the chester in Belfast

Horrific. Don't even waste your time. I've always loved the Chester and was a regular for many years when it was the OG Chester. Booked a table for dinner, excited to see the Chester back. We got in, place looks like a dive, staff running around shouting at eachother, music blasting (and my hubby and I are metal fans, we don't shy away from loud music) but dear me, when you're trying to eat and relax you don't need that. Boxing was on the TV as well which really had me thinking I might have been living in an episode of Peaky Blinders watching men beating the unholy sh** out of eachother while enjoying a nice meal. This place needs to figure itself out. Be a bar that does bar snacks or a separate restaurant from the bar. And for the love of goodness would you please turn that music down!! The Chester was always good because it was true to itself, and you had decent but simple food served all day as well as a decent bar snack menu. The two stars are there purely for the chef who is obviously amazing as the food was great.

Great service and some great deals on selected drinks

Sorry to say but poor service... think the bar staff must have had a bad day.not many people in but still had to wait ages to get served.... too busy talking to each other. I will give the place another try to see if this was just a one off.

Food terrible honestly wouldn't go bk.

Went for Sunday lunch and food was lovely. Staff were very helpful also. Very well priced. Live music started at 7pm and we stayed longer than planned as was very good.

The service was great. Food is excellent and plenty of it.

Food is delicious, however the prices are too high considering the portion sizes are very small.

Decent pints of Guinness, nice friendly staff and a lovely interior, nice wee fire goin

The food was good. £50.50p for 2 fish & chips, 1 carbonara and 1 Diet Coke. Asked for a glass of water for my 86 year old mother in law and it came in a Harp pint glass with a straw…..the music was deafening. I asked them to turn it down which they did but it was turned up even louder 5 min later. I asked them again and they did turn it down again. Staff don’t wear uniforms so it’s difficult to identify staff. They were very pleasant although no one came to ask us whilst eating if we needed anything. An average experience

Nice, traditional style bar/restaurant. Stopped for an impromptu lunch. Apparently it has just reopened; I'm assuming under new management but it was my first time there so unsure. Food was good, service was pleasent, but somewhat forgetful with orders. Was quite empty at the time. Non alcoholic beers available (Peroni & Guinness) Overall, I would likely return if in the area

Lovely Christmas dinner, great service and good atmosphere. The drinks are expensive! Which let the experience down a bi, £8.50 for a rum and coke and £19 for bottle white zinfandel, you expect that from bar/restaurants in city centre but out of town

We were over in Chester on Saturday 2nd December, we were celebrating my husband's dad's 90th birthday. There was 28 of us and we had an amazing day. Food was great staff could not do enough definitely be back 😋 😀

We were in for the Grinch experience, a party of 5 adults and 6 kids. There was plenty of parking available on site when we arrived. We were welcomed by the manager and shown to our seats. The staff were very pleasant for the entire time. Servers brought menus over quickly and got our drink and food orders efficiently. When all food was brought out, all meals were piping hot. The portions were a good size. Food was really tasty

Great atmosphere great service friendly people friendly staff

Delicious pepper chicken with champ and gravy. Ten times better then the food under the previous management. Will definitely return.

Fantastic food, lovely place, Chef's are brilliant. Would highly recommend and will be returning. Lovely restaurant and great atmosphere. Mo

One off the best burger I’ve had I don’t know who is in the kitchen working there magic but omg ill definitely be back and tell everyone I know

Just went for Sunday lunch. Soup came out freezing. Both ordered roast beef,dinners were not that warm broccoli was raw. We were offered free desserts. Both ordered cake and custard. Both not warm and mine had a teaspoon of custard on it. We wanted to support local but will never be back.

Public event with Wednesday Adams for Halloween. Daughter absolutely loved it. Staff were brilliant and great craic. And food was top nosh

Homely bar located five minutes from belfast city centre, welcoming and helpful staff. The food was nice, they have a descent menu with something to cater for your taste buds.

Bring back the old Chester when it was owned by eamon diamond when you could get a good meal with excellent service in a restaurant setting not a noisy bar. Wouldn't recommend it or go back there. Try biddy duffys on a town Rd far superior.

Disappointed. Honey chilli chicken started was cold and chicken was so tough just could not eat it. Not the same as it was years ago, really expensive, not alot of options to pick from the menu. Feels really dark and cold inside with more focus on a bar atmosphere than restaurant.

