. however the manner on which that message was delivered was unacceptable. Will never return

The staff in the pub are truly amazing. Drinks are nice and cheap and the food is also really good. The whole place is so so clean which helps. They are proper licensees.

A friendly no frills pub with a smiling landlady and a great quiz on a Sunday night

Un garito peculiar, muy buena cerveza.

Nice and clean in the house thanks to 53degrees property

We have had a lovely Sunday lunch. Friendly place, very entertaining banter between the staff. Had a lovely couple of hours.

Nice staff, beautiful beer garden, quick service.

Very friendly and welcoming staff, nice and spacious beer garden in the back, lovely food and very generous portions! Very clean and cozy environment! Would come back again!

Amazing little place Leslie qnd Jed are so warm and friendly. Amazing food I think we have tried everything on the menu and never been disappointed with anything. Perfect little place love it

Amazing food, amazing staff and service. Nice pint, warm welcome what more do you need!? Would recommend. See you again soon!

I would not recommend to anyone, rude service, low quality food. All of the other pubs in Handbridge are better on every level.

We hand organised to have a surprise birthday and a christening here. After calling to confirm numbers, had a borage of foul words screamed down the phone to my wife who was left in tears. The landlady after having her breakdown then told us to take the events ekes were and put the phone down. It all seam like a joke and was expecting a TV crew to jump out, we are now trying to find another venue for both a birthday and christening for in total over 100 people. I’ve drink in that pub for 20 years but will never set foot in there again until she’s gone.

Hospitality and food Had a very warm welcome and the food was second to none, well worth a visit and will be going back 10/10 great place and great people

Had a very warm welcome and the food was second to none, well worth a visit and will be going back 10/10 great place and great people

Overly quiet. Can be good on a sunny day in the garden

Staff, food and ambience perfect. The singer on Saturday night was breathtaking and I expect to see her on TV and radio was shortly

A very nice pub. Really nice landlady. Very clean. Lovely staff.. very friendly. Nice girl called kerry behind the bar. very helpful when asked about the local amenities.. very good value for money.. excellent food. Will definatley be returning. Family friendly

Nice beer garden, not much choice on cask.pleasant pub.

Just called in when passing by. The secret garden was very clean and pleasant to sit it on a sunny day but the landlady/manager or whoever it was acting in that position wasn't helpful so no coffee menu available when I asked: "It's a pub", she snapped, even though they obviously do food and are matketed as a gastro pub. When I then asked what kind of coffees they did, she seemed annoyed by the question. I dared not ask about bars snacks.even though I wanted to. Half a cafetiere of weak, watery coffee arrived for two of us for £6.. The young staff were pleasant and helpful but I wouldn't go again because of the landlady's attitude and the poor value for money.

Excellent has changed a lot since I last visited. Had a really good night in here excellent beer friendly bar staff & some old friends.

Just appalling. We phoned on Saturday and booked a table for 5 for Sunday Lunch at 12.30 today (the 20th of Feb) We arrived at 12.15 assuming we could have a drink before eating because Google said they opened at noon on Sundays. There was a board on the pavement outside the front door saying they served Sunday lunch from noon onwards. But the doors were locked. It was pouring with rain and blowing a gale and after failing to attract any attention we went round to the back entrance through the beer garden which was open. We could tell it was an entrance because it had a great big sign saying “ENTRANCE” over the door. When we got inside, we initially spoke to a grumpy youth who informed us that the pub wasn’t open yet. When we asked to speak to the manager, the most obnoxious angry man came storming and yelling out of the kitchen asking us why we had come inside. His exact phrase “Who the f@ck does that?” - clearly he struggles with the concept of how pubs and restaurants are supposed to work. Don’t know if the pub is under new management, but that guy is clearly not cut out for hospitality. His loss. We walked a couple of hundred yards down the road to The Ship and had a fabulous meal there instead. If I could have scored this place with a “zero” I would have. 1 out of 5 is too good for them. They simply don’t deserve to be in business, and if they carry on like that for much longer, they won’t be.

Fantastic staff brilliant food 👌 lovely very inviting place and able to take my little dog in 10/10

Fantastic, staff friendly, bar service great and food outstanding.. definitely recommend… Will be returning on a regular basis.

