The Blue Bell 1494 in Cheshire West and Chester

Came to the Bluebell to celebrate my wife’s 60th. It did not disappoint, we were recommended to dine here as the paella’s were excellent. Five stars are not enough, it tasted great and the portions were superb! The staff were so nice, not over the top, but just right! Thank you for making my wife’s birthday a real treat.

Amazing food and service. Who knew cauliflower could taste so good 😋. Really good value and great atmosphere. We shared 5 plates between 2 of and were completely satisfied.

Fabulous tapas even at 9:30 in the evening! Friendly staff and a great atmosphere. We chose it after the Ghost Tour as it's haunted!

Amazing food, we booked for a birthday and the staff went above and beyond. Will not cost Chester without coming here

This was our second visit to this wonderful restaurant. The ambiance is just fantastic because you are dining in such a cosy, traditional setting with fantastic, friendly staff. The food was delicious! The extra touches during our visit such as the anniversary drink were so thoughtful. We will definitely be back. Thank you once again.

We visited the Bluebell last night having previously enjoyed our visits there, hence our return. The waiter who took our order offered us a bottle of wine on 'Special Offer' at £20, we took up his offer. Thoughout the meal, he continued to ask if we would like another bottle of wine at £20, which we declined as we had sufficient. When the Bill arrived, we had been charged for 2 bottles of the same wine, 1 bottle at £20 & 1 at £25. This was pointed out to the waiter who said he would amend the bill to remove the extra bottle of wine. When the new bill arrived, it was showing the wine as £25, again we pointed this out to him and he said it was his mistake, he shouldn't have sold us the wine at £20 as it was a promotion from the previous night and it was actually £25! My Husband pointed out that had entered into a 'verbal' contract with us to sell us the bottle at £20, and we would only pay the price the wine was orginally offered at. And in what I can only describe as a contrived effort at emotional manipulation, the waiter proceeded to say ' what you are saying is I'll have to pay the £5 out of my own pocket' . At no time did he offer to bring the manager on this. We paid the figure we were expecting to pay and left. You could have cut the atmosphere with a knife as we left as not one member of staff said goodbye !

Having had a recommendation we decided to try the bluebell. As soon as we walked through the door we knew we were going to have a great experience!! The staff was so friendly and efficient we even had a little tour of the building. The food was AMAZING!! The wine was great to and all finished off with desert and espresso coffees what a treat we had. Thank you bluebell I'm sure we'll be back. Anna & racheal

Nice tapas fairly priced, We found the restaurant interior to be dark and dingy lacking any atmosphere. maybe good on a nice bright day for lunch when you could sit outside n the courtyard

Cheers Alex for being the top of your to do list 😃 lovely food, couldn't recommend it highly enough.

Sensational food. Honestly there is no place better. The staff are friendly and on point you have to visit the blue bell if your in chester. Amazing

An absolutely brilliant find in Chester. Great food and fantastic service. Tom and Alex were the best hosts, thank you!

Myself and my partner just finished a brilliant meal here. The food was amazing and we can’t recommend it enough, and our server, Alex, was a pleasure to talk to and the perfect host! If anyone is thinking of making a visit, make it a must during your time in Chester!

We stopped here for Tapas after a day at Chester races. We sat in the heated garden which was lovely. Great service and excellent tapas. The Pink fizz on the Fizz Friday deal was delicious!

Went for my husbands 40th ! Was 12 of us. Welcoming as soon as we walked in, lovely staff, amazing food can't wait to go back.

My wife and I ate at The Bluebell for the first time for her birthday in August. The tapas was delicious with plenty to chose from on the menu. We even ordered more when we saw what was coming out of the kitchen! The staff couldn't do enough to ensure we enjoyed ourselves. The only slight issue (not an issue as such) we found was the music didn't really fit the restaurant, maybe Spanish music would be better suitable, certainly not a deal breaker though. We would definitely recommend and will return soon.

This place never disappoints, we come to Chester once or twice a year and always make sure we eat at the Blue Bell. Excellent food and service. A couple of drinks and nice tapas for £62 you can't go wrong

The staff are friendly and fit - literally as they go up and down the stairs a lot! The food was delicious, fresh and authentic. Would definitely recommend the pig cheeks - melt in your mouth tender and served with a smooth peppery carrot puree when we were there.