First time in the Chester not impressed . Staff need to be educated in disability. I am a deaf person and the waitress was very rude in her attitude.

No atmosphere looks like not finished 😕 food not great not be back

Beautiful food, fantastic staff and a super atmosphere will definitely be back

Had a lovely lunch here with my Daughter and hubby. The Chester has been recently bought over,and what a change,food is top notch service outstanding, it had been in decline for a long time, I wish the new owners the best,they have gotten off to a great start

Meal was absolutely amazing staff were also very accommodating and nice pint of Guinness great will definitely be returning to my favourite place of the past decor amazing well done Mr Bannon.

As soon as I walked throu the doors, I knew I'd made a mistake, I found the place to be dull & uninviting with the sound of football perforating my earholes, food arrived and was cold. My Guinness made me feel that I'd be safer drinking a drop of the river Lagan. I can't see this gaff lasting if someone doesn't take charge & make some serious changes. Aidan

As soon as I walked throu the doors, I knew I'd made a mistake. The place looked dull & uninviting with the sound of football perforating my earholes. Thinking a pint & some good food would make up, we ordered, food arrived and was cold, my Guinness made me feel I'd be safer drinking a drop of the river lagan. I can't see this gaff lasting, if someone doesn't take the reins & get things in order. Suki,, North Belfast

Thank god they’ve got new management in! Needed rescued and so far massively impressed. Gorgeous food and great vibe.

Had food a few weeks ago in the Chester and was really nice. Returned yesterday and was massively disappointed. Ordered a chicken burger. When I cut through it, it was raw inside. Made a member of staff aware. She brought it into the kitchen and came back to say the chef said it “was cooked but could have been doing with being in the fryer longer” … which means it wasn’t cooked. Was offered a new one and refused. Was told that the item would be taken off the bill. Was disappointed with the service and reaction I got to chicken that was pure pink in the middle.

A real cut above the usual Belfast bar - spacious, good selection of beers and fun staff! A definite recommend!

Booked a table in the recently opened Chester. We were so disappointed we were not told when booking, that the restaurant was not opened. We were sat in a very noisy bar with a TV blasting as we ate. No vegetables anywhere on the menu is absolutely ridiculous. Our friendly server told us that they only serve veg on Sundays! We ate a main course and left. We appreciate that it's not too long opened and things need to settle down. Needs many improvements. Hope its soon!

Was at the Chester on 16/09/23 for food. Food was lovely and good size portion staff were lovely and the atmosphere was good will defo be back and would recommend.

We really really wanted our first visit back to the Chester to be great but it was disappointing. The portions were small and the food was pricey. The appearance of the food was great but the food itself was a bit bland… 😞

Firstly it is great to see The Chester reopened and getting a decent crowd back. However the inside Is far too gloomy and needs brightened up. Also can the bar staff please get prices of drinks correct .I realise there are two sizes of wine offered by the glass ,having said that we were charged different prices for the same size wine and this has happened on various visits. Either some staff don't get the price right or it is a deliberate overcharge ,particularly when paying by card when no receipt is offered. Please do better otherwise patrons will do as they did before with the previous owners. and stay away .

Got sampi was very small not worth the money had better at home was disappointed

Nice place, good food, nice service, I recommend it😉👍

Visited on 2/9/23 for food and drinks. Food was delicious and drinks very reasonably priced. Very attentive staff and good atmosphere. Will be back.

Nice atmosphere, friendly and professional staff. Food 👍 value great!

Good service but food wasn't nice. I ordered peppered chicken dirty fries. I got luke warm lattice fries with pepper sauce and chicken strips on top. Most definitely not dirty fries as i know them. Few tobacco onions on top. . Disgusting. Friend ordered chicken tenders, which came hot with luke warm garlic potatoes with a few lettuce leaves. We were sorley disappointed with this meal as the Chester had been recommended. Don't waste your money £28 wasted.

Had a great night will be back great to see the Chester opened again

Called in for a pint to see the ‘new’ Chester. As soon as we sat down, staff member advised they needed table back. Finished drinks and left. Despite this, we decided to give it another go this week. Ordered drinks. Sat down. This time we were allowed to sit for a second round until we were told they needed table back. Just before we went to leave, staff found us another table of similar size elsewhere. Bizarre. Not sure why we were moved on. Not sure why we’d be back.

