Craft & Company — Restaurant in England

28/07/19 - I am an avid extra dry martini drinker. Barman, Ryan made sure I was well served. this man is a true asset to the establishment. In a foreign bar to me I am always a little hesitant as I have had many-a bad martini but Ryan has it right, without even saying knew a twist over an olive was the way to go with gin.

When my gin of choice was not available, he was knowledgeable on substitutes that may suit my palette and work well in a martini. beyond that, he personally delivered my parties' drinks to the table follows by a kaftan of water and iced glasses, a service seldom seen outside of cocktail bars in London. Granted, this was early evening before the Saturday night rush.

We departed the venue due to the anachronistic loud music of early evening disallowing us to converse or even order drinks without hanging over the bar and yelling.

Despite this, a bartender with as much time as Ryan was not found anywhere else in Chester, which resulted in my party returning to this venue. I am pleased we did. despite it being race day, the quality of music played was incredible, a good mix of old and new to suit all tastes.

My only criticism is the garnish on the martini. As a drink it is inherently understated, so an ostentatious garnish is superfluous. A martini is about substance rather than superficialities.

I visit Chester regularly, and drink martinis/Bollinger even more often, I hope you guys invest in him.

Oh, and ventilation in the loos need dramatic improvement! The latrines at Glastonbury are more...

Absolutely great place in terms of drinks selection, atmosphere and interior design. However, as a regular at this place since it opened I had an awful experience there last night as the DJ that had been hired verbally abused me when I asked if he could play a song. He proceeded to stop the music and tried to incite a crowd chant by clapping 'go away, go away'. This was obviously extremely embarassing and unnecessary given that I had politely asked for one song but the DJ was abhorrent from the outset. As a result, I was also then marched out by the elbow by one of the bouncers, who clearly had no idea wha was going on and must have thought I was causing a disturbance. I was extremely upset at how I was treated, particularly as another member of staff then proceeded to lie about what he had seen to presumably verify and justify the DJ's appalling behaviour. Myself and my group left immediately after speaking with staff outside and will not be returning, as there are plenty of other excellent bars in the vicinity in which we can give our custom. A formal complaint will also be made. As a relatively new business the bar need to think carefully about who they hire as they represent the establishment for...

I’m absolutely disgusted and heartbroken by what I witnessed at Craft and Co. This business made it painfully clear that it is not a trans-friendly space, and I feel it’s important to speak up.

A trans person I was with was accused of taking drugs—an unfounded and clearly baseless claim made solely as a pretext to remove them from the premises. Once that accusation was disproven, the hired bouncers didn’t even attempt to hide their bigotry. They flat-out admitted that the issue was the person being trans. No apology. No shame. Just open discrimination.

As a cis person, I am absolutely appalled. This isn’t just unacceptable—it’s dangerous. Targeting someone for their identity is not only unethical, it perpetuates harm against an already vulnerable community. Everyone deserves to feel safe, welcomed, and respected, especially in public spaces.

Let it be known: Craft and Co is not a safe space for trans people. I urge others to think twice before supporting a business that so blatantly and unapologetically discriminates.

We all have a responsibility to call this out and stand with the LGBTQ community against this kind...