Work treated us to dinner. Tapas were delicious & so was the sangria. Service was very good and fast, even though we were quite a large party.

31/08/2024, an absolute gem of a restaurant, the delicious food couldn’t have been served by better staff, all charming, courteous and helpful.

Excellent tapas. Good choice of vegetarian dishes, quick service. Enjoyed everything we chose. Ate outside in the little yard. Definitely recommend. Great choice if your on holiday in Chester.

Dined at the bluebell for a special occasion, but unfortunately was completely let down by the standard of food. Out of 6 tapas dishes ordered, 3 were sent back to the kitchen because of poor quality or for being undercooked. The pork meatballs were pink in the middle. The calamari was textured like rubber. The fries were not as described. I can't fault the waiting staff, they were on point with all the feedback provided and were apologetic for the situation, removing unsatisfactory dishes from the bill. Overall though, I was extremely disappointed, given the restaurant is so highly rated and was recommended by friends. It poses the question; was the chef on holiday?

Would definitely recommend Blue Bell for tapas, the food is amazing and manager Jess really does make you feel welcome, the service is outstanding! We will definitely be going back next time we’re in Chester

I’d specifically chosen this place to eat as one of my colleagues was allergic to dairy, and the menu featured ‘DF’ (dairy free) options. However, despite ordering DF options and confirming that DF was applicable to my colleague before ordering, upon receiving her order she was advised that some of her DF options may not be dairy free at all, so there were a lot of plates (specifically bread) that she couldn’t eat and went to waste. Upon delivery of the food, we asked for confirmation about some of her order being non DF (because it was hard to believe that we hadn’t ordered responsibly) which was confirmed by the chef. So ordered an extra side of chips for her. There was no apology or offer to remove the offending items or for a refund. We chose to sit outside as it was a lovely evening, but the outside area and furniture could do with updating. It was all a bit ‘tired’ and rickety to say the least. Lovely staff and good service, food was okay, but I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who has a dairy allergen (her throat would close up - not ‘just’ an upset tummy re dairy intolerance). I don’t often leave a bad review but thought this was worth noting for allergy reasons. Very disappointing, and embarrassing as I thought I’d done my research on the allergy side of things.

Very dog friendly! Delicious tapas, 3 for £20 with a drink. Honey coated cauliflower, chorizo, squid ... all very good. Would go again.

Yummy food. We ordered 3 tapas each plus 2 sides to share and it was about the right amount of food! Sadly left no room for dessert. Sangria was lovely. Lots of vegetarian and gluten free options. Friendly staff, and well done to the man who was being trained to take orders etc - you did great!

I can’t be more happy that I decided to try this place today. The food was exceptionally good. The staff is friendly and you get the vibe of sitting in a tiny tapas in the middle of nowhere. Amazing decor and the prices are great for the ambience they offer. Now I know where to go when I want to eat the tastiest food in Chester.

Lovely paella, friendly staff, lovely atmosphere and environment. And for 2 of us 32 pound wasn’t bad either.

Lovely food, friendly service and all at a good price.

Delicious tapas food in a casual atmosphere. Friendly staff in a building that is more than 500 years old!

Dined 3pm on Saturday. Wonderful food, bettered by the service. Loved every minute. Chorizo croquettes and Goats Cheese were exquisite. ❤️

Table for 2 on a Saturday evening. What an amazing time we had. Rachel was our main waitress and she was super, couldn't have been anymore friendly and helpful with everything we asked for. Food was amazing as this was our 3rd time here. Will be visiting again. Thanks bluebell team !

Smaller venue than we expected but nothing wrong with that. We had booked online in advance and were surprised how few people were there (think football may have had a hand in that). Staff were friendly and service was spot on. Food was fantastic. I have a fish allergy but my wife doesn't. She ordered the Calamares Andalucia and the staff made sure it was away from me and she got a separate set of cutlery to avoid cross contaminating the rest of the food. The portion sizes were fine for the two of us, we ordered around 8 dishes and each dish was great. Would definitely return next time staying in Chester.