Where do I begin just back from having the best food I've had in a long time. We decided to drop in for a bite to eat and boy were we impressed. Its been taken over again and I can tell ya for the better this is an absolute gem of a place. The staff alone had me hooked from the minute you step through the door they are so charming and attentive can't do enough for ya we had the pleasure of meeting the head chef and the manager on are vist Michael and Shauan make a great team. The food was amazing full of flavour I had the Seafood Chowder it was too die for my friend had the loaded fries honestly every bite was powerful. Real food for real people great for families too. So glad to see it reopened I have high hopes for this place would recommend it 110% .

Went last night with family for a meal in the newly re-opened Chester. Best meal we have had in ages, staff were very friendly and couldn't do enough and the place was buzzing. Going back on Sunday for another feed lol.

Really enjoyed the new Chester. Lovely meal and Jane give excellent service. They have tried to brighten up the inside. While it is a mammoth task it would really add to the enjoyment of the customer

Over here for the 1st time due to work and came across this place. WOW, what a place. meal was top rate and great staff. Shame we are heading back home.

Great to see this local spot reopened again , new staff are lovely got served quickly each time , even though they are extremely busy probably because of the £4 pints! . Had a great night there and the atmosphere was lovely and felt so familiar. Welcome back :)

We had planned to have a meal and a couple of drinks . We were met at the front door with a wall of sound .. the music was deafening . In fact we couldn’t hear the barman telling us to have a seat and he’d bring us the menu .. it was all in mime . We stayed for 10 minutes during which we had to shout loudly at each other !! Please turn down the volume - people go out to meet with friends and enjoy music in the background not in your face !!

We are locals and very happy to see the Chester open again. Great that you can go into a local bar without booking a table for food... The other local bars the landsdowne and Ben madigans are running as restaurants rather than bars and very little accommodation if you just want to call in for a few drinks... The only complaint I have about the Chester is that the music is far too loud... People are coming for a drink and a chat and if the loud music continues I think it will put a lot of people off.... It's a local bar not a concert venue.

Excellent opening day. Highly recommend the new menu!!!!!

Excellent first day with new set-up. Food service and music was first class. Not expensive and highly recommend!!!

Some of the staff here are the rudest I have ever encountered. Visited twice when it was The Last Drop and decided not to return after receiving bad service with a stinking attitude by one girl in particular. After they claimed to be bringing back the ‘good old Chester’ I assumed they might have made some changes to their service but no. Arrived on Friday for a few drinks then we were asked to move to another table as I think they had messed up someone’s table booking. We were moved under a speaker and once the karaoke started it was borderline deafening, I’m all for a good time but people were covering their ears it was that loud. I went to the staff and explained to see if we could be moved elsewhere or the speaker turned down to be told by the doorman ‘Take it up with the dj’ while the servers completely blanked me. Rude and not acceptable. I believe small businesses should be supported, but to treat paying customers like that on several occasions- they deserve a bad review

Just heard the Chester bar was a night club . I will have to check it out on Saturday night. Hard to find a good night club in Belfast these days.

Food was acceptable except for the very overcooked stuffing balls and Yorkshire Pudding. Solid rocks. But the real problem was the 40 minute wait for food. Completely unacceptable. Pleasant staff and comfortable, yes, but this place has a long way to go. New management need to raise their game.

Shown to a dirty table, waited 20 minutes on a menu, waited another 15 minutes on a drink, when meal arrived it was really nice.. pity the service didn’t match the food.. left disappointed and probably won’t be back

Guinness terrible for the price they charge they need to get proper bar staff who are able to pull a proper pint and not kids who haven’t got a clue.Not the kids fault lack of training from management same low standards as the last drop only thing changed is the name how ever nothing like original chester.wont be back

Same awful staff afterthe name change. I dont know the two girls names working sat 28th. But the least helpful service staff I've come across. Rude with with attitude. My friends nor family Will be back. And we will surely spread the word and reasons why. Had a run in with one of these girls before when it was the last drop.

I've been twice for food & coffee but the quality of both was inconsistent. The first time both food & cappuccino were great but on my 2nd visit both were average at best. The menu was different as well & the food I'd gotten on the first visit ( chicken goujons in a southern fried coating) was no longer available. I ordered the replacement chicken goujons but these were lacking in flavour. The prices charged should dictate a less hit & miss nature so on this basis I won't be back in a hurry. Staff were great though on both occasions which is the reason for my 3* rating.