Good pub, nice welcome from staff, excellent service and food. Great beef burger on seeded bun not brioche which I much prefer, very tasty fries.

Great food. Best chicken burger I've ever had. Friendly and welcoming staff. Highly recommend.

Yes, just wow!! We had called in on Friday evening but just missed the cut off for food. The young chap behind the bar, Marcus, was very apologetic but rather than just sending us on our way, he asked if we were local (so would have knowledge of other establishments) and when we said no, he listed three other pubs within walking distance who he thought would still be serving!! Now that's customer service! We had heard how good the food was at Handbridge Bar so went back on the Saturday to sample it. We met Marcus again and Ged, the chef (and possibly owner?) who was similarly fantastic as a host! He talked us through the menu and helped us choose, promising that everything would be a culinary delight! He was not wrong!! Cajun chicken burger an steak and ale pie arrived promptly (piping hot, which we love!) and were devoured just as quickly! Ged told us he used a butcher he had used for years who was out of area (in Ramsbottom, so quite a distance!) and judging by the steak in the pie, his loyalty is not misplaced!! Outstanding food and excellent customer service - would definitely visit again and not hesitate to recommend!

Was walking past and decided to pop in, nice pint of Neck oil, sat in the garden and it was lovely and quiet,not many in because it was lunchtime but looks a great place and will return another time, polite young man serving too! 👍

Just stumbled across this on way into Chester. Great family pub with great food and lovely relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

Lovely friendly pub with great food.

Not as good as it once was. such a same we used to come for the steak night it was fabulous but not anymore really disappointing

Great food friendly staff couldn’t fault it

Excellent food, excellent service and fantastic staff. Would highly recommend

Nice afternoon drinking in the beer garden.

Friendly staff and nice food. Great outdoor atmosphere specially for dogs.

Lovely meal tasty hunky chips Good friendly service and really clean

Lovely pub of which enjoyed drinking a fair few drinks. Garden was clean and well kept as well as friendly and helpful staff. Drinks were fairly expensive at £5.50 per draft old mout cider.

Lovely meal from the gastro in Hanbridge we ordered steaks and they were out of this world all this in lockdown from the gastro...we are two key workers my wife’s 60th birthday she wanted steak and the gastro pulled one out the bag 5 star...

We visited this pub and we were greeted immediately by a lovely team of staff there. They made us feel so welcomed as we only just moved to the area. Great selection of drinks and food with amazing prices too accompany, would definitely come again...

Such a great boozer, worth the walk from town

Recently had new owners and they are very friendly and welcoming. Great location welcoming environment food is amazing I suggest the steak pie best I've ever had and its pet friendly what else can you ask for.

It is great to see fresh life back at the Handbridge under new management. For such a great newly refurbished pub, it was a shame the lack of attention the past landlords had, it appear to date that new landlords are bring new energy and...

Would just like to leave a review and say what a fantastic service and the food we received yesterday. Communication was brilliant from the start, we enjoyed two lamb roast dinners with all the trimmings. The food was delivered to home, and presented lovely and...

The chef and staff have been sacked due to not being paid furlough because Sonja and Adam admitted that the staff was not on the payroll and couldn’t get furlough nor have their tax etc been paid to the tax man but that’s not a problem because it is going to be sent to tax office to check out plus the chef knives was moved the owner said and now have disappeared please all be aware of you go here that they are both a pair of con artists

My twin brother Stephen and I decided to have a two day trip to Chester taking in the great sites this historic walled city has to offer and enjoying the great pubs,bars and restaurants that Chester is justifiably famous for and a short stroll from...

Just had a delivery of fish and chips with all the trimmings from The Handbridge Gastro Pub and they were absolutely delicious and can still hot too. Great to support this local pub as they are reinventing the wheel during this awful lock down time....

Right from the ordering to the eating excellent service and as for the food absolutely superb cooked to perfection and tasted excellent and the biggest Yorkshire puddings ever that give James Martin a run for his money quality ingredients perfectly cooked.

We wanted to support local business’ during this pandemic. Sonia was so friendly on our call, and even made one of our dishes “more spicy” We would most definitely be ordering again, hopefully whilst in her lovely pub soon. X

The pub is absolutely gorgeous inside with a great selection of seating areas and an even better selection of spirits. Enjoyed my time only one slight complaint is that the man working was sat down watching tv and on his phone but we understand it’s...