Beautiful food and ambience. The staff were the stars, 2 young ladies constantly on the go with friendly helpful attitudes. Great value for money, absolutely faultless.

Second visit and really enjoyed food again. Good choices for vegetarians too. Friendly staff and gorgeous building and cute courtyard. Can’t wait to visit again soon.

Lovely evening here with a group of friends tried lots of tapas dishes and all excellent . Service was. Also excellent. Could not fault any part of it .

Highly recommended! Best place in Chester for real spanish food! Lovely service as well,we will definitely be back

We had a great meal and would definitely visit again! We found a few of the portion sizes on the smaller side particularly the calamari & pardon peppers. If you want plenty or to share you may need multiple portions. Every dish we had tasted amazing and authentic. Great service and great music played throughout. Save space for churros!

Superb Tapas, we particularly enjoyed the Cauliflower dish and the Green Beans. The massive Green Olives were also extremely tasty and high quality. Service was excellent, friendly and timely. Well done folks !!

Came with a friend last week, and the food was fabulous! Really lovely staff and a really nice buzz about the place. The outdoor area is a great little spot. I’d highly recommend

Having been to the Bluebell a couple of times last year as had an amazing time with delicious food, My Husband i and choose to celebrate out special 20th Wedding anniversary there yesterday 17/04/2024 OMG what a disappointment, the worst £70 on food (no drinks in that ) i have ever ever spent and ruined what should have been a memorable evening.. on top of that extra dishes were added to our order that we didn't order and the waiter said well they are on your bill you may as well have them, EEERRRRR NO. the mushrooms were nothing like last year and utterly disgusting ( they were my favourite dish) the squid in the paella was so tough it could have been used as car tires. and to top the whole affair of both myself and my Mum are coeliac, staff were made very aware of the fact everything needed to be gluten free BUT obviously not as we both had very bad effects of being glutened over night and still throughout today. NOT HOW I WANTED TO REMEMBER MY 20TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY, very disappointed to say the least

Thank you Janice for finding us a table on Saturday 13th. We had a brilliant yummy meal with Tom serving us with a fun but helpful manner a great assist. Thank you to all tbe lovely staff - we keep coming back

Came with my partner recently and was a great experience. Service was incredible from the very start, Jess our primary server is fantastic, brilliant, knowledgeable and such a friendly persona, made the time spent here set apart. The food in the kitchen, informed cooked by Chaf Nathan was lovely, great specials ! The lamb dish was sublime and all food was tasty and very relaxed. Brilliant value for money and the Sangria is a must whilst you tuck in ! Will definitely be back !

Told the waitress one of the tapas was to salty, we only took 1 bite she said sorry and never removed it from the bill. The oil was old which was used to cook the churros . Apart from that the beer was cold .

Sat in the courtyard as we didn’t have a booking, but it’s well sheltered from the wind and the patio heaters keep you warm Decor is pretty cool and relaxed Staff were all friendly and exceptional from start to finish What lets this place down is that regarding value for money, you can find chain tapas restaurants offering better The chefs special of the bravas was practically criminal for what was being charged The calamares was substandard in both quantity and quality The mixta paella, however, was OUTSTANDING in flavour - even the rice was nice and crunchy There was even a fair amount of seafood, chicken and chorizo….but of the rice, you probably get three mouthfuls and that’s it! Why skimp on what is probably the cheapest of all the ingredients?? It didn’t even cover the surface of the pan, the portion was that meagre - completely baffling Fix the size of portions and it’s a 4 star establishment, cos the service is great But I have to make a fair comparison to the many other tapa’s establishments I have been to

The Bluebell dates from 1494 (~530 years) and was nearly demolished in the 1960s to afford road widening. It survived. Come visit!

First rate tapas selection ranging from basics to some very sophistcated flavours . Our party was warmly welcomed by the staff and we were well served by very pleasant mannered staff. If you have a few drinks, who wouldn't, then take care because its a proper old building and the floors are about as level as the pyrenese and there are some crafty low oak beams waiting to smack you on the swede. All part of the character though.