Very few staff, untrained, sat around talking. Brought the wrong drinks, charged the wrong prices.

I think it lacks brightness and colour (depressing)! I don't like the dark dark decor - it "looks" very dirty with everything black - doesn't make you feel very happy when out for an evening. The staff are great no issues there and the food was good when we ate there on a couple of occasions.

Had a table booked for 3.30pm today. We arrived and placed our order at 3.25pm. Got to 4.10pm and the waitress came out and told us there was no chunky chips. I know this may sound trivial but we specifically said at the start we wanted them. Hardly anyone in the restaurant either so not as if they wouldn't have known this. Wasted 45 mins waiting and had to leave with a hungry 3yo. Very disappointed, won't be trying again.

BOOKED A TABLE, GOT THERE AND WE WERE TOLD NO TABLE AVAILABLE. WE ARE LEFT STRANDED AFTER GETTING DRESSED UP AND PAYING FOR TAXIS. IT WAS A FREEZING COLD NIGHT TOO AND HAD TO STAND OUTSIDE TO WAIT ON MORE TAXIS, HORRIBLE BEHAVIOUR. THEN TO TELL US IT WAS NOT THEIR FAULT. THEY COULD NOT HAVE CARED LESS, DID NOT HAVE THE DECENCY OR FORESIGHT TO RING US IN ADVANCE TO INFORM US, AT LEAST THAT WAY WE COULD HAVE TRIED TO MAKE OTHER ARRANGEMENTS. BEEN GOING IN AND OUT OF THERE FOR 20 YEARS AND SPENT A LOT OF MONEY, THERE IS NO WAY WE WILL BE GOING BACK AND WILL MAKE SURE WE LET OTHERS KNOW TOO. A LITTLE BIT OF CUSTOMER CARE GOES A LONG WAY.

The food was great and the girls serving were very welcoming.

Great Sunday lunch food was delicious. Fantastic service really friendly , thanks guys x

It's a bit dark inside. Food was great

Food was okay but really long waiting time and tables were greasy and dirty which was disgusting for us to sit at and eat our dinner at.

Will not be back ,staff falling over themselves, ordered food waited nearly an hour ,plus several waitress came and asked had we ordered,waited half hour for drink and when arrived were wrong order . Will definitely not recommend it to anyone.

drink prices horrendous food was nice

Nice and quiet. Need more updates with the food like. But fairly nice people who works there.

Great place. Staff are lovely and food has always been tip top.

Great home style meals, offers on all the time, I reccomend the Chester Burger.

Will never be back went out for my birthday meal with family and wouldn't give food to a dog my son's prawns smelt horrendous,complained and was told chef said they were ok rest of food ordered was below standard and didnt eat,came home £115 pound down and hungry

Llamamos el jueves por la noche para la oferta de noche de carne (15 por 10 oz + una bebida). Después de leer las críticas, posponíamos nuestra visita durante algunas semanas para dejar que las cosas se resolvieran bajo la nueva administración.Estábamos realmente satisfechos con todo. Los 2 filetes estaban perfectamente preparados, las patatas fritas y el puré eran excelentes, al igual que las alas y el pollo kickin que pedimos con él.Los dos niños tenían lasaña que disfrutaban.El nuevo personal fue absolutamente brillante. Un crédito para el nuevo propietario. Nos registraron dos veces durante la comida y fueron muy agradables y profesionales.El lugar también estaba muy ocupado y la gente que se iba después de la comida parecía feliz.Sugeriría que cualquier persona con una mala experiencia le dé otra oportunidad. Realmente ha vuelto a su mejor momento.

Bajo nueva administración, nuevo menú con una buena gama de ofertas (noche de carne, noche de pollo, noche italiana, etc.) junto con el menú principal. Fuimos en la noche de carne el jueves por la noche 10 z solomillo con guarnición y cerveza o vino por 15. Bistec fue cocinado exactamente como se solicitó gran corte, los lados eran buenas porciones también. Comidas para niños de buen rango y tamaño, venían con guarnición, bebida y helado. El personal es muy agradable, genuino, acogedor y profesional. Gran comida volveremos.

Place was dirty and the food was sub standard also the clientele leave a lot to be desired. Would never go back.