Great place, lovely staff on Friday evening, looking forward to going back when things get back to normal

Bar staff were quite rude. nice decor but maybe trying to punch above its weight.

Everything about this pub is welcoming, the atmosphere and the staff. I walk out the door with a smile on my face and a great experience everytime. My partner and I had a meal here a couple of weeks ago... the food is amazing, my...

I’ve given the Handbridge just 1 purely because the decor is nice inside! Sadly the service and food do not match it. Came here with 4 girlfriends, pre booked our table so they were well aware we were eating. After half an hour we were...

Went here for Valentines night and had the Steak deal with wine. Lovely steak and very good value for money. Well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Atmosphere is child and dog friendly. Food is 10 out 10 and the customer service is fantastic x

Manager is rude and disrespectful. Female waitress was very accommodating to us and our dogs. Wouldn’t visit again

Sam emma and jamie what a brilliant team..fantastic food. Great night out. Fri steak and wine night..brilliant..

Great atmosphere, great food, & great owners. Never had a bad meal yet! Steak & wine offer is brill.

Ordered steak and lyonnaise potatoes with red wine sauce but got steak with mash and onion gravy (exactly the same as served with the sausage). Waitress returned it to kitchen and came straight back advising the chef had said that the mash potatoes were in fact lyonnaise style! Insulting my food knowledge I showed a photo of the crispy potatoes I expected. Only at the end of our meal did the waitress acknowledge that they had run out of the correct potatoes!!! Meal removed from bill but left one member of our party hungry. Know what you are ordering as clearly the staff don’t know including the chef !!

We booked here on a Saturday night after seeing their menu. My husband was pleased to see Beavertown beer on tap when we arrived. We were shown to our table by the Bar Manager, who gave us the normal menu and the specials menu and then went through both of the menus with us. I chose the Garlic King Prawns and my husband had the Smoked Haddock Scotch Egg, both were delicious. Then for mains, I had the Chicken Chorizo special and my husband had the Lamb Rump, both cooked to perfection. Disappointed that there weren’t many puddings available, but we were nearly full anyway. Lovely staff and great food. Give it a try.

Great atmosphere, good selection of drinks and top food.

Four of us came for food today and had an amazing meal cooked for us by the head chef Jamie, fresh ingredients and knowledge about the local produce. The service was wonderful, lovely staff and an overall fantastic experience. Our new local! 5* 🌟

We booked for Sunday lunch today after calling in by chance on Thursday for a coffee, we met the owners Adam and Sonia and the chef Jamie, lovely friendly people who have renovated this pub and revamped the menu over the past year. On arrival today we were greeted by the bar manager, Sam, a lovely personable young man, who chatted easily to us, poured our drinks and showed us to our table. From the delicious menu we both chose the roast beef, which came in good time, and was accompanied with very big Yorkshire puddings, lovely crispy roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, individual potato gratin, plenty of seasonal veg and the best gravy, not jous, that we have tasted in a long time. I couldn't eat all of mine but still managed to squeeze in Eton Mess, which was lovely . If you find yourself in Chester call in for a drink and or food, you will not be disappointed. We can't wait until the Summer as there is a large garden to the rear which sounds fantastic. We will definitely return.

The service was great and a nice atmosphere but the food was disappointing. We looked at the menu online from their website before booking a table and when we arrived the menu was different and we were told the menu online is coming in February but nowhere on the website did it mention that. As soon as we sat down the manager admitted that the menu is made up of what they have left over which was quite limited. We ordered the mushroom pasta, which was the only thing available for vegetarians, it was tasteless and all the pasta stuck together when trying to lift it up. I understand January is a quieter month for pubs but it all seemed last minute and lazy.

Went to the Handbridge Chester for New Years Eve Dinner booked for 8 o’clock ,greeted by Sam the bar Manager , lovely welcome, 100% Top Man , choice of tables ,good choices on menu ,food was wonderful , best steak we have eaten in Chester all year and that is including all the Top Restaurants. Band playing most of the night , very good . Met and spoke to Owners , lovely people , would 100% recommend this venue to all

Sweet and handy space across the river from Chester. Friendly staff, cosy areas for food and sports watching. Nice furnishings, pics and lights.