We’ve been here before and the tapas food doesn’t disappoint. Good portions and flavoursome. I actually had the paella this time and although visually it lacked inspiration, it was very tasty . My wife had the tapas and she thoroughly enjoyed it. I especially liked the cheesy garlic bread. She thought the cauliflower with infused honey was very good. Servers Laura and Tom, do a great job and seem to have a good rapport with customers. If you’re in Chester, I’d recommend you check out the Bluebell.

Absolutely delicious tapas and sangria. Staff so welcoming and friendly. Had a really lovely night. Will return on my next visit to Chester.

We love tapas but never previously discovered this restaurant, the staff were excellent, great menu, can you believe a bottle of Prosecco was half price on Friday! Truly unbelievable anywhere in Chester, a must visit if your in the area, I would advise booking to avoid disappointment

Wonderful tasty tapas lunch. Great atmosphere and very friendly staff. Will definitely be back soon. The rioja was gorgeous

Another lovely meal , food delicious, service excellent, we visit quite often and today it was better than ever especially the Cauliflower dish, Churros always a highlight for us!

Thank you Lauren and staff for making us feel so welcome, we had out two dogs enjoyed tapas and lovely glass of wine outside, will definitely return especially loved the excellent white wine.

Tasty tapas and comfy setting for friendly catch up. Plenty of gluten free choices and really liked the garlic bread option of having half cheese and half tomato - saves having to choose just one! Staff were very polite and made us feel comfortable. Thank you.

Tasty food, with a really cute and cosy atmosphere. Been several times now and while there has been a bit of fluctuation in how good the food is we have never left disappointed.

What a quaint little pub with beautiful tapas! There’s a wide variety of foods to choose from, all beautifully presented and served by really friendly staff. I’d highly recommend this for a lunch with friends or an evening get together!

We loved our lunch on a wet January lunch time. A great welcome, tasty tapas and lovely service. The building is really quaint too.

Due to issues with staff in the kitchen, we waited 45 minutes before receiving our first couple of dishes. We found the dishes tasty, but disappointingly small compared to other Tapas Restaurants and had to order more bread to compensate. Staff were very friendly and bubbly, although obviously overstretched. In short, our overall opinion is not the best value for money.

Great tapas, lovely sangria !!!

We visited for lunch on a Saturday. A friendly welcome and we were seated quickly. The inside is lovely - a really pretty old building. Service was friendly and attentive. We ordered 6 tapas plates plus bread between two of us and it was perfect - everything was cooked beautifully and well presented. Would highly recommend a visit.

Amazing place for meal out, wonderful food in a lovely old building, and amazing staff

We came for a family meal. The food was excellent- full of flavour and generous portions. The wine was excellent and a very fair price for the quality. What made our visit was the staff - they were helpful, friendly and really made us want to return. Thank you!

Lovely place, great food, but disappointed there was only one fish dish left. Service was friendly and helpful. Would recommend a visit anytime.

Disappointed to find all the fish dishes except the prawns were off along with the most interesting chorizo dish. However, the rest of the menu was very good. Slowish but efficient and cheerful service. Really tasty dishes made for an enjoyable evening, finished with some churros with an especially tasty deep chocolate dip. We will return.

Lovely food, quaint little pub, great staff(we had 3 serving us, all really lovely but only got jess's name... she was lively and fun and great with customers). Food was served quickly and hot. Reasonably priced too.

Went last night for a Birthday meal and drinks for a party of 10 (oh and 1 dog), fabulous meal and all the staff were brilliant, nothing was too much trouble and they all made us feel so welcome with their happy smiling faces. We eat out quite a lot and this was our first visit to The Bluebell and needless to say we will definitely be back again. If you are looking for a family pub with excellent food and a very friendly atmosphere , do not hesitate to book as you will not be disappointed. Thank you to all the staff again.

10/10 The food was excellent and really fresh. The atmosphere was lovely and the staff were very accommodating. I would highly recommend.

Delicious food, great service and the 2 wonderful people who served us upstairs were lovely and friendly and gave great atmosphere and joy to our evening. Thank you. Will be back!

