The Cheshire Cat — Restaurant in England

I visited The Cheshire Cat with my daughter and grandson for Sunday lunch (3pm booking).

We arrived a little early and were greeted politely by a member of staff, who explained our table wasn’t yet ready. That was fine with us, and we enjoyed drinks outside in the sunshine.

When we were shown to our table, it hadn’t been cleaned from the previous customers. The waitress apologised and explained that the system had shown it as “ready.” She asked if we wanted to sit while she cleaned, but I declined as I didn’t want food falling around me while she wiped down. After a wait of around 10 minutes, no one had been to take our order, so I approached a young waitress at the bar. Instead of helping, she responded in a noticeably stroppy manner, saying she was “stuck there” with a problem on the computer. I was taken aback at her rudeness, as I had asked politely. Fortunately, another member of staff (later revealed to be the manager) stepped in, apologised, and took our order.

Sadly, the food itself was the greatest disappointment. Although, most of the vegetables were cooked well.and edible, my trio roast (£21.95) was bland, with meat sliced wafer-thin and roast potatoes so hard I couldn’t cut or bite into them. My daughter’s vegan roast (£18.95) was soggy in the middle and, as she put it, the worst roast dinner she had ever had. She ate only half out of hunger. My grandson’s children’s steak and chips (around £10.50) was chewy, fatty, and served with chips that had black, rotten sections. Later, he asked for a replacement vegan roast (£7.95).

I did politely raise my concerns, even demonstrating the inedible potato to a staff member. My plate was taken back to the kitchen, but I declined a replacement as I had lost my appetite. Dessert was offered, but by then, after the rude exchange with that one waitress (other waitresses were attentive) and poor food, the attempt to save the day had passed.

When it came time to pay, I was surprised to be presented with a bill at all. The manager reduced it to cover only the side of cauliflower cheese (£4.95) and my grandson’s replacement roast, but the principle remained: both my own meal and my daughter’s had been poor quality, and the dining experience as a whole was not one we expected or enjoyed.

For me, this was never about the money — it was about principle. When you’re paying nearly £22 for a Sunday roast, you expect edible food, professional service, and a pleasant experience. Instead, we were met with rudeness, inedible food, and disappointment. Although the manager was polite, it felt as though the priority became the bill, rather than acknowledging just how far short the meal had fallen.

I am by no means a “picky” person, and I rarely feel the need to complain when dining out. However, when standards fall this far below what is reasonable to expect — especially at these prices — then the matter has to be addressed and appropriately rectified. On this occasion, it simply wasn’t.

What made this especially disappointing was that my daughter and I had been really looking forward to a family Sunday lunch together. Instead of enjoying good food and quality time, we left hungry and let down.

The Cheshire Cat is a lovely setting and could be so much better, but on this occasion, the quality of food and service did not reflect the prices charged. We left disheartened, and unfortunately, I cannot recommend the Sunday lunch based on...

We booked an hour before arriving online for a party of 9 for brunch, as we were aware we were a large party we wanted to ensure there was availability. Booking was easy and confirmed within minutes. When we arrived at 10:15 as per the booking and the staff were unaware of our booking. It then took approximately 20 minutes for them to push 3 tables together and have us seated. It was then a further 20 minutes to order drinks and when they eventually arrived they were just placed on the table with no information as to what each drink was we also requested water for the table which didn’t arrive for another hour. We then had to ask to order our food which we did. What then followed was over an hour wait. When asked how long food would be we were told 10 minutes. A member of the party then went to speak to a member of the bar staff who apologised for the wait and said that a reduction on the bill would be make. Tom then came to the table and asked if everything was ok. He was told we wanted to know how long our food would be. Tom was extremely rude and unprofessional, refusing to acknowledge that at almost 2 hours since arrival and still not receiving our food order was unacceptable and no reduction on the bill would be made. He stated that a table of 9 would take longer, which we agree with but not almost 2 hours long. He also said that the food area was very busy, at this point we were the only people inside the pub and there were approximately 5 people in the outside area. Following Toms rude and unprofessional conduct he then went to the bar area and began to talk about us with the bar staff in a negative way. At this point we left. It was a completely disappointing end to a fantastic weekend we had in Chester. This was personally my first experience at a vintage inn and it does not make me want to rush to return to one due to the staff attitude and...

Visiting Chester but want comfort and style? The Cheshire Cat's got you covered!

Possibly one of the best places to stay when visiting Chester, the service was brilliant and the rooms are primarily located in a building to the side of the main restaurant (some are above so enquire when booking).

⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Staff and Service were amazing... When you could get their attention. Attentive and friendly otherwise, there were adverts for additional staff on display so I had to give 3 stars as that was the experience but it didn't seem to be any fault of them.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Rooms! Absolutely bang tidy. Really comfortable, soft sheets and it was welcomed after going around Chester. Very well taken care of and clean, you can tell that despite them being primarily in a building to the side, it's not an afterthought.

💷💷 Prices are a little higher than your average bar/restaurant but then again it's not your average pop in for a pint pub!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Interior was really nicely decorated and it was a nice mix of a traditional and the modern and clean looks. Overall a great place to eat and drink.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Exterior was impeccable. This added to the whole experience, if you are staying or just going to eat, as it was really inviting. Some of the l8ght placements were really well done as well.

Conclusion is that The Chesire Cat is a great location. I stayed as a visitor going to Chester but I could also see myself visiting often if I lived in the area. I even signed up for their newsletter... Now I have serious fear of missing out everytime they email but I can't...