Good spot food is a hit or miss sometimes but deffo worth a vist

Hate the vegetarian options, taste awful and over priced

Had a meal in here in Sunday, I suppose it was OK but nothing to write home about as their standards have slipped a bit plus their prices have jumped up a brave bit compared to when Eamonn Diamond owned it. Another drawback was I had to go to an ATM to withdraw cash to pay for my meal as their card machines still aren't up and running after five weeks. It's not as if the new owners are novice at this game, so why is it taking so long to get the card machine up and running?

Service not good and food Middle of the road. Check your bill as we had things added on

No words to describe the food I just received! Without going into a rant (as I already wasted my time doing this with the manager jo via telephone) in a nutshell our bill was £52 2 starters, 2 mains, 2 desserts 1 child’s potatoes and beans. The 2 starters were non-existent, I live 5 mins away and the food was absolutely stone cold (regardless to me specifically asking for them to have it PIPING HOT and I emphasised the word piping) again I have no words to describe the desserts, absolute mess. I phoned to explain I wasn’t happy about this and my response was “bring the food back and I will be happy to replace” I am sorry but why would I want to endure this meal all over again??? Not to go into depth on the quality of the meal but I have seen better roast beef dinners served in a school canteen, not to mention the Yorkshire pudding tasting like some sort of cleaning detergent, absolutely repulsive. I understand that it was a take away dinner and I wasn’t expecting Michelin Star but if my post can prevent anyone else experiencing this then so be it. My request for a refund was declined, I have photographs of this pathetic excuse for a meal but I feel I need to send these to management privately and not to create any further bad exposure to the business! Absolute robbery!

Awful food. Awful staff. Garlic sautéed potatoes were hard cubes of potatoes served floating in some kind of oil with no garlic taste. Pure stinking. Will never be back

I have been here lots of times over the years.up until about 8 years ago it has went down hill.its a nice restaurant but the standard of food has dropped and the prices are extortion.if I’m paying £14.00 for chicken goujons n chips I would like real chicken not Iceland chicken.And the chips are seriously massive like everybody says.staff are nice but the food isn’t worth the money ...sorry Chester

We came here as a large family group for a meal. It was pre ordered but still took almost 2.5 hours for 2 courses. The tables hadn't been set up with enough places so we had to add our own and ask for cutlery. We told them ahead of time that there was one coeliac but they had not adapted anything and seemed unaware on the night. The pork belly was the worst I've ever had

Went today Friday 27th Dec staff lovely but food was not... Absolutely tasteless and the chips omg they are massive more like chunks of potatoes dreadful the pavlova was runny and definitely not fresh. The toilets omg they are the worst I wont be eating here again.

Bloody dreadful 7 out of 10 ppl down with severe vomitin dhiorrhea after meal fri nite daughters graduation manager only gettin back today says his kitchen spotless toilets r so dirty not offerin am resolustion dont go

Been going since I was 17 great place

Gave the Chester 5 stars this time. I thought the food was tremendous, my starter of BBQ wings was very tasty and my main was peppered chicken came second to none. Last time I had lunch there, I said I wouldn't be back....boy was I glad I changed my mind

We hadn't been in in a few years as it was very dark and put us off. If has been done up since and now is lovely. Food is good and it is always a reliable place to go for a nice meal

Have been a few times and the last couple of times have been poor. The food is average and service very poor.

Food is really good service is excellent

Frozen veg overcooked meat shocking standard of food

Lugar sorprendentemente ocupado. Menú general para gustos locales.Mi compañero cenó el rosbif y pensó que era excelente. Básicamente tenía pollo y papas fritas, estas últimas eran enormes y poco cocinadas, le mencionamos a la camarera que se disculpó y le ofreció un dulce de cortesía, pero ella lo manejó muy bien.Quizás un día diferente sería mucho mejor y no descartaría volver.

Had a signature drink, Guinness, and the catch of the day plate, bass. Very good on ALL counts! Good recommendation!

Beautiful food, great prices staff are lovely

Fui a tomar una copa para reunirme con amigos, mi sugerencia de tomar una copa aquí. . impactante asqueroso piso mesas vasos. . adolescentes en chándales uno con buggy. . un perro deambulando! Todo el bar necesitaba una limpieza profunda con vapor. Tuve que irme por el camino. nunca más

Used to be the best place on the Antrim road, not anymore unfortunately.

Public bar needs upgrading poor selection of recognised beers pints of beer over the Top prices

Excellent food, service and prices. Nothing more to add other than inside is also comfortable and cozy.

Miła obsługa, smaczne jedzenie, darmowy parking. Nic dodać, nic ująć.