Very helpful friendly staff. Food amazing

This restaurant is like the Tardis!! Upon first view, it seems to be quite small and quirky. One of the first things you notice is the two skeletons dressed as farmers and the slightly old-fashioned dark wood bar. The dining room to the front is small and only caters for around eight people. However, to the left of the bar area is a quite large dining area, and upstairs is a large function room. Just to add the icing on the cake there is also a heated garden area to the rear. Now to the important part; the restaurant serves mainly traditional Spanish tapas and what we had was delicious. We chose the Mejill de Cerdo, the Gambas al Pil Pil, the Queso de Cabra Frito, and the Chuleton Gallego. I had an Estrella beer and my wife had a Spanish rose wine ( like being on holiday ) We finished our evening with a couple more glasses of wine and left feeling very pleased that we had researched Chesters restaurants on Tripadvisor. We were served for the most part by Jess whose bubbly personality shone through in everything she did. She was also helped on occasion by Abbie who again was a credit to the restaurant. we would highly recommend this restaurant and will make it one of our first ports of call when we return to Chester. This restaurant is outstanding and definitely one not to be missed. 10/10

My husband and I visited the Bluebell with a friend, the food was outstanding, and wine is very reasonable. service was outstanding from Jess. I have to say by far my fave place in Chester, it is always a lovely, friendly and special experience ❤️

Visited Chester for the Christmas markets with friends decided to go for some Tapas we was given a table in one of the individual rooms ,there was the 4 off us and one other couple in the room which were already eating we ordered are food 8 tapas dishes 2 each plus four bottled beers drinks within the first half an hour we had not received any Tapas at this time the room started to fill up with others, finally after around 35 minutes 2 off the party got a dish each then 5 mins later they got there second each and the 3rd person got theirs are around 45 minutes in this time other diners who arrived later where served there dishes ,myself had still not received any of my dishes and it was just over an hour 2 off my friends had finished theirs 1 other friend had only one of their dishes In the end I had to cancel my order and leave the other friend who was still waiting for his 2nd dish waited another 5 minutes then also decided to leave the staff advised the orders had been missed off by them surely they should notice people at their table with no food This is the first time I have ever had to leave a restaurant and i have dined in many on holidays around the world and when working around the UK and Europe

Food was alright, but the service was terrible. Missed half our food and didn't bring enough plates, which generally wouldn't have been an issue but it was only after we struggled to get someone's attention, this was after a long wait too. Another table were incredibly load to the point we didn't realise there was music playing until after they left. While this isn't the restaurant's fault, they were being encouraged by a staff member. As mentioned at the start the food was okay but not good enough to want to return based on the service received

Love this place, every time we come to Chester we end up here

Lovely cosy place to eat. Delicious food, wine, shots & cocktails Well it is Christmas! The staff were super friendly & attentive. Big shout out to little Tom & Jess! From the moment we walked in we were greeted with Tom's very friendly, welcoming face. It felt like visiting good friends. Thanks Jess for the delicious drinks! We had a fantastic evening. Sending Christmas wishes & a happy New Year!

All Inclusive Benidorm tapas. Paella was nice, everything else was pretty bad, dry Santiago cake, frozen calamari with bought in pesto sauce, Patatas bravas- basically deep fried unpeeled potatoes with tinned tomato sauce and garlic mayo, not exactly what you get in Barcelona !!! Wouldn’t go again.

Have walked past this building many times and never noticed the tapas bar. The front of the building hides what a quirky interesting place it is. We were taken up stairs by our friendly greeter. The stairs themselves were wonky and full of character. The door frames are low and floors never which just adds to the charm! The staff; all the staff we met were extremely personable and friendly taking time to chat without encroaching on your evening. We had a little wait for food as there were some large parties in, but that’s fine we enjoyed the ambience and the excellent wine. We ordered 4 tapas and a paella to share. My favourite was the pigs cheek. I’m coming back to Chester just for this! My partner loved the salt and pepper squid. I honestly can’t say anything bad about the Bluebell. See you in the new year!

Had a wonderful evening here. Will go back soon

Went early doors for dinner. The service was outstanding, the food super good and the music playing added to a wonderful atmosphere. Will be back

Came from manchester for wifes birthday. The food was amazing best patatas bravas ever. I won't mention the unusual item we found on the floor but it was a source of much laughter. All in all a great time was had. Good for vegetarians the...

Excellent food, staff were brilliant and welcoming, love the building. Also very conveniently located. This is my 2nd visit - the first was in 2020 and this one on December 1. It really is a gem. If I visit Chester again in the future I...

The food took 2 hours and came out sporadically so we had finished 5 dishes before the last 2 came. Service abysmal, no coffee( machine broken) apparently. Overpriced, overrated, food lukewarm and no apology for lateness of food. Will not visit again. Very very disappointing.

Have looked forward to dining here for quite some time. Visited tonight and was really disappointed. The staff were lovely, food was average but service of food was appalling. I understand the concept of tapas, but to wait an hour for food then for two...

We were seated upstairs and not all the tables were occupied (early in the week off season), so not a lot of atmosphere. A tapas meal can often get pricey but this was ok to be honest - twelve dishes between four of us which...

The tapas is stunning and reasonably priced. The staff never fail to provide a warm welcome and good service.

Worst meal we’ve had in years. Food was lukewarm and way over salted. Front of house staff pleasant but ineffectual…response to unfavourable comments regarding the food was ‘sorry you feel that way’ no offer of partial refund made. Bitterly disappointing! Shall never return!

Such a surprise when we first visited, I don't know I was expecting (someone else had organised a table for a family party) but I was blown away by the variety of delicious tapas dishes on offer. We've returned twice since then and still not disappointed

First let's get the staff out of the way, all were excellent but if we could give 10 stars to Tom we would, Tom you are a star - thank you for making our evening so memorable. The food was superb, one of our party is a vegetarian and was thrilled at the range of suitable dishes and of the quality of the dishes she selected. The carnivores in the party were equally well looked particulary good were the mejillas de cerdo (pigs cheeks). A great evening with great food, Thank you Bluebell.

I have lost count just how many wonderful meals my wife and I, family friends have had at this Chester eatery, my wife and I dine out at least two or three times a week, and Chester has so much choice, the blue bell did...

Wow, wow, wow! We dined there tonight (21st Nov) with some friends who have spent a lot of time in Spain. The food was freshly prepared, hot, tasty and very more-ish. The pig cheeks were absolutely melt in the mouth, the potato croquettes were crunchy...

Lovely restaurant, friendly staff we really enjoyed our pimientos de Padron and hummus followed by a great paella. Food transported us to Spain but the ancient building kept us firmly in England. Recommended.

As usual AMAZING SERVICE from Lauren. Always working with a smile and makes you feel so welcome. Quality of the food brilliant, probably the best Paella we have had along with the best garlic cheese bread in Chester :) Thanks as usual for being so...

We called to book really last minute on a Friday night, not expecting to get in. They managed to accommodate us and the staff were super friendly, we felt really welcome! The drinks were first class (Red sangria was so nice), then the food arrived...

It was AMAZING. Can’t recommend it enough. The sangria is were to die for, they had so many vegetarian options and please do not miss out on the olives they were the best ones I’ve ever had :) such a lovely restaurant good vibes and yes every time we have been it did not disappoint :)

Staff lovely, food sadly very disappointing. I would say it was just poor recipes and cooking. Ok - prawns and chorizo. Poor mushrooms in sweet sherry (yuk), calamari (very strong, lacking freshness) pattas bravas (OMG this is a signature dish for tapas, the tomato based...

Food was amazing service not great The floor staff bless them rabbits in headlights the manager wow. Not once did she support her team. When I challenged her she was very Sarcastic and condescending. She vocalised the problems that evening which seriously that’s not ok....

Great food, lovely friendly staff and fabulous setting. We really enjoyed our meal and the gluten free options were great 😊

A really great place for tapas, we recommend the Hake!😁

Great food, intimate and cosy atmosphere. Highly recommend!

Really looked forward to this. Staff need helping with approaching and dealing with customers. Sadly very disappointed by the long wait, cold food n super tiny portions. Had to go five guys afterwards

Had a fantastic meal at the Bluebell. The waiter new the difference between being coeliac & just a gluten free intolerance, my food was brought out separately from the others so less chance of cross contamination. Food was very good & lots of gf options...